Every 6 minutes, someone will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the U.S. This April, for Parkinson’s Awareness Month, we joined the National PD Foundation campaign #Take6ForPD – to raise Parkinson’s awareness – so people with PD and their loved ones can live Better Lives.

We added 6 special podcast interviews and shared our favorite research articles.

Take 6 minutes to read this blog, read a new article or listen to our podcast interviews on the Balance Matters podcast with PD experts from around the world. 

 

I am very excited to share a special podcast episode, Ask the Parkinson Expert- Take 6 for PD.  On this episode, I asked the same 2 questions to all the Parkinson experts I interviewed in April. 

When I meet with many of my clients with PD, they ask me what can I do to decrease or slow the progression of the disease?  I was curious how others would answer this question, especially how exercise can help people with Parkinsons.  So, I asked Dr. Melissa McConaghy, Josepha Domingos , John Dean, Dr. Eric Rhoden, Dr. Becky Farley, Betsy Vierck, and Catherine Ross the same question.  It was fun to hear everyone’s perspectives and definitely made me think differently and I hope provides you some new insight.

I am also impressed with all the new emerging research on PD, but the volume can be overwhelming.  So, I asked the speakers what they would recommend following that would make a difference in people’s lives?

Throughout the conversations we had some overlapping themes, as well as new and different perspectives. 

Here are 6 tips + some extra tips the experts shared to help slow the progression of the disease.

 

Here is a great article and webinar discussing if there is a way to slow Parkinson’s progression: ‘Can We Put the Brakes on Parkinson’s Progression? | Parkinson's Foundation’.

 

Various topics on research were discussed. Below are some articles on each topic.

• Self-efficacy
  • Determinants of self-efficacy in patients with Parkinson’s disease
  • Barriers and Motivators to Engage in Exercise for Persons with Parkinson’s Disease - PMC (nih.gov) (*This article has key points we discussed during the podcast. *)

• Neuroprotection
  • Neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease: facts and hopes.

• New technology
  • Three technologies to treat Parkinson’s | Advances | Parkinson’s Life (parkinsonslife.eu)
    • Vibrating socks to improve gait in Parkinson's disease
  • Effects of robot-assisted gait training on postural instability in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review
  • Virtual Reality (VR) and Parkinson's - Davis Phinney Foundation

• Remote Exercise/ Accessibility
• Effectiveness of home-based and remotely supervised aerobic exercise in Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov)

• Resources on best evidence (Read the research based on what you want to address.)

• International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
• World Parkinson Congress 2023 – Global Gathering Info | APDA (apdaparkinson.org)
• The Science of Parkinson's – Plain English information about the research being conducted on Parkinson's (scienceofparkinsons.com)

• Mitochondrial Dysfunction
• Beneficial effects of exercise on age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in skeletal muscle - PubMed (nih.gov)
• Sarcopenia and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: Targeting the Muscle–Brain Axis - PMC (nih.gov)

• Exercise Recovery and Performance
• Effects of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Other Recovery Modalities on Athletic Performance Following Acute Strenuous Exercise in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression - PubMed (nih.gov)
• Editorial: Factors Affecting Performance and Recovery in Team Sports: A Multidimensional Perspective - PMC (nih.gov)
• Editorial: Factors affecting performance and recovery in team sports: A multidimensional perspective, Volume II - PMC (nih.gov)
• Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations - PMC (nih.gov)

• Train like an athlete
  • Let’s train persons with Parkinson disease (PWP) like an athlete! – Parkinson Wellness Recovery | PWR! (pwr4life.org)

• Medications
  • Continuous Subcutaneous Apomorphine Infusion in Development for OFF Episodes in Parkinson’s Disease (neurologylive.com)
• Exenatide Once Weekly Over 2 Years as a Potential Disease Modifying Treatment for Parkinson's Disease - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov