After the fad of getting a BUCKET OF COLD WATER dumped on them, these people might want to check out the possible relationship between the Statin drugs and ALS or ALS symptons.
Statins, Lou Gehrig and Big Questions
BY JUDITH REITMAN • January 20, 2011 • 5:00 AM
The cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have proved remarkably popular, but might they contribute in a few cases to debilitating neuromuscular disease?
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Dr. Greg Burns (not his real name) is a 72-year-old retired radiologist living in Connecticut. Until early last year, he ran with his dog at canine agility meets, skied, ice skated and played 18 holes of golf. He is now unable to walk and is taking a course of medication that will postpone, by a few months, his death.
Burns’ rapid decline began in December 2007 when he suffered a short-acting stroke from which he fully recovered.
His cholesterol level was elevated and so as a preventative measure his doctor prescribed a 20mg daily dose of Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug in the “statin” class. Statin drugs are designed to inhibit cholesterol synthesis, and about 20 million people are taking statins, most for life.
A few months after beginning Crestor, Burns developed muscle cramps. He was assured by his doctors that these were not serious side effects of taking the drug. But in December 2008 when tests showed that his creatine phosphokinase — an enzyme that is released into the blood stream when muscle cells are damaged — was elevated, Dr. Burns stopped taking Crestor. When his enzyme levels returned to normal, he began taking Pravachol, another statin drug. He quickly developed weakness in his lower legs and a right foot drop. In January 2010, following an extensive neurological exam, Dr. Kevin Felice at The Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, Conn., diagnosed Burns as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Excerpt, for full article go to the link below.
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/statins-lou-gehrig-and-big-questions-27449/
There is also the issue that the ALS group supports research using embryonic stem cells. Many of the sources of these are aborted children.