Inside Michael J Fox's miraculous Parkinson's turnaround... but it marks a troubling new health milestone
Fox, 63, was diagnosed at just 29 years old with Parkinson's disease, a progressive brain disorder caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine.
This leads to movement and speech issues that worsen over time.
Though the 'Back to the Future' star managed to hide his disease from the public eye for seven years, he began appearing on screen less often as he had more trouble walking, talking and controlling tremors.
However, Fox announced this week he is returning to acting for the first time in five years, starring alongside Harrison Ford and Jason Segal in 'Shrinking' in an undisclosed role.
Though it's unclear what his current treatment plan looks like, Fox's recovery could be from a slew of new treatments approved by the FDA in recent years, many of which his foundation has funded.
But his return to form comes as Parkinson's rises in the US, with over 1million Americans now suffering from the disease.
Experts are unsure what exactly is behind the troubling milestone, but recent research suggests environmental toxins and diet could be to blame.
The above graph from the journal Neurology shows the increase in Parkinson's cases and deaths in the US from 1990 to 2019
The Parkinson's Foundation estimates 1.2million Americans will be diagnosed with Parkinson's by 2030, and 90,000 are struck by the disease every year.
This is a 50 percent increase from the previously estimated rate of 60,000 a decade ago, the foundation estimates.
Experts believe environmental factors could partly be to blame for the rise of Parkinson's disease in the US.
Researchers in Minnesota, for example, found exposure to the pollutant particulate matter, PM2.5, raised the risk of Parkinson's disease by 36 percent.
Another study published earlier this month also found consuming at least 11 servings of ultraprocessed food in a day increased the risk of early Parkinson's symptoms by damaging dopamine-producing neurons.
There are roughly 35,000 deaths per year.
There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but medications and other treatments can help replace lost dopamine and keep symptoms at bay.
The most common, Levodopa, crosses the blood-brain barrier to convert itself into dopamine, controlling balance issues and tremors.
Fox has previously said he takes Levodopa, though it's unclear if he still takes it.
In 2015, the actor underwent deep brain stimulation.
This is a surgical procedure that involves making small holes in the brain and implanting electrodes.
Using a device on the chest resembling a pacemakers, electrical zaps get sent through the electrodes.
In Parkinson's disease, it has been shown to interrupt faulty nerve signals in the brain, controlling movements.
Fox is also seen in his 2023 documentary 'Still' working with a physical therapist on walking.
According to Johns Hopkins, physical therapy can help Parkinson's patients improve balance and coordination, as well as stiffness and rigidity caused the lack of dopamine.
He also has used speech therapy, as Parkinson's disease damages muscles responsible for speaking and swallowing. This therapy may have helped him maintain the ability to speak and recite lines for acting jobs.
Though it's unclear if Fox has received experimental or newer treatments, his foundation has helped fund several of the newest Parkinson's therapies.
These include a different form of deep brain stimulation called adaptive deep brain stimulation, which adapts electrical impulses in real-time based on symptoms.
This means it can sense and adjust when a patient's brain activity changes, offering a more personalized approach.
Adaptive deep brain stimulation was just approved by the FDA for Parkinson's in February and is expected to be widely available later this year.
The Michael J Fox Foundation has also funded two medications placed under the tongue and inhaled that are meant to 'rescue' Parkinson's patients during 'off' episodes and quickly alleviate symptoms.
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