28 Sep To Your Health: Dr. Alan on Parkinson’s, Growing Environmental & Public Health Crisis!
Welcome back to the series which offers a deep dive into the world of health, wellness, and disease prevention with Telluride local Dr. Alan Safdi.
Dr. Alan is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, and a respected leader in healthcare. His blogs have featured and will continue to showcase the most current information in his fields: health, wellness and longevity. During Covid, Dr. Alan went radio silent – until recently. Now Dr. Alan is back in action with “To Your Health.”
In this installment of “To Your Heath, Dr. Alan does a dive deep into the science-backed facts about Parkinson’s disease (PD), once considered a relatively rare neurological condition, now the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder.
Scroll down to read the salient details and listen to the podcast to find out more.
Approximately 10 million people worldwide are currently living with PD, and new diagnoses in the United States alone number around 90,000 each year — or about one case every six minutes. According to projections published in The BMJ, the global burden of Parkinson’s is expected to more than double by 2050, rising from 11.9 million cases in 2021 to an estimated 25.2 million by mid-century. The primary driver is an aging population, but research increasingly points to environmental factors — especially pesticide exposure — as critical contributors to the disease’s rapid rise.
Environmental Exposures: Pesticides and Chemicals
Emerging evidence strongly implicates pesticides and industrial chemicals as major risk factors for Parkinson’s disease.
• Golf course proximity and groundwater contamination: A 2025 study in JAMA Network Open found that living within 1–3 miles of a golf course significantly increased PD risk, with the highest odds among residents relying on groundwater sources. Pesticides such as 2,4-D, atrazine, metolachlor, and linuron, commonly used on turf, were highlighted as potential culprits. Those living within one mile of a golf course had a 126% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s, while risk remained elevated up to three miles away.
• Paraquat and other herbicides: Paraquat, one of the most widely used herbicides in U.S. agriculture, has been under scrutiny since the 1950s, when company scientists first noted its neurotoxic potential. Animal studies show that paraquat exposure produces Parkinson’s-like symptoms in rodents, and numerous epidemiologic studies suggest a strong association between paraquat use and PD in humans. Despite bans in the European Union, China, and Brazil, paraquat remains widely used in the United States — nearly 17 million pounds annually by 2018.
• Other chemical exposures: Beyond pesticides, links have been established between PD and industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), once widely used in dry cleaning and metal degreasing. For example, residents and veterans exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were found to have a 70% higher risk of Parkinson’s compared with those stationed elsewhere.
These exposures illustrate a pattern: although genetics play a role in a small minority of PD cases, environmental and occupational factors appear to be the dominant drivers of disease at a population level.
Exercise as a Protective Factor
While exposures drive risk, lifestyle interventions may help mitigate damage. A study published in Clinical Neurophysiology showed that just 12 cycling sessions over four weeks helped restore neural connectivity in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. The study leveraged deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices to record real-time neural activity, demonstrating measurable improvements in motor circuits after consistent exercise.
The findings highlight that neuroplasticity is possible even in the face of neurodegeneration. Cycling and potentially other forms of structured exercise may promote compensatory brain network changes, suggesting that physical activity is not only beneficial for general health, but also may also directly influence disease mechanisms in Parkinson’s.
We now believe for the most part Parkinson’s is a “man-made pandemic” — not caused by a virus, but by decades of exposure to chemicals in our food, water, and air. Ultimately, protecting brain health requires treating Parkinson’s not as an inevitable byproduct of aging, but largely as a preventable condition shaped by our environment and choices.
Dr. Alan, more:
Dr. Alan Safdi is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology and a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. A proven leader in the healthcare arena, he has been featured on the national program, “Medical Crossfire” and authored or co-authored numerous medical articles and abstracts.
Safdi, a long-time Telluride local, has been involved in grant-based and clinical research for four decades. He is passionate about disease prevention and wellness, not just fixing what has gone wrong.
Dr. Alan is an international lecturer on the subjects of wellness, nutrition and gastroenterology and now in partnership on an AI project with Stanford and the Mayo Clinic.
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