86Thousand400: Parkinson’s Disease and Exercise

The disease Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system mainly affecting the motor system. It is a progressive neurological condition. It begins slowly, develops gradually and in no particular order. Early symptoms

include feeling tired and weak. Loss of co-ordination leading to tremors and shaking arms.

People with Parkinsons don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some of the nerve cells in the brain (Basal Ganglia or substatia nigra - midbrain) have died. Without dopamine people can find that their movement becomes slower. The loss of nerve cells in the brain causes the symptoms of Parkinson's to appear. Symptoms affect people in different ways.

Parkinsons often affects movement - known as motor symptoms. Other symptoms - pain/depression with dementia commonly occur in the advanced stages of the disease.

Approx 127,000 people in the UK have Parkinsons - most people over the age of 50. (Currently no cure). It doesn't cause people to die, but symptoms get worse over time.

Our take with this is that it feels like the key (or a major way to avoid degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s) is to keep producing the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Dopamine can be produced during exercise, so we will look into the best exercises for producing this neurotransmitter and use these exercises on a regular basis to help people who have symptoms.

We fully appreciate that with any disease nothing is black and white, however we do truly believe that going down a natural (non medical/statin route) with a view to the long term is the best way to get results.

Our take on Parkinsons disease is that if dopamine levels are kept as high as possible (through natural forms of exercise) then hopefully degeneration and the onset of Parkinsons combined with as positive a mindset as possible will help to reduce the symptoms of this debilitating disease.

It’s safe to say, that after a close member of our family passed away from this disease some years back it’s one that is close to our hearts and so we will continue to look into the production of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in greater depths over the coming weeks/months.