I've never seen anyone that young shake so badly from Parkinson's. If they're real…boy GOD BLESS HIM!

Apparently his symptoms are controlled very well by medication but when he goes to speak somewhere he doesn't take his medication so they can see what the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease are like.

They are unfortunately very real

They are real….and Rush Limbaugh needs to get a life!

they are real. i really feel for him and all sufferers of Parkinson's. its a truly horrible disease. i think it took allot of courage for him to be seen like that. well done Michael.

They are real. he unfortunately is one of the young victims of this disease.

He has had Parkinson's for at least 15 years. it is a degenerative disease. his symptoms are very real. Here is a link to the story when he disclosed his affliction 8 years ago: umm.edu/news/releases/riskytr…

Here is a link to a site describing the symptoms: pdf.org/AboutPD/symptoms.cfm

yes its real. i know muhammad ali personally and i have seen what he goes through. i believe that MJF is 2 stages in front on Ali's. its a harsh disease and hopefully a cure is possible!

Yes it is real. I know someone who knows him and his family personally.

They look real to me, my step dad had it.

I've read a lot on this but, they were supposed to be real. The shaking is from the medication and not Parkinson's. he probably had to take a lot of medication in order to speak clearly during that commercial. A lot of people with Parkinson's eventually have trouble speaking clearly if they are not using medication. I think it is really sad that people are questioning if he is faking his symptoms. The few times he has been in the spotlight, it has become really apparent that he was getting steadily worse.

Parkinson's takes many forms. My husband has trouble with speech and small motor control. his tremors are controlled by medication. Michael J. Fox has control of his speech but exhibits the tremor symptom.

I saw that and thought the same thing. A definite symptom of the disease without medication…it does vary from person to person.

I think they are real. he has tried to stay out of the limelight since his diagnosis. I have not seen him on a lot of talk shows or anything seeking sympathy.

I think they are real..sad really

He has looked like that off and on for some time now. it really bothered me that the good folks of Faux News and some politicians and radio commentators claimed he was 'acting'. he is actually looking better now than he was a couple of years ago.

On several occasions, such as when he was talking to congress about the disease, he would purposely not take his medication so that the symptoms would be more accute.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects motor skills, cognitive processes and other functions.

About 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year. I have it, along with Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali.

Symptoms include characteristic shaking that often begins in the hand, possible slowed motion and rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, among other conditions.

There is no known cure, only medications to treat symptoms, says Dr. Neal Hermnowicz, a neurologist and director of the University of California, Irvine, Movement Disorders Services.

“The specific symptoms don’t follow any predictable course. Individuals ask all the time, ‘How am I going to be in five or 10 years?’ and that diagnosis is not possible on an individual basis,” he says.

Q. Are you seeing more patients now than before?

A. the number of cases is increasing because the population is aging. most people are diagnosed around age 60, and there are more people reaching that age today as boomers age.

Q. Are people more open about having the disease?

A. in the past, they were very quiet. Morris K. Udall (former congressman) and Margaret Bourke White (a well-known photographer) were two who had Parkinson’s. now, with Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox, it’s much more in the open. this helps focus research on the disease.

Q. You diagnosed my condition about five years ago. I have a small tremor in my right hand that has gotten just a little more pronounced. You have said I fit a category that may mean I will do well for some years. what are other signs of Parkinson’s?

A. Parkinson’s fits two categories: tremor at the outset or stiffness and walking and balance problems.

Q. and medications?

A. the strategy for treatment largely is directed to replacing the neurotransmitter dopamine. that has been a successful strategy using levadopa, which relieves the symptoms, and other medications, such as Azilect, which seems to delay progress of the disease. But these do not get the brain cell to stop what is happening.

We are treating the symptoms, but the intended future goal is to find the cause.

As one delves deeper, what is striking is the great variety and the fact that symptoms don’t follow any predictable course.

Q. what about surgery?

A. Surgery and deep brain stimulation is an option for some people. There are a lot of options and this is a good thing. as choices increase, we can decide which road do we go down, which procedure do we pursue, on an individual basis.

Q. Michael J. Fox seems to vary between many involuntary movements and some control. What’s happening?

A. Well, he does have dyskinesia, or involuntary movement, as a result of advancement of the disease. He acquired the disease at a young age and has talked about it publicly for 10 years.

Q. What’s the most important treatment, in your opinion?

A. People with Parkinson’s need to stay socially and intentionally engaged.

Of course, that is a good diagnosis for everybody, whether they have Parkinson’s or not.

But it’s most important for Parkinson’s patients not to withdraw socially.

Q. It would be difficult for me to withdraw, I think. what is research going to do?

A. hopefully get those brain cells to stop quitting and to start working properly.

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Jane Glenn Haas writes for the Orange County (Calif.) Register. E-mail her at