ALS / LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gerhrig’s Disease is a degenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord causing a loss of control of voluntary muscles.
The symptoms vary among people depending on the areas of the nervous system that are affected. At an early stage, a person with ALS might find it difficult to perform everyday tasks and experience difficulty speaking and swallowing, and weakness in the arms and hands. These symptoms tend to be experienced on only one side of the body at first but will spread to both sides as it progresses. However, the senses, the urinary tract and bowel function are usually unaffected.
There is currently no single test for ALS diagnosis. A neurologist can perform a physical exam and rule out other health disorders based on symptoms and family and health history. Diagnostic tests including an EMG, nerve conduction studies, an MRI, and blood tests could then follow.
The only drug approved for the treatment of ALS is Riluzole (Rilutek). Although it cannot make all the symptoms disappear, it’s proven to prolong life by several months.
Story
In 2015, David A. Geraghty, a 55 year-old man diagnosed with ALS, died of chronic Lyme disease. Geraghty was diagnosed with ALS in 2013 and got a Lyme disease diagnosis only a year before he died (2014).
Geraghty’s wife, Tara, was convinced that his husband did not have ALS. She questioned the diagnosis asking whether her husband possibly had Lyme disease only to be dismissed by doctors.
Out of frustration, Tara took matters to her own hands and sent a vial of her husband’s blood for analysis at a lab in California. The results confirmed her suspicion that David did have Lyme disease.
Tara Gerarghty (left) and David Gerarghty (right)
© ValleyBreeze.com
According to his wife, David Geraghty calls the experience - humbling, humiliating, horrifying.
She mentioned that although they had the the test results, they still had to push for a Lyme disease treatment.
David Geraghty sadly succumbed to chronic Lyme disease after a two-year battle.
Like David Geraghty, this woman's husband was diagnosed with ALS, later determined to be a Lyme disease infection.
Read the full article here.
Please review medical papers discussing the ALS and Lyme connection here.