FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON April 18, 2006
Rasheda Ali-Walsh Partners with American Academy of Neurology on Parkinson Disease Guidelines Public Service Campaign
ST.PAUL -
Rasheda Ali-Walsh, author, actor, and daughter of Muhammad Ali, is partnering with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) to help educate the public about Parkinson disease by lending her voice to Public Service Announcements promoting the AAN’s new clinical guidelines. Ali-Walsh is an advocate for Parkinson disease. She is passionate that people with the disease can live productive lives, just like her father Muhammad Ali. The new clinical guidelines outline diagnosis and treatment to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson disease. New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology aim to educate physicians on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson disease and provide people with Parkinson disease an improved quality of life. The guidelines, published in the journal Neurology, were developed through a rigorous, comprehensive review of all of the scientific evidence available on Parkinson disease. Ali-Walsh is also quoted in a Neurology Now cover story featuring Muhammad Ali. The cover story extends Muhammad Ali’s legacy as a sports legend and cultural icon to add another courageous facet: the world’s most famous Parkinson patient. The article provides this private look at how the world’s most public figure battles Parkinson disease with the same conviction that made him champion in and out of the ring. Neurology Now is the American Academy of Neurology’s official magazine for patients, their families and caregivers. Parkinson disease is a progressive movement disorder that affects about one million people in the United States and Canada. In people with Parkinson disease a vital chemical in the brain, dopamine, slowly decreases. Dopamine makes smooth and coordinated muscle movement possible. A loss of dopamine leads to symptoms of Parkinson, tremors, stiffness, shuffling walk, slowness of movements, balance problems, small or cramped handwriting, loss of facial expression, and soft, muffled speech. You can listen to the Public Service Announcements at www.aan.com/press/media/index.cfm. For a complete overview of the Parkinson disease guidelines and summaries designed for patients and their families, visit the American Academy of Neurology website at www.aan.com