Parkinson’s: Ali’s Toughest Opponent

Health Day News is reporting that boxing legend Muhammad Ali — the only three-time World Heavyweight Champion — continues to fight his most challenging opponent ever: Parkinson’s disease. And according to his daughter, he’s still facing life straight on. “This is the man who when he was fighting would say ‘I’m going to knock the other guy out in five,'” said Maryum (May May) Ali. “That personality translates to how he deals with Parkinson’s disease. No one’s really been that confident as an athlete, and that’s how he is with the disease.”

May May is Ali’s first child. Married four times, the former champion has six other daughters and two sons. Thinking back, May May believes Ali was showing signs of Parkinson’s disease in his second-to-last fight, a few years before his 1984 diagnosis. “You lose your [sense of] smell, get constipation issues,” she said. “Most people have those non-motor symptoms first. But no one knew that back then.” Initially, in 1981, Ali was told he had a form of the condition that would not progress, May May said. But it did.

The four primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are trembling in the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; stiffness of the limbs and trunk; slowness of movement; and impaired balance and coordination. As the disease progresses, patients may have difficulty walking, talking or completing other simple tasks. In the United States, about 500,000 people have the disease.

“Don’t wait until you can’t walk down the hallway to get the right advice. You may be able to slow the progression of the disease,” May May advised. “Make it your business to know everything you can about what it is that’s affecting your life.”

A Natural Approach to Parkinson’s Disease

Do you know that Parkinson’s disease has been linked to head and neck traumas?

Such as those sustained by Muhammad Ali during his boxing career?

Upright MRI’s and specialized software are showing a variety of damage associated with past traumas to the neck and misalignments in the upper neck that are leading to a total or partial obstruction of the flow of cerebral spinal fluid to and from the brain.

These obstructions of cerebrospinal fluid flow are leading to changes in the brain, including CSF leaks and increased intracranial pressure. These brain changes are being studied as a probable cause of Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Childhood Autism.

NUCCA has been shown to help people with Parkinson’s disease.  But, in order to address this problem the patient must be evaluated thoroughly in the upper cervical spine (upper neck).   If an upper neck misalignment is found, the misalignment can be corrected with NUCCA, a specialized procedure that is safe, gentle and extremely effective.  The research is showing that once the misalignment in the upper neck is corrected, functioning within the brain will change immediately.

To hear from more real people like you go to our patient testimonials here.

Dr. Kurt Sherwood, D.C. is Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. He is in private practice in the state of Washington in the city of Renton. He specializes in correcting problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems. More information can be found on his website at www.restorationspinalcare.com

References:

http://www.philly.com/philly/health/mental-health/HealthDay675935_20130503_Muhammad_Ali_s_Daughter_Champions_Fight_Against_Parkinson_s_Disease.html#XIv2eFibm2W3Esgc.99

 

To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Sherwood, call 425-243-1607 or just click the button below.

Schedule an appointment with Renton chiropractor Dr. Kurt Sherwood

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.