Parkinson’s: Can Pilates help?

Alyson Spooner had an idyllic life — a bridge player who loved to read, walk her two pekinese dogs, and spend time with her family. But five years ago, when, now in her early seventies, discovered she had Parkinson’s disease. While receiving the right medication is critical, many sufferers now appreciate the benefits of alternative therapies, such as Pilates, in conjunction with Western medicine.

Parkinson’s disease inhibits the ability to control movement. This results in a “shuffling” movement as well as loss of balance, fatigue, impaired coordination, and decreased dexterity.

But because Pilates improves coordination and control while stretching and elongating the muscles, it can help relieve the symptoms of many sufferers, including Ms. Spooner, who now combines her doctor’s medication with daily Pilates exercises. While there has been little scientific research into whether Pilates can help Parkinson’s sufferers, the Parkinson’s Disease Society Web site lists it as a complementary therapy to be used alongside conventional medicine, adding “suitable exercise … is especially important for people with Parkinson’s as their muscles and joints tend to get stiff and rigid.”

Playing golf ‘adds five years to your life’

A round of golf means being outside for four or five hours, walking at a fast pace for 3 or more miles.

But golf could have greater health benefits than walking and even more strenuous forms of exercise, according to research in Sweden which shows that playing the game adds an average of five years to your life.

The study’s authors, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, calculate that this adds an extra five years on to the average player’s lifespan.

The leader of the study of 500,000 golfers, Professor Anders Ahlbom, said that many aspects of the game were beneficial to health.

Mr. Ahlbom said that other factors outside the golf course, such as the fact that people who enjoy sport also generally lead a healthier lifestyle, could play a part in the findings, published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports yesterday.

The lowest death rates were found among players with the lowest handicaps.

They are 47% less likely to die at any time than non-golfers of the same age.

“Maintaining a low handicap involves playing a lot, so this supports the idea that it is the game itself that is good for the health,” Prof Ahlbom said.