June 21, today, is Global ALS Awareness Day. “Amyotrophic” means that the muscles have lost their ability to nourish themselves. When this happens, the muscles get smaller and weaker. “Lateral”, that the disease affects the sides of the spinal cord, where the nerves that feed the muscles are located. “Sclerosis” means that hardened or scar tissue develops in the part of the spinal cord affected by the disease, where there should be healthy nerves. On this awareness day, we are interested in talking a little about this disease and reflecting on it.
What Happens In ALS?
In the US, people also call it “Lou Gehrig’s disease”, in honor of Lou Gehrig; a famous New York Yankees baseball player, diagnosed with this disease in the 30s of the last century. It damages motor neurons, or motoneurons, in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons are cells that control muscle movements. Upper motor neurons send messages from the brain to the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons send messages from the spinal cord to the muscles. Motor neurons are an important part of the body’s neuromuscular system.
The neuromuscular system allows our bodies to move and is made up of the brain, many nerves, and muscles. Things we do every day, like breathing, walking, running, lifting things, and even holding a pen or a glass of water, are possible because of the neuromuscular system.
Over time, ALS causes motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord to shrink and eventually disappear, so muscles no longer receive signals to move. Consequently, the muscles become smaller and weaker. And the body progressively paralyzes, that is, the muscles stop working.
However, people affected by ALS, even in an advanced stage of the disease, are still able to see, hear, smell, and feel by touch. The nerves responsible for transmitting messages of heat, cold, pain, pressure, and even tickling are not affected by ALS. In some people with ALS, the parts of the brain that allow us to think, remember, and learn also suffer from the disease.
Who develops it?
Although this disease can affect anyone, ALS is extremely rare in children. According to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, most people who develop it are adults between the ages of 40 and 70. And only 2 new cases of this disease are declared per 100,000 people each year. Since it is not a contagious disease, no one who has it can hit you.
How is ALS diagnosed?
ALS is a different disease for each of the people who suffer from it. In general, muscle weakness, particularly in the arms and legs, is one of the first symptoms that more than half of those who suffer from it presently. Other early symptoms include tripping or falling a lot, things falling out of your hands, slurred speech, and/or involuntary muscle cramps, contractions, or spasms. As the disease worsens over time, eating, swallowing and even breathing can become complicated behaviors.
It can take several months to know for sure that a person has ALS. This disease can be associated with symptoms similar to those of other diseases that affect the nerves and muscles, such as Parkinson’s disease and cerebrovascular accidents. Doctors examine their patients and order special tests to see if they have any of these disorders.
One of the tests done is an electromyogram, or EMG, which can show that the muscles are not working well due to nerve damage. Other tests include x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), lumbar puncture, and blood and urine tests.
Sometimes a muscle or nerve biopsy is needed. A biopsy is when the doctor removes a small sample of body tissue to study under a microscope. By examining that tissue, the doctor can find out what is making the patient sick.
How is ALS treated?
Currently, there is no way to prevent or cure ALS. But there are treatments that can help. There are medications that serve to control some of its symptoms, such as muscle cramps and swallowing difficulties, as well as drugs that slow down the progression of the disease.
Physical therapy can help people with ALS cope with weakness, muscle loss, and breathing problems. There are also special teams to help those affected when necessary. For example, a power wheelchair can help a person paralyzed with ALS get around. And a machine called a ventilator can help you breathe.
Likewise, a nurse or other health assistant can go to the home of the affected person to provide the attention and care that the family cannot offer on its own.
Text-To-Speech: A Tool For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of speech. The computerized system that is used for this purpose is called a speech computer or speech synthesizer; it can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal text language into speech; other systems recreate linguistic symbolic representation as phonetic transcriptions in speech.
There is a wide variety of TTS applications (apps) for mobile phones and tablets that convert text into speech. These are useful for people with oral language difficulties such as dysarthria or difficulty in the pronunciation of some phonemes or complete loss of voice.
Text-To-Speech By Woord
Woord is our number one choice for its intuitive design when talking about accessibility and inclusion. This Saas is an excellent tool for those who do not have much experience with this type of software; if what you need is a simple and good-quality job, Woord will fulfill the task. Also, allows you to select the type of device on which you will play the audio; doing so will apply effects that will improve the quality of the MP3 file.
Since we are talking about inclusion, we must mention that this free ai voice generator has female, male, and gender-neutral voice styles. Also, Woord has an SSML editor, allowing you to adjust the speed of the audio without affecting the quality. Many blind people have the ability to interpret sounds faster than average; adjusting the pace of the audio can make the process much faster for them.
Finally, we must say that in addition to the fact that the free option is excellent, buying a pro version can be a good investment for teaching work. In this sense, Woord is also a great option for its affordable prices.
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Also published on Medium.