About one million people in the United States are living with Parkinson's disease.
It ended Muhammad Ali's career.
But now boxing may help Parkinson's patients fight the disease.
It's not your typical boxing class.
"Once you see that glove go on, you're just free, and you just pound away," said Bonnie Cohen.
All the athletes in the class have Parkinson's. Certified personal trainier Craig Marks developed the program to help his late father fight the disease.
"He was able to get up and walk around again. He was able to take care of himself," he said.
Three days per week they come to the gym.
"The goal is constant motion. We don't want to give anybody time to rest if we don't have to," he said.
Bonnie was diagnosed at age 30.
"It's given me more balance and a lot more strength," she said.
Abe Taback says he feels like a new man.
"I notice my balance is a little bit better. I'm walking better," he said.
Studies show exercise can protect the brain from ongoing damage caused by Parkinson's. It also improved balance and coordination.
Elaine Simon got back her energy.
"You know how Rocky climbed those steps and went to the top? That's the way I feel," she said.
The class focuses on boxing, but includes other exercises.
"Our goal is to see if we can try to keep it under control or see if we can slow the progression by doing these different exercises," said Marks.
Another benefit is knowing that they're not alone.
Research shows exercise also helps prevent Parkinson's disease. A Harvard study found that men who exercise at least twice a week when they're younger reduce their risk of Parkinson's by 60 percent.
Currently there's no cure for Parkinson's.
1 comment:
Thank you so much for the information . I really liked the article since there were many information on start parkinson's disease treatment. My brother is parkinson patient. So we are thinking that we might give him this treatment.
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