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rcharlton

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Joined
Jun 20, 2005
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641
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
11/2005
Country
CA
State
Ontario
City
Toronto
Here's is an interesting, though still unproven theory. I find it interesting as I underwent colon hydrotherapy treatment over the summer - and during that period and for months after I had no noticeable progression of my symptoms. Since the late fall, a few months after I started treatment, I have had noticeable progression. Now of course this is just anecdotal, and my ALS may just have temporarily plateaued - but I may start up some treatments to see if it makes a difference.

Hypothesis: A motor neuron toxin produced by
a clostridial species residing in gut causes ALS


Summary We hypothesize that a yet-to-be-identified motor neuron toxin produced by a clostridial species causes sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in susceptible individuals. This clostridial species would reside undetected in the gut and chronically produce a toxin that targets the motor system, like the tetanus and botulinum toxins. After
gaining access to the lower motor neuron, the toxin would be transported back to the cell body, as occurs with the tetanus toxin, and destroy the lower motor neuron – the essential feature of ALS. Again like the tetanus toxin, some of the toxin would cross to neighboring cells and to the upper motor neuron and similarly destroy these motor neurons.
Weakness would relentlessly progress until not enough motor neurons remained to sustain life. If this hypothesis were correct, treatment with appropriate antibiotics or antitoxins might slow or halt progression of disease, and immunization might prevent disease.
c 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

W.T. Longstreth Jr.a,b,c,*, J.S. Meschked, S.K. Davidsone, L.M. Smoote,
J.C. Smoote, T.D. Koepsellb,c,f

a Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

b Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

c Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

d Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

e Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

f Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Received 19 July 2004; accepted 22 July 2004
 
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