The recent Ice Bucket Challenge was started to raise awareness and understanding of the suffering of people with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which destroys motor neurons and gradually paralyzes muscles, and for which there is still no clear cause or cure. With so many people participating in the challenge, awareness of the disease is growing, and support is coming in to help those affected.
“Shoot, ouch, it’s cold!” videos of people being doused in ice water have been popping up on Facebook and YouTube recently. It’s called the “ice bucket challenge” and it’s spreading like wildfire, with many celebrities and their friends joining in. The Ice Bucket Challenge, which started with one person nominating three people, is spreading like wildfire, and it was started to bring attention to the suffering of people affected by ALS. From the famous scientist Stephen Hawking’s discovery of the disease, to its recent mention in the popular drama ”It’s Okay to Love,” to the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has become a social issue, there are few people who don’t know the name ALS. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what the disease is, its symptoms, causes, and treatments.
It’s not just a disease that causes physical paralysis; it’s also a disease that places a deep emotional and financial burden on patients and their families. As a result, many people have taken part in various donation and volunteer programs to help alleviate the suffering of the disease. These efforts not only directly benefit patients, but also play an important role in raising awareness of the disease in society at large.
First of all, the scientific name of the disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and its Korean name is ‘muscular dystrophy lateral sclerosis’. Due to the difficulty in naming the disease, it is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player who developed it. In the body, there are nerve cells that connect the brain to each organ. Nerve cells are divided into three types according to their roles, just like the separation of powers in Korea. First, sensory nerve cells that transmit information from sensory organs such as the eyes, nose, tongue, skin, and ears to the brain; interneurons that receive and process sensory information from the brain and spinal cord and connect nerve cells; and motor nerve cells that perform movements based on the results processed by interneurons. Lou Gehrig’s disease destroys only the motor neurons. It destroys both upper motor neurons, which command movements from the cerebrum, and lower motor neurons, which command movements from the spinal cord, and gradually paralyzes the muscles of the limbs and respiratory muscles. Therefore, the first symptoms are paralysis of the muscles of the face, limbs, and trunk, which are controlled by upper motor neurons, and the inability to control the limbs and face. This is why the body and facial expressions are often stuck in strange positions, as is the common image of ALS. As the disease progresses, the lower motor neurons are also destroyed, and the tongue and respiratory muscles that control them begin to paralyze. This can lead to difficulty pronouncing words, and when eating, some of the tongue muscles contract, making it easier to hear the slurred speech. Also, because the tongue muscles contract, they can’t move food properly, causing food that should go down the esophagus to end up in the airway. This can cause food to enter the lungs and lead to pneumonia. If the paralysis progresses to the respiratory muscles, the person can’t breathe properly, which can lead to death due to respiratory distress.
The cause of the disease is still not clearly understood and there are many theories. Genetic factors are the first hypothesis, as mutations in some genes on chromosome 21 have been identified in some people with the disease. In fact, eight genes have been linked to the disease to date. However, these have only been found in a small percentage of people with the disease, so they can’t yet be said to be the direct cause. Other hypotheses include that the disease is caused by a malfunction in the cell’s ability to kill itself on command, that a virus causes the disease, and that toxins in the environment cause the disease. However, there is still no definitive cause of the disease, and a cure is not yet possible. However, the drug Rilutec (riluzole) is the only recognized treatment for the disease, as it has been shown to allow patients to live for several months longer. Sodium channels are involved in the activity of damaged motor neurons, and by interfering with the activity of these sodium channels, it prolongs survival. However, it has not yet been shown to have a curative effect on the disease.
The Ice Bucket Challenge has brought attention to the disease and support for those affected by it. The reason for the ice bucket challenge is that the muscle contractions that occur when you are hit with ice water are similar to the pain that people with ALS experience on a daily basis. While it’s fun to get doused in ice water and have a little fun, we hope that the event is also an opportunity to raise awareness and support for the disease. We also hope that these campaigns will inspire more research into a cure for the disease, and that more funding will be directed to research and eventually a cure will be found.
Continued attention and research into the disease is vital. Many scientists are working to find new treatments, and this research gives us hope that one day we will conquer the disease once and for all, so we should all do our part to support those affected by the disease. This includes not only donating and volunteering, but also sharing knowledge and understanding of the disease, and participating in raising social awareness. If we work together, we can one day overcome the dreaded disease.
