Have I nagged you to exercise lately?

I have a game I like to play whenever I meet a neurologist. I always ask "What is the one thing you wish you could get patients with PD to do?" So far, they always answer "Exercise".

Sorry. I know you were hoping the answer was "Spend more time sorting socks" or "Work on completing your string collection" or even "Write essays about the sleep habits of the spiny anteater". Anything but exercise. Unfortunately none of these things have been shown to help those of us with Parkinson's Disease when studied under rigorous lab conditions.

Exercise is a different story. You don't believe me? Well check here, here, here, here, here, or here. You're convinced now, right? Good, don't forget to consult a doctor before you start.

But do start. Imagine the power in your grasp here. You can improve your ability to move. You can improve your clarity of thought. It's even strongly possible that you can modify the once inexorable path of PD progression. And most important, if enough of us will take up exercise and faithfully stick to it, doctors will have to come up with a different answer to my question.

What It's Like to have Parkinson's Disease (Undermedicated: Third in a series.)

Another up-to-the-minute glimpse into the lifestyle of tomorrow, living with the disease that's all the demographic rage: PARKINSON'S! Today's fab feature is the joys of being undermedicated.

What It's Like to have Parkinson's Disease (first in a series.)

I've been thinking for some time about ways to communicate what it's like to have PD. This is the first of occasional attempts to say it with animation.