​Nenad will be out for the next 7 weeks.  We will miss his participation and  spiritual presence, but we will endeavor to carry on.  Wishing him a good trip from everyone in the group.  (Of course, we will all be expecting him to juggle 5 balls on his return.)  Lao Du

​Recently, one of our group members with PD complained of “cramping” in a leg (one leg). I did a little research and found that this kind of problem may be fairly common in people with Parkinson’s Disease.  Cramping and Dystonia –  the latter is another type of involuntary muscle contraction – should be differentiated as the etiologies (causation) are different.  Massage, heat (water bottles) and certain exercises may help in these conditions.   See the following for more info on this subject:  Muscle Cramps And Dystonia – Parkinson’s Association of Ireland https://parkinsons.ie/userfiles/file/LeafletNM4.pdf )      ART

​(I forgot to post this officially a few weeks ago.)

Of interest: Arvid Carlsson, a name most of us are unfamiliar, died at the age of 95 about a week ago. He was a Swedish scientist who was responsible for developing L-dopa as the main med treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. He won the Nobel prize for his efforts.

​The following appeared in Netscape; it has relevance for our volunteers and Pongers, alike.   ART

“Numerous studies have found a positive relationship between regular exercise and brain health. But just how much exercise is necessary to see cognitive gains in older adults?

A recent systematic review of 98 randomized controlled trials involving over 11,000 older adults with a mean age of 73 years provides an answer. The researchers determined that 52 hours—delivered in 1-hour sessions—over 6 months is the minimum amount needed to improve cognition in older adults.

In fact, total exercise time—whether it’s cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, mind-body exercises, or a combination—was the most important factor linked to improved processing speed and attention, executive function, and global cognition. These improvements were seen in healthy adults, those with mild cognitive impairment, and even those with dementia.


Dosing exercise like this—one hour, twice a week—could be a new pitch that will motivate patients, especially those worried about dementia, to get up and move.”

​The club is open so if you are interested in hitting, post a comment here and maybe others will join you!