Today he’s upright and ditched his back brace and walker. decided not to increase my meds, and I’m sure the reason for that is exercise.”
This does not surprise Parkinson’s experts who point out that for a long time and grow body of evidence This supports the positive impact of exercise on disease. Scientists are currently studying which exercises are performed at what level of intensity for maximum benefit.The goal is to delay the onset of the disease, or ideally prevent at allThey also want to understand how exercise affects the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, and how it affects non-motor functions such as mood and cognition. There is no cure — but most researchers believe that exercise has positive effects on most patients.
“We’ve known for a long time that exercise is good for people with Parkinson’s disease,” says Gisele Petzinger, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and an early advocate of exercise for Parkinson’s disease. increase. “What we are now trying to do is take what we already know and refine it further into practical applications for patients.”
Caroline Tanner, professor of neurology at the Weill Institute for Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco, predicted in a recent paper: study If all adults without a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease regularly pushed themselves to 80% of their physical activity capacity, new Parkinson’s cases could be reduced by nearly half by 2030. “This could have surprising public health consequences,” says Tanner.
Parkinson’s disease results from the death of key neurons in the substantia nigra area of the brain that produce the chemical messenger dopamine. Over time, the loss of these nerve cells impairs movement and impairs cognition. You may also become slurred and depressed. Cosmetic signs include tremors, muscle stiffness, slowed movement, poor posture and balance, and inability to perform involuntary movements (eg, blinking, smiling, waving arms while walking).
Most patients are over 60 years of age at diagnosis, but a small percentage are under 50 years of age. about 1 million Americans They have Parkinson’s disease, with about 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Parkinson Foundation. identification drugs and other treatments can relieve symptoms.
Experts now believe that exercise is the mainstay of these treatments, saying that exercise is beneficial at all stages of the disease.
“Usually when a person starts a new exercise program, the goal is to improve,” says associate professor of kinesiology at California State University, Monterey Bay. Power over Parkinson’s disease, or POP, a program in which Sevene participates. “Our goal is also improvement, but at least maintenance. Parkinson’s disease is progressive, so if we can maintain physical and cognitive function, we can actually improve.”
Ryan Cotton, President and Acting CEO rocksteady boxingAn international boxing program for people with Parkinson’s disease. quoted as Several the study Recent years have shown the positive impact of boxing. The curriculum is designed specifically for Parkinson’s disease.
“A boxer trying to defend will slouch, but Parkinson’s disease itself puts you in that position,” says Cotton. , a lot of people don’t go out into society, but once you put on your gloves and start banging your bag, that anxiety goes away, replaced by bragging that “I’m kind of a badass.”
He describes the impact on veterans who started boxing six years ago. This walker-dependent man showed up early for class so he had time to hide his walker before others could see him. “He took all his frustration out with this bag,” recalls Cotton. “Six months later he walked independently and then ran a half marathon. Today, anyone who sees him on the street won’t even know he has Parkinson’s disease.”
laugh and fight back
Boxing sessions also contribute to a sense of community by creating “support groups that aren’t really support groups,” says S. Elizabeth Sauber, an associate professor of clinical neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. “Let’s laugh and fight back against Parkinson’s disease,” says her Zauber, who serves on Rock Steady’s board of directors and its medical advisory board. … Seeing your symptoms improve is empowering and boosts your self-confidence. “
Daniel M. Kolkos, Professor of Physical Therapy and Human Kinesiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, leads Multisite. clinical research We compare two levels of exercise among early Parkinson’s disease patients, that is, people less than 3 years from diagnosis and not yet on medication.
The trial, which is recruiting participants, will study two groups. Members of one group walk on a treadmill at 60-65% of her maximum heart rate, while the other group exercises at 80-85% of her capacity. Maximum heart rate — the maximum speed at which an individual’s heart can beat — varies from person to person and is age dependent. Young people are generally more capable.
Researchers determine each participant’s maximum speed through testing and calculate that individual’s walking speed relative to their assigned ability — 60 to 65 percent or 80 to 85 percent. 30 minute walks 4 times a week for 2 years.
just a while ago the study We confirmed the safety and feasibility of both routines and anecdotally suggested that more intense walking yields more benefits.
Jay Alberts A neuroscientist and vice chair of the Innovation Division at the Cleveland Clinic’s Institute of Neurology, he has studied the effects of cycling on Parkinson’s disease for nearly two decades. His interest began in 2003 during a group of him cycling across Iowa for several days. After a few days of tandeming her bike with a Parkinson’s patient, he noticed that her handwriting had improved dramatically when she signed greeting her cards.
“It was really an ‘aha’ moment,” says Alberts. “It made me think that maybe something was changing in my brain.”
Scientists still don’t know exactly what it is, but they have some ideas that probably suggest multiple mechanisms at work.
Alberts believes that exercise increases neurotrophic factors, small molecules, usually proteins, that promote brain cell growth and survival. “They don’t produce dopamine, but they may mitigate the effects of whatever is causing the dopamine loss,” he says.
The higher the exercise intensity, the Neurotrophic factors, adds Alberts. However, “high intensity may be optimal, but the intensity someone can achieve is better than zero,” he says.
Recent study In mice, they also found that irisin, a hormone secreted in the blood during endurance exercise, reduced levels of alpha-synuclein, a protein abundant in the brain. linked for the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
Tanner believes exercise may also help quell chronic inflammationThis happens when the immune system activates an inflammatory response that can never be stopped, and is often a hallmark of neuropathy, she says.
and recent study For example, Alberts, who co-authored with a Parkinson’s disease patient, found that high-intensity aerobic exercise improves information processing capacity.
In this study, 50 Parkinson’s disease patients engaged in high-intensity cycling on a stationary bicycle three times a week for eight weeks. Researchers measured their ability to respond to a timed task before starting an exercise program and then finished it again. I was. This shows that “exercise boosts cognitive function,” says Alberts. Such improvements “may benefit performance in activities of daily living,” he adds.
The POP program in Monterey, CA includes mental as well as physical exercise to keep participants sharp. “While members are banging bags, we challenge them cognitively by spelling words, answering questions, or solving math problems,” he says.
Exercise also alleviates other physical and emotional symptoms that plague people with Parkinson’s, such as sleep disturbances, mood swings, depression, apathy, low energy and constipation, experts say.
The Parkinson Foundation has already Recommendation Experts say you shouldn’t wait until scientists come up with research-based details to start exercising. There’s already enough good evidence to suggest that,” says Tanner.
