Can Exercise do for Parkinson's Patients what medicine can't

Can exercise do for parkinson's patients what medicine can't

Besides exercises medication are important for PD patients. Medications help you to relieve your body movement and mobility as to help you during exercises. Both are related. Consistencies, persistences, dsciplines towards exercises besides medication are the key for you to combat the diseases. I spend nearly three years in the fitness centre three hours daily in gym exercises classes except Sunday I finally combat the disease. I do not look like Parkinson's Patient as told by my neurologlist, fitness members and instructors. Besides I engage two personnel trainers to align my body posture and do strectching my stiffness muscles. I do Box and Kick exercises and cardio as well as weights lifting two times a week and last an hour to train my endurance and flexibility. It is hard work.
Back to top


Dr. OkunJoined: 19 Jan 2007Posts: 251Location: University of Florida
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:07 pm Post subject:

There are a lot of recent studies and ongoing studies showing the benefits of exercise. Exercise is like a drug in PD and it seems to change neural networks in potentially meaningful ways. We need to understand this better to make more specific recommendations._________________Michael S. Okun, M.D.
Back to top

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:44 am Post subject:

Both medications and regular physical exercise are helpful - they complement each other in the treatment of PD. Exercise helps to maintain body fitness. For the purpose of carrying out regular exercise, the PD patient should be taking adequate dose of medications (obviously). A common observation in Malaysia is that there are many PD patients who do not carry out physical exercise simply because they are under-medicated. In our country, the treatment of PD is rather conservative - the total daily dose of medications is relatively low compared with other countries. This is a pity because without adequate dose of medications, many of our PD patients are deprived of activities such as physical exercise, driving, etc. Dr Chew Nee Kong, Kuala Lumpur.
Back to top

johnball20@gmail.comJoined: 23 Feb 2008Posts: 8
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:13 am Post subject: Exercise and PDI

I don't think the question should be "can exercise do what medicine can't for PD?" The real question should be "how can we maximise our effectiveness by combining exercise with our medications?" Without my cocktail of medications (Sinemet, Comtan, Zelopar, Mirapex, amantadine) I couldn't get out of bed. But when I take them on time and in the right quantity, I can get up and exercise and then take that strengtrh and apply it to all my tasks of dialy living. I think we need to look at our medications simply as the tools we need to get where we're going, not as the solution to our problems. Exercise gives us strength and fitness, and allows us to get the important things done. John