Wii Boosts Parkinson's Treatments 122
mmmscience writes "Scientists are investigating the use of Wii Sports as a form of treatment for Parkinson's sufferers. After a four-week study, researchers found that rounds of tennis, bowling, and boxing improved rigidity, movement, fine motor skills, and energy levels as well as decreasing the occurrence of depression. It is thought that combining exercise with video games helps to increase levels of dopamine, a chemical that is deficient in Parkinson's. The therapy is gaining notoriety under the name Wii-hab."
...lol (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:...lol (Score:5, Informative)
No need to make exercise fun. Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
The trick is getting yourself to start exercising in the first place. A sufficiently addictive game would be a good incentive. The best incentive I ever had was a girl in my neighborhood who ran at roughly the same time every day in nothing but skimpy spandex.
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did you ever 'catch up' to her?
I agree though, it's all about making a good incentive. The wii happens to be an easy one, so I see nothing wrong with that. People used super nintendo and other systems prior, so this is not a new idea. It's just more involved and simpler now.
Re:...lol (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm a bit weird. The more beautiful I think a girl is, the less inclined I am to talk to her...Not because I'm intimidated, but because I worry that she'll open her mouth and say something moronic, and that'll spoil it.
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there's nothing worse (Score:5, Insightful)
than seeing a hot chick, taking in her attractiveness
and then she brings a cigarette to her mouth
instant killjoy
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A friend of mine used to say "would you kiss an ashtray".
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Meh. An oral fixation is an oral fixation ;)
The thing that turns me off more than anything else is people who walk around with an unpleasant look on their face all the time. It's like a subtle mirror of the soul. If someone, no matter how pretty otherwise, walks around 24/7 with that borderline bitchy sneer grafted to their face...Yech.
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Wait, you avoid women with an oral fixation~
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than seeing a hot chick, taking in her attractiveness
and then she brings a cigarette to her mouth
instant killjoy
Funny, I always thought of it as a promising sign.
A woman that will put a cigarette in her mouth, will put anything in her mouth!
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But two showers and an entire tub of talc later it'll still smell like a frankfurter.
Something worse (Score:2)
Seeing a hot chick, taking in her attractiveness
and then "she" walks into the mens room
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Whooo instant me :D
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When I was younger I spent more than my fair share of time with "the hotties" (yes yes, i know, slashdotters don't get hot girls, he's lying, etc etc) and I really started to detest them. From their lack of original or relevant thought to their pointless conversation-killing automated responses to their reflex-like "look-cute" maneuver any time they wanted to escape accountability (which, incidentally, was ALWAYS), I just couldn't stand
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"The more beautiful I think a girl is, the less inclined I am to talk to her."
That actually happens a lot. In fact, once a learned that, I made a point of talking to the most beautiful women in a room.
I scored a lot more often with the super hot chick then with an 'average' looking woman.
When I was looking to score, I couldn't care less if she said something stupid. Just as long as we were clear it was just a brief encounter.
Read Feynman's stuff on this, he had it right.
Re:...lol (Score:5, Funny)
You mean I need to be vomiting, cumming and having explosive diarrhea to have sex? No thanks.
Re:...lol (Score:4, Funny)
Re:...lol (Score:5, Funny)
You mean I need to be vomiting, cumming and having explosive diarrhea to have sex? No thanks.
I'm sure there's a Japanese word for what you describe, but I'm not about to go look it up.
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You mean I need to be vomiting, cumming and having explosive diarrhea to have sex? No thanks.
I'm sure there's a Japanese word for what you describe, but I'm not about to go look it up.
Smart thinking.
Especially since you might invoke rule 34 of the internet [xkcd.com].
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You forgot bleeding. Oh, yes, the delicious bleeding.
Was that my out-loud voice?
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Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
I can't debate the physiology of this, but I don't think the effect is universal. I have friends who love to lift weights, and others who love to run. I hate both: The only thing it makes me feel is tired and hungry. I've hear them wax poetically about loving "the burn" or "the runners high" and I've gone with them, and never felt it.
However, I love to play DDR and Ultimate Frisbee. I could play any of those until my body can't take any more - and then I keep going. It is not the physical activity
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Personally, once my heart rate gets up I feel great. I spend my whole exercise cycle thinking, "Jesus, why don't I do this 3 times a day?" Then I hit the cool-down period, and all the pain catches up, and I stagger around for an hour or so wondering if I'm going to die.
I don't do weights though. It's only cardio that makes me feel good. And even there, I have to be moving. Riding an exercise bike is a chore. The only "stationary" cardio I can do for any period of time is jumping rope, because it's entertain
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I can't speak definitively on the physiology here, but I don't think it's really quite that subjective. People respond to intense aerobic exercise with dopamine release, the same way that people release insulin in response to glucose. Some people might have flaws in that system, but overall, this is "how it works". I believe the system is designed to make you able to keep going even when running started being unpleasant, since if you are running, it's most likely (in the long term scheme at least) becaus
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Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
Only if you're lucky.
Some people have bodies tuned to do this. You're obviously one of them, and I envy you: you get rewarded for exercise. Other people don't. I find exercise uncomfortable, very hard work, and unutterably dull. I don't zone out, I don't get endorphins, I just have to keep working at it, and it never gets any easier --- if I train, all that happens is that I can keep going longer, which means I can prolong the agony. Some reward.
And yes, I am doing it right. A couple of years ago I ent
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And yes, I am doing it right. A couple of years ago I entered a 10km road race in my town, and with that deadline as an incentive I carefully trained up over a couple of months, and eventually did the race and got a decent time (about 1 hour 5 minutes, IIRC). I've still got the pot-metal medal they gave me for completing it somewhere. Did I get a feeling of accomplishment for doing this? Yes. Was it worth my time? No, not really.
I posit that there is some other form of physical exertion that would give you more of a mental/emotional positive-feedback loop, which will help push you to that physical state of endorphin-induced satori. Maybe it's marathons, maybe it's marathon orgies; for me Mountain Biking is the only all-physical sport (I am the only engine - I bike up, too, which is the tedious part) which holds my interest enough to get me into that state.
Think of it like sex; you ran the race, that's like getting your nut. Sure, y
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No, it's like having sex for an hour, nonstop.
At that point, it's not fun.
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No need to be defensive. Everyone is different.
It definitely does matter how crazy you are in the long term, however. I ran competitively for 7 years, and topped 15 miles a day for 3 of those years. Doesn't take much to to make me feel good when I'm running (and I have wicked knee problems now, so I'm not in any kind of great shape).
Still it's always going to be work. Due to my knee issues, I need a lot of warm up and cool down, and I tend to feel like crap in the mornings, or whenever it rains.
It definitel
re.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Hmmm. If you could purchase a discrete device that would release endorphins whenever you were doing exercise. Would you buy it?
Would you voluntarily rewire yourself?
Re:...lol (Score:4, Interesting)
No need to make exercise fun. Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
Pheh. For some people. Generally, endorphins, the thing that actually gives you the high, doesn't get going until you're a long way into the exercise regimine and even then it usually doesn't counteract the pain and tedium of plain-ol weight lifting, running, or whatever other boring thing.
I've done em all, regularly for years even, and well I just never saw this "no need to make exercise fun" thing. My friend who was heavily into running and marathons and such, once said when I asked him about runner's high. "That's a bunch of crap," he said, and you only feel it when you've been running for miles anyway. Which is not something Parkinson's sufferers are going to do.
So yeah. "Exercise" by itself is boring as hell and praying for an endorphine high as payoff isn't going to work for a lot of people. Fun things that also happen to be exercise are fun. I like rock climbing. That gets me going. For others, Wii Sports or Wii Fit might be what they need.
if i don't run for a few days (Score:2)
i begin to fantasize about it
i'm an addict
Re:...lol (Score:5, Funny)
No need to make exercise fun. Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions.
I call it: "The Aristocrats!"
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Exercise is like sex
And sex is exercise.
You can watch the girl in spandex all you want. I'll be getting my exercise helping her "cool down".
Giggity.
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No, many people find regular exercise to be a pain in the ass.
Even the exercise king himself, Jacques Lalanne, talks about what a pain in the ass exercise is, but he does it anyways.
"The trick is getting yourself to start exercising in the first place"
Yep.
"The best incentive I ever had was a girl in my neighborhood who ran at roughly the same time every day in nothing but skimpy spandex."
You can stay at home, find that on the internet and then burn a few wrist calories .
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I haven't had this experience. Maybe it's because I'm not in very good shape to begin with. When I finally get myself to do some sustained exercise, my body complains and I'm not inclined to go back any time soon.
I find that I have to be angry to really want to expend the energy to do like an hour or two of working out.
Re:...lol (Score:5, Insightful)
Well in this study, they mention that they see significant improvements in depression symptoms and dopamine levels, which you don't see with normal exercise, and the researchers hypothesize that something about the video game component is causing this. There are actually quite a few studies finding that using the Wii is an incredibly effective form of rehab. One case report: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18689607?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
And all of the studies refer to it as a "low-cost gaming console". In comparison to traditional rehab, which cost just as much in equipment then add in the billing rate of a physical or occupational therapist, the Wii is dirt cheap.
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Well, that's just 11 steps, but I know it's something like that...
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I believe you may have forgotten the SELECT just before the START? That puts you at 12.
Right on.
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Well in this study, they mention that they see significant improvements in depression symptoms and dopamine levels, which you don't see with normal exercise, and the researchers hypothesize that something about the video game component is causing this. There are actually quite a few studies finding that using the Wii is an incredibly effective form of rehab. One case report: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18689607?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
And all of the studies refer to it as a "low-cost gaming console". In comparison to traditional rehab, which cost just as much in equipment then add in the billing rate of a physical or occupational therapist, the Wii is dirt cheap.
Hello Omris You are correct...I was working with a TBI client and transitioned the WIi to PD...I now lecture on the use of video games nationally and internationally if you consider Canada international...the future of rehab is there and while it will not replace the theripist...it can be a valuable tool in assisting the healthy, injured , and Ill in gaining function, self worth, and motivation...I am the researcher of this project and the fact that it decreased depression and increased quality of life is
Surely the point is that (Score:1, Offtopic)
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Re:...lol (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't it more cost effective to make exercise fun, rather than spend money on Wii and its accessories?
At ~$340 wouldn't a Wii and accessories be cheaper than most dedicated exercise machines? Not to mention probably take up less space when you consider that you can dual purpose the TVs and use the Wiis for other games or just put them away.
In any case, 'making exercise fun' might be more expensive than you think. Sure, a class type workout with an instructor can be interesting and effective, but you have to pay the instructor. That gets expensive quick, even if you have a couple dozen in the class.
Running on a track - boring & painful. Music player of whatever stripe is of limited effectiveness for me.
Running on a treadmill - even more boring.
Running on a treadmill with a TV hooked up - better, especially depending on the program. Still limited.
Using a Wii? Interactive! Real feedback would make it much better. Easier access to exercise tracking can help make sure it remains interesting, tracking stats over time to provide better feedback, etc...
And with Parkinson's, it's likely that they'd need a physical therapist to design a workout - due to varying abilities it might be difficult to place them in a mass class.
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http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-1242-Science-News-Examiner~y2009m6d12-Wiihab-boosts-Parkinsons-treatments [examiner.com]
This particular study used bowling, boxing, and tennis. All part of the Wii Sports game. They did it three times a week for only a month to see these results.
Re:...lol (Score:5, Interesting)
The great thing about today's video games are the reward schedules that make games so damn addictive. These rewards cause dopamine release, which helps offset Parkinson's.
What I wonder is if there's a "Flowers for Algernon" type effect -- like with Levadopa, is tolerance built up quickly? Do patients doing Wii-hab for Parkinson's need to take a "Wii holiday" the same way Parkinson's patients on Levadopa need to take a drug holiday to reset their tolerance?
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Exactly. I mostly think of RPGs as a pointless waste of time (apart from the community aspect), because of the grinding often required to get anywhere. The weird thing is though, that when I do play those types of games I still find it easy to get addicted. Combining RPG gameplay with an exercise plan would be an easy way to make it feel more worthwhile.
In the same way, I taught myself to play drums as my friends and I wanted to start a band but we were all guitarists. Once the band fell apart I hardly ever
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It's not just the exercise. The great thing about today's video games are the reward schedules that make games so damn addictive. These rewards cause dopamine release, which helps offset Parkinson's. What I wonder is if there's a "Flowers for Algernon" type effect -- like with Levadopa, is tolerance built up quickly? Do patients doing Wii-hab for Parkinson's need to take a "Wii holiday" the same way Parkinson's patients on Levadopa need to take a drug holiday to reset their tolerance?
Or would it be reasonable for doctors to measure dopamine produced and tell their patients when it's time to buy a new game? "This test suggests you might be getting bored with wii sports. Maybe you should try switching to Punch Out!"
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Hard to say in this instance, but in every other example I can think of, exercise continues to provide the same health benefits aven after time.
So a 30 minute walk everyday gives you pretty much the same benefit even after years.
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It's not flimsy, its a way to make it enjoyable and it motivates people to exercise more.
That's the key. How you burn the calories is secondary to actually doing it.
Is it Wii week here on Slashdot? (Score:1)
There have been a startling number of stories directly or peripherally about the Wii.
Video games are good! (Score:1)
Preventitive Medicine? (Score:1)
Of course, since IIANDoctor, I have no idea on the science behind that. Anyone know whether or not that's feasible?
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I don't believe Parkinson's is related to a lack of exercise or a lack of anything that the Wii would provide. From what I understand they usually don't even know what causes the disease in the first place.
Re:Preventitive Medicine? (Score:4, Interesting)
http://classes.uleth.ca/200901/chem2600a/Designer%20Drugs%20PPT.pdf [uleth.ca]
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They do know what causes it. Death of dopaminergic neurons in a specific part of the brain, and/or inactivation of dopamine receptors on those neurons.
The underlying causes, though, are still not completely clear. As from your link, certain chemicals can cause this.
But it's important to note that dopaminergic receptors die off regularly, anyway (IIRC ~5% per year) but no Parkinson's symptoms are exhibited until there are very few dopaminergic receptors in that part
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People do not develop symptoms of Parkinson's disease until 75-80% of the dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra are dead and gone (or at least no longer producing dopamine).
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Nope. Using the Wii will not prevent Parkinson's disease. It's possible it could delay the symptoms slightly or at least help PD patients adapt to them but the only thing that will cure PD is something that replaces the lost dopaminergic cells in the brainstem.
Hello Dogmatixpsych Again an exact statement...we do not know the cause of PD nor do we have a cure...i am not an MD or biochemist so I cannot necessarily find that cure...but I can slow the process down which is mu over all intent...I am the guy who did this research...and the fact that the depression went down and quality of life went up with a few other things that is important...since the published numbers are 45% depressed in this populationa and those who work with them believe that it is more...this
What about the new Wii Sports? (Score:1)
Re:What about the new Wii Sports? (Score:5, Insightful)
Ah yes, "This is bunk" states known Parkinson's expert and physiology sage jshackles.
Before you call it bunk... do you know what causes Parkinson's? Do you know what neurotransmitter abnormality causes Parkinson's symptoms?
Do you know what neurotransmitters are the mediators of the response we know as "feeling of accomplishment"?
Do you know how video games stimulate that response?
Do you know, even discounting the neurotransmitter impact, how exercise via the Wii differs from other "standard" methods of exercise, and how this might specifically be of use to Parkinson's sufferers? Do you know if using a Wii for fine motor control exercise has a higher percentage of participants actually sticking to their rehabilitation schedules than traditional methods?
In short... you call it bunk... but it seems VERY clear to me that (1) you don't know much about the subject and (2) you didn't bother researching it at all before decrying it.
Even if this study was bunk, your refutation of it is even worse... at least they bothered to collect data before making any kind of conclusion.
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someone mod this parent up.
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Best "Der, I'm shmarter than teh scientists" Tard Smackdown I've seen in a while.
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Looking back, it seems that the parent to my post made a pretty good quality troll, and I fell for it -- badly.
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Looking back, it seems that the parent to my post made a pretty good quality troll, and I fell for it -- badly.
Eh. Even if true I don't see how it detracts from your accomplishment of a well-formed beat-down post.
I kinda laugh at the troll's game. For one, I don't see how rebutting "You're a blithering idiot and here's why in well-defined steps" with "Yeah, well I was being insincere!" (as distinct in this context from being sarcastic) means they won. To me it just means they admit they were being a blit
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I personally find good, creative trolls amusing. It's the stupid repetitive ones that are truly annoying and add nothing to the site.
Proves once again.. (Score:2)
That eye/body/hand/whatever coordination excercise is good for your general health and actually develops your brain.
Nothing new here.
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Misleading title? (Score:2, Informative)
It sounds like it is used to treat the effects of the symptoms of parkison's. It doesn't do anything to treat Parkisons itself.
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Free Wiis (Score:2, Interesting)
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Cheaper than any other options...
Except maybe the Ultimate Solution. Which I'm not that keen on, personally.
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If it has the same or better effect as drugs, then I certainly hope so, much cheaper.
Watered down experience (Score:5, Funny)
So what this article is saying, is that the Wii provides a "watered down" Parkinson's experience.
For a change.. something supporting TFA (Score:5, Insightful)
Dr. Ben Hertz, a director of Occupational Therapy at MCG, explained that "participants showed significant improvements in rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels. Perhaps most impressively, most participants' depression levels decreased to zero." [MCG] Depression is a major impact factor in Parkinson's, with at least half of the patients reporting the mental illness.
No neurological studies have been done to solidify the reasons behind the improvement. However, Hertz believes that the combination of exercise and video games helps boost dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter that is severely deficient in Parkinson's disease. That is the motivation behind using the Wii over another video game system; Wii requires whole-body movement instead of the simple isolated finger movements on a traditional controller.
While we only have a correlation here and no direct link, I actually think the researchers may be onto something. The reason why this is more than old news is not the physical activity, but the emotional and mental components.
Playing sports for real requires lifting the appropriate equipment, and learning the skill. Wii Sports is simpler, and simply requires basic motions. The remote is also much lighter and easier to handle.
The time invested learning vs the return in enjoyment ramps up faster and if you are a depressed parkinson's patient, being able to easily do a little exercise with a simple little console can emotionally be a big deal. I do not have parkinson's, but I've tried learning tennis and it's a pain in the ass to me, but I enjoy a little wii tennis from time to time with my niece.
And finally, playing a computer game is still novel. Most patients are going to look at something like this and it will be enjoyable. It's not some uber FPS or strategy game where they have to learn 20 combos. They swing a remote and have a little fun with their friends.
The physical activity has always been important, but other consoles don't give you physical interaction, you mash buttons. If you are a parkinson's patient and you can feel like you are doing something, you are not only getting a physical component, but a much needed mental and emotional component.
Wii Games to soon cure Death & Taxes (Score:2)
Re:Wii Games to soon cure Death & Taxes (Score:5, Funny)
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Change you can bewiive in.
In related Wii news the Uighurs hope to translate their phenominal table tennis skills to lawn tennis. Wimbledon here Wii come.
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Nothing can prevent death or taxes.
However, with Wii Die and Wii Audit, you can cause them! Coming soon to a retailer near you.
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Fail.
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Why not... (Score:1)
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15477546?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
Short version: Pot didn't help keep the patients on the most effective meds. (which is an issue for Parkinson's... you can't just take the meds forever. They stop working)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15111259?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
Short version: pot might
in other news... (Score:1)
Not to detract, but.... (Score:2)
There's nothing about Wii that makes it any better than any other similar exercise. We used the Apple //GS "tour" program for the same thing, back when it was brand new. We also used a computerized version of the old psych-test "trail making test" on a Mac 128, back when it was new too.
Fact is, it's not really the exercise that does the trick, it's giving the brain a task where it can plan a trajectory of movement. You can get the same effect almost instantly by giving a Parky a cane. They don;t need it to
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Still Waiting (Score:2)
The Effect (Score:1)
Said an advanced stage Parkinson's patient... (Score:1)
"They tried to make me go to Wiihab but I said no no no..."
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I made a cartoon of his two remaining brain cells talking back and forth inside his hollow skull. The conversation went something like this:
Brain Cell 1: "Coke..."
Brain Cell 2: "...CAINE!
Brain Cell 1: "Coke..."
Brain Cell 2: "...CAINE!
etc.