I had the oddest experience when my family took me to the old market in Omaha.
I was riding in a simple folding wheelchair with no suspension and solid rubber wheels.
My brother-in-law, Tim, was pushing me energetically. The sidewalks were uneven and
as he pushed me down the old brick paver street, I got the weirdest sensation...
as he pushed me down the old brick paver street, I got the weirdest sensation...
One of the main symptoms of ALS [besides weakness, paralysis, and spasms] are ''fasciculations'' (i.e., twitches and shivering all over one's body even to the point of chattering teeth). We discovered that getting pushed in a wheelchair down a brick street is very similar to the fasciculation of ALS! So, if you want to know what ALS is like, all you need is a wheelchair, an old brick street, and a strong friend to push you!
My grandmother worked in a greenhouse and brought home ''chlordane'' - which like DDT is now banned. My parents are average Americans - if some is good, then more is better and too much is the best.
If a bug is seen in your home you may be criticized. So pour gallons of pesticide, to be the envy of your neighbors. But, before the 1970s, the dangers of pesticides were not well known.
My mother used bleach in her dish washing water. She knew that ammonia was a good cleanser and bleach was a good cleanser. But she wanted to have the cleanest home - to be the envy of the neighborhood, so she mixed them together. It probably is a very effective cleanser, but since the side effects of mixing those two agents is a toxic gas that produces un-consciousness and death....there are very few people who use it.
Then in high school and college I played intramural soccer, which involved head butting the ball!
How to not experience ALS for the long term…
I was diagnosed with ALS in April – eight months ago. While there is no known proven cause, there are several theories. I have been reminiscing about my past looking for clues... Every month, I would have a new theory as to the cause of my illness. If you can stay away from these, your chances of getting ALS are reduced.
Pesticides –
I was exposed to a lot of pesticides as a child. The city of Omaha sprayed DDT on the
elm trees to prevent them from the Dutch Elm disease in the 1960s. Many, many elm trees were planted in Omaha and other cities because they grow rapidly. The Dutch Elm disease was so rampant in the 1960s and killed so many trees that it was joked that ''Elmwood Park'' would be re-named ''Stump Park''.
elm trees to prevent them from the Dutch Elm disease in the 1960s. Many, many elm trees were planted in Omaha and other cities because they grow rapidly. The Dutch Elm disease was so rampant in the 1960s and killed so many trees that it was joked that ''Elmwood Park'' would be re-named ''Stump Park''.
My grandmother worked in a greenhouse and brought home ''chlordane'' - which like DDT is now banned. My parents are average Americans - if some is good, then more is better and too much is the best.
If a bug is seen in your home you may be criticized. So pour gallons of pesticide, to be the envy of your neighbors. But, before the 1970s, the dangers of pesticides were not well known.
My mother used bleach in her dish washing water. She knew that ammonia was a good cleanser and bleach was a good cleanser. But she wanted to have the cleanest home - to be the envy of the neighborhood, so she mixed them together. It probably is a very effective cleanser, but since the side effects of mixing those two agents is a toxic gas that produces un-consciousness and death....there are very few people who use it.
Mercury/silver amalgam dental fillings-
Mercury is very toxic. The dentistry industry just change the name of these cheap effective fillings to ''silver amalgam fillings'' although the main ingredient is mercury not silver. Fortunately, I had many fillings as a child. I was the oldest of six children. At bedtime, I would put on my jammies, brush my teeth, go with the other children off to bed. Then sneak off to watch the Tonight Show alone with my father....and have a bowl of sugar cereal! And I thought that since I already brushed my teeth, I did not have to brush them again! So, you can see why I have a lot of fillings. Get any silver fillings safely removed by a good dentist as soon as possible. There are new miracle ceramics these days. And they look better, too.
MSG-
Monosodium glutamate is a neurotoxin. Neurotoxin means toxic to nerves. Many processed foods, especially Chinese food, and especially Ramen noodles have a lot of MSG. The ALS disease involves the glutamate in the nervous system. I will not say that MSG is a killer because most people tolerate it just fine. If MSG was a killer, our streets would be filled with dead college students, dead bachelors and dead poor people!
I admit in my life, rich or poor, single or married I loved Ramen noodles with tuna. Noodles with MSG, and tuna with mercury. Yum Yum! My ex-wife, an excellent nurse, even warned me that it was not good that I ate so many Ramen noodles. Gee, I hate it when she is right! sigh...
I admit in my life, rich or poor, single or married I loved Ramen noodles with tuna. Noodles with MSG, and tuna with mercury. Yum Yum! My ex-wife, an excellent nurse, even warned me that it was not good that I ate so many Ramen noodles. Gee, I hate it when she is right! sigh...
Stress/ irregular sleep patterns-
I was not a good student, or for that matter, employee. I pushed myself and tried really hard to graduate college and to be a good husband and provider. I don't blame my ex-wife for this, but she was a lot smarter and capable. Seemed like everything she touched turned to gold , and everything I touched turned to poop. She had better jobs and was never laid off...and I frequently was. But, she was a nurse and I was a sales person. In the nature of our economy the fact is that nurses' jobs are much more secure than most other people's jobs.
And since I did not make enough money in my primary job, I had to take a part-time night job to try to match her income. I hope it does not sound like I am blaming her! Back in the 80s and before, it was widely accepted that the man should make more money than the woman. No one forced me to do these things – I was just trying to fill the role that society dictated. But I do remember as far back as high school that I did not react well to stress and being up all night. It kind of felt like I was coming out of a bad alcoholic hangover – kind of like an emotional hangover.
Toxic smoke –
All my life I've been around toxic smoke. It was my job to burn the trash as a child, burned toxic treated wood and PVC plumbing at construction sites, and doing welding, which has smoke with heavy metals in it. And I was a volunteer firefighter!
Head trauma –
I guess this is a no-brainer to advise people to avoid head trauma. But, then again maybe I've had so much head trauma, that I don't get it! I was my mother's first child and a difficult birth. A 24 hour labor, and the doctors had to grab my head with forceps and yanked me out. My aunt was in the attending nurse and she said that I had a small cut on my head as a result.
As a toddler, I found a hole cut into the floor in a closet that was used as a laundry chute and fell through it. An 8 foot drop onto concrete. My mother says she found me laughing. I'd like to think I was a super genius up to that point - and I've been a goofy laughing semi-genius ever since then!
I remember falling a lot in my childhood and teenage years. Plus I'm tall (6 foot 3) and I hit my head a lot in doorways, attics, and in basements. And while I was lucky enough to travel to Europe three times in my life (for a total of 10 months) they have very old buildings with very short ceilings and doorways. The net result being that I literally bonked my head on the history of Europe!
As a toddler, I found a hole cut into the floor in a closet that was used as a laundry chute and fell through it. An 8 foot drop onto concrete. My mother says she found me laughing. I'd like to think I was a super genius up to that point - and I've been a goofy laughing semi-genius ever since then!
I remember falling a lot in my childhood and teenage years. Plus I'm tall (6 foot 3) and I hit my head a lot in doorways, attics, and in basements. And while I was lucky enough to travel to Europe three times in my life (for a total of 10 months) they have very old buildings with very short ceilings and doorways. The net result being that I literally bonked my head on the history of Europe!
Then in high school and college I played intramural soccer, which involved head butting the ball!
Alcoholism –
Now, I am not saying that alcoholism or drinking to excess causes ALS. But, some of the side effects of my drinking may have contributed to my illness. For example, falling down and hitting my head, falling down into a campfire (Gee ,it was smoky in there), and in college – if I had $50 a week for food – I would spend five dollars of it on Ramen noodles and tuna – and spend the other $45 on beverage alcohol! L D
Being a soldier –
It is proven that military people get ALS at almost twice the level of civilians. This could be due to: high levels of MSG in the military food rations, the pollution of the battlefield, ingestion of lead from being around bullets, stress, irregular sleep patterns, etc. I think farmers are also at an increased risk of ALS – probably due to the pesticides.
To sum up –
To sum up –
ALS is very rare – one in 100,000 people get it. So probably just the fact that you know someone with ALS, means statistically that you'll never get it. I hope that none of my family or friends get ALS – I would not wish it on my worst enemy. Not that I have many enemies...at least that I know of.
Jack
Jack
