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- Jud Eson
- Feb 11
- 2 min read
Every day I see older adults, with and without Parkinson's disease, that have been told a narrative that their functional decline is due to age. They can't walk up stairs, they can't get up from a low toilet, they can't get up from the floor all because they are older. I would like to spend some time sharing the research around aging and how powerful our bodies are. I am going to convince you that just because we are all getting older does NOT mean our function needs to decline. Buckle up.
To set the tone, take a look at these incredible people destroying societies view on aging.
100yr old and 102 yr old runners break world record
Parkinson's and CrossFit as an older adult
With every patient who is an older adult I see, there is always the same underlying tone. They feel limited due to their age.
Positive stereotypes or views around aging have been shown to drastically change someone'e health. In fact, positive stereotypes around aging have lead to...
50% less likely to develop dementia
44% more likely to recover from disability
Living 7.5 years longer
Sure, there are natural changes that happen with aging. Our blood pressure increases, our heart can't work as hard, our immune system isn't as strong, our muscles get smaller... you get the picture. Even though there are natural changes that might make you think function naturally declines with age, our bodies are so resilient that we can fight those age related changes. For example, when comparing muscle changes in older adults and younger adults it has been proven that muscle changes are very small in trained older adults (older adults who regularly exercise). In fact, it has been suggested that trained older adults can be compared to non-trained younger adults! That means the size and make up of muscles in trained older adults is virtually the same as younger adults who do not exercise. Several studies also show that muscles in older adults who are untrained will show significant strength gains and an increase in muscle size following a period of appropriately dosed exercise.
I would argue that the real influence on function in older adults (without Parkinson's) boils down to strength. Those with diagnosable muscle weakness used 2.5x more healthcare dollars than those without diagnosable muscle weakness. Muscle weakness is associated with $325 billion per year in excess healthcare costs in the United States. Of course, having Parkinson's brings very unique challenges to every person touched by it, and the longer (older) you have had PD generally means your symptoms are more impactful to your day to day life. However, age should not be a scapegoat for our function. Our bodies have the power to change and improve with each decade of life.
Sources:
https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/55/7/B336/2948070
- Jud Eson
- Feb 4
- 2 min read
A recent study examined exercise for longevity. We all know exercise is important, but just how important is it? Let's find out.
Sedentary behavior
“Epidemiological data increasingly demonstrate that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. Adding CRF to conventional risk assessment significantly enhances the accuracy of risk stratification for adverse outcomes.” How powerful is it that we can all engage in an activity that has more power to reduce our risk of disease related death than lowering our blood sugar levels or quitting smoking.
Exercise is NOT medicine.
I know, this sounds crazy but hear me out. Exercise is not medicine, it is more than that. There is no medication on the market that can prevent disease, manage disease, maintain disease, AND improve your physical capacity for every day life.
“No medications currently enhance fitness, functional capacity or alleviate frailty; thus physical exercise remains the most effective therapeutic intervention for disease prevention and management as well as maintaining functional abilities.”
To say exercise is medicine is a disservice to exercise.
The older you are, the more you benefit from exercise
“Clinical observations indicate that in older adults who have developed advanced frailty and multiple comorbidities resulting in mobility and functional impairment, it is often difficult or impossible to implement robust, moderate, or high-intensity aerobic exercise capable of improving fitness or disease pathophysiology. However, such individuals remain very capable of undertaking high-intensity exercise, even in the tenth decade of life. This shift in both feasibility and rationale highlights the urgent need for healthcare providers to recalibrate exercise recommendations, tailoring them to meet the specific capabilities and needs of the aging population.” This means that if your health care provider is not pushing you physically or encouraging you to engage in intense exercise, find one that will!
The bottom line is that exercise is powerful. More powerful than we give it credit for. It's time to start viewing exercise as a means to manage AND prevent disease. Exercise is more than medicine.
Source:
- Jud Eson
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 3
Meg Winter's, a member of our community, has asked to share her artwork with you all. "I've found it very helpful for non motor symptoms like anxiety and depression. We'd love to hear if others are also finding art helpful."
"Stop the Fold is a series of pieces about the research to understand how alpha - synuclein protein functions and why for People with Parkinson's (PwP) it folds over and causes other cells to not produce dopamine as they should.. And it's about the effort to Stop the Folding!
"Sue and I have always been creative. As People with Parkinson's, the collage work takes on a special meaning for us. It's a way for us to own the day. Little Yellow Sun is an ode to our favorite little yellow pill."
"The Love Vigilantes poems celebrate the awesome instructors for Boxing with Parkinson's and Dance Beyond Parkinson's.'
Love Vigilantes
v1.1
for Andy, Ray and Jim at Schott's Gym (Boxing for Parkinson's)
Down at the gym of human kindness
we take our pills and throw punches - hard!
Power right cross! Mits Up! Body! Body! Jab!
We keep on our toes!
You call - we follow. 200%
Expert good guys – ready coach!
You help retrain our brain
and lead us to the winner's circle,
no losers here!
We raise our arms - in triumph
collect our victory stories -
to say “Look, we are fighting it;
Today it's our turn!
Today we win!”
Love Vigilantes
v1.2.1
for Rachelle (Dance Beyond Parkinson's)
At the non-stop groovy dance class,
you teach our toes to talk to our nose
and bodies to stretch Big!
“AWOooo!” Reach! Up up!
Gimme a Shimmy shimmy!
You lead – we follow!
And remember how to feel – Alive!
Loose – flowing on the opposite of
tight rigid stiff.
Super Dazzler, cosmic choreographer
you re-introduce these brains to
our hips, hands, hearts.
And make our faces dance,
smile - so large.
We kick our legs high! higher!
and collect our trophies
saying “Look, we are fighting it;
Today it's our turn!
Today, we win!”
M R I -Singing in a Silver Sarcophagus
v3
If it walks like a duck
and sounds like 100 doors closing
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Errrrrrrrrrrrrr tick tick tick Errrreeppp beepeep
If it leaves squishy green poo behind
and flies like a jagged tear in the sky
Arruuuum! Beep Beep Beep Beep E Beep E Beep
If it tastes like a delicious French dish with notes of orange
and feels like the softest Judas kiss
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Oooooooeeeooow Be ong!
If it walks like me
oooeeeeeeew arrruuummm cick click
I'm pretty sure; I'm almost certain– it must be a beeeeeep..
As PwP's the artwork/poems are a way for us to say to our Parkinson's Look - we are fighting you! And Today we win!
Meg (the train Winters) and Sue (Suzie Smashing B)