BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Did readers of this board see the recent work at the Cleveland Clinic with Parkinson's patients and tandem riding? It seems that while a pedaling cure is still nascent, thee research is exciting!

http://www.michaeljfox.org/newsEvents_parkinsonsInTheNews_article.cfm?ID=375

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/news/2007/pedaling_to_beat_parkinsons.aspx

"During the Iowa bike ride, Dr. Alberts rode on a tandem bike with a person who had Parkinson's. The patient was forced to pedal much faster than she would have normally -- between 80 and 90 RPMs as opposed to between 50 and 60. Dr. Alberts explains, "In many ways, this tandem was like a type of forced exercise paradigm that was being used in the tandem studies." Then in 2006, Dr. Alberts rode again with another Parkinson's patient. This patient depended on a surgically implanted device called deep brain stimulation to control his symptoms. If the device is turned off, his symptoms return immediately. Dr. Alberts and the patient went on a 50-mile tandem bike ride with the stimulator turned off, and to their delight, the patient had no symptoms. These observations led to Dr. Alberts testing the theory out clinically in the lab."