Boxing class aims to put Parkinson's on the ropes

By CRAIG S. SEMON, Telegram & Gazette      Aug. 7, 2019 

WEST BOYLSTON, Mass. (AP) — Two years ago, Chad Moir opened his DopaFit studio inside the ABL Dance Center at 184 West Boylston St. He also has the DopaFit Parkinson's Movement Center in Southampton, which he opened in 2015.

Last month, Mr. Moir gave a presentation about his DopaFit program at the World Parkinson Congress in Kyoto, Japan, a gathering sponsored by the World Parkinson Coalition. He spoke to an international group, using a Japanese translator.

A licensed exercise therapist, Mr. Moir started to research and develop the DopaFit exercise curriculum about two years after his mother, Cindy Moir, died from complications from Parkinson's disease seven years ago. She was only 55.

"It took me a couple of years to even to be able to speak the word Parkinson's disease," Mr. Moir said. "And now, five years later, I was in Japan presenting it to the world."

Mr. Moir said DopaFit is an all-encompassing program for Parkinson's disease sufferers that utilizes strength training along with and agility, flexibility and cognitive training.

"Boxing is great for eye-hand coordination. There's the footwork aspect with it, as well," Mr. Moir said. "People with Parkinson's do live with some gait issues, and their walking patterns can be slowed or shuffled. And we use some boxing techniques that a boxer would use to widen that stance and make things a little smoother when they walk."

His wife, Saba Shahid, does a monthly Art Cart class, a creativity and movement program that helps participants temporarily alleviate symptoms of Parkinson's disease through various art mediums and exercise.

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In a short time, Mr. Moir said, he has seen posture, balance, gait and the overall well-being of most of his clients improve in his DopaFit classes.

"Exercise is the only thing proven to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson is neurodegenerative, so essentially it will get worse over time," Mr. Moir said. "So we've seen exercise stop it in its tracks. I have also seen it reverse some of the symptoms for people."

For those who sign up for DopaFit and are hoping for the next best thing to a grudge match between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, they are going to be sadly disappointed, for the class only promotes non-contact boxing.

"It's always better to punch things instead of people," Mr. Moir insisted. "Some of them do hit very, very hard. That's why we don't want them to hit each other. And it sounds cooler to say that you're going to my Parkinson's boxing class than going to my Parkinson's therapy."

Tim MacMillan, 51, of North Oxford, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014, said he experiences the shakes in his hands and uncontrollable contractions in his foot, a symptom called dystonia.

"The boxing seems to be keep it (the Parkinson's) minimum," Mr. MacMillan said. "I've been coming here for two years. It's a fun time and you get to hang out with the other Parkinson's people. The camaraderie is fantastic."

John Quarella, 71, of West Boylston said he was diagnosed with a "mild case" of Parkinson's two years ago.

"This program has given me an awareness on how important it is to stay in shape, exercise daily, and watch what you eat," Mr. Quarella said. "Chet's a pretty inventive guy. He mixes up the class and makes it fun. And it's almost like having another family here. We all look out for each other."

Victoria Jimenez, 50, of Whitinsville was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago and she said it's getting worse.

When she punches the bag, Ms. Jimenez admitted, she used to fantasize that she was punching someone she knows. Now, she said, she pretends that it's Parkinson's disease that she's giving a fierce uppercut.

"When you leave here, you don't need the (day's) medicine," Ms. Jimenez said. "You feel like you've taking the medicine for the whole day. That's how good you feel. It helps a lot. And it's a good thing we have it."

John McAuliffe, 61, of Sterling was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease three and a half years ago.

"I love this program. I try not to miss a session," Mr. McAuliffe said. "It's all the exercises that we do. It just keeps our movements a lot better and takes away our limitations."

There are up to 15 participants in a typical class, about six men for every woman.

While AC/DC's "Rock 'n' Roll Singer" blares from a portable tape player, the class starts their warm-up exercises by rotating their stretched-out arms forward and back, followed by running in place, squatting and stretching exercises.

Then they Velcro their boxing gloves on and pummel the free-standing boxing bags with a regimen of 30 rapid-fire punches followed by five jumping jacks, all while the sounds of their punches are being muffled by Van Halen's "Panama."

The class continues with more sparring with the punching bags, mitts and training sticks, while the rock 'n' roll hits keep on coming, including Led Zeppelin's "Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)" and Foghat's "Slow Ride."

Then the class (which on this given day also included Ken Parker, 64, of Princeton; Brett Best, 57, of Holden, and Buzz Hamilton, 74, of Shrewsbury) does a lap in the parking lot at Wachusett Plaza before the punching continues for another round.

"We have had people who are in walkers and wheelchairs," Moir said. "We have people who were in walkers who no longer need their walkers. So they came in with walkers and now they come in without them."

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