Ice Bucket Challenge - What good has it done?

Unless you live in a rock, you must have heard of the Ice bucket challenge. Ice bucket challenge videos have gone viral now-a-days. Everyone from celebrities to commoners have themselves videoed for the challenge. They are not just stupid videos of people dropping cold icy water on themselves, but are meant to spread awareness of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)

Yankee Lou Gehrig in 1939, before he resigned from the team after going public with a disease that now carries his name. (Sporting News via Getty Images.)























Lou Gehrig's disease affects 30,000 Americans. It is a disease that attacks nerve cells and ultimately leads to Paralysis. The typical life expectancy is three to five years.
There's essentially no treatment: the lone drug approved to treat ALS, riluzole, slows the symptoms by only a few months.

Who started the Ice Bucket Challenge?

Chris Kennedy















The Golf Channel’s Jason Sobel explains that Chris Kennedy, a golfer on a minor-league circuit in Florida, was the first, on July 14, to focus the freezing fundraiser on ALS research.

What good did Ice Bucket Challenge do in this respect?

The thing most people are confused about is, what good making a video of icy water falling on someone does?
Ice bucket challenge is simply like truth or dare game. It's meant to spread awareness about ALS and raise funds for research to find a possible cure, and that it did. The way it served it's noble cause, is really really appreciable. Let's take a look at figures to be clear.
As of Tuesday, August 19, The ALS Association has received $22.9 million in donations compared to $1.9 million during the same period last year (July 29 to August 19). These donations have come from existing donors and 453,210 new donors to The Association. As of August 22, 2014, Ice Bucket Donations reached $53.3 million (that's a good sum).
Between June 1 and Aug. 13, there were at least 1.2 million videos posted on Facebook and 2.2 million mentions on Twitter. This campaign has led to unprecedented attention to the fight against ALS, and it should be applauded.

Criticism

When things go the wrong way, you may have your head pounded by a bucket full of ice and water (link).

Dr. Brian O’Neill of the Detroit Medical Center says participants should proceed with caution.
He told WWJ Newsradio 950 that being doused with freezing cold water can pose significant danger.
“What happens is — if it’s a longer duration or even a short, intense duration — it sometimes can cause a vagal response, where you breathe in and your bear down and it slows your heart rate down,” said O’Neill.
“For somebody who’s on blood pressure medications, on any medications that can slow their heart rate down, they can pass out,” O’Neill said. “And, of course, if you fall from a standing position there’s always the potential for head injury.”

Ice Bucket challenge is criticized, by some, for wastage of water.

Keep yourself tracked


If you want to keep your self updated on the go, regularly check social media for #icebucketchallange . Here're some links for your convince:



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