Exerciser

[rhyspeace12]

My husband,79, has been having a lot of bad days ,feeling out of it due to stress and the continuing progression of Parkinson's. I remembered our Exerciser 2000 that was sitting in the garage and had him start using it to see if it would get more oxygen to his brain. It seems that it has.Today he went to the library to get some books to read ,has been trimming some trees, and drove the car. These are things he didn't want to leave the house for previously. You can buy used ones on Ebay, I bought mine originally, used, to try to get feeling in my toes by increased circulation due to peripheral neuropathy..

It is a device in which you lay on your back, put your ankles on it and it moves your body in a serpentine motion. He uses his VieLight at the same time.,

[Millbrook]

Is he on B1 therapy?

[rhyspeace12 in reply to Millbrook]

No, just a Vit B Max pill each morning

[Rhyothemis in reply to rhyspeace12]

High dose B1 is worth looking into.

[Rhyothemis]

Did it work for your peripheral neuropathy?

[rhyspeace12 in reply to Rhyothemis]

I think it helped, but i got tired of laying on the floor with it. I started getting Vit B shots every few months which helped, It hasn't progressed much in years so I basically have forgotten about it. What helped the most with the circulation in my toes was putting them under a jet in the outside spa.

When I had a lower back that hurt, it relaxed that.

[Rhyothemis in reply to rhyspeace12]

It's good you found something that worked. I was having paresthesia and some loss of sensation in my toes. I had been taking oral B vitamins which helped a bit, but my feet are pretty much normal now after doing foot and ankle exercises for a couple of weeks.

My current project is trying to fix plantar fasciitis in one foot - prolonged static stretching is actually working (holding the stretch for at least 2 min) - thank goodness. I used a red and infrared light for a bit but it did not seem to help much with either the plantar fasciitis or the neuropathy - but my skin looks a lot better on the right foot now so I am going to have to use it on the left to make them match.

[rhyspeace12 in reply to Rhyothemis]

My Mom had neuropathy and no sensation from the knees down.I suppose I inherited it, but it is interesting that mine has stayed static for years.

[Rhyothemis in reply to rhyspeace12]

That's great it has not gotten worse. I was concerned since my father had peripheral neuropathy and it seemed to progress with his MSA (which isn't supposed to be hereditary, but sometimes I question if his diagnosis was accurate) . He maintained that his gait problems and falls were not due to ataxia, but rather the loss of sensation in his feet/legs. At the end of his illness, he had extreme muscle wasting in his limbs.

As far as the ataxia goes, I am left to wonder about that. I have read there are cases of Huntington's where the person refuses to believe they are ataxic. And then there's Anton-Babinski Syndrome - "Those who have it are cortically blind, but affirm, often quite adamantly and in the face of clear evidence of their blindness, that they are capable of seeing".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton...

The brain (and biology in general) is really weird.

[Rhyothemis in reply to Rhyothemis]

I did some searching to refresh my memory re: Huntington's. The phenomenon is generally called 'anagnosia' or 'denial of illness'. It is neurologically based (as opposed to being a psychological coping mechanism) & can be present in a number of neurological conditions.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[rhyspeace12 in reply to Rhyothemis]

Thank you. I think my peripheral neuropathy is a bit worse over the years, but I've had it for about 15 years without it getting so bad it that bothers my walking.

My husband's main problem (the person with PD) is that his stomach hurts almost all the time (unless he has something else to think about) All the doctors think he causes it it with obsessive thinking. We see a psychiatrist on Tuesday who will review his medications.

[Rhyothemis in reply to rhyspeace12]

I hope he gets help for his stomach. I think I read that obsessive compulsive symptoms can be due to PD.

Stomach pain really sucks. Sometimes I get migraines [much less often now since I started doing cardio regularly and take a CoQ10 derivative (MitoQ)]; the only thing that really works is aspirin but it wreaks havoc on my stomach. I did some searching on PubMed and found that tocotrienols are gastroprotective. A study found that rats under extreme stress (a version of the forced swim test - a rather cruel, but commonly used method to induce a stress response) that are given tocotrienols don't develop ulcers as they normally would under such conditions:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

I take Solaray Annatto tocotrienols when I have to take aspirin - no more stomach problems (though I do still get worsening of tinnitis from the aspirin - nothing's perfect). I would ask the doctor before trying any supplements since they can interact with medications.

PS - It is really wonderful that you are so actively supporting your husband through his illness.

[rhyspeace12 in reply to Rhyothemis]

Thanks for the compliment. I feel pretty worthless most of the time. Tomorrow a psychiatrist is going to start reviewing him and his medications. I can only hope that he gets some advise on how to stress less.

[Rhyothemis in reply to rhyspeace12]

Well, it looks like you are doing as much as anyone could ask. Your husband is lucky to have you in his corner. I hope you both feel better soon.

[rjpinette in reply to Rhyothemis]

My husband w/Parkinson's and before Parkinson's happened had plantar fascitiis and his dr. said to freeze a plastic water bottle and roll his foot back and forth on the frozen water bottle. It worked AND getting really good shoes with arch support. He got SAS shoes and the difference was incredible! Took him 1/2 hr to get to the shoe store and when we left the store with the new shoes on 10 minutes! He told the person of his condition and he went right to the SAS shoes and still to this day wears them. It's been a few years now and we are sold on the shoes for this condition and just general wear. Good arch support in your shoes is huge.

[heidi1]

Great idea! I’m a Personal Trainer Certified in Delay the Disease/Parkinson’s. Exercise is one of the best things anyone can do in order to age well! Increasing blood flow to the brain definitely helps everyone with their cognition.

[flyingfoxone in reply to heidi1]

Where are you located?

[heidi1]

Minneapolis

[Suntea]

I am so grateful you posted about the exerciser. I ordered from eBay and received today. I am most excited about using the machine!! Thank you ♥️

[rhyspeace12]

I am so happy if i helped you!!! We went to a Parkinson's support meeting yesterday that had a lady talking about a version of Tai Chi that basically was all about getting oxygen to the brain . Tai Chi does move fluid up and around the body and the results sound a lot like what the Exerciser does. My next advise. Get a coloring book and some gel pens like i talked about in another spot here, and learn to relax with that. I can have tears streaming down my face in frustration with life, and sit there coloring and coloring like a robot and not go nuts!

It's funny, there is a commercial with music that comes on over and over as i color and watch TV. I didn't consciously notice it, and i can't tell you what they are advertising, but that music came on and i found myself floating into a happy space.

[Suntea in reply to rhyspeace12]

Yes I have a coloring app on my iPad and I used it as well 😀

[rhyspeace12]

I wanted to mention something i forgot about the baby step Tai Chi the instructor told us about yesterdday. The main thing was getting the lymph moving around the entire body from the brain through the heart and lungs, around the whole body including the legs and feet. It is the movement that the Exerciser 2000 takes your body through. She said also to brush your teeth when you first get up to remove the toxins from the night before that affect the lymph.

[Suntea in reply to rhyspeace12]

I am enjoying the exerciser so very much! I have to tell myself to relax while using it and when I do I get wonderful Movement!! I try moving my arms over head or off to sides to open my restricted arm and chest muscles and it's wonderful to MOVE!! I've had problems with other exercises because of my balance problems... This machine is answered prayer. My only challenge is getting up and down from the floor, but I found using the bed for support as I get up and down very helpful. After I use the machine I can more easily do some yoga stretches as well. Thank you again for telling us about the machine. I can't thank you enough. ♥️ And my husband who does not have PD is using it for his arthritis.

[rhyspeace12]

Wonderful! I don't know why i didn't think of having my husband use it several years ago.We both have the same problem getting up off the floor. Rolling over first on the floor seems to help.