Morgan Freeman has one of the most recognizable faces and voices in Hollywood.
Freeman made his acting debut at age nine, playing the lead role in a school play. He then attended Broad Street High School, a building that serves today as Threadgill Elementary School, in Greenwood, Mississippi. At age 12, he won a statewide drama competition, and while still at Broad Street High School, he performed in a radio show based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1955, he graduated from Broad Street, but turned down a partial drama scholarship from Jackson State University, opting instead to enlist in the United States Air Force and served as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman, rising to the rank of Airman 1st Class.
After four years in the military, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he took acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse and dancing lessons in San Francisco in the early 1960s.
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Freeman's voice has played the likes of cartoon characters to the Creator God, all of which have been well-received and has won a number of awards as well.
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But his voice was nearly silenced from a car accident in 2008, where the car he was driving flipped and rolled, left Freeman and a friend to be pulled from the car using the Jaws of Life. Despite surgery to repair nerve damage, he was stuck with a useless left hand. It is stiffly gripped by a compression glove most of the time to ensure that blood doesn't pool there. It is a clamp, his pain, an icy shot up a relatively useless limb. He doesn't show it often, but there are times when he cannot help but lose himself to a world-ending grimace. It's such a large gesture, so outside the general demeanor of the man, that it feels as if he's acting.
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"It's the fibromyalgia," he says when asked. "Up and down the arm. That's where it gets so bad. Excruciating."
This means Morgan Freeman can no longer support his hobbies including sailing or flying planes. There was a time when he would sail by himself to the Caribbean for two to three weeks at a time. "It was complete isolation," he says. "It was the best way for me to find quiet, how I found time to read." No more. He can't trust himself on one arm. He can't rarely drive now. Depending on the severity of fibromyalbia, it can totally stop you from doing the most simple of tasks.
Top 10 Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
- Pain all over
- Fatigue
- Sleep difficulties
- Brain fog
- Morning stiffness
- Muscle knots, cramping, weakness
- Digestive disorders
- Headaches/migraines
- Balance problems
- Itchy/burning skin
Natural Remedies for Fibromyalgia
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- Standard treatments for fibromyalgia include painkillers, antidepressants, and anti-seizure drugs. These can help reduce symptoms like pain, fatigue, and insomnia. But those who are looking for long-term natural remedies, can try these 4 options:
Yoga - Several studies show that a regular yoga practice may help ease the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
- Standard treatments for fibromyalgia include painkillers, antidepressants, and anti-seizure drugs. These can help reduce symptoms like pain, fatigue, and insomnia. But those who are looking for long-term natural remedies, can try these 4 options:
- Acupuncture - A 2013 research study concluded that acupuncture may improve pain and stiffness brought on by fibromyalgia.
- Manual Lymph Node Surgery - A type of massage called manual lymph drainage therapy (MLDT) helps move lymph fluid through the body. The lymph system helps rid the body of waste and toxins, but relies on muscle movement to remain efficient. Rhythmic movements can help stimulate blood flow, potentially loosening up lymph blockages that may be causing pain.
- Tai Chi - Tai chi is an ancient Chinese physical practice that involves moving the body slowly and gently. It has shown some potential in helping to ease fibromyalgia symptoms.
Freeman now wears a compression glove on his paralyzed left hand. Morgan was spotting wearing the glove, which supports the hand and puts pressure on it to increase blood flow to stop blood from pooling there.
