Scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, University ofPittsburgh and University of Southern California discovered thatexercise can slow the progression of Parkinsons disease (known asPD).

Sat Feb 06 2010] The studies suggest that regularphysical activity can help to reduce damage to neurons in the brain thatcauses Parkinsons disease.

Parkinsons disease is an illnessthat affects muscle movement, says Kay Mixson Jenkins, author of thenew childrens book Who Is Pee Dee? Anything that can help to maintainnormal muscle tone and flexibility is extremely important.

Ms.Jenkins was diagnosed with PD when she was just thirty-four. She decidedto write her book to help her children understand the disease. Thestory follows a young boy named Colt as he tries to deal with hismothers chronic illness.

Parkinsons disease is a progressiveneurological disorder that affects nearly 1.5 million Americans;approximately 50,000 are diagnosed with the disease every year.

Accordingto the Mayo Clinic, Exercise has important benefits for everyoneregardless of age or physical condition... When your condition threatensto immobilize you, exercise keeps you moving... To retain your mobilityand function, use it or lose it.

Exercises cannot stopParkinsons disease progression, but based on the study, regularphysical activity can help PD patients to:

minimize furthercell damage.
decrease loss of cognitive skills.
increasemuscle control and build muscle strength.
improve balance andcoordination.
reduce depression.

Unfortunately, there isno cure yet for Parkinsons disease, says Ms. Jenkins. I believe thatexercise can help to delay the progression of Parkinsons and improveemotional well-being, which is very important for PD patients.

KayMixson Jenkins is the Georgia state co-coordinator for the ParkinsonsAction Network, leads the Effingham County Parkinsons support group andwas selected as a Parkinsons patient advocate for UCB, Inc.

TheDavis Phinney Foundation, located in Boulder, Colorado, USA, hasjust launched their "EveryVictory Counts" Program designed to inform and empower people withParkinson's Disease to live well. The cornerstone of the program is an"interactive manual co-authored by experts in the care of people withParkinsons with contributions from leading movement disorder experts." 

Founder Davis Phinney is a winner of the Olympic Bronze and Tour deFrance stages, who from the late 1970's until his retirement fromprofessional cycling in 1993, achieved more wins 328 victories in all than any other US Cyclist. Along with Lance Armstrong and Greg Lemond,Phinney is one of only three Americans to win multiple stages of theTour de France, the world's most prestigious bike race. In 2000, he wasdiagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinsons. 

The focus of this small foundation's mission emphasizes the supportof exercise and speech programs that can have an immediate impact in thelives of people living with Parkinsons.  

In addition to this new initiative, the Foundation's site offers theresults of an online survey funded last summer. Keep in mind that overthe last decade or so there have been more than 20 research studiessuggesting the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson's disease.The surveyresults document where the Parkinson's patients acquired most oftheir information about exercise and well as their views on the benefitsof exercise for their condition.  

For example, among Parkinson'spatients, almost 30% of the time, exercise was not mentioned atdiagnosis. Another 30% reported discussing exercise with theirphysicians, but they initiated the discussion about exercise based ontheir own personal research.  And to find out about exercise and itsbenefits on the lifestyle and health of someone with Parkinson's, 53% ofthe respondents said they reliec on the Internet, books and their ownresearch.

Researchers at the new Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at BarrowNeurological Institute in Phoenix launched a study this month designedto determine the physical and neurological impact of simple exercise onParkinsons disease patients age 50 to 70.

During the 12-weektrial, participants follow a structured exercise program calledpole-striding (walking with ski-like poles) three days a week for 45minutes.

They are monitored and coached by staff members fromthe Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. They wear heart rate monitors andpedometers to measure the intensity of the training.

Participantsbrains are monitored to determine if increased physical activity helpsprotect the neurons in the brain from the disease.

Parkinsons disease is a difficult and frustrating illness affecting onein 500 people in the UK. There are a wealth of services, advice andproducts on hand that can help with symptoms and side effectsassociated with Parkinsons disease, making life easier for both careersand patients.

Parkinsons disease or PD as it can often be calledis a movement disorder that persists over a long period of time andprogressively gets worse. This degenerative disorder attacks thecentral nervous system resulting in impaired motor skills that causetremors, muscle rigidity, and slowing or loss of physical movement.

Exerciseand mobility are the best things you can do/ or encourage to restoresome independence against Parkinsons negative effects. Medical expertsview exercise with the same level of importance as medication when itcomes to the management of Parkinsons disease. Exercise helps bykeeping muscles strong and improving flexibility and mobility, as wellas recovering balance and preventing joint stiffening. For exampleinvesting in a Pedal Exerciser can help re-establish muscle strength inthe lower body and is easy to use in the home.

Getting out andabout is important, as it a great source of both physical and mentalactivity improving the quality of life for the Parkinsons patient.Mobility Aids such as walking sticks are designed to provide supportfor those who have difficulty keeping their balance. A Parkinson'spatient tends to stoop forward and shuffle, so the Quad Cane would be arecommended strong support for the patient. However there is theWalking Stick Seat that as implied in its name, has a seat for when theuser feels fatigued and can be easily folded for storage or travel.

Freezing,getting locked in one position is an immobilizing symptom of Parkinsonsthat prevents the patient from walking. The Parkinsons sufferer cannotseem to focus on taking another step however there is a mobility aid onthe market that combats this problem. This mobility product is a laserthat come attached to walking stick, beaming a line onto the groundencouraging the user to step over it. To purchase this specialist item,or to request further details please email mail@collinscare.co.uk, orcall 01603 483883.

Hand tremors can be an embarrassing symptomof Parkinsons, but one that can often be compensated for by usingmobility utensils. For example the Sure Grip Cup has deep groves toresist slippage and the Good Grips Weighted Cutlery has added weight toengage more muscle control. These products and many more allow theParkinson's patient to remain more independent, which can help with theside effect of depression that can be related to this disease.

Tai Chi movements gentle balance enhancing motions can obviously helpthe Parkinsons patient by helping to reduce the gradual loss ofbalance that Parkinsons sufferers often experience. However, there maybe much more it offers. For example, Tai Chi movements rotate the humanbody in about 95% of the ways the body can move, when a long form ispracticed. This is far beyond what other exercise offers, and in factthe closest would be several swimming strokes, which together wouldonly rotate the body in about 65% of the ways it can move. ForParkinsons sufferers, or anyone for that matter, this would indicatethat by using 95% of the bodys possible motion several times a week,the possibility of losing the ability to do so diminishesaccordingly. This isnt rocket science, but simple common sense.


Yet,perhaps Parkinsons patients have even more to gain from Tai Chi. A fewyears ago I taught several classes at local medical centers. I wascontinually frustrated because although Id seen emerging reports thatTai Chi was beneficial to people with Parkinsons Disease, orarthritis, or chronic hypertension, etc., even though the departmentsthat specialized in those conditions were often just down the hall frommy Tai Chi class . . . they might as well have been a million milesaway. Because the physicians who ran those departments were eitherignorant of or unwilling to refer their patients to the possibilitiesthat Tai Chi offered their lives.