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Jessica Larochelle

Week 3 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Lou Gehrig's Disease

     A problem that occurs with the nervous system that I have choses is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. ALS is a disease that deterioates the nerve cells of the spinal cord, and the brain (www.hopkinsmedicine.org). It slows down and eventually stops the signal from the brain to the spinal cord, which then stops the spinal cord from sending a signal for muscle movement. Some of the early symptoms include: cramping of the muscle, loss of movement in the arms and legs, slurred speech, falling or tripping. As the disease progresses the symptoms become more harsh like: No movement in the arms or legs ( paralysis), trouble swallowing, trouble breathing, and can't talk/use words to communicate.

     As of today, ALS has no cure, and no proven treatments to cure this disease. There is treatments that can make the disease less painful or the quality of life a little more enjoyable like, physical therapy (in moderation to try and keep muscles active), heat pads to help with cramping of muscles, and medicine such as, valium (to help with anxiety). There are two main types of ALS: Sporadic and Familia. Sporadic ALS consists from 90 to 95 percent of all ALS cases diagnosed each year. Making this disease not a heriditary disease. Though there are a small amount of cases that more than one person in a family gets diagnosed with ALS making it Familia type, and it is not very common (www.hopkinsmedicine.org). The cause for ALS is not yet known, and affects all races of people, and is seen mostly from people around the age of 40 to 70. 

     I do have personal experience with ALS. My father was having weird symptoms with the way he walked (like a robot) at the age of 58 in 2017. Said it feels like his calve muscles wouldn't contract. So he walked like he was marching. He seen a doctor, couldn't find anything wrong with him, and sent him home. So for the next year he had test done. After a year of test, and the doctors still couldn't find anything wrong, they diagnosed it as ALS. After two years of being diagnosed, he could not talk anymore, and since technology has been getting better, he was able to use a computer to communicate by using his eyes. He eventually passed away March 17, 2020. He was a person who was physically fit, stayed active, never did drugs, and always ate healthy. So it goes to show, this disease can happen to anyone. 

Reference

The John Hopking University. (2021). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). John Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved on March 22, 2021 from the world wide web: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) | Johns Hopkins Medicine