Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progression of ALS causes muscles to become weaker, increasing difficulty with movement, speech and other basic abilities such as chewing or swallowing. While treatments and therapies can’t reverse the damage of ALS, they can slow down the progression of symptoms, prevent complications and make the patient more comfortable.