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I fully believe that exercise is good for PWPs and I exercise regularly myself. I also have diabetes, for which exercise is also recommended. And exercise is believed to be effective in reducing risks of heart disease. Having said that, I am skeptical that there really is scientific proof that exercise is good for PWPs. There are two basic types of studies: (1) You assemble a cohort of PWPs and follow them for a period of time observing how much they exercise and how their disease progresses. Let's assume that those who exercise more have a slower progression of their disease symptoms. The trouble is, you don't know which is the cause and which is the effect. It could well be that having a case of PD that is progressing quickly makes it less likely that you will exercise. (2) You assemble a cohort of PWPs and randomly assign them to an exercise group or a non-exercise group. You work with the exercise group to make sure they really exercise, while the non-exercise group gets all sorts of good advice but is left on their own to follow it. You periodically test both groups to see how quickly their PD is progressing. Again, let's assume that the exercise group has a slower progression of their symptoms. The trouble is, it's pretty obvious to both the patients and the investigators which group they are in. The investigators are likely to be biased to evaluate the exercise group more favorably, because they know in their hearts that exercise is good for you. And the patients are part of an exciting study which will lead to progress in treating PD, which makes them feel better and probably increases their dopamine levels, as well, reducing their PD symptoms. In short, in neither case is there proof that exercise is good for your PD. Although it probably is and you should certainly keep exercizing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn