Understanding ALS   Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no or negative. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment — "No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that nourish the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region. Information from ALS Association http://alsa.org/als/whatis.cfm  ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With all voluntary muscle action affected, patients in the later stages of the disease become totally paralyzed. Yet, through it all, for the vast majority of people, their minds remain unaffected. Approximately one-third of patients become aware of the onset of the disease when their hands become clumsy, causing difficulty in the performance of fine tasks. Another one-third experience weakness in the legs and may trip because of mild foot drop. The remaining one-third notice slowing of speech or difficulty in swallowing. ALS may be present for some time before any symptoms are noticed. This lack of noticeable symptoms occurs because the lost or damaged nerve cells are compensated for by nerve cells that remain functioning. One early symptom is generalized fatigue. As muscle cells deteriorate, patients may experience stiffness or occasional jerking of the arms or legs resulting from spasticity (muscle tenseness). Often symptoms begin in the hands and feet, then travel inward toward the center of the body. One side is usually more affected.