Daily exercise therapy is one of the best things that you can do for yourself to counteract the negative effects of Parkinson's disease & other neurological & muscular disorders. A lack of physical activity reduces the amount of oxygen to the brain, contributes to further cell damage, loss of cognitive skills and muscle control.
Exercise brings additional oxygen & glucose to the brain, both of which are crucial to brain function. The body responds by forming new capillaries to bring the additional blood to nerve cells and by boosting brain chemicals that protect neurons and strengthen new neuronal connections. Remarkable results have been achieved, over time, with daily mental & physical exercise therapy. Mental concentration on repetitive physical movements can provide benefits to our muscles as well as our mental ability to control them.
When nerve cells are deprived of stimuli they atrophy, suggesting that stimulation of the central nervous system by physical activity may retard the loss of nerve cells in the brain and elsewhere. Exercise has been shown to enhance blood flow to various parts of the brain as well as to increase the speed with which nerve messages travel through the brain.
In addition to the effects of Parkinson's, most people diagnosed with this disease are over the age of 50 and therefore are also experiencing the normal effects of aging.
However the good news is that we now know that most of the changes in our musculoskeletal system that were attributed to normal aging are in fact the result of inactivity and or insufficient physical exercise. The less physical activity and exercise we do the less capable we become.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Exercise has important benefits for everyone regardless of age or physical condition... When your condition threatens to immobilize you, Exercise keeps you moving... to retain your mobility & function, use it or lose it".
As an exercise therapist for the Parkinson Assn. of S.W. Florida (a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence), Susan Branco, a member of the National Council on Aging & the American Senior Fitness Association has seen first hand the positive results that her therapeutic exercise program has on participants in her classes.
Susan's program is now available on video or DVD, for use in the privacy of your home. If you or someone you know has Parkinson's disease, using this exercise program daily, can make a difference.
This seated exercise program was designed especially for people with Parkinson's Disease and other neurological or muscular disorders. An exercise program like this one should be a main component in your treatment plan. This tape offers stretching and strengthening routines that will help to minimize the negative effects that Parkinson's disease and other neurological and muscular disorders can have on your body. Using this tape regularly will help to improve overall flexibility and fitness level so that you can maintain a higher level of independence.
Source: Hope Digest- News and Reasearch
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