Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that makes muscles stop working. It is a rare disease found mostly in active people. The most common name for ALS is Lou Gehrig's disease. Lou Gehrig was a hall of fame baseball player who played with Babe Ruth on the Yankees. He became a victim to ALS in the late 1930’s.
ALS was discovered in Paris, France in the early 1870's. Jean-Martin Charcot worked with many patients with similar diseases before discovering the disease. People who have ALS first start to notice a weakening in the muscles of the arms and legs, poor balance, speech, and swallowing problems. Many people who have it have a hard time performing simple everyday tasks like tying their shoes or brushing