Interesting Facts re Dance

This was passed on to us from Lyn Cargill of Kaleidoscope - we always knew that Dancing was fun, now we know that it's good for us! Jan and Vic

DANCING MAKES YOU SMARTER

The 21-year study of senior citizens, 75 and older, was led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, funded by the National Institute on Aging, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.


 * % = reduced of dementia


 * 0% = Bicycling, swimming or playing golf
 * 35% = Reading
 * 47% = Doing crossword puzzles at least 4 days a week
 * 76% = Dancing frequently

Quoting Dr Joseph Coyle, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist who wrote an accompanying commentary:"The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities, are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use."


 * Reduces stress and depression
 * Increases energy and seratonin
 * Improves flexibility, strength, balance and endurance
 * Strengthens bones and boosts cardiovascular health
 * Increases mental capacity by exercising our cognitive processes
 * Dynamic and rapid-fire decision making, creates new neural paths

CELEBRATE LIFE THROUGH DANCE _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

IRISH MUSIC AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Check out this article if you are interested in how Irish music and dance has benefited some with Parkinson's disease. It's the stepping plus the music, apparently.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Italian-neurologist-finds-improbable-cure-for-Parkinsons-Disease-in-Irish-dancing-197291231.html

Chris Brady (sent to NZ Folk Digest) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF SOCIAL DANCE IN OLDER AUSTRALIANS

Although this will probably not apply to most AFSD members, there is an interesting description of a study to examine the beneficial effects of social dance in older Australians.

http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newscategoryid=1&newsstoryid=8440&utm_source=console&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=cws

Keep up the social dance - it might help even for all us youngsters.

Cheers, Alex Bishop

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