"The two offices of memory are collection and distribution." ~ Samuel Johnson

As people grow older, their thoughts often turn to philosophical questions of life, death and the nature of human existence and experience. Many examine their lives, wondering about the significance of their accomplishments and their value to others. Often, these musings fuel an overwhelming desire to tie up loose ends and, more importantly, to make a mark that will endure long into the future.

ALS specialists discuss clinical trial results, methods at Toronto conference

Some 750 conferees, mostly ALS clinical and scientific experts, gathered in Toronto Dec. 1-3 for the 18th International Symposium on ALS/MND (Motor Neuron Disease), sponsored by the British Motor Neurone Disease Association.

In February 2004, Leonard Picton of Ellicott City, Md., received a diagnosis of ALS. Immediately, Leonard, 65, and his wife, Lee, who has multiple sclerosis, went into ultra-financial-planning mode. For Lee, the question became, “Will we have enough money left to take care of me when Leonard’s gone?”

Sam and Jo-Ann Goldstein of St. Louis have shared their journey with ALS since Sam received his diagnosis of limb-onset ALS in August 2005. In this fifth installment of an intermittent series, Jo-Ann discusses how ALS has changed their roles in life.

Every family is different, just as every progression and loss of function is different for each person with ALS.  But we all face role changes, both as a person with ALS and as a caregiver.

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Caring for someone with ALS may be one of the most difficult things a person will ever do. The physical and emotional demands caregivers face can be brutal, and often may seem insurmountable.

Richard Holland spends much of the day composing and arranging R&B, pop and gospel music from his home digital recording studio in West Newton, Pa.

After receiving a diagnosis of ALS in 2005, Holland, 57, has had to alter the way he creates music.

Shake your groove thing

New studies strongly support ALS-angiogenin connection

A study conducted by investigators at several institutions in Boston has added additional support to an existing hypothesis based on earlier studies that mutations in the gene for angiogenin can cause ALS, or at least increase susceptibility to the disease. Angiogenin is a protein that participates in the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis).

Why is exercise important?

Along with helping to combat stress, proper exercise is important for preventing atrophy of muscles from disuse — a key to remaining mobile for as long as possible — and for keeping your cardiovascular system strong. The key to gaining these benefits is finding the most appropriate exercise for you.

Emotional-control drug development to move forward, Avanir says

ALS is a disease that can be devastating financially as well as physically. In the first of a two-part series, we look at steps to take in the early stages of ALS.

One of the first moves to make following an ALS diagnosisis is to review your family’s long-term financial situation and put a new plan into place.