USA MUHAMMAD ALI AT PARKINSONS DISEASE RESEARCH HEARING

>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=wVi4QEe_140

(26 Mar 1998) English/Nat • The pope has it, Janet Reno has it ... and the greatest prize fighter of the century has it Parkinson's Disease. • On Thursday, Muhammad Ali, the former heavy weight champion, added his reputation to the fight for research funds into a cure for the debilitating disease. • In Washington on Thursday, Muhammad Ali was on Capitol Hill. • Although the champ did not speak, his very presence added much weight to the cause for finding a cure. • Parkinson's is a progressive brain disorder that affects the way the brain connects with the basic muscle function. • Eventually, the disease kills nerve cells in the brain and affects memory. • Some scientists believe there's a connection between Parkinsons and alzheimers. • Symptoms of the disease include body tremors, muscle rigidity, depression, difficulty walking and slowness of movement. • Prior to Thursday's testimony before a House Subcommittee on health and environmental issues, the National Parkinson's Foundation held a news conference focusing on research into a cure. • The chairman of the Congressional subcommittee noted that Parkinsons does not discriminate on age, race or ethnicity. • SOUNDBITE: (English) • Parkinsons disease is a particularly cruel affliction because it robs the body while leaving the mind in tact. While I have not experienced the frustration and anguish that Parkinsons victims endure I have witnessed I truly have witnessed of first hand its debilitating effects • SUPER CAPTION: Michael Bilirakis, House Subcommittee on Health and Environment • Parkinsons has been known in medical literature for nearly two hundred years, but for much of that time, the disease has remained hidden. • The National Parkinson Foundation is one of the largest research institutes, with 52 research and patient service offices around the world, including Britain, Japan, South America, and China. • Ali has suffered from the disease for nearly twenty years. • He's now made two public service announcements to raise awareness of Parkinson's, and he's back on Capitol Hill to make sure funding for research is properly distributed. • SOUNDBITE: (English) • Muhammad Ali has created more awareness for the Parkinsons disease in the past two years then it has received since James Parkinson first described the disease in 1817. Yet few people still know what Parkinson disease is and how its symptoms affect its victims • SUPER CAPTION: Melinda Brown,National Parkinson's Foundation • Following the news conference, Ali was joined by Dr Abraham Lieberman, chief researcher for the National Parkinson Foundation. • He told committee members that there are 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's Disease, and affecting one in ten people above the age of 60. • He also suggested that research has now on the verge of uncovering the cure for Parkinson's which may lead to cures for other diseases of ageing. • SOUNDBITE:(English) • A gene, trauma, a virus, toxins - they are all hitting a specific cell and if we can understand how these interact with this particular cell we solve Parkinsons disease, we solve alzheimers and we solve ageing. This is the key to Parkinsons disease • SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Abraham Lieberman,National Parkinson's Foundation • Last year, the United States Congress approved spending one hundred million dollars for research on a cure for Parkinson's. • The money has become entangled in a web of bureaucracy and the National Institutes of Health. • Dr Lieberman asked the committee to make sure the money was quickly released for Parkinson's research. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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