"Without PLAY, without that child still alive in all of us, we will always be incomplete. And not only physically, but creatively, intellectually, and spiritually as well." George Sheehan, cardiologist and runner.

Don't wait for chorea for exercise. Be a runner. A runner is someone who runs; it's that simple--and that grand. Be that someone. Be yourself. Be your own runner. Compete against HD. Kick butt. See Brain Gain. --Jerry 02/18/00

By Lisa Kilborn HealthSCOUT Reporter 02/18/00

FRIDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthSCOUT) -- Message to Huntington's disease sufferers: If you work out regularly, you might feel better longer.

In a study by Oxford University neuroscientists, mice altered to have the gene for Huntington's disease stayed healthier and lived longer when put in an environment that encouraged climbing and exploring. Whether that translates to humans hasn't been proven, but experts say exercise can only help. The study's results, reported at a recent meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society in Melbourne, were surprising because the scientists had expected the opposite effect -- that exercise would speed the symptoms' appearance rather than delay them.

Huntington's illness is a degenerative brain disorder for which there is no effective treatment or cure. It diminishes the ability to walk, think, talk and reason. Eventually, the person becomes totally dependent upon others for care, according to the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA).

More than 250,000 Americans have Huntington's or are at risk of inheriting the disease from a parent who has it. It affects as many people as hemophilia, cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy.

In the study, altered mice that weren't active fell off a horizontal pole they were walking on when they were 18 weeks old. Only 15 percent of the altered mice that had boxes and tunnels to stimulate them fell off the poll at the same age.

Cheryl Lenheiser, social worker for the HDSA's Texas chapter, said her organization encourages physical therapy and exercise. So people at risk for Huntington's would be wise to get off the couch and stretch, walk or do something that will get their blood pumping, she said.

"What you're hoping to do is ease the symptoms and delay the onset of symptoms by physical therapy, exercise and a healthy lifestyle," Lenheiser said. "Even if you're only at risk, you should be physically active. If you stay physically active, and do all the things you're supposed to do, as the disease becomes apparent, you'll handle it better."

Dr. Paul R. Billings, an internist and medical geneticist, said people generally in better health at the time they develop a chronic illness often handle it better.

"I think as a general rule, we tend to think of genetic disorders as requiring specific genetic fixes," said Billings, who last year founded GeneSage Inc., a genetic information and health company in the San Francisco Bay area. "In some cases, we can do that. But for a lot of genetic conditions, we take indirect measures or modify other factors."

For example, people predisposed to lung disease are advised not to work in a polluted environment or smoke. Similarly, Billings said, good physical health and proper diet are likely to help people predisposed to neurological disorders.

"I'm not aware of a specific study that says exercise is beneficial to people predisposed to [Huntington's disease]," Billings said. "But in my experience, it makes perfect sense to think of the body as a whole thing. If you modify other components, virtually no genetic illness won't benefit by thinking about other factors."

"That doesn't mean that by taking good care of yourself and getting in shape, you won't suffer from [Huntington's disease], but it certainly can't hurt," he said. "It might help you better handle some of the problems once the disease manifests itself."

What To Do

Exercise seems to help a range of ailments, from heart disease and kidney ailments to high blood pressure and obesity. Get off the couch; it can't hurt, and if you run a risk for getting Huntington's, it may delay some of the disease's symptoms.

Previous HealthSCOUT stories detail how an early test may predict Huntington's when the symptoms will start and how an enzyme may be key to the disease.

For more information, visit the Huntington's Disease Society of America or take a look at this handbook for facing the disease if you have it. A librarian has assembled this extensive list of documents, sites, discussion groups and much more pertaining to the disease.