Ask the Doc
Each month a leading neurologist specializing in ALS will respond to a question. Click on the links below for previous questions and answers. If you would like to submit questions for a future Q & A, please send your questions to alsinfo@alsa-national.org.
2014
January 2014
Is this ALS? Seeking a Diagnosis When Symptoms First Appear
2013
December 2013
Understanding Frontal Temporal Dementia
November 2013
Deciding When to Stop Working
October 2013
The Value of Having a Neurologist Who Specializes in ALS
September 2013
Dealing with Muscle Pain and Tremors
August 2013
Restless Nights, No Clear Reason
July 2013
Are There Limitations on Joining Clinical Trials?
June 2013
The Nuts and Bolts of Clinical Trials
May 2013
Organ Donation and ALS
April 2013
What Do Faciculations or Muscle Twitching Mean?
March 2013
What You Should Know About Joining a Clinical Trial
February 2013
Survival and ALS
January 2013
New Potential Drugs for ALS
2012
November 2012
Traveling and ALS
October 2012
Advice About Caregiving
September 2012
Is Genetic Testing Right for You and Your Family?
August 2012
An Update on Stem Cells and ALS
July 2012
The Current State of ALS Treatments
June 2012
Preventing Harmful Drug Interactions
May 2012
Dealing with Hay Fever
April 2012
Understanding the Genetic Mutation Responsible for Frontotemporal Dementia and Familial ALS
March 2012
Healthy and Homemade Feeding Tube Formulas
February 2012
Do new MS Treatments Benefit People with ALS?
January 2012
ALS and Respiratory Infection
2011
December 2011
Is Riluzole (Rilutek) Effective?
November 2011
How Other Health Issues Affect ALS
October 2011
Is the New ALS Gene Discovery a big breakthrough, or just hype?
September 2011
Stress and ALS
August 2011
Coping with the Pseudobulbar Affect
July 2011
Managing the PEG Tube
June 2011
What Patients Need to Know About Traveling
April 2011
Preparing for a Hospital Stay
March 2011
Excessive Laughing or Crying
January 2011
Can Botox Help with Drooling?
2010
December 2010
Should I Enroll in the National ALS Registry?
November 2010
Head Trauma and ALS
October 2010
The Difference between Upper and Lower Motor Neuron Disease
September 2010
What do emergency room physicians need to know about you?
July 2010
Do Vitamins and Supplements Help?
June 2010
Adapting to ALS as it Progresses
May 2010
Can fatigue make ALS worse?
April 2010
Coping with excess saliva
February 2010
Does it make any difference whether my husband uses BiPAP during the day rather than at night?
2009
October 2009
I'm wondering if people with ALS should get the seasonal flu and the H1N1 vaccines this year?
September 2009
What should people with ALS know about deep vein thrombosis and should we be doing anything in particular to prevent it?
August 2009
When should people with ALS get oxygen with BiPAP?
July 2009
Do normal body functions become difficult for a person with ALS?
June 2009
Is it normal for people with ALS to experience depression? What can we do about it?
April 2009
Will improving my nutrition help me stay healthier or affect the progression of ALS?
March 2009
What should people with ALS know about fatigue?
February 2009
What are the most commonly asked questions you hear from people with ALS?
2008
November 2008
How should I decide when I need to stop working?
October 2008
What should I know about getting exercise? Will it help or will it hurt?
September 2008
I've recently been diagnosed with ALS. Should I be taking lithium?