Laura, Where are you from in Michigan? I'm going to be there in April and will give talks on the 27th at Bay Ridge senior community, 11 a.m. at East Bay Ridge and 1 p.m. at West Bay Ridge. Also, for those in the Seattle area, Jay Alberts, the Cleveland Clinic neuroscientist who proved the correlation between cycling rpm and reduction of PD symptoms, will be the keynote speaker at the HOPE conference Nov. 6.

I think it's amazing that you can do an elliptical at that rate, even for a short time. If you have access to a bike, the 80-90 rpm for 40-60 minutes should be a piece of cake.

I have a new theory, purely based on my own experience, not tested scientifically. My extreme reduction in symptoms happened when I went over the top while training for RAGBRAI last spring. Rather than 3 times/week at 80-90 rpm for 40 minutes, I rode 4-6 times/week at 80-90 as best I could for anywhere from 1.5-4 hours, slowing for hills and taking a few rests. I was so worried I wouldn't make it across Iowa in RAGBRAI. Knowing there were hills on the ride (22,500' elevation gain in a week), I also rode up and down hills some days instead of doing the long rides. The hill near my house has 200' elevation gain in .8 miles. I told myself I could do it 10 times in a row. The most I achieved was 4, but it was still a great workout. By the end of a month, my PD symptoms were nearly gone. Since RAGBRAI, I have done more of a maintenance routine of the 1.5 hour rides outside or 1 hour on the bike trainer inside and have seen continuous improvement in my mental functions as well as my physical capacities. Lately I'm noting a little cramping in my foot and third finger on my right hand, nothing to whine about.

So I'm wondering if there is a neuron-building threshold that can be reached by extreme cycling and then maintained and enhanced through further cycling exercise. It might be worth trying.

Please, what view count are you referring to?

Hi Nan,

Sorry the view count tells you how many times a post has been looked at-far right column- you have the current number of replies and next to it is the number of views- this topic is at 1,075!

I am not far from where you will be; I am in Ann Arbor, maybe 45 minutes from Highland, MI. Is April 27th the only day you will be in town?

I think you may be on to something in noting that exertion or workout intensity may have made a difference for you. I loved running and would easily go 3K a run prior to my diagnosis...then that 'mysterious' foot cramping appeared and the adaptations to PD started then. I went for nine years with no medication from my first appearance of tremor, so I am beginning to think that those years of more intense exercise helped me. I only became more sedentary because PD kept forcing me to shorten my workouts to the point where I felt it was not beneficial from a cardio standpoint at all

I am beginning to wonder if achieving an optimal heart rate or "zone" during workout is what helps? Obviously, it has to go beyond only one form of exercise and measures like rpm. There is a man who has lived with PD for over 20 years and he continues to run marathons- his story is in this USA Today article He too notes how he is doing better than other he knows with PD for same number of years and thinks it is due to intensity of exercise. Does Dr. Albert address this or will he be researching it further?

All of this is very encouraging, and means that I better get up to that 40 minute mark while I still can easily maintain the right speed. Just to note that before I was medicated, I was in the 50-70 rpm range on a stationary bike- this, I think, is consistent with most PD participants in research.

Laura

Hi Laura,

I figured out the View column as soon as I posted the question. Thanks though. We used to live in Ann Arbor when my husband was in grad school. I graduated from Albion. My mom is in a retirement village in Traverse City. I'll be there from April 20-28, flying in and out of TC. I'll be giving the talks (same one twice) at the Community at Bay Ridge in TC at 11 and 1 on the 27th.

Jay made a poster that shows his research data in graphic form and includes parameters that make his research quite clear. It is too large to post on this website but if you send me your email, I'll try to send it to you (and others). I just hope 1,000 people don't respond!

Nan,

Thanks. We have a way to private message each other through the forum right here. When you login, look at top right and notice you can link to your user name. Click on your name to access your inbox.

Thanks for your willingness to share.

Laura

I note that quite a few people are keeping track of this thread and I wonder what experiences individuals are having. Are you trying cycling? If so, do you see or feel any difference in the way you either move or think, or both? I found that over time my cognitive functions returned, which thrilled me even more than having my body nearly back to normal. If you're cycling, are you going at the 80-90 rpm for at least 40 minutes three times per week or are you going more or less? What is the hardest and easiest part of the cycling for you? What do you think would help you out? Feel free to add anything else you would like.

My experiences with forced pace cycling are great, but it would be fantastic if these experiences or something close to them were replicated by lots of others. If you're shy about responding to the group, please contact me through the private message forum. I'll compile answers anonymously and report back to the forum.

Thanks.

Nan Cyclist
I've been meaning to add to your post and just now getting to it.
Last year I got back on the bike and started training for the RAGBRAI as well. I wasn't sure how I'd do over the course of the week but was determined to have a small victory over PD and ride with my friends on the Air Force Cycle Team. I increased the miles slowly from Mar till Jul and had about 1150 miles in the seat by RAGBRAI time. I didn't have the same great results you had but I felt the best I had in a number of years. I found after I got morning meds in me and got rolling I could stretch out the afternoon meds. It was like the bike was producing dopamine for me in a way. I felt probably my best on century day and did it in about 6.5 hrs, which is good for me. Maybe I had some help in there with some paceline friends from time to time, but I can't admit to that.Ha! Riding here in the beautiful hills of East TN made the elevation gain in Iowa seem easy.
I've been spinning through the winter, not as much as I prefer. The wx hasn't helped and so it's mid Mar I have maybe 100 miles in the seat.It will get better! I'm still young in the battle with PD dx Dec03 symptoms 2 yrs before anyway, age 50, but I feel the bike plus the gym (weight training, yoga) is the best weapons I have in this long-term war. It would be great to compare notes from riding this summer. My neuro rides as well, and its always good to out climb him on a group ride. Don't know where you're located but we have some good local rides, so come on down!

Hi Scot,
Seattle is a long way from TN, but thanks for the invite to ride! Actually a friend from Memphis heard about Jay's work and got me on this track, so we have a connection there. I was awestruck in RAGBRAI whenever the Air Force Cycle Team flew past me. Made me proud. Our group, Pedaling for Parkinson's, had on jerseys with a big brain on the front that says: "You don't need brain surgery" and the back has a head with a pedal in it that says: "Just Pedal!" We got a lot of comments. However, my favorite group name and logo was Team Soreassareus with a dinosaur sitting on a bike...all old guys as I recall. I got stronger as the week went by. Day three was the hardest with the long ride and wet roads. I was concerned about accidents and saw a couple, including one guy who cut right in front of the guy ahead of me and took him out. I jumped to the gravel and somehow didn't go headlong into a ditch. Got my heart rate up for sure. I was the slowest in our group, but found plenty of people to talk with along the way and I always felt good when I passed people on hills. (More passed me than I passed.) Are you doing RAGBRAI again this year? We are. It would be great to meet you in Iowa.

I think you're right that the cycling is producing dopamine or at least getting it through the barrier. Have you read Spark, The Effect of Exercise on the Brain? Well worth anyone's time.

Have a great day.

nan, i have left several notes for you on different sites...i have no other way to reach you...although i could probably do so through jay alberts. i am very interested in speaking with you about setting up a program locally. contact me here or on 23andme...thanks

Hi Regan,

I'll be more than happy to help anyone set up a tandem program such as the one we're working on here in Seattle. My experience in setting up programs leads me to be cautious about disseminating a model until a pilot has been run for a while to work out the bugs. I'm working with a local hospital here to set up the pilot, which will begin in late May. Once we're clear that we have working systems in place, I expect we'll create a "How To" booklet that will include medical forms, permissions, clearances, etc. as well as the basic information on which steps to take, presumably in a reasonable order, or at least one that worked for us. We're working with Jay to develop the forms. I have also written an article for our bike shop newsletter, which I submitted today. When they confirm that the article passes muster, I'll post it here.