Lexington Walk with a Doc Events Raise Awareness for Parkinson’s - Archived

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For More Information:
David McArthur, Senior Manager
502.562.7016 or 502.648.3411
[email protected]

Lexington Walk with a Doc Event to Raise Awareness for Parkinson’s disease

Lexington, Ky. (April 14, 2015) – April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and KentuckyOne Health will host its first Walk with a Doc event in Lexington with a focus on improving awareness of the disease.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 10-11 a.m. at Shillito Park located at 300 W. Reynolds Rd. in Lexington. Warren Chumley, MD, with KentuckyOne Health Neurology Associates, will lead the free walk around the park while answering questions about Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is a chronic and progressive brain disorder that affects nearly one million Americans. Doctors diagnose as many as 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease each year. The average age of onset is 60, but people have been diagnosed as young as 18.

Walk with a Doc events will be held bi-monthly on the third Saturday of the month in Lexington as part of a nationwide program that empowers people to improve their health through physical activity as they exercise side-by-side with their health care providers. Participants can also receive free health screenings at the event.

All are welcome; participants are encouraged to invite family and friends to walk together toward a healthier lifestyle. 

According to America Walks, brisk walking has been shown to reduce body fat, lower blood pressure, increase high-density lipoprotein and even reduce risks of bone fracture. Not only that, it is also associated with lower mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity, according to the American Heart Association. Research has shown that you could gain two hours of life for each hour of regular exercise.

Community partners or the Walk with a Doc event include: Lexington-Fayette County Health Dept., Lexington Parks and Recreation, Passport Health Plan and YMCA of Central Kentucky.