Banded Krait

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/1...out-the-brain/

Fascinating article in today's N.Y. Times. Parkinson's patients who had to pedal at a cadence well outside their comfort zone showed measurable improvement in their brain function. The article points out that the findings are important not only for those suffering from Parkinson's disease, but have much broader implications on the importance of intense exercise for brain health for everyone.

DnvrFox

Extremely fascinating article.

In the 1970's - my son with profound developmental disabilities and numerous other "diagnoses" participated for 6 years in a program through an organization in Philadelphia called - "The Institutes for the Achievemnt for Human Potential" where they consulted on and prescribed a home program - every quarter - of various exercises and therapy using "frequency, intensity and duration" as the underlying tenets.

We did this program with him 13 hours per day, 6 days per week, with the help of over 350 volunteers during the 6 years, and yed, there was great progress in a variety of dimensions.

Of course, the program was derided (and we were ridiculed for our participation) by the mainline medical community - yet, almost all of their therapy modalities have crept into everyday usage by therapists of all kinds.

zonatandem

Have done an El Tour de Tucson event with a female 'parky' stoker on our tandem.
Had a great time and she was great!
This was back in 2002 and is now a regular thing on the El Tour for the local Parkinsons foundation.
Don't underestimate anyone!!!

Artkansas 

Ride with Larry, the Movie

willb1046

Thank you for posting this video, touched me very deeply!

jusdooit

Fascinating. My mother had Parkinson's, so I still follow research, etc.

VNA

Very interesting--it shows once again how important exercise is to our well being.

It also shows the effect on the brain, that is why I call cycling a drug--a very good one at that.

Thank you for the article.

Rick@OCRR

Very interesting article, and it seems to correspond to what's happened with my mother-in-law. She has Parkinson's but she's a competitive swimmer, and the swimming seems to have (at least) kept her Parkinson's symptoms from worsening.

I know this is a little Off Topic, since this is a bicycle forum, but I thought it would be okay since it's Parkinson's related.

I also wonder what Davis Phinney would have to say on the topic, since he was a Very Successful bicycle racer in his day, who suffers from Parkinson's. I read somewhere that he had something inserted into his brain (sorry, don't remember exactly what), and that helped him quite a lot. Haven't heard anything recently, though. Anyone else have any recent Davis Phinney news rearkinsons?

Rick / OCRR

christ0ph

Recently, while I was busy with something else, out of the corner of my eye I saw a short TV segment which was detailing some recent study where people who had been crippled by some serious neurodegenerative disease and could barely walk because of tremors, etc. WHEN PUT ON A BIKE COULD STILL RIDE PERFECTLY..

Another study recently showed similar things with painting...

So, now they are trying to figure out WHY. Maybe memory works completely differently than up until now they thought it did. Possibly some learned physical skills access a completely different part of the brain.

christ0ph

One paper I read recently showed how ochratoxin a, which is a mycotoxin found in a lot of foods, is neurotoxic and may be a cause of cumulative damages that eventually become Parkinsons as much as decades later.

Ochratoxin kills a lot of animals. Its probably what killed Alex the famous communicating parrot.

christ0ph

A relative of Coenzyme Q10, idebenone, probably would help Parkinson's patients.