Bang the Drum

WebMD’s Michael Smith, MD:

Was he exaggerating, as one radio commentator suggested?

Many people don’t realize how severe Parkinson’s disease can be. This is largely because most of us have never witnessed these symptoms unless we personally know someone struggling with this disabling condition.

Fox has a very severe form of Parkinson’s that affected him at a young age. And he’s been through many aggressive treatments, including brain surgery.

The symptoms he displayed on the commercial are common Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

And via Crooks & Liars, Olbermann gives Us the Visual to Limbaugh’s Attack. What a pathetic little man. And where’s his apology? The one he said he’d give if he was proven wrong?

Fox responds:

FOX: I’m kinda lucky right now. It’s ironic, given some things that have been said in the last couple days, that my pills are working really well right now.

ANNOUNCER: That’s Michael J. Fox responding to a critic, radio powerhouse Rush Limbaugh. Michael J. Fox spoke out today in support of stem-cell research at a rally in Illinois. His response comes after the conservative commentator accused Fox of either “acting” or not using his medication during an ad for Missouri senate candidate Claire McCaskill. During the ad, Fox was trembling due to symptoms of his Parkinson’s disease.

And so does the Parkinson’s Foundation (via the Washington Post):

An official of the National Parkinson Foundation said movements like those exhibited by Fox are the result of taking medication to treat the disease, which would otherwise result in rigidity.

“When you see someone with those movements, it’s not because they have not taken medication but because they probably have taken medication for some time,” the official said. “If you don’t take the medication, then you freeze.”

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