ALS still defies attempts at cure
Monday, July 9, 2007 3:20 AM
By PAUL G. DONOHUE


Q: Do you have any information on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? My younger sister has been told she has it, and her speech is affected.


A: The public knows amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as Lou

Gehrig's disease. Gehrig was one of baseball's truly great players and human beings. In 1941, he had to retire from the game because of ALS.

In ALS, the nerves that control muscle movement are destroyed. Those nerves are found in the brain and the spinal cord.

Profound weakness results and necessitates using a wheelchair. Not only are the arms and legs affected, but swallowing and speech muscles eventually are involved. Patients end up as hostages in their own bodies, unable to do anything for themselves. But they almost always retain clear mental function and are in touch with others.

More than 5,000 people each year in Canada and the United States learn they have the disease.

As yet, no medicine has been able to completely stop the progression of the illness or reverse its damage. Rilutek can extend a patient's life somewhat. The drug represents a breakthrough in treatment and offers promise of greater breakthroughs, but it is not a cure.

For more information on this mysterious illness, call the ALS Association at 1-800-782-4747 or visit www.

alsa.org.

Q: My husband loves to grill. During the summer we have about one grilled dinner a week.

I have heard that grilled meat can cause cancer.

A: There is concern that cooking meats at high temperatures creates chemicals that might induce cancer. The chemicals are heterocyclic amines. The time that meat is subjected to high temperatures is a big factor in production of those amines.

Furthermore, during grilling, fat drips from the meat onto the hot coals. That produces other chemicals with the potential for causing cancer. Those chemicals are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

How great is the danger? Not terribly so. One grilled meal a week during the summer won't have your family headed for the hospital.

You can reduce the production of cancer-causing chemicals by microwaving meat for two minutes immediately before grilling it. Flipping the meat frequently when it's on the grill also cuts down on the production of those chemicals.

Q: Every year, doctors have to stretch my esophagus because it doesn't want to stay open. Swallowing becomes difficult. Isn't there a permanent solution?

A: I have to know the name of your condition. Lots of disorders make swallowing difficult, and many of them require stretching of the esophagus to relieve the problem. For example, esophageal ulcers form scars that contract the esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease can produce scarring that needs dilation.

Those are just two disorders that call for esophageal stretching.

Dr. Donohue answers letters only in his North America Syndicate column but provides an order form of available health newsletters. Write him at P.O. Box 536475,

Orlando, Fla. 32853-6475.

For additional health information, visit OhioHealth
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/disp...2_FL772L8.html