Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, fatal neurological disease affecting as many as 20,000 Americans with 5,000 new cases occurring in the United States each year. The disorder belongs to a class of disorders known as motor neuron diseases. ALS occurs when specific nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement gradually degenerate. The loss of these motor neurons causes the muscles under their control to weaken and waste away, leading to paralysis. ALS manifests itself in different ways, depending on which muscles weaken first. Symptoms may include tripping and falling, loss of motor control in hands and arms, difficulty speaking, swallowing and/or breathing, persistent fatigue, and twitching and cramping, sometimes quite severely. ALS strikes in mid-life. Men are about one-and-a-half times more likely to have the disease as women.
There is no cure for ALS; nor is there a proven therapy that will prevent or reverse the course of the disorder. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved riluzole, the first drug that has been shown to prolong the survival of ALS patients. Patients may also receive supportive treatments that address some of their symptoms. ALS is usually fatal within five years after diagnosis.
Conditions that suggest Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Suggestion of ALS or having ALS or having advanced ALS
Counter Indicators
Absence of ALS
Risk factors for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Autoimmune Tendency
Autoimmunity may play a role in ALS. Researchers have proposed that ALS may have an autoimmune basis. The following are the bases for their hypotheses:
Analyses of ALS patient sera have identified circulating antibodies secreted by denervated muscle. These antibodies inhibit the stimulation of the sprouting of axons, the long arms of neurons which conduct nervous impulses to other neurons throughout the body.
Researchers have found an immunoglobulin that affects the conductance of neuronal voltage-activated calcium channels which may induce an excessive release of glutamate from nerve endings.
Several studies of ALS patients found the presence of antibodies that interact with motor neurons. Immune complexes have been found in spinal cords of patients with ALS.
It has been proposed that T cells, activated microglia, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) within the spinal cord lesions may be the primary event that leads to tissue destruction in ALS.
MSG Intolerance
The book Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock, M.D. is an excellent source of information on how the body responds to toxins introduced into or manufactured by the body. There is a portion on the correlation of ALS with MSG.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) suggests the following may be present
Autoimmune Tendency
Autoimmunity may play a role in ALS. Researchers have proposed that ALS may have an autoimmune basis. The following are the bases for their hypotheses:
Analyses of ALS patient sera have identified circulating antibodies secreted by denervated muscle. These antibodies inhibit the stimulation of the sprouting of axons, the long arms of neurons which conduct nervous impulses to other neurons throughout the body.
Researchers have found an immunoglobulin that affects the conductance of neuronal voltage-activated calcium channels which may induce an excessive release of glutamate from nerve endings.
Several studies of ALS patients found the presence of antibodies that interact with motor neurons. Immune complexes have been found in spinal cords of patients with ALS.
It has been proposed that T cells, activated microglia, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) within the spinal cord lesions may be the primary event that leads to tissue destruction in ALS.
MSG Intolerance
The book Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock, M.D. is an excellent source of information on how the body responds to toxins introduced into or manufactured by the body. There is a portion on the correlation of ALS with MSG.
Recommendations for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Glutamine
Please see the link between Alzheimer’s and Glutamine.
LDN - Low Dose Naltrexone
According to Dr. Bihari, LDN clearly halts progression in multiple sclerosis. As such its use has been more recently extended to other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) whose etiology remains unknown but for which there is suggestive evidence of a possible autoimmune mechanism.
Key
| Weak or unproven link |
| Strong or generally accepted link |
| Proven definite or direct link |
| Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative |
| May do some good |
| May have adverse consequences |
Glossary
FDA
The (American) Food and Drug Administration. It is the official government agency that is responsible for ensuring that what we put into our bodies - particularly food and drugs - is safe and effective.
Autoimmune Disease
One of a large group of diseases in which the immune system turns against the body's own cells, tissues and organs, leading to chronic and often deadly conditions. Examples include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, Bright's disease and diabetes.
Antibody
A type of serum protein (globulin) synthesized by white blood cells of the lymphoid type in response to an antigenic (foreign substance) stimulus. Antibodies are complex substances formed to neutralize or destroy these antigens in the blood. Antibody activity normally fights infection but can be damaging in allergies and a group of diseases that are called autoimmune diseases.
Calcium
The body's most abundant mineral. Its primary function is to help build and maintain bones and teeth. Calcium is also important to heart health, nerves, muscles and skin. Calcium helps control blood acid-alkaline balance, plays a role in cell division, muscle growth and iron utilization, activates certain enzymes, and helps transport nutrients through cell membranes. Calcium also forms a cellular cement called ground substance that helps hold cells and tissues together.
Monosodium Glutamate
(MSG) Used as a flavor enhancer and preservative in many foods, especially Asian (Chinese). Once banned, it is now permitted in small amounts because no health risks have been found in older children and adults.