Legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert and mixed martial artist Rickson Gracie shared how his martial arts training has empowered him in his fight against a recently diagnosed case of Parkinson's disease.
It’s a daily battle and my overview of the problem can be resolved. If it is not resolved on the outside, it will be resolved on the inside. It is already resolved within my heart. The regular doctor gave me some medicine and told me to exercise and wait. But through seeking out various healers and different ways of interpreting this illness, I began to change my life.
“I stopped eating meat, drinking beer and wine. I started fasting, taking all kinds of supplements. I changed the water in my house to ozonated water. A series of things that no one told me to do, but I researched and changed, and now I feel that I am in the best possible condition to fight Parkinson's. I do physical therapy five times a week. I’m dealing with Parkinson’s with the respect of a great opponent, but with the hope of being able to win,” Gracie said on the Mundo da Luta podcast.
At 66, Gracie last fought under MMA rules in May 2000 at the C2K - Colosseum 2000 tournament, where he defeated Masakatsu Funaki by technical submission (rear choke) in the first round. He boasts a record of 11 wins and no losses.
