"It could be any exercise" that might help people, said Kristi Sesso, owner of the Harmony Group Pilates and Gyrotonics studio in Englewood, N.J. "But Pilates is a great point of access."

Instructors say the basic principal of Pilates - increasing core strength and improving flexibility and balance - is extremely helpful in countering the effects of Parkinson's in some people.

"I never dreamed of trying to do Pilates or anything like that," said Greg Moore, 59, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's 17 years ago and just started practicing Pilates. "Now I realized how stiff and boxed up I am."

There are studies that show exercise can ease the severity of Parkinson's symptoms, said Michael S. Okun, national medical director for the National Medical Foundation. However, it needs much further research, he said.

"I tell my patients that exercise is like a drug - if they exercise religiously or stretch religiously, they do great," Okun said.

Pilates participants say the exercises aren't a strain, which makes the program more approachable for patients who don't exercise at all. Additionally, they say, it's supportive to be in a positive environment with other people with Parkinson's.

Many Parkinson's patients struggle with depression and some say the exercise has helped them.

"A lot of times exercise is as much for the head as it is for the body," said John White of Corvallis, Ore. "To feel like you can help yourself in some way is really important."

White, a former track and wrestling coach, says Parkinson's is a "seven-day-a-week job." But he says he exercises religiously and it allows him to continue hiking, golfing and running.

Debi LaVietes Clark, owner of Body Balance Pilates where White practices, says she is seeing an increasing number of people brought in by participants who have described how the program helps with flexibility, agility and balance.

"But what I've noticed, first and foremost, is confidence," Clark said. "Just because you are diagnosed with a disease doesn't mean the end of the world."

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