Buckhorn
Senior member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2016
- Messages
- 730
- Reason
- Lost a loved one
- Diagnosis
- 12/2015
- Country
- US
- State
- PA
- City
- Small town
The link that I find most telling is that Gulf War vets are 2 x as likely to get ALS, and war veterens in general also have a higher incidence (I'm too lazy to look up the exact %'s right now). What that tells me is that chemical exposures is most likely a large trigger/factor in many cases. I believe that a person's DNA makeup still makes one more or less likely to be succeptible, so what Nikki says makes total sense. Hence, we can all think of people (like Keith Richards) who have bombarded their bodies with tons of crap and insult after insult and may never get ALS. I have a sister who has been morbidly obese for 20 years, has been a heavy smoker for almost 55 years, worked in a factory, has not exercises in 50 years ........ and while not "healthy" (she's has COPD - surprise) does not and probably never will get ALS.
Another link I think is interesting is that while there appears to have been ALS "clusters" reported (Italian soccer players years back) and speculation that head injury in American style football may be a factor in ALS, to my knowlege there does not seem to be any association between exercise/exertion in indoor sports.
In my husband's case, he was always physically active and had excellent strength and endurance. Dave grew up on a farm (pesticides), & used herbicides & pesticides for years in our gardens and even indoors without wearing a respirator mask. The months just proceeding Dave's decline and ultimate diagnosis, we went to Vieques, PR (which was a USA missile deployment site many years ago and to this day has exaggerated incidences of cancers, birth defects, etc.). He was bitten many times by mosquitos in Vieques. He then came down with fever/chills/muscle weakness/flu-like symptoms. A month later he was bitten by a tick here on our property, & developed a Lyme's Disease rash & reaction for which he was treated. I will continue to believe that genetic predisposition (as Nikki mentions) plus a "cascade" effect of exposure to several unknown triggers, combined with Lyme's exposure may have set the ALS monster loose.
I realize that all this is pure conjecture and I have no empirical evidence to offer.
I too would love to read the study Nikki.
Another link I think is interesting is that while there appears to have been ALS "clusters" reported (Italian soccer players years back) and speculation that head injury in American style football may be a factor in ALS, to my knowlege there does not seem to be any association between exercise/exertion in indoor sports.
In my husband's case, he was always physically active and had excellent strength and endurance. Dave grew up on a farm (pesticides), & used herbicides & pesticides for years in our gardens and even indoors without wearing a respirator mask. The months just proceeding Dave's decline and ultimate diagnosis, we went to Vieques, PR (which was a USA missile deployment site many years ago and to this day has exaggerated incidences of cancers, birth defects, etc.). He was bitten many times by mosquitos in Vieques. He then came down with fever/chills/muscle weakness/flu-like symptoms. A month later he was bitten by a tick here on our property, & developed a Lyme's Disease rash & reaction for which he was treated. I will continue to believe that genetic predisposition (as Nikki mentions) plus a "cascade" effect of exposure to several unknown triggers, combined with Lyme's exposure may have set the ALS monster loose.
I realize that all this is pure conjecture and I have no empirical evidence to offer.
I too would love to read the study Nikki.