Exercise may ward off Parkinson's?
Below is a copy of a BBC report dated 25 October, 2004. I am posting it here because it explains what happens in the body when it is exercised.
Of course exercise can improve wellbeing. Common sense. But I just wish doctors would research why exercise causes such deathly illness in those with severe ME/CFIDS.
Key to understanding this illness could be to find out why exercising (and alcohol and stress) has such a toxic poisonous effect. And what is it with orthostatic intolerance - why can I, and many others, not sit up or stand up for longer than ten minutes at a time without feeling incredibly ill? Some cannot even sit up or stand up. Some are so ill they have to be in darkened rooms fed with tubes.
Here is the report. Note the heading "may ward off" and the last line "There is, as yet, no evidence to suggest that exercise can have a neuroprotective effect in people with Parkinson's disease."
Regular exercise could halt Parkinson's disease, US researchers believe.
In a study on rats, exercise prevented degeneration of nerve cells that are normally destroyed by the disease.
The University of Pittsburgh researchers are now recruiting patients to see if regular exercise has the same effect in humans.
They told a meeting of the Society of Neuroscience how exercise might stimulate key proteins vital for nerve cell survival.
Activity
In Parkinson's disease, cells in the brain that contain a messenger called dopamine progressively die out.
This means messages don't get through in the normal way, which causes the tell-tale signs of the disease such as uncontrollable tremors, slow movements and rigid limbs.
There is some disagreement within the Parkinson's research community as to the benefits of intense exercise for people with PD.
We can demonstrate that this sort of forced exercise improves motor function and protects the neurons affected by the disease. 
The study authors
While none have reported harm caused by physical activity, some studies have shown no statistical positive influence of exercise.
Dr Michael Zigmond and colleagues examined the brains of rats that had exercised for seven days before receiving a toxin that is known to induce a disease resembling Parkinson's in rodents.
They compared these animals to rats that had not been exercised before receiving the toxin.
Exercise appeared to protect the brain against Parkinson's-type damage.
Fewer dopamine-containing nerve cells, or neurons, died in the exercised rats compared to the sedentary rats.
The researchers believe exercise stimulates the production of proteins that are important for the survival of neurons.
Human trials
These proteins are called neurotrophic factors. One particular neurotrophic factor, GDNF, was increased by 40% in the rats that had exercised.
Dr Zigmond said: "We are certainly encouraged that in our experimental models we can demonstrate that this sort of forced exercise improves motor function and protects the neurons affected by the disease."
He said they were so encouraged by their findings that they were now beginning a study whereby patients with Parkinson's disease will be enrolled in a 60-minute exercise programme that will meet three times a week.
A spokeswoman from the Parkinson's Disease Society said: "These are interesting results.
"For people with Parkinson's, exercise can improve general wellbeing and help with strategies to perform specific movements and tasks, guided by a professional such as a physiotherapist.
"Exercise and physiotherapy can also help with other difficulties through, for example, improving posture, falls prevention and benefiting circulatory problems."
But she said: "There is, as yet, no evidence to suggest that exercise can have a neuroprotective effect in people with Parkinson's disease."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3944487.stm
Of course exercise can improve wellbeing. Common sense. But I just wish doctors would research why exercise causes such deathly illness in those with severe ME/CFIDS.
Key to understanding this illness could be to find out why exercising (and alcohol and stress) has such a toxic poisonous effect. And what is it with orthostatic intolerance - why can I, and many others, not sit up or stand up for longer than ten minutes at a time without feeling incredibly ill? Some cannot even sit up or stand up. Some are so ill they have to be in darkened rooms fed with tubes.
Here is the report. Note the heading "may ward off" and the last line "There is, as yet, no evidence to suggest that exercise can have a neuroprotective effect in people with Parkinson's disease."
Regular exercise could halt Parkinson's disease, US researchers believe.
In a study on rats, exercise prevented degeneration of nerve cells that are normally destroyed by the disease.
The University of Pittsburgh researchers are now recruiting patients to see if regular exercise has the same effect in humans.
They told a meeting of the Society of Neuroscience how exercise might stimulate key proteins vital for nerve cell survival.
Activity
In Parkinson's disease, cells in the brain that contain a messenger called dopamine progressively die out.
This means messages don't get through in the normal way, which causes the tell-tale signs of the disease such as uncontrollable tremors, slow movements and rigid limbs.
There is some disagreement within the Parkinson's research community as to the benefits of intense exercise for people with PD.
We can demonstrate that this sort of forced exercise improves motor function and protects the neurons affected by the disease. 
The study authors
While none have reported harm caused by physical activity, some studies have shown no statistical positive influence of exercise.
Dr Michael Zigmond and colleagues examined the brains of rats that had exercised for seven days before receiving a toxin that is known to induce a disease resembling Parkinson's in rodents.
They compared these animals to rats that had not been exercised before receiving the toxin.
Exercise appeared to protect the brain against Parkinson's-type damage.
Fewer dopamine-containing nerve cells, or neurons, died in the exercised rats compared to the sedentary rats.
The researchers believe exercise stimulates the production of proteins that are important for the survival of neurons.
Human trials
These proteins are called neurotrophic factors. One particular neurotrophic factor, GDNF, was increased by 40% in the rats that had exercised.
Dr Zigmond said: "We are certainly encouraged that in our experimental models we can demonstrate that this sort of forced exercise improves motor function and protects the neurons affected by the disease."
He said they were so encouraged by their findings that they were now beginning a study whereby patients with Parkinson's disease will be enrolled in a 60-minute exercise programme that will meet three times a week.
A spokeswoman from the Parkinson's Disease Society said: "These are interesting results.
"For people with Parkinson's, exercise can improve general wellbeing and help with strategies to perform specific movements and tasks, guided by a professional such as a physiotherapist.
"Exercise and physiotherapy can also help with other difficulties through, for example, improving posture, falls prevention and benefiting circulatory problems."
But she said: "There is, as yet, no evidence to suggest that exercise can have a neuroprotective effect in people with Parkinson's disease."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3944487.stm
posted by Ingrid J. Jones at Monday, October 25, 2004
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