Michael Andrew Fox OC, known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties.
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What does Michael J. Fox do for his Parkinson’s?
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In 1991, at age 29, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, news he shared with the public in 1998. In 2000, to help advance scientific progress toward a cure for Parkinson’s disease, he established The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Today Michael is as famous for his advocacy as for his acting.
Fox takes the drug Sinemet (levodopa-carbidopa). It controls some of the milder symptoms, including, “the constant rigidity of his hips, tremors in one or both hands, and a ‘tapping’ feeling in his feet.” Mr. Fox reportedly has also had brain surgery (on the thalamus) to try to relieve his tremors.
The main therapy for Parkinson’s is levodopa.
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