Lou Gehrig's Disease

Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) Outline
  I. Introduction
  II. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
      A. What is ALS?
        i. Neurological disease
        ii. Motor neuron disease
      B. Who gets it?
        iii. 20,000-30,000 people have ALS in the U.S
        iv. Men are affected more than women
      C. What are the symptoms?
        v. Muscle weakness and atrophy, muscle cramps, and fasciculation’s
        vi. “Limb onset” ALS and “bulbar onset” ALS
  III. Treating ALS
      D. How is it diagnosed?
        vii. No one can provide a definitive diagnosis
        viii. Diagnosis is based on symptoms
      E. What causes ALS?
        ix. Scientist do not know why it strikes some people
        x. A dozen genetic mutations have been identified
      F. How is it treated?
        xi. There is no cure yet
        xii. Special care is given to the person with the disease
  IV. Dealing with ALS
      G. Pain
        xiii. Unpleasant and emotional
        xiv. It needs to be recognized as an important aspect
      H. Frustration
        xv. Slow pace of trying to cure the patient
        xvi. Feel as if there is no hope
      I. Stress
        xvii. Worried if they will be cured
        xviii. About the affect it caused on their family
  V. Conclusion.


Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
Ever wonder what the percentage of people who know what ALS is? The estimated 30,000 American’s who have ALS definitely know what it is. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which most people are more familiar with. ALS, short for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, got its other name by the famous baseball player Lou Gehrig who was diagnosed with this disease. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. “A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no or negative. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment–"No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has...