Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — For two years, Becky Mourey pushed the Food and Drug Administration to approve an experimental drug for her Lou Gehrig’s disease. She went to members of Congress and health regulators to make the case for Relyvrio, until patient-advocates finally prevailed. In September, Relyvrio became only the third drug approved in the U.S. for ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is usually fatal within five years. But patients and physicians who celebrated Relyvrio’s approval several months ago are now contending with the obstacles posed by the U.S. health care system. Their odyssey is an...

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have discovered a new tool that may help physicians diagnose Alzheimer's disease earlier -- and with a simple blood test -- once a person develops mild cognitive impairment and before significant neurological damage occurs. The study's findings were published Wednesday in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience. The progressive illness, which begins with mild memory loss, may lead to inability to carry on conversations and respond to elements in their environment. "One practical application we can envision is [a] blood-based diagnostic test for checking early signs of Alzheimer's disease," Bin Xu, the study's principal investigator...

Please join me in prayer for a dear man of faith who was recently diagnosed with ALS. He is married, 58 years old, and has 3 kids, 10, 13, and 15. Please pray for his and his family's patience, unwavering faith, as well as guidance for treatment. Also, if anyone out there has suggestions for those of us who care about this man, please let us know what we might do to help without being overbearing but lovingly helpful and encouraging. Thank you all.

BOSTON (AP) - For years, futurists have dreamed of machines that can read minds, then act on instructions as they are thought. Now, human trials are set to begin on a brain-computer interface involving implants. Cyberkinetics Inc. of Foxboro, Mass., has received Food and Drug Administration approval to begin a clinical trial in which four-square-millimeter chips will be placed beneath the skulls of paralyzed patients. If successful, the chips could allow patients to command a computer to act - merely by thinking about the instructions they wish to send. It's a small, early step in a mission to improve the...