Pedaling benefits Parkinson's

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Kathrynne Holden, MS, RDJoined: 22 Jan 2007Posts: 94Location: www.nutritionucanlivewith.com
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:33 am Post subject: News: Pedaling Benefits Parkinson's

Dear Friends, the following may be of interest. Best, Kathrynne ======================================================== Pedaling for Parkinson's By Margot Kim http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=health&id=5605241 09/12/2007 - CLEVELAND (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Parkinson's, a disease that causes tremors and other neurological problems, usually strikes people who are near 60 years old. Now, researchers say a special type of exercise could grant some Parkinson's patients relief from their symptoms. For most people, turning 50 years old signifies middle age. For Steve Derman, it meant a shocking health diagnosis. "Not having been sick a day in my life, it came as a complete shock, and we didn't accept the first diagnosis, or the second diagnosis, or the third diagnosis," Derman says. "[Now] I can't button shirts, can't tie a tie." Derman takes medication, but the side effects can be worse than the symptoms. Now, a drug-free therapy is helping. It's forced exercise on a tandem bike. Jay Alberts, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, says in the past, exercise hasn't really helped patients. But by pushing them out of their comfort zone and forcing them to pedal much faster than they would normally, symptoms can improve more than they do from drugs. "After eight weeks of exercise, symptoms have improved 30 to 35 percent for patients, which is a pretty dramatic improvement," Alberts says. Researchers aren't positive how this method works, but they think driving the central nervous system beyond its normal capacity can lead to biochemical changes. Further proof? Patients only work the lower half of their bodies, but motor symptoms in their upper half improve. "We may be actually treating the disease rather than just treating the symptoms," Alberts says. "It's tremendous," says Derman. "It not only relieves the symptoms, but it really gives you a purpose in life." This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/ If you would like more information, please contact: Erica Foreman Cleveland Clinic foremae