REAL ENGLISH II

1. Watch the video and answer the questions.

How does the report describe Parkinson's Disease?
a.
b.
c.
d.

It is an incurable disease.
Parkinson's makes muscles shake.
It affects over six million people.
All of these describe Parkinson's.

Why do some Parkinson's patients avoid exercise?

a.
b.
c.
d.

It helps with their pain and discomfort.

They find it difficult to move and balance.
It is easier for them to walk than exercise.
They avoid it because of embarrassment.

How does Gary Sobel help fellow Parkinson's patients?

a.
b.
c.
d.

He tells them about the special medications they can take.

Gary Sobel works with Parkinson's researchers.
He trains them to become exercise instructors themselves.
Gary Sobel teaches an exercise class for them.

What does Dr. Heather Ene say about current treatments for Parkinson's?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Doctors are telling patients to get more intense, longer exercise.

Dr. Ene says it is hard to change the approach of doctors.
Doctors are telling patients to avoid intense exercise.
Dr. Ene says doctors are surprised at progress being made.

2. Read the article and look up the words you dont know.

A Simple Treatment for Parkinsons Disease: Exercise

More than six million people around the world suffer from Parkinsons disease1. Parkinsons disease
makes patients shake and their muscles difficult to move. The disease is incurable and only gets worse2
over time. Parkinsons usually affects older people.
Current3 treatments for Parkinsons are medicine and surgery. But lately many doctors and patients
have become interested in a treatment that is simple, does not cost much and seems to be very
effective. That treatment is exercise.
"Pick it back up. Put it down. Right leg. Straight arm. Way back. one ... two ... three ..."
What you hear are 20 senior citizens exercising. They stretch their arms forward and then swing them
far back. The instructor watching them closely is a 75-year-old man named Gary Sobel.
"Here we go! Catch! Hurl!..."

Enfermedad de Prkinson
Empeora
3
Actuales
2

Mr. Sobel shows the class how to catch and throw -- or, as he says, hurl -- an imaginary ball. Everyone
follows his instructions. But many of the students cannot stop their hands and feet from shaking4. And
some cannot straighten5 their bodies.
Everyone in the class has Parkinson's disease -- everyone -- even the instructor.
Parkinson's disease is an incurable brain, or neurologic, condition that can make walking and keeping
your balance difficult. So, many patients avoid6 exercise. But these students exercise several times a
week.
They say the exercise helps the symptoms of Parkinsons. But they also come for another reason -- the
friendship.
An instructor who understands
The exercise classes have been important for the instructor, too. When he was younger, Mr. Sobel
was an athlete. In his early 60s, he was still running in long races. But in 2008, he was diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease.
The condition became severe. He could not get out of bed without help. He could not walk easily. He
could not drive a car.
"Walking was a problem because I would trip and fall. Getting in and out of a car - I couldn't drive
anymore because my reflexes were too slow. I didn't trust myself if I had to make a sudden7 stop,
you're just too slow with your movements."
Doctors told Mr. Sobel the best way to avoid accidents and injury was to avoid exercise.
"In 2008 when you were diagnosed, you were told not to crack a sweat8, take it easy. I'm serious."
So Mr. Sobel stopped exercising. He also avoided medications because he was scared of the side
effects9, the bad things they might cause. Then one day, his hands were shaking so much, he could
not sign10 his name to pay a bill.
"I hit bottom11 that day, and I said, this is absolutely ridiculous, that I can't even write a check."
After this happened Mr. Sobel started to take low doses of Parkinson's medicine to reduce the shaking.
Once the shaking lessened he started squeezing water from wet towels to strengthen his hands. That
simple exercise worked.
"It took about six weeks and I could write a check better than I ever did."
Mr. Sobel decided to build on his success. He moved on to exercises to strengthen his legs. Then he
decided he wanted to help others. So, he trained to be an instructor.

Shake: temblar
Estirar
6
Evitar
7
Repentino
8
Idiom: empezar a sudar
9
Side effects: efectos secundarios
10
Sign: firmar
11
Hit bottom: tocar fondo
5

Mr. Sobel has been teaching exercise classes for three years. In that time, he has helped thousands of
people with Parkinson's.
In this class, he is teaching students how to walk fast, how to stop fast and even how to walk
backwards.
"..in the count of three. One, two, three ... Stop!"
He says he pushes all his students to do more than they think they can.
"I want them tired. At the end of the day, I ask them if they're tired, and if they say 'yes,' I'm happy."
Philosophical shift12 in the medical community
The medical community noticed the success stories of Mr. Sobel and other Parkinsons patients who
exercised.
Doctor Heather Ene is a doctor at the University of Colorado. She specializes in movement disorders.
She explains that many people have made a philosophical shift, or a change of thinking, about exercise
and Parkinsons disease.
"There's been a complete shift towards13 exercise as a mainstay in Parkinson's disease."
Ms. Ene says new research about Parkinson's is making doctors change their advice to patients. Now,
doctors are telling people with Parkinsons to exercise longer, more often and at higher intensity. She
says exercise may help people remain more active for longer.
"It's not necessarily going to slow the disease progression such that people don't need medications.
In fact, it's very unlikely that it's going to create that much difference. But it can be very helpful in
slowing the transition to disability. That's part of what we're trying to do."
And, Dr. Ene says Mr. Sobels exercise classes help the students with more than their physical health.
She says the classes help students emotionally. They give the people a community. Students exercise
among others with Parkinson's and learn from a man with Parkinson's.
"Five on the left. Five on the right. Are you ready? Here we go! Stop! Lift! Last one ... Stop! Lift! Stop!
Lift!"
Back in the class, Mr. Sobel says the classes have also helped him fight this degenerative disease, a
disease that gets worse over time.
"This is a degenerative disease that can get nasty. But I'm winning the battle right now, and I don't
know how long I can continue to win the battle, but I'll do what I can."
As part of doing what he can, Mr. Sobel has trained over 100 instructors throughout the United States.
These instructors use his methods of leading Parkinson's exercise classes. He has also helped start
other classes for people with Parkinson's. These classes include yoga, Tai Chi and dancing.

12
13

Shift: giro (en el sentido de cambio)

Towards: hacia, en favor de