Research
Candace Sluder
Litta Belk
English IV
11 December 2012
Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands since Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with the disease in 1939. Support groups have been established to help those who have been affected by Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis. Medicine has been discovered to help with the pain and prolong the lives of those suffering with the disease. Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis, famously known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, takes thousands of lives every year with no warning and no cure.
Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, when the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Examples of voluntary movements are making the effort to reach for the phone or step off a curb; these actions are controlled by the muscles in the arms and legs. Breathing may seem to be involuntary but remember, while no one can stop their heart from beating, or their stomach from digesting food they can hold their breath – which means that ALS may eventually have an impact on their breathing. As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. When a muscle has no nourishment or contact, it "atrophies" in other words wastes away.
In 1939 American Baseball first baseman who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Henry Louis Gehrig was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis. According to the Biography Channel, the illness forced Gehrig to retire from baseball
Litta Belk
English IV
11 December 2012
Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands since Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with the disease in 1939. Support groups have been established to help those who have been affected by Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis. Medicine has been discovered to help with the pain and prolong the lives of those suffering with the disease. Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis, famously known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, takes thousands of lives every year with no warning and no cure.
Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, when the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Examples of voluntary movements are making the effort to reach for the phone or step off a curb; these actions are controlled by the muscles in the arms and legs. Breathing may seem to be involuntary but remember, while no one can stop their heart from beating, or their stomach from digesting food they can hold their breath – which means that ALS may eventually have an impact on their breathing. As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. When a muscle has no nourishment or contact, it "atrophies" in other words wastes away.
In 1939 American Baseball first baseman who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Henry Louis Gehrig was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral scleriosis. According to the Biography Channel, the illness forced Gehrig to retire from baseball