Building Your ALS Care Team
Authored By Deanna October 14, 2026
An ALS diagnosis brings a flood of questions, and no single doctor can answer them all.
Read moreExplore practical tips, expert insights, and inspiring stories dedicated to supporting those affected by ALS. Rooted in the Deanna Protocol®’s mission to empower families through holistic, science-backed care, our blog offers guidance on caregiving, managing symptoms like fatigue and muscle weakness, and staying strong—physically and emotionally—through the ALS journey.
An ALS diagnosis brings a flood of questions, and no single doctor can answer them all.
Read moreMovement can feel complicated after an ALS diagnosis.
Read moreWhen you or someone you love is living with ALS, home should feel like a place of comfort, not a daily obstacle course.
Read moreWhen you or someone you love is living with ALS, home should feel like a place of comfort, not a daily obstacle course.
Read moreWhen most people think about ALS, they think about muscle weakness, loss of movement, and progressive decline. What they don't think about is what's happening at the cellular level—the energy crisis that's slowly shutting down your motor neurons.
Read moreWhen someone has ALS, their muscles slowly get weaker over time. This includes the muscles that help us breathe. The breathing muscles are some of the most important muscles in our body, so taking care of them is a big part of managing ALS.
Read moreWhen you have ALS, getting good sleep becomes more challenging as the disease progresses. Your muscles get weaker over time, including the muscles that help you breathe. This can make nighttime especially difficult. But understanding what happens to your breathing and sleep can help you and your care team make things better.
Read moreIndividuals with ALS slowly have their muscles get weaker over time. This includes the muscles we use to swallow food and drinks. Learning about these changes early can help people with ALS stay safe and get the nutrition they need.
Read moreWhen someone has trouble breathing on their own, doctors have special tools that can help. These tools make breathing easier and help people feel better every day. Let's talk about four important breathing helpers: NIV/BiPAP machines, cough-assist devices, suction machines, and breath-stacking techniques.
Read moreALS is a scary disease that affects thousands of people every year. Also called Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This disease attacks the nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body. When these nerve cells die, people slowly lose the ability to move, speak, eat, and even breathe on their own.
ALS is a disease that changes everything. It affects the nerve cells that control your muscles, making it harder to move, walk, and eventually speak. For many people with ALS, losing their voice feels like losing a part of who they are. But even when ALS takes away the ability to speak with your mouth, there are many ways to keep talking, sharing thoughts, and staying connected with the people you love.
Getting diagnosed with ALS changes everything. Not just for the person who has it, but for their whole family too. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, but most people know it as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a condition that affects the nerve cells that control muscles. Over time, these nerve cells stop working, which makes it harder to move, speak, and even breathe.
Read moreWhen you have ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, your body faces unique challenges. This condition affects the nerve cells that control your muscles, making everyday tasks harder over time. While there is no cure for ALS yet, research shows that good nutrition can help protect your brain and nerves. The right foods might slow down the disease and help you feel better for a longer period of time.
Read moreWhen someone gets diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, their world changes forever. This terrible illness slowly takes away a person's ability to move, speak, and even breathe. Right now, there's no cure for ALS, and the treatments we have can only slow it down a little bit. That's why many people with ALS and their families are looking at stem cell therapy with hope in their hearts.
Read moreLosing the ability to speak is one of the most emotionally devastating symptoms of ALS. For many, it starts subtly—words get slurred, speech slows down—but over time, communication becomes nearly impossible. But here’s what you need to know: you are not powerless. While ALS does impact the brain and muscles, there are steps—technological and nutritional—you can take to maintain quality of life and keep connecting with the world around you. One patient’s journey offers a powerful glimpse into what this could mean for the future of ALS care.
Being a caregiver for someone with ALS is one of the most selfless and challenging roles a person can take on. Whether you’re a spouse, family member, or friend, you’re stepping up in ways you never imagined—helping with daily tasks and offering emotional support through an unpredictable journey.
Read moreFatigue is one of the most frustrating symptoms of ALS. It’s more than just feeling tired—it’s an overwhelming, body-wide exhaustion that makes even simple tasks feel impossible. But why does it happen? And more importantly, what can you do about it? Let’s break it down in a way that makes sense, and talk about real strategies to help manage fatigue and improve daily energy levels. Why Do People with ALS Feel So Exhausted? At its core, ALS affects motor neurons, the nerve cells that control movement. These neurons need energy to stay alive and function efficiently and effectively. ALS disrupts…
Read moreMuscle weakness is one of the most challenging symptoms of ALS. It can start subtly—trouble buttoning a shirt, feeling unusually tired after walking short distances—but over time, it progresses, making everyday tasks harder. But here’s what you need to know: you are not powerless. While ALS does affect muscle function, there are steps you can take to help preserve strength, improve mobility, and support your body’s energy production. Let’s break down why ALS causes muscle weakness and what you can do to stay as strong as possible for as long as possible. Why Does ALS Cause Muscle Weakness?
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