Interview with Michael Younkman – Service director at What's up! –On ALS

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Michael Younkman , Director of Services and Head of Research at What's Up!, reveals some of the unknowns about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a degenerative and fatal neurological disease that he was diagnosed with a year ago and which still holds many mysteries for science.

ALS has recently come to the fore and has become popular thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge , a challenge that went viral on the internet, in which anonymous people and public figures threw a bucket of ice water over themselves, in solidarity with those affected, since one of its symptoms is a drop in body temperature. Thanks to an American boy brazil phone number list decided to create such a challenge to raise funds for his friend affected by the disease, today more people are aware of the existence of this complex pathology and the urgency and importance of its research.

Meet Michael, his story, his fight and why ALS continues to raise so many questions.

What are the symptoms of ALS? In your case, when did you start to notice that something strange was happening in your body?

There are two different types of onset that characterize amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The onset could be 'limbic', meaning that it starts in your arms or legs, or 'bulbar', meaning that it starts in your mouth and throat. In my case I first noticed in February of 2014 that my left foot seemed to be weakening. I had trouble jumping or climbing stairs with as much strength as I used to do, and eventually I started cleaning.

Apparently, this disease is still a mystery and it is not clear what factors trigger it. Can you clarify some details about it?

That's true, no one really knows what combination of genetic and/or environmental factors give rise to the illness. In a small percentage of cases the disease is clearly hereditary, with entire families affected by it. Mostly though it's a mystery. Remove a number of genes, 17 I think, have been linked to the illness in different people. Environmental factors such as industrial pollutants or nutrition may also play a role. In my own case, for example, I suspect that my tendency to not drink enough water or frequent use of aluminum foil may have contributed.