# Parkinson's disease: Easy to Get?



## Cookie66 (Feb 9, 2012)

Is it easy to get Parkinson's disease from getting hit in the head? 

Muhammad Ali got it when he was 39, having about 60 total fights. But Evander Hollyfield is still healthy at ~47 and having around 60 total fights, James Toney is also healthy at 43, having even more fights ~85.

How come some boxers don't get it? Is it because they are tough genetically? What is the main cause of the disease?


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## xeberus (Apr 23, 2007)

Here is the deal, from what I know about parkinsons is that there seems to be a correlation with its prevalence and boxing. But I believe it has a lot more to do with genetics than anything. Muhammad Ali would have probably gotten parkinsons if he was a lawyer or bus driver. But did his boxing career bring it on sooner? Maybe.. I don't know for sure. There is a lot of speculation because we don't really know.

The main cause of this disease is genetics.. Probably, we don't even know that for sure either.


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

The main cause of Parkinson's is unknown, they have no idea what causes it. There is a positive correlation between aluminum and Parkinson's but that's all it is, correlation, not causation. It may be all genetic, it may be all environmental, it may be a combination, all current research is still in the early stages.

That being said James Toney is not mentally healthy and Ali's rope-a-dope style most definitely attributed to some form of negative mental health. Letting someone punch you in the head until they get tired is never going to be good for your brain and Toney can hardly form a sentence.


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