From Pills to People: The Next Step in Parkinson’s Care
- bromack
- Sep 3
- 2 min read
Up until the mid-2000’s, Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment was almost entirely pharmaceutical. Exercise wasn’t yet validated as therapeutic—it was “good for you,” but not clinical. Today, we know better: exercise is as effective, if not more, than medication, for treating motor and some non-motor symptoms. Programs like Rock Steady Boxing have played an important role in transforming the landscape.
But just as exercise was overlooked then, the psychosocial and emotional toll of PD has been too often overlooked until now. Recent research confirms isolation, anxiety, stigma, depression, apathy, and demoralization are as devastating as motor symptoms (links to a few research papers for reference are at the bottom of this article).
Common suggestions to deal with these symptoms include cognitive behavioral therapy and support groups. While those interventions can be effective, they also have significant drawbacks and barriers including cost, access, and enjoyability / usage. As with exercise, the most effective treatment for psychosocial and emotional challenges is the one you’ll do.
At Yes, And…eXercise!, we address these all-too-often hidden battles through Cinema Therapy and improvisation, creating connection, laughter, and resilience. Make no mistake, it is work, it is communal, and it is fun. Our new partnership with Rock Steady Boxing, Go the Distance (www.yesandexercise.org/rockysb), scales this approach alongside exercise through our Cinema Therapy curriculum, tested and developed in a PhD research program.
Just as Rock Steady doesn’t claim to be the exercise solution, we don’t claim to be the psychosocial solution. However, ours is an essential, underserved and novel experience for a community in need. At a time when we’ve finally identified the truth and reality of the psychosocial and emotional challenges in PD, it’s time we put all solutions on the table.
Join us. Together, we can reimagine and rebrand Parkinson’s care—body, mind, and spirit.
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Thank you for another great post.
While we know exercise is the best medicine for Parkinson's. It's equally important to exercise our brain. The more you read the more you know isn't just a silly Dr. Seuss rhyme. It's an essential practice that is proven to help us maintain good brain health. Yes, and the links included at the bottom of this article are a wake up call for all of us. Negative stigma, isolation, demoralization and lack of education make our issues worse. The writing is on the wall. We have to pay attention. Simply exercising our bodies isn't enough. We have to also exercise our brains. While the underserved psychosocial side of PD is finally getting some much…