Boxing considered a treatment for Parkinson’s

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Nearly one million people in the U.S. Are living with Parkinson's disease.

Patients are typically given medications or even surgery, but some doctors are adding another prescription: Boxing

Loane Tanning, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease one year ago, has found new hope in an unexpected therapy.

"My favorite segment of the class would probably be the punching the actual punching away on the bag. It's so symbolic, you know. This is how you have to fight Parkinson's. You have to just really get strong and punch it away from you."

Rocksteady Boxing, a non profit organization, has developed a non contact boxing curriculum for Parkinson's patients around the world.

"And then sometimes I'll just say when I say left, throw left uppercut, when I say right through a right uppercut, and I'll say, left, left, right, and try and like, try to change it up so that it's challenging them," Tanning continued.

Another Parkinson's patient

Every week, Loane is joined by fellow Parkinson's patient, Greg Demetriou, who says he has kept the disease from progressing, one punch at a time.

"I pretty much I feel that I've plateaued. I have not degenerated, anything that's worth talking about...the disease is going to do what it's going to do. But I can work against that...The agility, the balance, the speed, the power, that you have to incorporate into all these different exercises are major league helpful."

He's not alone. Small studies have found that boxing can help reduce falls, improve walking speed and endurance in Parkinson's patients.

It can also boost their mood.

In fact, a majority of Rocksteady boxers surveyed said that undergoing the Rocksteady curriculum helped improve their social lives, fatigue, depression, and anxiety.

"The thing that I do see the most is benefit in non motor symptoms. So, for example, people feel they feel encouraged. They feel that they have a better social life because they have people that they can connect to. They feel less anxious, [and] feel less depressed because of that...they essentially have made friends [that] have Parkinson's disease so people that understand them and understand what they're going through," Dr. Danielle Larson, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Northwestern, spoke.

Making an impact

Overall, these classes, making an impact.

"I have indeed found [something] beyond a sense of community. I found camaraderie, found caring, [and] found that it's just so good to know, you're not the only one that are others out there," Tanning concluded.

So far, Rocksteady Boxing has found its way to over 40,000 boxers across 14 countries battling Parkinson's disease.

For these patients, every day a new chance to fight.

When asked about a day where he would not be able to box anymore, Demetriou said this:

"Yes, it scares the hell out of me. And I'm going to fight against that as hard as I possibly can."