Imagine your doctor told you at the end of an exam, Im going to prescribe you an artistic experience. Would you be thinking, Time to get a new doctor?

Well, you might want to stick with the one you have. Taking part in art probably wont cure you, but, depending on your particular illness, it really could help. People with Parkinsons disease, for instance, benefit physically and psychologically from taking dance classes.

The winter issue of Stanford Medicine, produced in collaboration with Stanfords Medicine and the Muse program, features articles on the role of the arts and humanities in medicine, among them an article on Dance for PD, a program that offers dance classes to people with Parkinsons disease.

The worlds of dance and medicine have been far apart for a long time. That is why this is so exciting, professor of neurology Helen Bronte-Stewart, MD, said in the article.

As physicians, we stress the importance of physical activity, social interaction and mental stimulation to our patients with Parkinsons disease, Bronte-Stewart said. Dance for PD gives them all three. But it is much more than a possible therapy or treatment; the PD dancers have told us this type of dance restores their self-image and brings them joy.

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Stanford Medicine magazine looks at what arts, humanities bring to ... - Stanford Medical Center Report