The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and why it matters

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:

Often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. 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. You will ultimately lose the ability to walk, talk, and breathe on your own. Think about it for a minute and how this would impact your life if you or someone you love were to be diagnosed.

Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of this disease. While there is not a cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS, there is one FDA approved drug, riluzole, that modestly slows the progression of ALS as well as several other drugs in clinical trials that hold promise. Importantly, there are significant devices and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey or experiences. (Source)

Facts and statistics:

• Approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. The incidence of ALS is two per 100,000 people, and it is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time.
• ALS can be diagnosed in anyone regardless of racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.
• The onset of ALS is insidious with muscle weakness or stiffness as early symptoms. Progression of weakness, wasting and paralysis of the muscles of the limbs and trunk as well as those that control vital functions such as speech, swallowing and later breathing generally follows.
• Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases of the disease do occur in persons in their twenties and thirties.
• The most common form of ALS in the United States is "sporadic" ALS. It may affect anyone, anywhere. "Familial" ALS (FALS) means the disease is inherited. Only about 5 to 10% of all ALS patients appear to have genetic or inherited form of ALS. In those families, there is a 50% chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation and may develop the disease.
• (source)

So what's the point of the ice bucket challenge?

Awareness, donations, education. How many of you hadn't even heard of ALS before this whole thing started? I'm betting a lot. The ALS Bucket Challenge is great proof that social media, and outrageous challenges like throwing ice water on yourself, can actually work for a greater cause. Some videos are purely humoristic and focus on spreading awareness, many others though, become dead serious, and give you a glimpse into the realities of ALS, hopefully influencing many of us to make a donation for the many people who suffer from this disease. Please watch this, for example (at 3:12 you get a glimpse into what it's like): If you're lazy, here's the link that starts the video at the beginning of his "speech":


Find out more about the Ice Bucket Challenge how to get involved, and read about its effect. More info can also be found here, and here.

Please take the time to spread the word, perhaps even do the challenge, and even better: donate, anything you can at all.