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ALS Informative Speech

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Your probably wondering what ALS is? Well, I am here to tell you. ALS is a serious condition that affects the nervous system causing muscle weakness throughout the body and strongly effects the person 's physical function. This motor neuron disease causes nerve cells to gradually break down and die. Motor neurons are a type of cell in the nervous system that control the function of muscles. ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in the arms or legs. It can also begin with slurring of the speech. Some symptoms of ALS, later on, can include difficulty walking or doing normal daily activities, weakness in feet, legs, or ankles. Hand weakness is also another sign of ALS, along with trouble swallowing and muscle cramps in the shoulders and tongue. After time, ALS affects the ability to control the muscles needed to move, speak, eat, and breath. As known to researchers today, there are a few different forms of ALS. One type of this disease is called progressive bulbar palsy. Bulbar attacks the bulb shaped part of the brain stem first affecting the motor neurons needed for chewing, swallowing, speaking, and other facial muscles. It also attacks the vital organs. Vital organs are organs that are essential for life. About 25% of people that are diagnosed with …show more content…

Interferon was one of the first significant treatments for ALS. At the time, it was thought that this treatment would cure the disease forever. My Grandpa, Charles Bordner, was one of the first people to be experimented on with this treatment. Turned out that the results showed interferon made ALS accelerate, in terms of taking over the body. It soon took over his body, and he ended up dying. Not only did Bordner help scientists and researchers with their study of interferon, but also was a huge help to many others who had ALS. Even though there is still no cure for this disease, the experiment enabled others to be able to spend the time that they deserve with their families before ALS

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