"ALS and US"

My theory about ALS

Considering the history of successes in ALS research, researchers appear to be stuck in a rut! All of this research money and everyone seems to be looking for a miniscule delay in the onset. Trials are a dubious form of information about a drug’s effect on us as well as on the mouse models--but that is another story.

When I look at the history of this condition, it leads me to believe that ALS is in us from birth. That it is a fault in our nervous system, immune system, genetic makeup, an allergy involving any of the three, or any combination of the four.

What evidence is there to support this theory?

1. Finding a common factor as the cause ALS has been elusive for 139 years, to say the least.

2. In theater Gulf War veterans have twice the normal rate of ALS as other veterans!

3. Regarding environmental factors that those veterans were exposed to--do Iraqis have twice the incidents of

    ALS as nearby countries?

4. Many of the chemical compounds that are being investigated as possible causes of ALS did not exist when

    ALS was identified; however, they still could be modern-day factors

5. Many creatures live normal lives with unacceptable, even deadly, levels of toxic substances in their systems.

    We are different somehow!

Our bodies are simply shutting down due to a reaction to some unknown thing. Find the shutdown switch and the condition could be eliminated. Almost anything could cause such a reaction. In the case of the Gulf War soldiers, it is obvious to me that their nervous system had too much stress from just being there.

Stress is probably the number one factor; however, there are many other things that could trigger such a reaction. One or two exposures, to who knows what, could simply load our system and the third or fourth exposure could trigger the shutdown. A simple bruise could be the final ingredient needed to push us over the cliff. It could take years to overload our system. Where our oversensitivity lies, the degree of sensitivity, and the amount of exposure could easily explain the differences in symptoms and longevity after the onset.

 I wonder about such things as surgery--when you are under anesthesia, do your nerves feel the pain? Some are certainly damaged during the process. Dental work around the nerves in the teeth--could this be a factor? How about broken bones and the stress related to childbirth? Certainly, chemical and environmental factors could play a role. Any number of things could be contributing factors. This is why I believe that some researchers should be searching for the shutdown switch or switches, which could be many!

Be well,

Jim_VA  AKA- pigiron308@yahoo.com