How to Stop Lou Gehrig's Disease

Lou Gehrig's disease is a condition in which the nerve cells in the brain die or waste away. This prevents your brain from sending messages to your muscles, which leads to an inability to move. Also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease is caused by a genetic defect or its cause is unknown. Symptoms include trouble breathing and swallowing, muscle cramps and weakness, paralysis and changes in your speech such as an abnormal speech pattern. There is no cure for Lou Gehrig's disease and no way to stop it, but treatment can help you have a better life with the condition.

Instructions

Instructions

• 1

  See a doctor. Your doctor will examine your muscles and nerves for weakness, tremors, twitching, spasms and loss of muscle tissue. Your reflexes and the way you walk will be examined. Diagnosis may include blood and breathing tests, spinal tap, CT scan, MRI, EMG and swallowing studies. Some of these tests will be done to make sure your symptoms aren't indicative of another medical condition.

• 2

  Take medicine. Remember that there is no cure for Lou Gehrig's disease, so medicine will be needed to help you function as normally as possible. Riluzole is a medicine used to prolong the life of patients with Lou Gehrig's disease. Baclofen or diazepam is a medicine used to control the spastic movements that interfere with everyday living. If you have trouble swallowing your own saliva, your doctor may prescribe trihexyphenidyl or amitriptyline.

• 3

  Use therapy or devices. Physical therapy or rehabilitation can help strengthen and build muscle tone. Braces and wheelchairs may be needed as the disease progresses. Talk to your doctor about this possibility.

• 4

  Consider how you eat. Because choking is a serious problem for some Lou Gehrig's patients, your doctor may recommend gastrostomy, or the insertion of a tube into your stomach for feeding. You may also need to consult a nutritionist to help you prevent weight loss.

• 5

  Consider your breathing. Lou Gehrig's disease can make it difficult for you to breathe, so you might need a device to help you. Breathing-assistance machines can be constantly helping with mechanical ventilation or used only to help you breathe at night. Breathing assistance is usually needed later in the course of the disease.