ALS
AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS
BY BEN OWENS
Neurodegenerative diseases like ALS have a significant impact upon quality of life for those diagnosed with the condition. As the body’s neural network is damaged, our minds lose control of their ability to control voluntary, everyday movements like walking, eating, and speaking.1 New studies on cannabis as a promising treatment option show that cannabis could potentially help in the management of the disease and symptoms like spasticity and cramps—as well as helping to delay disease progression.2-8 As more research is done on cannabis and conditions like ALS, researchers are hopeful that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) may prove to be a promising route for providing effective treatment.7,9
WHAT IS ALS? Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is “A progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.” Discovered in 1869, “ALS usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and it is estimated there are at least 16,000 Americans who have the disease at any given time.”1 In the same neurodegenerative diseases family as multiple sclerosis, the damage caused by inflammation and a lack of muscle nourishment leads to scarring and hardening along the spine, which blocks motor neurons, resulting in the brain’s diminished ability to initiate and control muscle movement. This can cause patients to lose the ability to control most voluntary movements. Patients lose the ability to eat, speak, move, and even breathe in some cases.
DIS-LIST
There are two types of ALS that are most common: sporadic and familial. Familial ALS (FALS) is responsible for less than 10% of all cases in the U.S. and, as the name suggests, is an inherited condition. Sporadic ALS is responsible for the remaining 90-95% of cases and can affect anyone, anywhere—though men are more likely to be diagnosed with disease, and military veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS than non-military adults.1
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THERE IS NO CURE FOR MOTOR NEURON DISEASE, SO IMPROVED SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE ARE IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS.
