Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS has long been called Lou Gehrig’s disease because he was the first notable baseball player to step forward and announce his disease when he gave his speech for the last time at the baseball field. This is an issue for the medical health care community and the joint efforts of the health insurance providers because time, energy, and expense are very costly.
This is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The medical health care community has been studying and researching this and other debilitating diseases for decades with some breakthroughs, but not enough to find a final cure. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles all through the body slowly killing the individual inflicted. Early medical health care signs for this disease include.
1. Increasing muscle weakness
2. Muscle weakness involving the arms, legs, and speech
3. Difficulty with swallowing and breathing
4. Atrophy of the outer limbs
The medical health care community has been studying, researching this debilitating, and deadly disease for decades and has made some progress, but not enough to satisfy the individuals affected. There are a few experimental prescription medications today that are promising but as with all experimental medication, the health insurance providers are very hesitant to add this medication to the acceptable list.
The health insurance providers do keep a close observation as to the new breakthroughs, but continue to keep their distance while any prescription medication is considered experimental. Many individuals who are diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS usually receive a recommendation through the primary medical health care provider to seek out help and further assistance through the ALS Association.
There these diagnosed individuals will receive the specialized medical health care regardless of the type of primary health insurance they currently possess. This helps to relieve the mind of the burden of where the money is going to come from to pay for all the expensive health care treatment and the necessary medication like Riluzole, which is beginning to show promise.
Currently there is no known cure to rid society of this deadly disease, but there are new and innovative devices to help the individual to function as best as possible. There are also health insurance recognized therapies that aid in the management of the symptoms of ALS to prolong the quality of life.