NEWS YOU CAN USE
Exercise Endorsement
Listen to a conversation with a Parkinson's patient who participated in the Exercise Research program at the University of Delaware.
He explains how the program helped him gain back his life through exercise. Shake It Off, Inc. is proud to have funded this research.
Keep up the good work, University of Delaware.
Message From the University of Delaware Parkinson's Research Program
"Thank you Shake It Off & Friends. Shake It Off has been supporting my research program for several years and this allowed us to do studies on Parkinson's disease that we would not have been able to do otherwise. It has been a very busy spring and summer. As of today, five members of my lab team (2 undergraduates and 3 graduate students) have graduated and will bring their experience with Exercise and P.D. forward into their careers. Congratulations to: Micah Josephson (PhD), Jake Diana (B.S.), Sherron Howard (M.S.), Rebecca Daniels (M.S.) and Ben Sibson (B.S.). They have survived the rigors of a challenging and rewarding research program. I look forward to managing the publication of several key papers based on their work during the remainder of the summer and into my sabbatical that begins on September 1st. THANK YOU SHAKE IT OFF for your support! In addition to making the research possible, you have now contributed to the development of outstanding future researchers who understand P.D. and the value of Exercise."-- Dr. Christopher Knight, University of Delaware, June 2018
Shake It Off Presents Check for P.D.
In the Fall of 2017, Shake It Off presented a check for $40,000 to the University of Delaware's amazing research in the area of exercise and Parkinson's disease. In the Spring of 2016, Shake It Off presented a check for $30,000 to Dr. Christopher Knight of the Exercise Neuroscience Lab at the University of Delaware. Dr. Knight is conducting studies on cycling and High-Intensity Interval Training for relief from Parkinson's symptoms. Shake It Off is proud to support the University of Delaware's efforts in helping to shake off Parkinson's.
For more information, go to U of D's webpage: sites.google.com/site/exneuro/home and Exercise Neuroscience blog exneuro.blogspot.com
Brian Grant Foundation: Team Cianci for the Win
Jodi and Chris Cianci are so passionate about the benefits of exercise for P.D. that they started their non-profit Shake It Off to help raise funding for Parkinson's exercise research. Read more Shake It Off news for the latest updates.
(To read more, click here)
May 2019
Partners in Parkinson's
The Michael J. Fox Foundation and AbbVie have partnered to create Partners in Parkinson's, a strategic health initiative to fill knowledge gaps about P.D.
Parkinson's and Exercise
How a high-exertion routine alleviated symptoms for one local woman.
Mainline Today Magazine, May 2015, by Melissa Jacob
Philly Rabbit Run Helps Fight PD
Philadelphia Neighborhood, April 2015
Jodi Cianci shares how she overcame Parkinson's Disease with the help of exercise and then went on to found Shake It Off Inc.
Every Movement Matters
UD Professor, Alum Team up to Fight Parkinson's Effects Through Exercise
University of Delaware, April 1, 2014
Jodi Cianci knows how easy it would be to just sit back and let others do everything for her. But she also knows that would be the beginning of a slow death. Cianci, who earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Delaware in 1988, learned she had Parkinson's disease four years ago at the age of 49. She admits that when the diagnosis was first confirmed, she was despondent. "I thought my life was over," she says. "But now I understand that it's not the worst thing that can happen." Exercise has helped Cianci emerge from the "dark hole" in which she initially found herself, and she and her husband have started a foundation to promote the message that every movement matters.
The foundation, Shake It Off Inc., raises funds to support research on Parkinson's, and Cianci has brought some of that money home to U.D. by donating to the laboratory of Chris Knight, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology. Knight's research focuses on understanding how the nervous system controls movement, and he is conducting experiments to help guide exercise recommendations for older adults and people with Parkinson's disease. Before her diagnosis, Cianci was a self-professed quick exerciser. "I was in and out of the gym with no sweat," she says. But her husband, Chris, is an avid cyclist, and he was determined to help Jodi find non-medical ways to deal with the effects of Parkinson's. So when the couple learned about research on biking and the brain by neuroscientist Jay Alberts at the Cleveland Clinic, they traveled there to learn more about how pedaling might diminish some of the symptoms of the disease.
Alberts and his team had demonstrated a 35 percent reduction in Parkinson's disease symptoms by the simple act of cycling at 80 to 90 rpms for 45 minutes three times a week. The Ciancis were sold on the idea, and Jodi began doing her own version of the program by taking spinning classes three times a week. According to her husband, the results thus far have been remarkable. "After only six weeks of cycling, I noticed a return in her fine motor skills," he says. "She was able to use her right hand again, and her once-small handwriting looked as legible as it did 20 years ago. We both feel like we have objective evidence that this approach is working for her." Jodi Cianci is determined not only to reap the benefits of exercise herself but also to get the word out to others. "I think you have to take a holistic approach to dealing with this disease," she says. "I'm not in denial - I just refuse to give the diagnosis power over me." She is now partnering with Knight at U.D. to help those with Parkinson's live better lives through exercise until a cure is found. "Jodi had to fight to discover this approach for herself," Knight says. "Now, I'm doing the science, and through her organization, she's helping others avoid going through what she went through to get answers.
For me, this partnership is important because it's enabling me to be more actively involved in delivering the results of my research to people with Parkinson's." Shake It Off's upcoming events include the Philly Rabbit Run 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, April 19, at the Philadelphia Zoo. "The more money we can raise through events like this, the more we can give to people like Chris for their research," Cianci says. To learn more about Shake It Off or to register for the 5K, visit the website. For more information about participating in the research project "Exercise to improve quickness and mobility in people with Parkinson's disease," contact Knight at [email protected] or visit the website. To learn more about other research and clinical resources at the University of Delaware, including The Parkinson's Clinic, read the related story here. Article by Diane KukichPhoto by Kathy F. Atkinson
Fox Trial Finder Ambassador Refuses to Take Her Diagnosis Lying Down
by Claudia Marshall, MJFF
April 17, 2014, Jodi and Chris Cianci with Michael J. Fox.
Jodi Cianci is a Fox Trial Finder Ambassador who is committed to spreading the word about the critical importance of participation in P.D. clinical trials. In a recent feature in the University of Delaware's "UDaily," Jodi speaks of her transformative experience playing an active role in research. Below is an excerpt from the article. Cianci, who earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Delaware in 1988, learned she had Parkinson's disease four years ago at the age of 49. She admits that when the diagnosis was first confirmed, she was despondent. "I thought my life was over," she says. "But now I understand that it's not the worst thing that can happen." Exercise has helped Cianci emerge from the "dark hole" in which she initially found herself… Before her diagnosis, Cianci was a self-professed quick exerciser. "I was in and out of the gym with no sweat," she says. But her husband, Chris, is an avid cyclist, and he was determined to help Jodi find non-medical ways to deal with the effects of Parkinson's. So when the couple learned about research on biking and the brain by neuroscientist Jay Alberts at the Cleveland Clinic, they traveled there to learn more about how pedaling might diminish some of the symptoms of the disease.
Alberts and his team had demonstrated a 35 percent reduction in Parkinson's disease symptoms by the simple act of cycling at 80 to 90 rpms for 45 minutes three times a week. The Ciancis were sold on the idea, and Jodi began doing her own version of the program by taking spinning classes three times a week. According to her husband, the results thus far have been remarkable. "After only six weeks of cycling, I noticed a return in her fine motor skills," he says. "She was able to use her right hand again, and her once-small handwriting looked as legible as it did 20 years ago. We both feel like we have objective evidence that this approach is working for her." Jodi Cianci is determined not only to reap the benefits of exercise herself but also to get the word out to others. "I think you have to take a holistic approach to dealing with this disease," she says. "I’m not in denial - I just refuse to give the diagnosis power over me.”
Upper Gwynedd chiropractor cycling for wife with Parkinson's, September 2012 By Brian Bingaman
Jodi Cianci, left, pedals on a bike next to her husband, Upper Gwynedd chiropractor Chris Cianci, who will begin a weeklong bike tour on Oct. 6 to raise awareness and to raise money to find a cure for Parkinson's. Can stalling the progression of Parkinson’s disease be as simple as riding a bike?