The Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre has famously claimed that he suffered more than a thousand concussions during his NFL career. While he never gave up against the rivals, he is not waiting for a cure anymore, marking one of those dark areas in his life where he is almost quitting. He opened up about his battle with Parkinson’s recently… and things look very glum from his view.

“There’s no cure. I hear from time to time, well, they’re five years away from a cure. I hope that’s the case. I really do. But I’m not holding my breath,” the Gunslinger said on the December 29 episode of the 4th and Favre podcast with David Kano. “There’s a lot of people; Michael J. Fox is probably… he and Muhammad Ali have really set the bar high on Parkinson’s and treatments and things of that nature. And I’m sure that when they were diagnosed, they thought, ‘Well, they’ll have a cure in 5 years. I’ll be fine.’ Well, that’s not the case.”

The reason behind Brett Favre losing his hope is the progress in his condition. He revealed that he suffers from idiopathic Parkinson’s. Out of the three side effects (shaking, cognitive memory, and rigidity in muscles), the legend has seen an increase in the stiffness in his right arm, which used to be his throwing arm.

Favre further explained that the right side of his body is affected. While it used to reduce dexterity earlier, the medicinal effect has reduced over the years. Though the Gunslinger did specify that he might be thinking more than he actually is, he might be correct. The researchers have often predicted a breakthrough cure, but there is no definitive advancement yet.

Early in June this year, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced a drug named Prasinezumab, which targets the buildup of proteins that destroy dopamine neurons, the main factor behind developing Parkinson’s. They revealed that the drug has moved into the phase III stage of clinical trials. But even if it turns out to be successful, it will be several years before it is available commercially to the public.

Brett Favre keeps an eye on these reports about the cure. That’s why he has given up on his battle with Parkinson’s. He has even turned to controversial treatments to seek relief.

Brett Favre is using unusual treatment methods against Parkinson’s

Around the same time that the Swiss company began phase III trials, the Gunslinger also underwent controversial ibogaine therapy at the Ambio Life Sciences in Tijuana, Mexico. He was part of Ambio’s Neuroregenerative Program, a first-of-its-kind clinical protocol using ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychedelic, to target neurological damage caused by conditions like Parkinson’s, MS, and TBI. The FDA has not approved the program yet, but Brett Favre needed relief.

Though he feels the condition has progressed, he was pretty happy after the therapy sessions. He felt a major shift in his “sleep and energy.” The Ironman even requested other athletes suffering from the same condition to join the program.

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With various methods of preventive treatment, the athletes usually live a lot longer than their predecessors. Even then, Parkinson’s remains a real danger for NFL players who take continuous hits. With a legend like Brett Favre giving up hope, others battling the same condition feel even worse!