As Dr. Scott Graves points out in "Why I'm Not Participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge," it's been 60 years of funneling money into cancer research - with what results? According this the ALS Association, it "has received $62.5 million in donations compared to $2.4 million during the same time period last year..." From the Ice Bucket Challenge alone...can you believe that?
One of my friends had this to say:
For those doing ice bucket challenges for ALS, here is some relevant information you should know. The National Institute for Health allocated $40 million dollars for ALS research in 2014. It allocated $39 million in 2013. In 2012 it allocated $44 million. Over a 3 year period $123 million was allocated to ALS research by the NIH.Then Nick Brannigan, in his newest article, "Boycott the Ice Bucket Challenge and Truly Support Those with ALS," reminds us of a few reasons not to simply "throw money." Whereas I was rubbed the wrong way by the public shaming/humiliation aspect of the campaign, he demonstrates that the ALS Association supports research that is unusually cruel to animals - again with what results? It translates into drugs that are often not effective in humans, and the ones currently available might slow down the deterioration but not reverse the disease. Furthermore, I was disappointed, but not surprised, to see his information about dietary recommendations for ALS patients that are rife with processed junk and sugar. It reminded me of the time someone I know researched recipes through a large cancer society only to find a chocolate milkshake recipe with encouragement to indulge.
Is it reasonable to presume throwing more money at the problem is going to solve it?
But the most encouraging reason to boycott such campaigns is the fact that people are reversing this and other neurodegenerative diseases naturally. Unfortunately, a campaign to get that important and potentially life-saving information out to the public at large has been shadowed by a giant ice bucket.
I stand in agreement with Nick, that if you are interested in truly helping those with ALS, please consider helping to sponsor the making of this new documentary about people who did not accept the death sentence prognosis, to show others real hope, and provide real-time tangible results for them.
As Coco Newton said in the preview:
How can anybody graduate from hospice and still be alive today if they haven't done something really dramatic other than the conventional medical system?See the campaign for "Healing ALS - MND - Lou Gehrig's Disease" HERE
Dysfunction in energy production, that is, mitochondrial function impairment, is likely to have a role in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases, perhaps including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Fine words. Does dysfunction in energy production mean reduced energy production? If so you need look no further than trans-fats. These are known to poison mitochondrial cell walls and thus slow down ATP energy production. This effect will be combined with insulin resistance in which TFA poisoning of the cell walls prevents pores opening under the influence of insulin and even greater reductions in glucose transport and ATP production. Together these two effects are known as the "Metabolic Syndrome". Both are fully curable in the usual way. If this is the case then there will be a strong correlation between ALS sufferers and overweight and obesity symptoms, both of which are in the main caused by the "metabolic syndrome" i.e. trans-fat consumption.
A secondary effect that may worsen the condition occurs when the immune system attacks the nerve myelin sheaths. In multiple sclerosis the attack is initiated as a result of the immune system attacking the sheath(s) after recognising the CP bug embeded therein. The attacks are made much worse when the myelin incorporates TFAs which the immune system also recognises as alien. Perhaps a similar mechanism exists in ALS? In MS this corruption of the myelin and its being subjected to immune system attacks leads to the charecteristic numbness bands and tingling which can also be experienced in another trans-fat disease, type 2 diabetes. These neuropathies are both curable in the usual way in both type 2 and MS.