Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Wilson B C2 March 17
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS for short, is a disease that incapacitates your central nervous system and muscles. Less than 10,000 Americans are diagnosed each year, but is still very deadly. In fact, less than 10% of all ALS patients live ten or more years after being diagnosed.
10 facts about ALS
1.ALS’ official title is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
2.ALS’ nickname is Lou Gehrig's Disease as the famous baseball player, Lou Gehrig, died from it.
3.Around 5,600 Americans are diagnosed with ALS every year.
4.ALS weakens your nervous system and your ability to control your muscles.
5.It causes nerve cells to slow down and die.
6.ALS has no known cure and all people with ALS eventually die of the disease.
7.The first signs of ALS are muscle spasms.
8. ALS doesn’t affect your thinking ability, but you will have issues vocalizing your thoughts.
9.ALS most commonly occurs between ages 40-60.
10.You are a at a higher risk to get pneumonia if you have ALS.
5 ways to maintain or improve one’s health.
1.You can eat colorful fruits, as colorful carotenoids have prevented the onset of ALS.
2.Keep your diets high in carotene and lutein - commonly present in dark green vegetables like spinach- as this leads to decreased risk of ALS.
3.Incorporate more physical activity into your daily lifestyle, as exercise puts you at a lower risk of developing ALS.
4.If you believe you have ALS, you should avoid bathing in warm water for extended periods of time, as this injures muscles.
5.If you exhibit symptoms of ALS, try to make your lifestyle less tiring, as fatigue increases the severity of the symptoms of ALS.
Sources
"Minimizing Fatigue." The ALS Association. ALS Assoc., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
"ALS." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
"Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." (ALS) Symptoms. Mayo Clinic, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
"Facts You Should Know." The ALS Association. ALS Assoc., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.