Meditating with movement – treatment for Parkinson’s

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, and as of yet there is no cure. But various treatments exist that can ease symptoms.

The Guardian
By Peggy Revell

Faced with a disease that takes away the ability to move, P.E.I.’s Parkinson’s support group has started Qi Gong exercise classes to keep people going.

Exercises are the thing to do, “that’s for sure,” said Barrie Metcalfe, who attends the class with his wife, Gail, every week. “This is a great help, I think.”

In its second month, the group meets at noon every Tuesday at Park Royal Church in Charlottetown.

What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease where the nerve cells that produce dopamine in the substantia nigra part of the brain become impaired or start dying.

Since the chemical dopamine controls body movement and coordination, when the number of working cells decreases, so does a person’s control over their movement. This results in many of the symptoms people with Parkinson’s experience, including tremors, slowness, stiffness, impaired balance and rigidity of muscles.
With slow stretching of the limbs, fluid movement and an emphasis on proper posture and visualization, the Chinese exercise of Qi Gong is like meditating with movement.

“I don’t even have Parkinson’s, and I find it very helpful,” said Gail Metcalfe. The Metcalfes joke over who hates exercising more, but said that doing Qi Gong with the group keeps them moving, even when they’d rather not be.

“I don’t think you realize how much stress your body carries in the run of the day, and just being conscious of that is an important part,” said Gail.

“Almost any person with a disability would probably benefit from it, not just Parkinson’s, because the movements are very slow and focused,”

“It’s very simple exercises, incorporating breathing into the exercise,” said Belinda Doyle, who teaches the class alongside Craig
MacPherson. The two have been doing Qi Gong for about a year and teaching it for four. While normally done standing up, Doyle and MacPherson have modified the exercises for the Parkinson’s support group class so they can be done sitting down.

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that gradually removes a person’s ability to control their movement. Of the approximate 119,000 Canadians who have Parkinson’s, 8,400 of them are in the Maritimes and 500 are in P.E.I. But those numbers are not exact.

“We find it’s quite difficult to make contact with people with Parkinson’s because many people don’t come to the group,” said Maureen Larkin, president of the Parkinson’s support group.

With visible symptoms such as tremors and shaking, often times people try to hide they have Parkinson’s, she said, and have a hard time going out in public.

It’s a feeling that everyone, including herself, has dealt with at some point since being diagnosed, she said.

“We wanted to try this to try to bring people together and really encourage people to get involved in exercise class,” she said.

Around eight to 10 people have been attending, but more are always welcome, at a cost of $10 for the month.

For a disease that so far has no cure, exercise is an important part in dealing with the symptoms.

“The disease is rigidity and stiffness, so if you ‘re not moving then you can get really stiff and reallyfrozen up,” said Larkin. “It’s a key response to the disease. Next to medication, it’s the next most important thing you could do.”

Medical studies have shown while staying active won’t stop Parkinson’s from progressing, it does help to maintain some quality of life.

With Parkinson’s increasingly affecting younger people, keeping active from the beginning is key, said Larkin.

“It’s something you can do, instead of letting yourself wait and go downhill,” she said.

For more information contact Parkinson Society Maritime Region