Hi Blaine,
Sorry to hear about your situation. I'm sure you are pretty overwhelmed right now. After I was diagnosed I assumed I would never be able to laugh or be happy again. It's been over a year now - and I laugh plenty. You will adapt to a new normal very quickly.
The ONLY medecine which has been CLINICALLY PROVEN to have any impact on the progression of ALS is rilutek (riluzole) - and we are talking of about 3 months to 1 year of increased lifespan and quality of life.
Whatever you do - don't spend any significant money on any potions or products. Don't substitute someone else's common sense for your own.
Anyone telling you that any specific regimen, treatment or diet definately makes a perceptable difference is probably lying or deluded.
Due to the nature of ALS - it's virtually impossible to tell if any given treatment is making a difference - any perceived improvement may simply be the natural course of the disease which naturally has its up and downs - if an improvement is due to some diet change or supplement - who knows if it was due to something you did yesterday or a year ago - no one can say for sure - outside of a controlled test environment (and even then it would be tough) it's impossible to say.
Having said this - from a general health point of view it makes sense to focus on diet - will it have an impact on your ALS? Who knows - but there are enough related health benefits to justify making a conscious effort to eat healthier - but don't go bananas. Try and eat organic foods when you can - limit processed food intake.
Shortly after I was diagnosed I was very strict about my diet - was afraid to go out - stressed about eating. Now - I still watch what I eat - but I want to live a bit too. So I'm treating myself more often. If I'm going to have a feeding tube stuck in me I want my memory of food to be of something I enjoy - not dry organic granola and raw vegetables - I'll save that stuff for the feeding tube.
Good luck.
Al and David - do you have your Scam radar on re Glutathione?
I think we should have a sticky for newly diagnosed patients about this subject because it keeps coming up.
Richard
