Research Essay (ALS) An individual who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness has a big battle to fight. Families of terminally ill patients experience significant illness-related effects, forcing some families into large debts and making them unable to afford food and other basic necessities. A specific terminal disease is called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a disease that affects the human nervous system such as the brain, muscles and spinal cord. It is a deadly disease that paralyzes and kills its victims. ALS is a terminal disease characterized by specific symptoms and requiring treatments. People first need to know what ALS is. ALS is very difficult to diagnose. So far, there is no test or procedure to completely diagnose ALS. No test can establish with certainty whether the disease is present. A diagnosis includes electrodiagnostic tests including electromyography (EMG) which measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction, there is also nerve conduction velocity (NCV) which is Checking muscle strength, ...