As we hope you know, the Theracycle team is an active supporter or organizations and initiatives that support fundraising for research for treatments of Parkinson’s disease. In that vein, we’d like to share the news of the 18th annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk, which is upcoming April 28. Hope many of you can participate/donate. VERY worthy cause and an inspirational event!  Keep Moving!!

More details in the this press release…

Thousands to Participate in 18^th Annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk
in Support of Parkinson’s Community

Participants make every step count at the largest grassroots fundraiser for the Parkinson’s community

Kingston, N.J.— April 9, 2012—The 18^th Annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk (PUW) will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2012 in New York City’s Central Park, The Parkinson Alliance announced today.

The PUW is the largest grassroots awareness and fundraising event for Parkinson’s disease (PD) research in the United States. The event, which has grown from 200 participants in its inaugural year, is expected to unite more than 10,000 participants from across the globe

“The annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk is a powerful way for families, friends, caregivers, research organizations and major Parkinson’s foundations to come together,” said Martin Tuchman, Chairman of The Parkinson Alliance. “For any individual or family affected by Parkinson’s disease who wants to feel the support, strength and compassion of a community – this Walk is where you should be.”

Currently, more than 1 million individuals in the U.S. are living with PD and 60,000 are newly diagnosed annually. Funding for research, for the cause and cure, as well as therapies that will improve the quality of life for those with PD, is critical. The PUW donates one hundred percent of all donations directly to research. As the “unity” in its name implies, the funds raised are distributed evenly among the seven leading Parkinson’s foundations in the country: American Parkinson Disease Association, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson’s Action Network, The Parkinson Alliance, Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and The Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center.

“The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) is proud to participate in and support the 2012 Parkinson’s Unity Walk,” said Joyce Oberdorf, NPF President and CEO. “This event truly unifies the whole Parkinson’s community behind a common mission—supporting the best, cutting-edge research. It is like no other.”

In addition to being able to walk with thousands of members of the Parkinson’s community, participants are able to take full advantage of a myriad of available resources at the event, including information about clinical trials, educational material from leading Parkinson’s organizations and information on how to become an advocate for the Parkinson’s community. This day of community and education also provides individuals who might otherwise have limited access to experts in the field, a chance to speak directly with movement disorder specialists, neurosurgeons, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists.

Most importantly, whether PUW participants are individuals diagnosed with PD seeking encouragement, family and friends showing support, caregivers desiring to know more, or researchers working toward new therapies, the PUW serves as a source from which to draw strength and build a greater community of support.

“It is by motivating, collaborating, educating and raising awareness of Parkinson’s disease that we take important steps toward our goal of improving the quality of life of Parkinson’s patients while we continue to work toward a cure,” said Tuchman.

Attendees are also invited to visit the Abbott booth on Margot Zobel Way to leave their photo and inspirational message on the Messages of Hope™Wall. For each message, Abbott, a leading global health care and medical research company, will donate $15, up to $15,000, to the PUW in support of research. Additionally, Abbott will invite walk participants to receive ongoing information about treatment and research through an opt-in text message campaign. For each individual who registers, Abbott will contribute an additional $1, up to $10,000, to the PUW.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Bandshell at 72^nd Street in Central Park. The Kick-Off will start at 9:45 a.m., followed by a 1.4-mile, wheelchair-accessible walk through the Park.

To register or make a donation, go to www.unitywalk.org or call 866-789-9255.

About The Parkinson Alliance

The Kingston, NJ-based national non-profit is dedicated to raising funds to help finance the most promising research to find the cause and cure for Parkinson’s disease, and is the umbrella organization for the Parkinson’s Unity Walk. The Parkinson’s Unity Walk is the largest grassroots fundraiser event for Parkinson’s disease in the country. The inaugural Walk in 1994 had 200 participants and raised $16,000 for research. In the 2011 Walk, close to 10,000 walkers raised more than 1.5 million for Parkinson’s research. From day one, 100% of donations have gone to research supported by the seven major U.S. Parkinson’s foundations.

For more information and a complete list of grants supported by the Parkinson’s Unity Walk, visit www.unitywalk.org.

Contact:
Helaine Isaacs/The Parkinson Alliance/800-579-8440 hissacs@parkinsonalliance.org

The Wii is the first game system designed to make you move. With a movement sensitive remote control and active games, it can do almost anything. Additional parts, like a balance board and even a ‘skateboard’ can help PD sufferers with essential balance therapy.

The Xbox Kinect system is a good match for therapy for several reasons. It does not require the use of a remote, which is great news for those with trouble gripping. Instead, the Kinect uses your body as the remote, reading your movements and translating them onto the game screen.

But why go to all this effort? What’s wrong with traditional physical therapy? Well, for some it is simply too expensive. In this economy, with all the insurance issues, some people cannot afford traditional therapy. At least not as often as they need it. Also, transportation is an issue for some patients. So, why not offer a solution that they can do right in their own home.

Not only do video games allow patients to get therapy in their homes whenever they want, the games also encourage them to do more therapy then they would normally. Incentives such as points, stars, and levels help patients see what they are accomplishing, and the extended range of motion comes along with the added points.

At the University of California, researchers noted these improvements in the participants of their study. After 12 weeks of exercising with the assistance of video games, patients reported gains across several ranges of mobility:

• 65% had longer strides
• 55% had increased gait velocity
• 55% reported improved balance

Patients also reported that they completed the exercises more frequently because they enjoyed the activities and perceived improvements to their health.

“The games require visual perception, eye-hand coordination, figure-ground relationships and sequenced movement, so it’s a huge treatment tool from an occupational therapy perspective,” says Dr. Herz, of the Medical College of Georgia.

The mental stimulation of video games cannot be ignored either.

Author and game designer Jane McGonigal believes that video games offer many benefits. She believes that “gaming is…one of the most productive ways we can spend time.” Her 2011 book “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World” declares that games do a better job of provoking positive emotions, leading to achievement and positive reinforcement. McGonigal goes so far to prescribe an hour of gaming per day.

Keeping your mind and body active are the major obstacles confronting movement disorder sufferers. Video games might just offer a solution for that.

About the Author:

Kate Croston is a freelance writer, holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing business internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09@gmail.com.

Theracycle 200

If you or someone you love has Parkinson’s disease, I hope you’ve read our
eBook A New Therapy Brings Hope & Results to People with Parkinson’s Disease.

As a follow-on to that hopeful eBook, in February, we posted the first (of several to follow) personal accounts of people living with Parkinson’s Disease — the story of Dave Davenport.

Dave’s story and those of five others who’ve been riding a Theracycle and seeking substantial reductions in their PD symptoms are included in our newest eBook titled “First-person accounts of people now living better with Parkinson’s disease.”

If you’re interested in getting a copy of our “Living better with Parkinson’s disease” eBook, send me an email and I’ll be happy to send you one: pr@exercycle.com

From that eBook, here’s a first-person account from Deb Snow of Wisconsin, who was diagnosed with PD 5 years ago, but who tells us riding her Theracycle has helped her to “do everything I used to do.”

Read on for Deb’s story…

Deborah Snow
“After the second week using the Theracycle, I had no balance or tremor issues.”

About Deb
Age: 60
Home: Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Occupation: Former Regional Manager for Food Broker
PD Onset: 7 years ago   Diagnosis: 5 years ago
Hobbies: Exercise, Gardening, WWII Researcher

My Situation
About seven years ago, I noticed a small tremor in my pinky that became progressively worse. Over time it became a tremor in my entire right hand. These tremors were followed by additional symptoms, including sleeplessness and balance difficulties. After numerous tests and several doctors, I was given the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
That was five years ago. It was one of those moments when you don’t know what to say or do, and I wondered what would happen to me. I was put on medication but noticed my symptoms worsened and moved to my right leg. I couldn’t walk a straight line, wear heels, nor maintain my balance. The weakness in the muscles on my right side continued to worsen.

I used to speed walk before work; I taught water aerobics; I weight trained and ran. Even with medication, it was becoming more and more difficult to stay with my routine. I was forced to drop different forms of exercise, one at a time, until I could no longer exercise at all.
The Solution
I went on the Internet to do research on Parkinson’s disease, which led me to the Cleveland Clinic study on how a treatment regimen called “Forced Exercise” showed improvement in Parkinson’s symptoms. This study led me to discover the Theracycle. From everything I read I knew this was the way to go. I showed the information to my husband, who was very supportive, and he said, “let’s get it for you.”

My Results
During the first week using the Theracycle, I noticed a small reduction in my arm tremors. After the second week I really began to notice the difference. I had no balance or tremor issues whatsoever. I was also a lot stronger.

When I went back to see my neurologist I wore my favorite 2-inch heels—and I walked in a perfectly straight line—even with my eyes shut. My doctor was shocked to see me walking so well in heels.

Now I run up the stairs two at a time like I used to. I’m back to cleaning my own house and working in the garden. I’m back to a normal life now because I can do everything I used to do.

People tell me that I don’t even look like I have Parkinson’s, and I say …
I know!

##

While The Theracycle Blog has extensively detailed how a “Forced Exercise” regimen of riding a Theracycle has benefited PD patients, worldwide—we think it’s important for our blog to cover other alternative therapies…

Dr. Patrick Massey, MD, PhD— an Illinois-based physician is a practitioner of advanced medical and physical therapies that combine what he describes as “the best of traditional and non-traditional medicine.”

Medical director of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, Dr. Massey runs ALT-MED, a helpful website with a patient-focused approach with useful information and resources.

Here’s a recent article from Dr. Massey with his professional opinion on how “Parkinson’s patients could benefit from tai chi”…

Parkinson’s Patients Could Benefit From Tai Chi

By Patrick Massey, MD, PhD

Can practicing a centuries-old martial art improve balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease? One research study suggests that the regular practice of tai chi can improve balance and postural control in such patients.

It seems intuitive that exercise would benefit Parkinson’s disease patients and physical activity is often prescribed. However, there is a surprising lack of well-designed studies on this topic. One recent study on tai chi as physical therapy significantly expands this body of knowledge.

Parkinson’s disease is named after an English physician, James Parkinson, who studied it in 1817. Parkinson’s disease is the result of a part of the brain, the substantia nigra, gradually dying. The substantia nigra is a center for the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. There are probably many causes for Parkinson’s disease, but it does not seem to be genetically transmitted.

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by increasing stiffness and movement-related conditions, such as shaking, tremors, slow walking and increasing difficulty with handwriting and balance. Parkinson’s disease affects at least half a million people in the U.S. and is growing by about 50,000 new cases a year. As the population ages, these numbers are expected to only increase.

Medical therapy for Parkinson’s disease primarily consists of medications that supply dopamine and dopamine-like substances to the brain. However, over time the cells of the substantia nigra die and medication lose its effectiveness. Annual medical costs of Parkinson’s disease may exceed $23 billion. Any therapy that can improve the quality of life is important and will probably reduce medical costs.

There are many studies demonstrating that tai chi can improve balance, strength and coordination, especially in the elderly. Published this year in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine are the results of a clinical trial from Oregon demonstrating that the regular practice of tai chi is beneficial for balance and posture problems associated with Parkinson’s disease. In this study, 195 participants with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease were randomly divided into three groups: tai chi, resistance training or simply stretching. The program consisted of 60-minute sessions, twice-a-week for a total of 24 weeks.

Although resistance training was better than stretching, those in the tai chi group did significantly better than either the resistance training or stretching groups in almost all parameters including reducing falls. The benefits of tai chi were still seen at least three months after completion of the study.

Tai chi has been described as “moving meditation.” The health benefits of meditation are well documented. Although there is no research to suggest that tai chi can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, the practice of tai chi requires a strong mind-body connection, and this early data suggests significant benefit. Some physical therapy programs have and are incorporating tai chi movements into their practice. With little or no side effects, tai chi seems to be just what the doctor should order.

###

About the Author:
Patrick B. Massey, M.D., Ph.D is medical director for complementary and alternative medicine for the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network.

Source: www.alt-med.org

Kim & Rich Rosek

This week (first week of March 2012), Kim and Rich Rozek — the husband/wife team behind PD Talk Live!– are debuting a new weekly reality podcast on living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD):

Drawing on their experiences (since Rich was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s circa 10 years ago,) the “Life, Love, Relationships and Parkinson’s” podcasts will give the couple’s personal perspective on living a high quality life and maintaining a successful marriage as they’ve navigated their family’s PD voyage.

Since Kim and Rich have “been there, done that,” they’re uniquely qualified to provide insights worth hearing.

To hear the podcasts and learn more about/and from Kim & Rich visit their Parkinsons.me website. Be sure to follow Rich on Twitter: @pdtalker.

Given that people are riding Theracycles across the country to alleviate their Parkinson’s symptoms, we look forward to listening!

Educated as a bio-scientist at Princeton and Yale, Jim’s the past President of the California Parkinson’s Group, whom The Theracycle Blog has applauded in previous posts for its initiatives in PD dialogue, advocacy, education, and clinical participation.

Jim will be 61 in 2012, here’s his thoughts on how he survived 18 years of PD so far, with his recommendations for the  “Top 10 Things to do if you think you might have Parkinson’s, in chronological order”

Published originally on the Parkinson’s Movement Health Unlocked Blogsite in his article “How I survived 18 years of PD so far,” here (courtesy of Jim Wong) is his hard-won advice…. Take heed!

——————–

Top 10 Things to do if you think you might have Parkinson’s, in chronological order



By Jim Wong

1. Get every insurance policy you can (Life, Disability, Long-term care)

At the moment you are diagnosed, you lose all chance of getting more coverage.

2. Find a Movement Disorders Specialist 

You need an expert- not just your primary MD or a neurologist.

3. Optimize your living and working conditions for your best performance and safety 
An Occupational Therapist or Social Worker can survey your environment.

4. Find a local Support Group that suits you 

It helps to be with people who are walking in your shoes.

5. Participate in clinical trials 

I take 7000 pills a year, because people stepped up to test them. Pay this forward.

6. Keep a positive attitude 
Exercise, exercise, exercise – physical and mental;
Use it or lose it.

7. Tell people about your condition 
Don’t suffer alone in silence; Accept help when you need it.

8. Don’t work too long 

You will certainly do this.

9. Don’t drive too long 

You will certainly do this too.

10. Stay educated about the latest Parkinson’s research & therapies 

Everything is on the Internet, somewhere.
Knowledge is power and hope, day by day

##

Robert was inspired in his mission by the experience of his own mother who lost her battle with Parkinson’s in 1998.  Since then Robert is on a daily path to search for natural therapies that are safe and cause no harmful side effects. As he puts it: “I hold the belief that the body knows how to heal itself. It just needs a little help remembering how.”

While I highly recommend you check out Robert’s book “Road to Recovery From Parkinson’s Disease”, and read the variety of posts on his excellent About Parkinson’s Disease blog, one of his many interviews with PD people stands out for me….

Nan Little’s 2011 description of the adventure she and her husband experienced climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with a group including climbers with Parkinson’s disease and others with multiple sclerosis inspired us to republish it here on our blog.

Many have written about their path through Parkinson’s– Nan Little’s led to the summit of the tallest mountain in Africa and her encouraging words:
“You don’t have to climb Kilimanjaro to be empowered…you can just get on a bike to experience freedom from some symptoms.”

Here from Robert Rogers’ blog is  Nan Little’s memoir of her inspiring trip to the summit and beyond…

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
August, 2011

This is about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, 19,340 feet, about one mile higher than Mt. Rainier in my state of Washington. Kili is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. My husband and I were asked to be a team, one with an illness and the other supporting the diseased person. There were 14 teams, 4 with Parkinson’s and 10 with MS, all of us led by Lori Schneider of Empowerment Through Adventure, who personifies the name of her organization. Burdened with MS, she climbed the seven summits, the highest peak on each continent, including Everest. She chose to lead this climb to show the world that people with neurodegenerative diseases need not be constrained from living their dreams. In the aftermath of the climb, it is clear from the many posts on Facebook and Empowerment Through Adventure that this was a life changing experience for many in the group, particularly those younger ones afflicted with MS. For me at age 65, it was not life changing or life affirming, but it was certainly an Adventure. I’ve already had those types of experiences along the way. One important lesson I learned early in my relationship with Parkinson’s is that I am who I am. The disease has not changed my essential character. My traits, good and bad, are perhaps enhanced in certain circumstances due to PD, but the way I approach life and other people has remained stable. Climbing this mountain was the most difficult physical thing I have ever attempted. My husband and I trained for over seven months with packs laden down, climbing thousands of steps and going up and down local mountains, hills in comparison with Kili. Enabling me to even think of making such an effort was the strength I had gained through Pedaling for Parkinson’s. By biking at high rpms several times each week, I had essentially eliminated my PD symptoms. I was justifiably concerned about not biking for nearly three weeks. Nonetheless, we were as ready as a 65 and 66 year old can be. Unhappily, on the flight to Tanzania my husband caught a cold that morphed into bronchitis and chest congestion by the time of the climb. It also meant that he avoided others in the group so as not to infect them. Doug’s relentless coughing kept both of us awake when we were hoping and needing to put some sleep in our physical reserve banks. He probably averaged about 3 hours of sleep per night. His pulse ox (measurement of oxygen in the blood) often measured in the low 70% whereas mine held between 89-92%, meaning I had much more oxygen to draw on with each breath than he did. Plus I wasn’t coughing. Others have detailed the stats of the climb, 131 Tanzanian staff to haul food, water, tents, toilets and gear up the mountain (15 of these dedicated staff were guides), two American guides, a Parkinson’s doctor and her PA assistant, and four canisters of oxygen. We spent five days getting to high camp at 15,500’, a long long night summiting the mountain and much of the 7th day returning to the entrance gate. Ours was the Machame route. I think Machame must mean “harder than the other routes” in Swahili. This was not a walk in the park at high elevation. Summit Night We spent the first several hours of the 5th day getting to high camp, 15,500′, which was higher than most of us have ever been in our lives. Many were already sick from the altitude or from the pills to avoid altitude sickness but everyone attempted to summit. We ate and received directions from the head guide as to how the night would proceed. The slowest group would start first after a couple of hours of “sleep”, then the large mid-speed group would start 45 minutes later, finally followed by the four mountain goats who would pass us all and get there first. Sleep was out of the question, particularly with the big cough. It was cold, 15 degrees and windy, and despite layers and layers of warm gear and hand warmers in our ski mitts, it was impossible to stay warm when moving slowly. Just before we left camp at 10:45 pm, my husband whispered, “I know you can make it.” That kept me going most of the night. The girl with the worst MS followed me up to about 16,800’ at which time I heard her mutter that she was falling asleep and was afraid she would fall over backwards and knock someone else off the mountain. Her fears were utterly valid. Our lead Tanzanian guide did not have authority to send someone down so we waited about 20 minutes in the deepening cold and wind while he scampered up the mountain to find the head guide, return, assess the situation and get her and her teammate on the way down. We continued until about 17,500 feet where Doug had to bail because he was not getting enough oxygen to continue. We went through the “find the guide” routine again until he was safely on his way down after assuring me again of his confidence in me. I realized I couldn’t feel the end of one thumb. We had one additional long stop during which I announced I was just going on or I would become too cold to move. Our little group continued, sometimes picking up or dropping people as we struggled up the rocks. My fingers wouldn’t work at all so the guide had to get my partly frozen water from in my pack and feed it to me as if I were a baby. He unwrapped GU and Shot Blocks and stuffed them in my mouth. Through it all, young Ines from Barcelona who has MS stayed with me, pausing when I paused and wordlessly encouraging me to continue. On we went, eventually being caught by our leader, Lori, who had had to send her father down. All this time I didn’t know how Doug was doing. He had been coughing up stuff, possibly blood, when he headed down. I learned hours later it was not blood but I didn’t know at the time. The sun rose long before we reached Stella Point, the false summit, but with its rays came a little warmth and the knowledge that I most certainly would complete this climb. Finally we stepped over the rim. I wept and weep again just thinking of it. We took a quick photo of my banner and headed along the rim walk for another hour, up another 600’, to reach the actual summit. Along the way we passed lots of members of our group, most of whom were sick, dizzy, nauseous, or complaining of big headaches. But they were utterly joyful that they had stood on the roof of Africa. We shared many hugs and lots of concern as to how they were really doing. During this whole event, I never had any sign of altitude sickness although in the summit video I look like Marshmellow Woman. I don’t know if I could have walked all night with a headache or nausea as many others did. After an hour or so of relatively flat walking, we reached the summit. More banner videos and tears, joy tempered with exhaustion and relief, concern about Doug and thoughts of my mom who died a few weeks before the trip, but who believed in me even as she worried I had taken on too much. I wanted to stay and look around at the beautiful view, but our head guide thought otherwise, so off we went back to Stella Point. I realized I had not taken my PD medications and was several hours late, so my guide and I stopped so he could help me. The others all went down. From our perch we could see our high camp tents on skier’s right. We could also see the three women who went ahead of us on skier’s right. My guide headed left. The camp got further and further away. At one point, across the way we saw the guide who had taken my husband down and he assured me that all was well below. After an eternity we came upon a group of guides who were hunting for stragglers. We turned right and bounced down through the scree. Thirteen hours and 44 minutes after setting off in the night, I returned to high camp where Doug stood waiting to hug me and thank the guides for bringing me safely down. A short rest, lunch, pack our bags and off to the next lower camp. I had stood at the top of Africa for about fifteen minutes. I’m glad I did. Take Away Points Climbing Kilimanjaro was not about getting to the top. The emotional joy of reaching that goal was undeniable and clearly demonstrated on the video I made at the top (You Tube nanlittle1). I’ve been thinking about what was most important to me about the climb and I think it was the preparation for months ahead, the anticipation of meeting everyone and trying something very difficult, the transition in my own thinking about myself as a person with Parkinson’s to a person who will climb a mountain, whether I get to the top or not. I loved meeting all the people and watching those with MS come to grips with who they are essentially as people. It was fun to see so many let go of the fear of their disease as they recognized the depths of strength that were in them all the time. Climbing Kilimanjaro was more about thinking beyond limitations. I checked on Google and learned that I am probably the oldest woman with Parkinson’s to summit Kilimanjaro via the challenging Machame route. Whether I am or not, many people have told me that this effort has inspired them to think of themselves differently even though they have PD. I never thought of myself as an athlete, but after being diagnosed with PD, I am stronger than I have ever been. Training to ride across Iowa twice in RAGBRAI with Pedaling for Parkinson’s provided the base conditioning that allowed me to train for Kilimanjaro. Prior to the climb, my doctor told me I’m probably one of the most physically fit 65 year old women in the United States. It still astonishes me that I’m physically stronger with PD than without it. Although my PD symptoms intensified after the climb, I’m finding that each day as I cycle and rest the problems diminish. I can see me returning to my pre-climb self. I do not believe that people can do anything we set our minds to. We have physical, mental and fiscal limitations. Nonetheless, it’s likely that we can be in control of our lives and our bodies more than we are often led to believe. We can not only Dream the Impossible Dream; we can strive to achieve it, however modest or wild it may seem. Cycling changed my life with Parkinson’s. Unfortunately, not everyone can try it. But many who don’t believe they can do it, even with DBS and severe symptoms, can cycle and experience some level of relief from PD. You don’t have to climb Kilimanjaro to be empowered. Hopefully you can just get on a bike to experience freedom from some symptoms. Or you can define one summit, achieve that and try another.

###

Originally published at:
http://www.blog.parkinsonsrecovery.com/climbing-mt-kilimanjaro

Since then, as Jeff describes his life— he’s been living on “PST (Parkinsons Standard Time).” While a PD diagnosis might discourage some people— not Jeff!

Today Jeff’s one of of the most prolific and inspirational Parkinson’s bloggers on the Web. Jeff describes blogging as ” great therapy to be able to expose some vulnerabilities, face fears and perhaps bare your soul to good friends, as well as perfect strangers.”

Jeff’s articles cover the broad canvas of his life and chronicle his light-hearted look at a life with Parkinson’s and occasional musings on “How do I live with this disease?”

Reading Jeff’s blog — I’m impressed with his strong spirit, his refusal to be prideful, and his constant optimism to triumph in the midst of adversity including his past adventure of DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery.

Jeff has written “for exercise therapy to work, there going to be those times (probably many) when a good ration of self discipline will be make all the difference.” He also comments that the mental issues are tougher than the physical ones.

Honoring Jeff’s fighting spirit, the Theracycle Blog is proud to publish this article, written and contributed by Jeff Jennings, titled:

Visualization – The Power To See A Successful Outcome

________________________________________________________________________

Visualization & Parkinson’s Disease
By Jeff Jennings

I have Parkinson’s Disease, a scary thought but even scarier reality. Diagnosed in 1996, this nasty affliction can turn your brain to mush and send your mental ‘super highway’ into a tailspin, which few people have been able to recover from, let alone allow for happy and productive lives.

After the initial shock of the diagnosis, denial set in as I looked for other conditions that may fit my symptoms and give me a way out. I spent a long time trying to fit round pegs into square holes, looking for other explanations that could shed light on my situation. But even harder than dealing with the what, was trying to figure out the why. I was thirty-six years young, played college football, ran marathons and taught aerobic classes, there was no time for Parkinson’s Disease, and additionally, I was entering my strong earning years; things were really starting to look up for me.

It was college athletics that turned me on to visualization. In fact, athletics was the culprit of many habits I acquired from the ages of eighteen to twenty-two. One of the most important was passed on to me by a salty old football coach, who being much wiser than his years, shared with me the art of visualizing and all of its benefits.

The concept was simple: what you can believe you can achieve. His contention was that before you could win you had to sincerely believe that being successful was the only outcome. Furthermore, visualization was no stranger to the world’s great inventors as each of them had one major characteristic in common. Before Henry Ford drove a car, the Wright Brothers flew an airplane or cavemen rolled a wheel they had successfully visualized the outcome. Their finished product began as a thought.

So here we are, fifteen years later and although things are far from perfect, I am driven to fight this disease using every ounce of energy God has given me. Some days are good, some days are not so good. But I wake up every morning visualizing a new day and a new beginning. I believe!

###

Keep on believing, Jeff!

You can meet Jeff on his blog at http://elcid82.blogspot.com/

Read on below or see the article at the BostonHerald.com website at  bit.ly/wPBTRa

—————

Boston Herald
Exercise bike reinvented
Parkinson’s sufferers will reap benefits

By Brendan Lynch            Wednesday, February 15, 2012
http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Technology Coverage

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1403672

A Franklin company bought out of bankruptcy in 2002 has landed federal funding for its “forced exercise” technology — motorized exercise equipment — to help treat people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

“It sounds counter-intuitive,” Theracycle CEO Peter Blumenthal told the Herald. “Why would you ever use an exercise bike with motors? But you can overcome the motors as you regain strength.”

Theracycle won a $200,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant to modify its bike to replicate a therapeutic effect caused by tandem bicycle riding discovered by a Cleveland Clinic study.

In August, the company plans to apply for a Phase II SBIR grant, which could be as high as $2 million, to prove the bike would be effective in treating Parkinson’s.

People with Parkinson’s or other mobility-limiting conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy or spinal cord injuries, often don’t exercise at all because it’s so difficult, which exacerbates their condition.

“(Exercise) gives the same benefit a healthy individual gets, except it’s much more important,” Blumenthal said. “Since their bodies are so decimated, they get secondary conditions, like Type 2 Diabetes, poor circulation, stiffness.”

Blumenthal once owned the retail chain Frame King, but sold it in 1998 for “between $5 million and $10 million.” In 1999, he was struck by a car in Newton while riding a bike. He broke his neck, but was not paralyzed.

“When I started rehab I found it was impossible to use traditional exercise equipment,” he said. “I couldn’t do it.”

In 2002, a friend told him about The Exercycle Co. He bought the 60-year-old Rhode Island company out of bankruptcy for $150,000, moved it to Franklin, and changed its name to Theracycle to reflect its new status as a medical device.

The company, with about eight employees, is moving toward profitability, Blumenthal said, and sells the bikes to homes and hospitals for $3,000 to $5,500.

Blumenthal is confident in Theracycle’s market opportunity — there are 1.5 million people with Parkinson’s disease in the United States.

“If we could get 1 percent of that market, that’s 15,000 bicycles,” he said. “That becomes a $75 million business.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1403672

Copyright: Boston Herald