symptom

Christina Applegate has a theory about why she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis: She’s been poisoned.

The “Married With Children” and “Dead to Me” star has been inundated with well-intentioned suggestions following the revelation of her misdiagnosis, but one stood out, Applegate recounted on the Tuesday episode of her “Messy” podcast with co-host Jamie Lynn Sigler.

“I’ve been thinking this for years: breast implant poisoning,” she said. “I actually had my double mastectomy in 2008, and I am way overdue for having them replaced, and I swear over the last five years or whatever I thought, ‘What if it’s — seriously — what if they’re leaking and they’re poisoning me?”

Someone sent her a study about breast implant leakage and poisoning presenting as MS, Applegate said, recounting some of her symptoms.

For one, she said, “I sleep, Jamie. I can’t stop sleeping. I slept, I think, almost the entire day yesterday. I had like one thing that was important for me to do and then other than that, I’m like — I’m, like, asleep right now.”

Then there’s the pain.

“I don’t know what’s going on in my joints, but I can’t move my right shoulder, like, at all now. I can’t lift my arm. I’ve got all sorts of other things going on,” Applegate told “Sopranos” star Sigler, who has lived with MS for over a decade. “It takes me 10 minutes at least to even sit up and get out of my bed, because I just hurt all over. And I don’t know if I’m doing that to myself by sleeping too much.”

MS is a central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, optic nerves) disease that “disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the rest of the body,” according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Symptoms may include fatigue, memory and mobility issues, mood swings, numbness, pain, tingling and vision impairment.

Applegate then regaled her co-host with a Halloween story that saw her miraculously fly down the stairs of her home without the assistance of her caregiver when she thought she heard her daughter Sadie, 15, screaming outside.

“You know that superhuman thing of being a mom, like the mama always lifts the car? I flew. I don’t know how I did that. I flew and was in the driver’s seat of the car before [my caregiver] could even get out of what she was doing. She was like, ‘How did you get here?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t know, man.’”

When they drove toward the “blood-curdling screaming,” they discovered it was a fighting couple, who apparently didn’t need any assistance.

“My friend got out and said, ‘Hey, do you need help? … We can call the police.’ And this is what the girl said: She goes, “Get off my property, b—. I’ll f— kill you.” So, we were like, ‘Chick, ya on your own. So, hope it works out for ya. Hope those Bloody Marys treat you right in the morning, you drunk a—.’”

British actor Patrick Stewart died Wednesday at 86. His spokesperson said Thursday that he died from Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

The two conditions often occur together, said UCLA neurology professor Dr. Keith Vossel, and when that happens, the individual’s decline may be faster.

Lewy body dementia is the second-most-common form of degenerative dementia, behind Alzheimer’s disease, Vossel said. It occurs when a protein called alpha-synuclein aggregates in clumps inside the brain. The condition is under-recognized and under-diagnosed in part because its symptoms can overlap with those of Alzheimer’s.

Other celebrities who suffered from the condition include Robin Williams, who took his own life at 63, and Casey Kasem.

The condition is named after Friedrich H. Lewy, the neurologist who discovered the brain abnormalities in the early 1900s, according to the Alzheimer’s Assn. website.

“Essentially the only way to really diagnose these conditions together is after an autopsy and to see the hallmark features of the diseases under the microscope,” Vossel said.

Lewy body dementia symptoms tend to start with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, such as screaming or kicking during sleep. A sufferer may have rigidity or tremors in one of their arms or legs. And they may experience slowness of movement.

A patient may be diagnosed with Lewy body dementia after also experiencing cognitive symptoms within one year of motor symptoms. Cognitive symptoms could include illusions or hallucinations — some patients report sensing a shadowy figure nearby — and difficulties with problem solving and navigation. The condition is also marked by dramatic fluctuations in alertness that occur within hours of the same day.

Another early feature of Lewy body dementia is anxiety, Vossel said.

By contrast, Alzheimer’s disease typically is associated with memory and language loss, and is more associated with apathy and depression than with anxiety. The course of Alzheimer’s disease is slightly slower than that of Lewy body dementia, according to Vossel.

Lewy body dementia is more common in men than in women. Anyone over the age of 60 is at higher risk of having a degenerative condition. Lewy body dementia is most common in people in their 70s to 80s, he said.

There is currently no cure for Lewy body dementia, which is terminal and progressive. After a diagnosis, people can typically expect to live six to eight years before they need 24-hour care, Vossel said.

But medication can help manage symptoms. Clinical studies have found that cardiovascular fitness can slow the rate of decline, Vossel said.

Those who suspect they have Lewy body dementia symptoms should contact a neurologist or a clinician trained in either geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry for an evaluation, Vossel said.

Marshall Faulk is an extraordinarily active 53-year-old. The first-ballot NFL Hall of Fame running back is the head football coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. He runs a foundation in his name that assists underprivileged youth. He works out. He plays a lot of golf.

And he has Parkinson’s disease.

Faulk revealed his diagnosis on The Caring Neurologist podcast this week, saying he noticed Parkinson’s symptoms on the golf course.

“The rigidity in my hand, just sometimes after I play a lot or I practice a lot,” he said. “I just thought it was normal nerves when putting and stuff like that. But it started to be times where I was playing, but I wasn’t in a match, and it would still do that. I was like, ‘Wow, is that normal?’”

Faulk said he was diagnosed about 18 months ago. An unfailing optimist in his social media dispatches and a fiery truth-teller when addressing his team, the former Rams Super Bowl champion described himself on the podcast as “one of the lucky ones” because he caught the disease early.

“The doctor was like, ‘You need to go get checked,’” he said. “You need to go have X, Y and Z done. You’re at an age, it’s possible; it’s likely that it’s not, but you need to go get checked.’”

He jumped on the phone to speak with other former NFL players who share the diagnosis.

“They told me about some of the symptoms and things they had that they thought [were] just football-related, that it didn’t relate to Parkinson’s in any manner,” Faulk said. “They wish, in those early stages, if they had maybe just known a little earlier, they would be in better shape.”

Former Green Bay Packers greats Brett Favre and Ahman Green currently live with Parkinson’s. So does former quarterback Bernie Kosar.

St. Louis Rams’ Marshall Faulk, left, straight-arms Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks during a 2005 NFL game.

(Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

Perhaps the most noteworthy sports figure to battle Parkinson’s was boxing great Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016. Faulk met Ali at a dinner and said on the podcast that he is comforted by the memory.

“He leaned over to me and he whispered, ‘You a bad boy,’” Faulk said. “And then he made a couple other comments. I was like, ‘He’s all there.’ So knowing that, I didn’t look at it like life is going to end.”

Faulk was seemingly indestructible as a player. An All-American at San Diego State, he was drafted second overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1994 and immediately made an impact, rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the first of seven times and being named NFL rookie of the year.

Faulk was traded to the then St. Louis Rams ahead of the 1999 season and led their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory in January 2000. The following season, Faulk was named NFL MVP. He transitioned to the NFL Network broadcast booth after retiring in 2005 having rushed for 12,279 yards and 100 touchdowns while also catching 767 passes for another 36 touchdowns.

He got into coaching in 2025, joining Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado. When the opportunity arose to become the head coach at Southern, Faulk didn’t hesitate even though he already had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

“I could have stayed at Colorado. I was comfortable. But I’ve never done well in life when comfortable,” he said at his introductory news conference at Southern. “And I’m not gonna lie to you. This is uncomfortable, and I like it.”

The Jaguars, an HBCU school competing in the FCS, are 3-4 in Faulk’s first season after going 2-10 in 2025. Faulk’s messages to his players go beyond football. On Thursday he posted this on Instagram: “Protecting your game goes far beyond avoiding injury.⁠ Protect your body.⁠ Protect your mind.⁠ Protect your circle.⁠ Protect your future.

“The decisions you make away from the field can have just as much impact on your future as what happens between the lines,” he continued. “Choose the people, habits, and environments that move you closer to where you want to go.⁠ Send this to a young athlete who needs this reminder today.⁠”

Helping others is why he decided to open up about his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he told host Dr. Sandeep Thakkar on the podcast.

“I want to help as many people as I can,” he said. “What you want to do with that information is pass it on to the next generation to make sure that they have it better, that they know more. And you’re doing it to leave this world a better place than it was when I got here.”