| Conditions & Diseases A - Z | ADD / ADHD | ALS / Lou Gehrig's Disease | Alzheimer's Disease | Cancer |
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| Helicobacter Pylori | Migraine Headaches | Hypoglycemia | Muscle Spasms / Cramps | Osteoporosis | Prostatitis |
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ALS / LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE: Nutritional Causes, Prevention and Therapies
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neuro-
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degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells (motor neurons) in the brain and the spinal column. They
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control the voluntary muscles, which in turn allow movement. The progressive degeneration of the motor
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neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis eventually leads to their death.
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Over a period of months or years, ALS causes increasing muscle weakness, inability to control muscle
movement, and problems with speaking, swallowing, and breathing. However, thinking ability, bladder
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and bowel control, sexual function, and the senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) are unaffected.
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Each year, 1 to 2 per 100,000 people develop ALS, with men being affected slightly more often than
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women. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries, and
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although it may develop at any age, it is most common in middle-aged and older adults.
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Therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis include the FDA-approved medication Rilutek, while the
drug Neurontin is sometimes prescribed for ALS also. Other drugs reported to have stabilized ALS
symptoms include Tamoxifen, used for breast cancer, and the antibiotic Minocycline, which has shown
to delay onset or slow the progression of ALS symptoms in a mouse model. Minocycline, also used to
treat acne, is thought to work by blocking release of a molecule that triggers cell death. The findings
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may lead to new ways of treating ALS / Lou Gehrig's disease, or other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Neurological syndromes developed in patients suffering from Lyme disease generated enough interest
that a number of ALS patients were tested for Borrelia Burgdorferi antibodies in serum, resulting in a
'significant' positive outcome.
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When measuring nutritional aspects, or intracellular chemistry of patients diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's
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disease, they comprise abnormal sulfur levels, which is also seen with Alzheimer's disease - except
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that ALS patients present with elevated sulfur levels and above-normal selenium levels, while patients
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suffering from Alzheimer's disease present with very deficient sulfur levels, but not always very low
selenium levels.
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Both - sulfur and selenium - affect the central nervous system, provoking an inflammatory response as
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a result of excessive uptake / retention (such as with ALS), and provoking a degenerative response as
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a result of insufficient uptake / retention (such as with Alzheimer's disease). Subsequently, dietary and
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supplemental sources of sulfur should be adjusted accordingly when dealing with either one of these
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conditions. It should be noted however that diet is not the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but
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the disease presents with excessive storage of cellular sulfur and selenium .
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Lowering selenium and sulfur levels on a trial basis with either selenium and sulfur antagonists, or
with electro-acupuncture therapy along strategic acupuncture points to suppress sulfur and selenium
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activity has resulted in a pronounced, short-term improvement of ALS symptoms, such as speech and
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muscle coordination in ALS patients. (see Acu-Cell Nutrition "Selenium & Sulfur" for a list of selenium
and sulfur antagonists). In contrast, some rare forms of ALS or Parkinson's-like diseases are actually
attributable to mercury poisoning, in which case selenium supplementation may be a consideration for
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its mercury-lowering effect. ¤
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Copyright © 2000-2008 Ronald Roth Acu-Cell Disorders: ALS / Lou Gehrig's Disease
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