Living With Parkinson's
- Ed Begley Jr., known for acting as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the TV series “St. Elsewhere,” has been battling Parkinson’s disease, a chronic illness that impacts the nervous system, since 2016—and has been thriving amid the health condition through optimism, staying active, and following his neurologists’ treatment plans.
- Parkinson’s disease is “a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination,” according to the National Council on Aging. Symptoms for this chronic illness tend to worsen over time.
- Being grateful for moments in life can help cancer patients, or anyone battling some type of disease, stay positive and uplifted. Experts tell SurvivorNet that positive patients typically have more successful treatment outcomes.
- Although Begley isn’t battling cancer, it’s empowering to know that research published in “Cancers” last year noted that “Physical activity has been shown to reduce the side effects of treatment and fatigue in cancer patients.”
- Experts recommend anyone facing cancer should make sure they continue to prioritize their overall well-being and do the things that they love. It can help fuel a positive attitude.
The 74-year-old California native and environmental advocate, who is also known for his roles in the TV shows “Arrested Development” and “Better Call Saul,” opened up about his health in a recent episode of the “Brain & Life” podcast from the American Academy of Neurology.
Read MoreSpeaking on his journey with Parkinson’s, a neurologic condition, Begley Jr. said, “Well, I’ve had it certainly since 2004, probably before hat there was some signs, but I didn’t know what it was. I was in such good health, I just kept riding my bike up the molehill … and eating well. So it could never really grab hold of my neurological system that easily.View this post on Instagram
“So, by 2004, then all this stuff really started to get my attention. I lost had my sense of taste and smell. I had trouble with my balance.”
He recounted a neurologist, who is a friend of his cousin Tim, telling asking his cousin at a party he was at, “How long has Ed had Parkinson’s?” … prompting his cousin to say, “Ed doesn’t have Parkinson’s, I think he’s tell me that. I don’t think you’re right.” But Begley recalled the doctor telling his cousin, “Well it sure looks like it. The way he’s flopping his foot and he’s holding his left hand like he has a soft drink can in it but he doesn’t.”
Begley explained further, “All the signs were there … and I never knew I had it until I went to a speech therapist. After the first meeting I had with her, I was started to even slur my words a bit before 2016, I thought ‘What’s that about now?'” He said she figured out his Parkinson’s diagnosis when she asked his doctor why the disease wasn’t listed on his chart, prompting him to see two other top neurologists and further confirm he did have Parkinson’s.”
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As for how he’s been doing so well amid the disease, Begley Jr. added, “By nature of my good lifestyle, or something, I was very strong and in good shape, and exercised vigorously and daily. I kept it at bay and it was unnoticeable at the most.”
In a continued effort to combat the disease, Begley said, “I have vigorous exercise every day. I go to a gym in L.A. that opens up at 5 a.m. and closes up at 11 a.m., so I can’t go ‘Oh, it’s too early or too late, I can’t make it before or after work.’ They are open long hours ,so I don’t have that excuse anymore.
“I’m also very active out in the garden. I have a vegetable garden, I’m always planning something, or changing crops, mixing up compost, and active in that way. And I ride my bike still. I’ve been riding my bike my whole life and I haven’t stopped that because of my condition.”
Begley Jr. then praised his neurologists for all that they do as well, saying, “I take all the dopamine that they tell me to take, the carbidopa-levodopa … it’s worked very well for me and I do everything the neurologists say.
“Then for extra credit, if you will … besides the exercise, my wife found some things that some people feel helps and it’s helped me, so I keep taking it. I’ve been taking something called glutathione, and that has helped me. People have neurological conditions, that helped some of them, and I’m one of them. I started taking something called NAD, and that has helped as well.”
He added, “Hyperbaric chamber, oxygen rich, hyperbaric, all that stuff had worked very well. And even some stem cells at this place that I found, so I’m doing very well. But, again, I’m not just taking jojoba juice or something and saying I’m going to be fine. I’m doing what the neurologists say. Then for extra credit, I try a few other things and see if any of them work and they have.”
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As for some words of wisdom for others battling Parkinson’s, Begley Jr. advises how eating “right” is important.
He said, “I’ve eaten right my whole life since I was 20 years old back with the first birthday, 1970, I started eating very healthy, and that’s continued to this day. In fact, I’m even better at it than I was before I was diagnosed. So eating right is very important. Vigorous, and I’m going to say that word loudly and clearly, vigorous daily activity. Maybe you want to take one day off a week, that’s fine, but try to do it at least six days a week. And that’s what I do. I try to do it every day and not take any days off.
“Vigorous exercise and eating right I think are key, and the right frame of mind to not get in the negativity.”
Begley Jr., added, “So I try to be upbeat about things, and it’s easy to be upbeat because I had it definitely since 2004 by all the signs that I didn’t understand what they were. I’ve certainly been diagnosed as having Parkinson’s by medical professionals at top LA hospitals since 2016. And here it is, it’s eight years later, and here’s a good indicator of how well I’m doing.”
Understanding Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s, it’s a chronic illness that affects the nervous system. As time passes, more symptoms start to show up in the body. Although there is currently no cure for this degenerative disease, researchers like those at The Michael J. Fox Foundation are trying to change that.
RELATED: Michael J. Fox, Who’s Lived a Decades-Long Parkinson’s Journey, Focuses on Gratitude & Joy
Medications can be taken to reduce and control some symptoms of Parkinson’s. Some of these medications include dopamine promoters, antidepressants, cognition-enhancing medication, and anti-tremor medication.
For those dealing with a disease like Parkinson’s on a daily basis, actor Michael J. Fox who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in 1991 when he was just 29 years old previously shared some advice during an interview with AARP, saying, “Have an active life and do not let yourself get isolated and marginalized. You can live with it.
“People sometimes say that a relative or a parent or a friend died of Parkinson’s. You don’t die of Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s, because once you have it, you have it for life until we can remedy that, and we’re working hard at it.”
“So, to live with it, you need to exercise and be in shape and to eat well,” Fox says. “If you can’t drive, find a way to get around. Maintain friendships. Don’t say, ‘Oh, I don’t have anything to say to Bob.’ Bob might have something to say to you. Just make the call.”
Prioritizing Mental Health & Acceptance After a Diagnosis
Signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease can often seem innocuous and go unnoticed as they could potentially be attributed to other things. According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the four main symptoms of Parkinson’s are:
- A tremor in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head
- Muscle stiffness, where muscle remains contracted for a long time
- Slowness of movement
- Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls
Other symptoms can include:
- Depression and other emotional changes
- Difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speaking
- Urinary problems or constipation
- Skin problems
Symptoms of Parkinson’s can vary from person to person, as well as the rate of the disease’s progression.
The Importance of Exercise
The National Cancer Institute recommends cancer survivors maintain “some level of physical activity,” and even though Begley is battling Parkinson’s, it appears exercise is working for him as well.
The NCI cites a 2018 report by the American College of Sports Medicine International Multidisciplinary Roundtable on Physical Activity and Cancer Prevention and Control, which found “strong evidence that moderate-intensity aerobic training and/or resistance exercise during and after cancer treatment can reduce anxiety, depressive symptoms, and fatigue and improve health-related quality of life and physical function.”
Additional research published in “Cancers” last year noted that “Physical activity has been shown to reduce the side effects of treatment and fatigue in cancer patients.”
WATCH: Exercising and Cancer
“Lack of exercise actually begets fatigue,” Dr. Marleen Meyers, a medical oncologist and Director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation about how to deal with some of chemo’s most challenging side effects.
“So the best treatment for fatigue is exercise. And what we have to do is get people over the hump, to get initial exercise going.” Dr. Meyers treats patients with breast cancer, but she said her advice applies to many other cancers as well.
Staying Grateful Amid Battling Disease
We’re delighted Ed Begley Jr. has been able to maintain a positive outlook through disease. After a diagnosis, it’s understandably extremely difficult to feel grateful for, well, maybe anything. However, studies prove that patients who are able to stay uplifted and positive often have better treatment outcomes. That’s why mindset and attitude can be extremely valuable tools.
Related: Patients Do Better When They are Less Stressed
“The patients who do well with cancer, they live life with gratitude in terms of everything,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet.
“They’re grateful, not for cancer, but they’re grateful for an opportunity to know that life is finite. They live life with [saying] ‘I love you’ to their husband, to their wife, to their kids. They can appreciate it for one of the first times ever because they know it may not be forever that they get to do this. Those are the patients that tend to do well with processing and also living a long, long life despite a diagnosis.”
Dr. Zuri Murrell explains why patients who have gratitude can do well during treatment
Although studies show how important it is to find some positivity during a cancer battle, that’s much easier said than done. In addition to tackling treatment, people often juggle an overwhelming number of emotions including anxiety, anger, fear, and sadness. There can be a lot of pressure linked to a cancer diagnosis, and colon cancer survivor Kate Bowler knows this first-hand.
When Kate was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, she started to resent how some people expected her to remain positive despite going through something traumatic. She refers to this as “bright-siding,” and she felt immense pressure while discussing her diagnosis with friends and family especially since she was deeply rooted in a spiritual community.
RELATED: ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ Why Mindset and Lifestyle are So Important During Treatment
“I hate the bright siding, because I would never want someone who’s suffering to feel the burden of positivity,” Kate tells SurvivorNet. “People want me to reassure them that my cancer is all part of a plan. We want to live in a world in which nothing is lost. I think faith was a bit tricky for me.”
In the end, Kate was able to find a community where she felt supported, and that helped her push through treatment without any more pressure.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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