The Ice Bucket Challenge to Cure Disease

Article: There is a big trend right now -- the Ice Bucket Challenge. People nominate a friend to take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which means posting a YouTube video of themselves being doused in ice water and hopefully then donating to research to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's Disease, a terrible neurodegenerative disorder which confines patients to wheelchairs and limits the ability to speak and breathe. Click here for a video of celebrities doing the Challenge. (Kids: have any of you seen this yet?)

While this Challenge is the new fad, many people don't know that Israeli researchers are helping look for the cure, doing stem cell treatments. They may have had breakthrough success, extracting stem cells from ALS patients, inserting chemicals into the cells, and then re-injecting the stem cells into the muscles and spines of the patients. The few patients who have had this treatment showed dramatic improvement within weeks in breathing, speech, even walking!  A cure may be on the way.