“Everybody” wants proof, and the only thing that counts for many people is science-based proof.
So on this page, I will present some “proof” that Parkinson’s disease is not only a physical disease but rather a “mind-body” disease where psychological and emotional factors impact symptoms.
The worldwide belief that it is solely a physical disease where you get worse and worse must be stopped because when most people believe that they lose their hope and do nothing to help themselves.:
Effects of Mindfulness Yoga vs. Stretching and Resistance Training Exercises on Anxiety and Depression for People With Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
This experiment compared traditional fitness exercises with mindfulness yoga sessions over 20 weeks for people with Parkinson’s.
- Both groups improved and were able to reduce symptoms
- People that did yoga experienced less anxiety
With my way of thinking, it is like this:
“Normal” exercise lets you “burn off” the excess adrenaline you have in your body. But the next day, you again start to produce adrenaline as you have not done anything to improve your mental health and reduce stress.
In yoga, you get both some exercise and body stretches that are somewhat unique. The exercises are done in a calming speed – very slow. So the body “understands” that there is peace around you and starts to relax.
(I would guess that this improvement would continue for the people that carry on doing yoga themselves.)
My summary of the article:
In the mindfulness yoga group, patients demonstrated significantly better improvement in anxiety and depressive symptoms. There was no significant improvement noted in anxiety and depressive symptoms in the SRTE group (traditional stretching and resistance training exercises). The mindfulness yoga group showed significant improvement in MDS-UPDRS motor scores, spiritual well-being, and perceived equanimity. They also saw significant improvements in disease-specific HRQOL (Health-Related Quality of Life).
I believe that reducing stress is the key to reducing symptoms, and that dealing directly with stresses and traumas in your life is the shortcut. So for the ones that dislike yoga and hard exercise, I still have room for more clients in my online coach practice!
The same content but in the scientific article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30958514
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