Lou Gehrig Disease
The Benefits of Massage Therapy on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Lou Gehrig Disease is called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by most medical professionals. It's a degenerative disease that affects the nervous system. ALS hinders the ability of the brain to pass messages to voluntary muscles. This happen because these muscle neurons are degenerating. Eventually the neurons will die off completely and the muscles will atrophy.

ALS is sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease because Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player, got the disease in 1939. He died just 2 years later.

The cause of this disease is unknown. It has been theorized that the disease is caused by a virus or infection, but that is yet to be proven. It does have a genetic component but only 5 in 10 cases are inherited.

In the early stages, the sufferer may just notice some leg or arm weakness. The muscles will start to atrophy and ripple. This happens because the motor neurons are dying. The sufferer gradually loses more and more control over his muscles until he can't move them at all. They also may experience problems swallowing or with speech. Cramping and muscle pain are also associated with the disease. As the body wastes away the person's cognitive function remains the same.

ALS affects men 60 percent more than women. It primarily affects white men between the ages of 35 and 65. About half of the people diagnosed with the Lou Gehrig Disease live 3 years or more. 20 percent of people live 5 years or more and 10 percent live 10 years or more. Scientist Stephen Hawking has lived with the disease for many years.

Massage Therapy

As of now, there is no cure for ALS. Medication can be used to lessen pain. Currently, they are trying to make a medication that slows down the progression.

Massage therapy can be used to make people with this disease more comfortable by lessening cramping and muscle pain.

Gentle passive ranges of motion keep joints from getting stiff. Increasing the blood supply to muscle tissue with massage strokes can slow down muscle atrophy.

Touch is important to all of us, but it is extremely important for people who are suffering from illness. The effects of touch deprivation can be devastating. Getting touched on a regular basis can help both mental and physical health.

Being ill can also be quite stressful. Massage therapy can be used to decrease stress. It helps decrease the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.

Gentle Swedish massage or Esalen massage works well on people with Lou Gehrig Disease. If the muscles on the body are too atrophied to work, a nice hand, foot and scalp massage will also help make the person more comfortable.