BY ADMIN / JANUARY 24TH, 2016
For 35 years, he participated in endurance sports events, from the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in 1984 to local events, such as the Kiawah Island Half Marathon and Lowcountry Splash open-water swims, in recent years.
But last year, while walking his dog, the Seabrook Island resident noticed his foot dragging. He thought his back may have been acting up, but his wife thought he’d better get it checked out.
He did and found out he had Parkinson’s Disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement.While he never anticipated having his active life eventually compromised, DeAndrade has taken solace in the fact that exercise and physical fitness likely delayed the onset of Parkinson’s and its often devastating symptoms, such as rigidity, tremors and impaired balance.
With the exception of running, DeAndrade is still working out vigorously every day. His weekly routine includes 20-mile bike rides with his wife or friend three days and swims of about 2,000 meters, followed by functional workouts at Seabrook’s Lake House fitness center three or more days.
Exercise is medicine
His neurologist, Dr. Vanessa K. Hinson, says that DeAndrade is among a few of her model patients who demonstrate how exercise plays a crucial role in easing the progression and severity of Parkinson’s.
“Exercise is a powerful tool to delay the progression of Parkinson’s and to improve existing symptoms,” says Hinson, who is director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Movement Disorders Program. “Any form of exercise is good, as long as you stick to it.”
Hinson points to an array of studies that demonstrate its benefits, including one from the University of Pittsburgh showing that animals that exercise produces an increased amount of the brain protective factor GDNF, or glial cell derived neurotrophic factor.
“The GDNF helps to protect the brain cells from external damage and keeps them alive longer. In the case of Parkinson’s disease, … cells producing a certain critical chemical called dopamine die off prematurely,” says Hinson, adding that exercise allows the cells to live longer and continue to produce dopamine.
She adds that exercise also increases the number of “work sites”where the dopamine can dock in the brain to make it more effective.
“These are so-called D2 receptors, and these are present in greater numbers after exposure to exercise,” says Hinson.
Yet, Hinson adds, most people with Parkinson’s don’t know about the benefits of exercise and are more likely to ask about medications.
“The fact is though that there is no medicine on the shelf that will slow the disease progression down. Medicines are effective for treating symptoms but do not affect overall disease progression. But hey, exercise can do just that and is free,” says Hinson.
Never too late
Once they do find out, many, including those who didn’t exercise before Parkinson’s, start a program.
“Most are so amazed how much exercise people with Parkinson’s can tolerate when I share stories such as Floyd’s with them. This is very inspiring for people. This puts them in a position to be proactive and do something about their Parkinson’s instead of just sitting back and letting things happen,” says Hinson.
Hinson says studies have shown an array of activities, from high-intensity cycling to low-intensity walking, stretching, resistance training, t’ai chi and yoga can provide benefit.
One physical therapy exercise program designed for Parkinson’s is called LSVT BIG. “There is an exercise program suitable for every stage of Parkinson’s. We do not have evidence that one form of exercise is better than another. My general advice here is that people should choose a form of exercise they enjoy because then they are more likely to do it.
Genetics and toxins
While research has yet to pinpoint the cause of Parkinson’s, scientists believe it is likely a combination of two things: a genetic predisposition and an environmental toxins.
“That means that an individual is born with a certain vulnerability or risk for getting Parkinson’s, but then later will get exposed to an environmental toxin, and the two together will produce the onset of Parkinson’s disease,” says Hinson.
Among the most well-known toxins for causing Parkinson’s is Agent Orange, a herbicide and defoliant manufactured by Monsanto and Dow Chemical that was used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
Hinson says other pesticides and herbicides have been identified, but that the dose of exposure that is harmful is unknown.
“It is unlikely that chemicals found in our regular diet are strong enough to contribute here and we generally don’t find that organic food is protective in any way,” he says.
“A generally healthy diet low in fat and high in vegetables, fruits and lean protein is good advice for anybody, and this applies also to people with Parkinson’s.”
http://themedics.info/2016/01/24/one-of-the-best-prescriptions-for-parkinsons-disease-is-not-a-drug-its-exercise/
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