I recently heard someone say, “Parkinson’s is not a death sentence, it’s a life sentence”. I don’t expect exercise to cure PD, but it does help just as it helps many other diseases. I once had a neurologist, who was not keen on my presentation of the Parkinson’s exercise program (his research showed no results with exercise on Parkinson’s disease) tell me, you don’t want to give people false hope. I don’t see it as false hope, I see hope.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is very beneficial for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Nutrition education from a Dietitian can help to address some common nutrition-related complications of the disease such as osteoporosis, constipation and weight loss.
When I was diagnosed in 2002, my symptoms were minimal. On a scale of one to ten, one being no symptoms and 10 being non-functional, I would give myself a 2. Today, eleven years after my diagnosis, I would give myself a 3. I believe my symptoms have remained mild because I ran before and after my diagnosis. Running I am sure has delayed progress both the progression and severity of the disease.