212: How To Safely Get To Heart Rate Peak In Order To Modify Parkinson’s With Dr. Daniel Corcos, PhD

Have you heard exercise is good for people with Parkinson’s? Duh! As a listener of this podcast you most certainly have! Do you know how much someone should get their heart rate up to make a difference? What about how to test them to ensure you understand their peak HR? The research on exercise and Parkinson’s is booming and we want to give you the best information straight from the source. That’s exactly why we invited prominent researcher Dr. Daniel M Corcos, PhD to the show! He’s been involved in pivotal research that actually shows exercise can modify the disease progression. No drug test has ever been able to show this, but his research team is getting closer and closer to understanding exactly what type of exercise people with Parkinson’s should do and in what dosage to truly modify their signs and symptoms and get back to the activities they love.  

In the episode we discussed a current study, SPARX3, which is recruiting and aiming to determine whether high intensity or moderate exercise change PD progression. We discuss the specifics of this study and why the exercise prescription was selected the way that it was, what a cardiopulmonary exercise test is and why it’s helpful, how to really measure HR peak, how to get someone up to their HR peak SAFELY and what NOT to do, and resources you must share with physicians in your area!

Reach out to us at [email protected] if you have anyone you’d like to refer to SPARX3 so we can pass your information along to Dr. Corcos. They are recruiting through August 2025. 

Journal of PD 2023 “Advice to people with Parkinson’s in my clinic: Exercise” - give this article to physicians 

Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise by Kristine Meldrum

ACSM guidelines Chapter 11 Edition 11 for PD

https://sites.northwestern.edu/danielcorcos/daniel-m-corcos-phd-biography/