Wendy Henderson,  —

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or speech-language therapists (SLTs) do much more than help people with speech problems such as stuttering or mispronouncing words. For children and adults with neuromuscular disorders like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), muscular dystrophy (MD) and amyotrophic lateral…

Military veterans are twice as likely to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as those who haven’t served in the military. MORE: Explaining the progression of ALS Despite extensive research into the topic, scientists are still unable to find the link between serving in the military and developing ALS.  According to the…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvC5KheFWG8 This video from Patients Like Me is all about Cris, who is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Cris also has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She was diagnosed two years ago but hasn’t had the time to sit around and get depressed about her diagnosis. In between spending time with…

If you are active on social media and have a chronic illness, you’ve probably come across the term “spoonie.” The word comes from a woman’s explanation of how she has to manage her energy levels each day.  As she was in a cafe at the time, she grabbed a bunch of spoons to…

While living with a chronic illness can be challenging, there are ways that you can make life easier and live a happy and fulfilling life. Establishing good habits and routines takes time, but as Gunnar Esiason points out in his blog Own It, there are some “common sense approaches” to…

https://vimeo.com/216244227 This film by Dan Habib is all about the extraordinary life of high school principal Gene Connolly. Connolly was the much-loved principal of Concord High School for 14 years before he was struck by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2014. MORE: Explaining the progression…

Currently, there isn’t a treatment available to cure or reverse amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but there are treatments available that can help improve quality of life for those living with the disease. According to the ALS Therapy Development Institute, these include: Medications for symptoms Medications can be used…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZunn4ML5o If you’re living with a chronic illness, it’s easy to slip into a malaise and feel sorry for yourself. This isn’t a helpful state of mind and it potentially means you’re missing out on life. In this video from NewLifeOutlook, Anna Scanlon shares her five…

Many people suffer from fasciculations or muscle twitching, and most of the time, it’s caused by drinking too much coffee, a lack of sleep or a trapped nerve. However, repeated episodes of fasciculations could be a sign of a neuromuscular disorder such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). MORE: An overview…

There isn’t one test that doctors can use to determine if a person has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Instead, doctors need to perform a series of tests to eliminate other similar neurological diseases and to arrive at an ALS diagnosis. The process can be slow, taking an average of 12 to 14 months…