Customer Reviews

Parkinson's Disease and the Art of Moving

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My mother-in-law was diagnosed recently with Parkinson's. I immediately came to Amazon to print out some book info for her. I confess this was not my first choice, but boy was I wrong. She chose this, and when it arrived I sat down for a quick read before I forwarded it to her. John Argue's book developed out of years of work in the theatre as well as with people who have Parkinson's. He has set out the exercise program he devised in a clear progression, with easy-to-follow descriptions in words and illustrations. Argue does not take an authoritarian tone but reminds us gently of sensible points about exercise for body and mind together; he is inspiring, and -perhaps best of all- wryly amusing too. I wish we could clone John Argue and bring him to Australia. My m-i-l went straight to the index and found an exercise that helped her with her swallowing, and is now working her way through from the beginning. Not all of the exercises are imperative for her at this stage, but she knows she can use them to help her move through the rest of her life with grace and humour. Thanks to John Argue.

This book is a valuable tool for every P.D. patient. The doctors never tell us what specific exercises to do to prevent the progress of our disease. This books clearly illustrates with photographs how to do exercises for every need. The directions are clear and precise. What is most appealing is the underlying philosophy of graceful, mindful, and complete. Every exercise is a meditation of sorts that requires the patient to focus. Argue, the author, presents a program that offers hope of preventing progression of sysmptoms, but more importantly, he also offers hope for those already afflicted. It is possible to reverse or alleviate some symtoms to a degree. The book gives the patient some control and also offers an opportunity to fight back. Don't just read it. Do it.

After reading previous reviews I confidently shipped this book directly to my dad. He was three-quarters through the book in less than 24 hours, usually books just sit unread indefinitely on his desk. He said this was the first book out of many that clearly explained the symptoms, the disease and a positive approach. It is a beautiful book and a worthwile read. Thank you Amazon for packaging/shipping the book beautifully and promptly.

Doing the exercises in this book has helped my husband, who has Parkinson's, to improve his balance and strength. Before he was falling; now he's not. John Argue has also made tapes, a series of ten 20-minutes tapes with a class of Parkinsonians demonstrating the exercises which are extremely helpful and which can be bought directly from him; contact information for obtaining the tapes is in the book.

John Argue's method is one that will definitely benefit any Parkinson's sufferer and their caregivers. I also highly recommend the DVDs. The only thing better is to see John in person!
Barbara Baser, Coordinator Information and Referral Center
American Parkinson Disease Association, Pittsburgh, PA

This book reveals more than I expected about how to counter the symptoms of Parkinson's by deliberately practicing movements. The author has an understanding of the challenges faced by PD sufferers. I've found re-affirmation of some of my own deductions about moving better by intentionally visualizing an action before willing to accomplish a movement. I am convinced that exercise is the best medicine to slow the progression of this disease. The author's experience conducting exercise classes in conjunction with medical institutions makes his suggested exercise routine invaluable. I've never heard many of the insights offered in this volume anywhere else. For example, there's a section explaining the benefits of yawning. Another section tells how to use gravity to help turn over in bed.

I've added exercises from this book to my attempt to counter PD symptoms. I was diagnosed ten years ago. Right now, I attend water exercise and Tai Chi classes, walk at least twenty minutes a day, square dance or contra dance at least twice a week, and do several exercises from a physical therapist to improve my posture. With the latest findings about the plasticity of the brain, I think that we should concentrate on moving more to develop new neural pathways which over-ride the old habitual movements that used to be 'automatic." This book is a good place to start because it contains strategies to ameliorate specific PD symptoms before they develop.

I found this book helpful for helping a friend who has parkinsons and also my 85 year old mother, who only has aged-related physical disability. The movements are grounded in the theory behind Tai Chi and the Martial Arts, which is the gold-standard behind many other books dealing with body work.

The exercise directions, with photos, are easy to follow. There is a companion two disc DVD set available from the author's web-site. The DVDs are easier to learn from, but the book is also very informative and useful.

I am a Physical Therapist and am using this book as a foundation for a weekly PD class held at my office. It is well written, lighthearted and very appropriately targets the needs of the PD patient.

Parkinson's Disease is about movement and fighting PD is about movement, too.

This book is a valuable resource for the person fighting PD and his/her caretakers. The variety of movement and understanding why to do various exercises helps to keep the person moving. And the constant movement and exercises keeps the PD from taking over. It replaces a giving-up attitude with a can-do attitude because the intentional activity shows clear results.

This book by itself is not enough, of course. But this book provides help and information for the team of patient, physical therapist, doctor, and other professionals.