Positive Deviance with an Enriched Environment
Last week I reviewed research that showed that rats and mice raised in an “enriched environment” and then infected with a chemical that gave them PD were healthier on a variety of fronts than the control groups of rodents who had PD but no enriched environment. The unanswered question was: What does this mean for humans?
I found an answer this week when I read fellow WPC blogger Benjamin Stecher’s latest post, which states: “The only thing proven to prevent or slow the degenerating brain is a healthy lifestyle and plenty of exercise. Though the optimal ‘dose’ is unknown, the trend lines seem to indicate that the further these factors are pushed, the better the results.”
In other words, exercising five times a week is superior to exercising just four. Eating fresh organic fruit is superior to eating syrupy canned fruits that have oodles of extra sugar. “Do I dare to eat a peach?” T.S. Eliot famously asked, and the answer is, “Yes – but only if it’s organic.”
Stecher includes a link to ongoing research by Dr. Laurie Mischley, who is investigating positive deviancy. What’s “positive deviancy”? Let’s quote Dr. Mischley’s site:
“Positive Deviance is based on the observation that in every community there are certain individuals or groups (the positive deviants), whose uncommon but successful behaviors or strategies enable them to find better solutions to a problem than their peers. These individuals or groups have access to exactly the same resources and face the same challenges and obstacles as their peers.”
Care to find out if you are a “positive deviant”? Click on this link and fill out a questionnaire about your lifestyle and the severity of your various Parkinson symptoms. You’ll receive a numerical score which you can use to compare your current state of being to other Parkies’ via either of these graphs below. Your score and where you fall on the graph depend on your responses to the questions as well as how long ago you were diagnosed with PD.
The graph also lists what can probably drive your score higher (meaning a worse condition) or lower (meaning healthier). To wit:
Not Good for Your Health
- Thinking poorly about yourself/lousy social health: “I’m overweight” or “I’m lonely”
- Consuming the following: dairy products, beef, chicken, pork, soda, pasta, fried foods, canned fruits, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables
- Exercising twice a week or less
Good for Your Health
- Thinking/living positively: “I have a lot of friends,” “I try to eat organic when possible,” and “I cook most of my own meals”
- Consuming the following: fresh vegetables, olive and coconut oil, nuts and seeds, non-fried fish, fresh fruits, fresh herbs, spices, wine, green tea
- Exercising many days/week, up to daily exercise
I filled out the questionnaire twice, and each time scored below 500, which puts me in the green “Excellent” category, even after being diagnosed seven years ago. If this kind of lifestyle research interests you, you can sign up to be an online participant in Dr. Mischley’s ongoing data collection and research (click!). Requirements: complete two online questionnaires every six months for the next five years.
