In Hawaii, there is a 59 year old man named Doug Rasmussen who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago. He has been an avid runner for 40 years and recently completed a 100 mile run in under 24 hours. He also has completed marathons on most of the islands in Hawaii.
Even though he does have Parkinson’s disease, it has not prevented him from running. He still runs seven days per week for about 40 miles. He believes that all of the running may be helping to fend off the symptoms of the disease.
Doctors confirm that regular exercise can benefit PD patients. Research has shown that exercise has two major benefits:
- Managing of symptoms: Research shows us that regular exercise can improve your gait, balance, tremor, and motor coordination. Running and biking have shown these benefits in clinical trials.
- Possibly slowing progression of disease: Many doctors believe that improving your mobility can reduce the risks of falling. Also, doctors agree that participating in a regular exercise regimen will improve your mobility. Some research also suggests that people who do intense exercise, such as running, have fewer changes in the brain as they age.
Experts believe that people with PD who exercise intensely realize the best benefits. They recommend that you exercise intensely at least three or four times per week, and more is better. It should be noted that ‘intensely’ means exercise that increases the heart rate and makes you breathe hard.
Why does exercise seem to help PD? Research suggest that exercise makes brain cells use dopamine in a more efficient manner. Regular exercise also seems to boost this efficiency by changing the parts of the brain where the dopamine signals are transmitted and received.
Engaging in regular exercise to ward off PD symptoms is especially important in younger patients, such as those diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s. If you wait until you have more symptoms to begin exercising, you may have difficulty doing so safely.
