Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Bedlack, Richard; Joyce, Nanette C.; Carter, Gregory T.; Paganoni, Sabrina; Karam, Chafic

doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2015.07.008

Cited by 37 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 192 publications

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“…Biomarker data and fish consumption frequency data suggest that mercury exposure is associated with ALS. As a cautionary note, prior work on chelation therapy with dimercaptosuccinic acid has not shown clinical benefit for patients with ALS, and use of sodium rather ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid has led to patient mortality . Participants with elevated toenail mercury levels had higher estimated methylmercury intake from fish consumption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Toenail mercury Levels are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

et al. 2018

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Toenail mercury Levels are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

et al. 2018

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“…CAM refers to a wide range of practices not traditionally included in the remit of the mainstream medical profession or medical curriculum [12]. Despite the widespread use of CAM among people with some neurodegenerative disorders [10,11], only one review paper focusing upon the clinical efficacy of CAM for ALS has been published to date [13]. This review reported the effect of most CAM as generally unproven with pockets of emerging evidence and highlighted conflicting evidence regarding the effect of dietary supplements, chelation therapy, and acupuncture for ALS management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Review of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Prevalence and Users’ Profile, Decision-Making, Information Seeking, and Disclosure in the Face of a Lack of Efficacy

2018

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Background: Despite a lack of evidence of clinical efficacy for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), these medicines remain popular around the world. Objective: To examine the prevalence and cost of CAM use in ALS and CAM users’ profile, decision-making, information seeking, and disclosure among ALS patients. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted of MEDLINE, CINAHL/SCOPUS, and AMED databases from their inception to April 2018. This review followed PRISMA guidelines and employed a quality scoring system to assess the included papers. Results: Seven papers met the inclusion criteria and were thematically analysed. ALS patients utilized a range of CAM therapies and/or products, with acupuncture and vitamins being the most frequently reported. CAM modalities were often employed concurrently with conventional medications throughout the disease process. Although some ALS patients reported positive experience regarding CAM use, many were reluctant to disclose their CAM use to their clinicians. Research focusing on CAM use in ALS remains ad hoc and restricted to only a few countries. The rigour and quality of this research field to date has been varied, predominantly drawing upon regional/localized data and failing to report CAM users’ characteristics. Conclusion: A proportion of ALS patients report utilizing CAM concurrently with conventional treatments. Such use, set amidst a dearth of evidence for the efficacy of CAM in ALS, poses potential direct and indirect risks to patient care, and medical providers should be mindful of and enquire about CAM use when treating ALS patients.

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“…Numerous new therapies are currently investigated [6], also including complementary medicine [7], and some of them may be promising. In the clinic of J.M., a plan of treating chronic diseases has been developed that involves eliminating risk factors, especially heavy metals, curing the sources of inflammation, and substituting with micronutrients and diets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healing of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report

Mangelsdorf¹,

Walach

Mutter

2017

Complement Med Res

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Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease leading to death within 3-5 years in most cases. New approaches to treating this disease are needed. Here, we report a successful therapy. Case Report: In a 49-year-old male patient suffering from muscle weakness and fasciculations, progressive muscular atrophy, a variant of ALS, was diagnosed after extensive examinations ruling out other diseases. Due to supposed mercury exposure from residual amalgam, the patient's teeth were restored. Then, the patient received sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfate (DMPS; overall 86 × 250 mg in 3 years) in combination with α-lipoic acid and followed by selenium. In addition, he took vitamins and micronutrients and kept a vegetarian diet. The excretion of metals was monitored in the urine. The success of the therapy was followed by scoring muscle weakness and fasciculations and finally by electromyography (EMG) of the affected muscles. First improvements occurred after the dental restorations. Two months after starting therapy with DMPS, the mercury level in the urine was increased (248.4 µg/g creatinine). After 1.5 years, EMG confirmed the absence of typical signs of ALS. In the course of 3 years, the patient recovered completely. Conclusions: The therapy described here is a promising approach to treating some kinds of motor neuron disease and merits further evaluation in rigorous trials.

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Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Cited by 37 publications

References 192 publications

Toenail mercury Levels are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

Toenail mercury Levels are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

Critical Review of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Prevalence and Users’ Profile, Decision-Making, Information Seeking, and Disclosure in the Face of a Lack of Efficacy

Healing of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report

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