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Parkinson's patients find simple exercise is often the best medicine By Diane C. Lade Staff writer Posted August 20 2003 Boca Raton · They march around a circle of chairs swinging their arms, then they stop and tap their toes to one side then the other. Sure, it seems simple. But for patients with Parkinson's, a neurological disorder that can make it impossible to hold a pen, being able to move with confidence is the equivalent of crossing the finish line. "My balance is much better," says Shirley Hirstein, 74. She parks her cane under her folding chair and doesn't pick it up once during the one-hour exercise class held twice weekly in the gymnasium of Sugar Sands Park. Olie Fernald decided to give the workout a try when he noticed his leg muscles and left arm weakening; he is sure he has seen an improvement. "And his posture is so much better," says his wife, Jeanne. She's one of several family members who has joined relatives in the class, where the patients range in age from 40s to 70s. Basic exercise for Parkinson's patients often takes a back seat, clinicians have found, as treatments focus on drug therapies or pioneering procedures such as deep-brain stimulation, which plants an electronic device in a patient's brain. There is no cure for the disease, caused by the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and affecting about one out of every 200 people. Doctors might order short-term speech or physical therapy shortly after a Parkinson's diagnosis, as the disease twists and stiffens muscles so patients shuffle or have trouble speaking clearly. But insurance coverage for therapy usually quickly runs out, the patients say. Medicare, which covers Americans age 65 and older, is supposed to institute a $1,590 annual limit for speech and physical therapies combined beginning Sept. 1, unless sessions are in hospitals or their outpatient clinics. Yet a simple routine including walking, strength training and stretching can keep Parkinson's patients healthier and happier, those who work with them insist. "The group that exercises has the least motor fluctuations and take the least amount of medications," said Carol Eickhorn, coordinator of the Debby Sanderson National Parkinson's Disease Foundation Care Center at North Ridge Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. The center, sponsored by the Florida Department of Health, has offered a twice-weekly exercise group since it opened five years ago. Eickhorn attended a symposium last year where Janet Reno, the former U.S. attorney general and Florida gubernatorial candidate who has Parkinson's, talked about how she still loved kayaking and her daily walk. "We are high believers in exercise and we make sure they are moving," Eickhorn said. "I can't prove it on paper that it works, but I see it." Cindy Brooks, the certified health-fitness instructor leading the Boca Raton classes, says several of the group members now can get through a session without their walkers or canes. "I've seen huge differences just in their confidence," said Brooks, who is volunteering her time to Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, which sponsors the classes. Alison Landes of Boca Raton founded the nonprofit group in 1999 after her younger sister, Fran, was diagnosed with Parkinsons in her 40s. "For years, we tried to find out what was wrong with Fran and everyone kept telling her she was fine," said Landes, who wants Take Charge! fund-raisers to raise money for research and educating others about the disease. "I want to do something to help find a cure." She started the Sugar Sand class five months ago and hopes to add an extra twice-weekly exercise classes in September, as well as eventually expand into other Palm Beach and Broward county community centers. So far, there has been no major research looking at the effect of exercise on Parkinson's, said Dr. Bernard Ravina, a program director with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. But participants in what few studies have been done did say exercise kept them mobile, allowing them to continue routine activities such as cooking and caring for themselves, said Ravina, who works with clinical trials. "But if they stop exercising, the benefit wears off quickly," he said. "So they need to continue." Ravina also thinks exercise groups benefit patients in different ways than support groups do, and that working out together can bond them closely. A real estate executive who had loved tennis and biking, Fran Landes today concentrates on keeping her handwriting legible and her steps steady. She attends the Take Charge! exercise class, and just being with the others makes her feel less alone. "Support groups are good, but it's nice to do something besides sitting and talking," she said. Diane C. Lade can be reached at [log in to unmask] or 561-243-6618. SOURCE: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fl http://tinyurl.com/kl8i * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn