A decade ago, Doug McConnell and family embarked on a journey to raise money to support scientific research against ALS. "A Long Swim" across the English Channel was the first of many. Doug, his family and sponsors are now over $1.5 million raised.
Fittingly, the day Doug landed in France, Nature published a breakthrough paper on the etiology of some forms of ALS. Over the past decade, it's been viewed over 11,000 times and cited 743 times.
The image below provides a broader picture of the progress in research against ALS. Over the last decade, PubMed shows 12,017 papers on the topic ALS. The rising mountain of papers includes 1,680 published in 2020. For 2021, the count as of today is 1,231. Kudos to Doug McConnell and all others who support and do research against ALS; the ice bucket challenge money was yet another great catalyst.
I am a CALS of my 68 year old Husband who suffered from muscle tiredness brought on by chronic fatigue in its early stages. Neurologists first had difficulty diagnosing it until multiple examinations indicated ALS, for which there was no known cure other than the prescription of riluzole medications, vitamins, and therapies. More advancements in breathing difficulties, difficulty pronouncing words, and difficulties eating occurred before we made the decision to try different medications, which significantly enhanced his condition. He received treatment for ALS/MND at vinehealthcentre. com from the U.S approximately four months ago; since then, he has stopped using a feeding tube, sleeps well, works out frequently, and has become very active. Although it doesn't cure his ALS, it has…