[For those of you who don't know me, here's the background. Developed ALS early 2005, close to a textbook case, Dx that summer, also began self-treatment that summer, almost fully recovered 2006 for several years, gradual decline set in "obviously" by 2011, but still not back to being legally handicapped. Self-treatment was what was then state of the art-- antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, calcium channel inhibition, and mitochondrial support. Still my basic approach since it worked for me, documented in detail elsewhere on this site esp. in the Peony and Aketri's ALS Theories Summaries threads.]
I can still lift 20 pounds (9 kilos) of laundry just fine, do it every week on the way to the laundromat. The problem is that usually for 3 days afterwards I'm weaker and more spastic esp. right leg.
So today my daughter bought an approx. 65 pounds (about 30 kilos) portable air conditioner and I have to get it from the car into the house. She sees me daily having to work at simple stuff like getting out of a chair, so she's taking for granted the old man is over his head on this one. We'll have to ask the next door neighbor for help, right?
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Well, I ain't no jock, but the quest to survive ALS has given me a keen appreciation for jock science, as well as for aspects of neuromuscular medicine that even jocks don't know much about much less "drug-company-induced" neurologists. So I tell my daughter that I will attempt the feat, but ain't gonna kill myself trying, I'm too old to feel ashamed to ask the next door neighbor for help on a deal like this if necessary. He's sturdy young fellow, being asked to help would bolster his ego.
A cup of strong coffee, with sugar (a substance from which I normally abstain), a 24 ounce can of Steel Reserve (8.1% alcohol rotten barley juice), and about an ounce of very salty Oscar Mayer "Real Bacon Bits" to suppress overactive vagus nerve reflexes so I can actually get the coffee & brewsky down without having to spend the next hour in the bathroom trying to get the swallower to work again. (Don't know whether or not the overactive vagus reflex which is esophageal spasm and constellation of other reflexes is related to the ALS or not; also don't know why "bacon bits" suppress the overactive vagus nerve reflex other than the recent accidental discovery that they actually do so. Think it may have to do with the taste of the salt?)
While I was at it, also put down some celery seed extract and boswellia extract, things I have on hand for special circumstances but don't take routinely.
About 40 minutes later, everything has kicked in, I go out to the car and unload the monster and get it into the house without any particular difficulty. Did use a lightweight hand truck, but I occasionally do that even with 20 pounds of laundry. In the house, after opening the box I lifted monster straight out the top, no problemo. Ten years ago I could have done it all about the same but without need for any prior preparation.
Here I am several hours later, feeling like I won't be any the worse the wear tomorrow morning other than a little soreness, which I can blame on having done the laundry earlier today.
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Well, that's the anecdotal information. In the industrial-pharmaceutical "evidence-based" buzzword con game world, information worse than worthless. It advances no careers, it makes no profit for the right people. Despicable stuff.
Anyone who wants to research the neurological science behind alcohol and caffeine and sugar and anti-inflammatories doesn't have to go any farther than the posts on this very website, although of course the whole Internet is available. If you want to do a one-person non-clinical trial of coffee and/or sugar and/or alcohol, all that stuff is available at the grocery store, or even closer in most modern cities.
Will it cure ALS? very probably not. Will it make ALS easier to live with? Only you can answer that, for you personally. Candy is dandy, caffeine is quick and liquor is quicker, this doesn't take a 6 month trial, doesn't take a doctor's prescription, and is very unlikely to have any side effects that you don't already know about. And in any case ain't likely to kill you provided that you don't go driving before you sober up.
--Dave J.
Postscript #1: when we were just about done with the chore, my daughter bent down to pick up a piece of styrofoam packing material and pranged her back. We joked a while about that one!
Postscript #2: I told my daughter that when my own father was in his 60's (me in my late 20's) when it came to moving heavy stuff around, he was stronger than I was. I asked him how that was possible, and his answer was, "Son, it's because I know what the hell I'm doing."
I remember my old football coach telling us, "If it hurts, its good for you!".... He was neither right or wrong on this, but its the idea that counts... 
Sure we are still crippled, but at least the pain is gone!
