A Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease

A diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, a movement disorder, is devastating to individuals and their families. Lives are turned upside down as patients and loved ones are filled with fear and apprehension of what the future holds. There are medicines that are utilized therapeutically but nothing that can slow or prevent disease progression. Medical researchers have improved diagnostic capabilities but with that movement disorder experts expect cases to triple in the next ten years. Currently, about 200,000 new cases are reported in the United States every year. It is anticipated that many of the new cases will include men and women younger than forty over the next decade. While the U.S. government has recently passed legislation to aggressively fund research, there are steps that can be taken now to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson's Disease. While we do not profess that this is a cure, it is not uncommon to witness a wheelchair bound sufferer standing and walking from participation in a vigorous training program. MBSA Head Trainer Mike Carmiche leads the instructional videos, demonstrating technique with a person who has Parkinson's Disease. We believe that rigorous exercise offers hope for those suffering from this terrible disease. Our goal is to increase the trainer population so that more people with PD have the option of personal instruction rather than group classes.