About Rae of Hope
Education
We believe the Jugular Foramen Hypothesis will one day cure ALS.
My name is LaRae Barnes, APRN, MSN. I had a spontaneous epiphany one day in early December 2021 which led to the development of the Jugular Foramen Internal Strangulation Hypothesis of ALS. I believe in all my scientific and personal heart that this is the cause of ALS. I have studied this pathway intensely and written a 40 page paper about my research. If you would like to read the paper in its entirety, here is a link. If you don't have time or ability to concentrate that long, I offer you a summary here. It is my hope to use this website to educate the public about my ALS hypothesis.
Healthcare Experience
My 20 year career in nursing forged in a trauma ICU teaching hospital setting, which now includes 10 years as a medical provider/Nurse Practitioner working in medical specialties that include Primary Care, Vascular, Wound Care, Sleep Medicine, Neurology, and Nutrition, my path led me much to my own surprise to become an ALS researcher, following the death of my friend Jerry Liguori who succumbed to ALS on Christmas Eve 2021, 6 years following his diagnosis. Having followed his course closely, while starting a career in Neurology and recorering from my own Traumatic Brain Injury/whiplash injury and following my husband's premature death to suicide by hanging, I found myself uniquely aware of certain structures and features of the neck which I feel explain this perplexing condition.
Community Development
We believe in the power of community. ALS will never be cured without a scientific consensus regarding its cause. It is my hope to use this platform to build community around this structural hypothesis allowing for curative strategies and appropriate research to support they hypothesis to develop.
Get Involved
Join us in making a difference. Whether you want to donate, volunteer, or simply learn more, there are many ways to get involved and support our work. I invite you to be a part of the growing community around the ALS structural research.
The World's First ALS Hypothesis
The Jugular Foramen Internal Strangulation Hypothesis
An idea
Early in December 2021, 3 weeks before the end of my PALS life, an idea landed in my head that I have not been able to remove which I believe is the cause of ALS. I call it the Jugular Foramen Internal Strangulation Hypothesis and I have written a 40 page paper to explain this proposal to the scientific community. For a link to the paper, click here. I understand if you do not have the time to read a 40 page paper which is why I offer a basic overview of the scientific principles and their interaction in the following section. I thought briefly that this idea would save my friend's life but his ALS was far too advanced. May it offer someone else hope.
Overview
The Jugular Foramen internal strangulation hypothesis proposes that cervical (neck) instability (sprain) coupled with aging of the neck compromises blood flow into and out of the brain via the jugular foramen and the carotid foramen which lie adjacent to the C1 vertebrae slowly asphyxiating ALS victims as the weight of the weakened body tightens pressure around the only collapsible structure in the area, the internal jugular vein, known to forensics to be the cause of loss of consciousness in strangulation deaths. The jugular foramens which are located on either side of the C1 vertebrae contains three cranial nerves - the glossopharyngeal, accessory, and vagus nerves, offering an explanation for the one-sided nature of ALS presentation. Theoretically, compromised blood flow in this area directly impacts the function of these nerves roots impairing their function. The function of these three nerves easily accounts for the unique features seen in ALS presentation.
Accessory Nerve
The accessory nerve loss impacts the muscles which hold up the head - the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles. Aging of the neck further compromises neck position aggravating accessory nerve loss, explaining ALS middle age presentation. The relationship of certain populations to ALS, such as soccer players, military populations, carpenters and painters has proven confounding to ALS research,. I believe that this correlation may be explained by a consideration given to neck position and the risk of cervical instability among these populations known to involve use of helmets, sudden neck movements, and extremes of neck position possibly weakening neck ligaments destabilizing upper cervical vertebrae. Forward head position, common to middle age would further exacerbate the impact of accessory nerve loss given that that its roots are located throughout the cervical vertebrae traveling up through the foramen magnum before passing through the jugular foramen, explaining the sudden self destructive nature of the disease. Prolonging the loss of accessory nerve loss could be aided by recommending that like other neck paralysis patients, the use of cervical soft collars at a minimum become widely accepted practice. Steven Hawking famously appears to have complete absence of the SCM and trapezius muscles innervated by the accessory nerve. His gaze permanently turned to the right suggests that his right jugular vein was the side initially compromised.
Glossopharyngeal and Vagus Nerves
The glossopharyngeal nerve is known to anyone who has studied cranial nerves as the nerve that governs swallowing, a feature known to bulbar ALS patients who famously present with difficulty swallowing, drooling, and choking on food and water. How else could the body selectively impair only this function? It is perplexing to both families and care providers to see able bodied people walk into your office who unfortunately have the most rapidly deteriorating form of ALS, causing death in just 2-5 years. Especially when one considers the functions governed by the vagus nerve, the third and final cranial nerve that traverses the jugular foramen. The vagus nerve also governs swallowing, breathing, and other parasympathetic functions, absorption and peristalsis offering a counter balance to the sympathetic system involved in fight or flight reflexes. The impact of the absorption of neurotoxins is further understood when seen in the context of impaired vagus nerve function. You may impact one cranial nerve that governs swallowing and breathing and get away with it, but two nerves that impact this crucial bodily function is enough to collapse breathing mechanisms.
3D CT scan Technology
Prevention strategies, Hope for a cure
The Jugular Foramen hypothesis enables us to conceptualize why ALS is seen in association with dental procedures, professions where neck position or helmets are required, it explains the one sided presentation, mechanism of death gleaned from forensics and offers us a hypothetical framework from which to construct research aimed at curing the disease. It offers a glimpse into an understanding of the variable presentation of the disease. Most importantly, this hypothesis offers us now-based strategies that may delay the progression of the disease involving the use of cervical collars and body positioning, as well as the potential for prevention strategies for high risk groups like military personnel and athletes, and also treatment strategies possibly involving neurosurgical techniques to widen the jugular foramen.
ABCs
As a nurse, I feel a strong moral conviction to offer this structurally based ALS hypothesis into the world in hopes that it will save ALS patient's lives and minimize their suffering. An awareness that the ultimate cause of death involves strangulation to me warrants an immediate restructuring of research efforts towards supporting this hypothesis and developing strategies to release the invisible noose around ALS patient's throats. As a nurse I was taught during CPR to always stabilize the airway, then focus on breathing and circulation. The jugular foramen hypothesis sounds an alarm. I propose that this is a disease that is as much caused by a blockage of the airway mechanisms as it affects the function of those airway components. Let us as a community find a way to address this functional breathing dysregulatory condition.
Our Impact
Our Programs
Our Success Stories
Our Success Stories
To better understand the involvement of the jugular foramen in contributing to the development of ALS, I propose the use of 3D CT scan technology in an upright, open and closed mouth positions to screen for cervical instability in high risk populations such as professional athletes and military personnel. If the incidence of cervical in
To better understand the involvement of the jugular foramen in contributing to the development of ALS, I propose the use of 3D CT scan technology in an upright, open and closed mouth positions to screen for cervical instability in high risk populations such as professional athletes and military personnel. If the incidence of cervical instability is higher in these groups, prevention strategies aimed at stabilizing the cervical vertebrae potentially utilizing atlas orthogonal chiropractic protocols could be imagined.
Our Success Stories
Our Success Stories
Our Success Stories
Our success stories are a testament to the impact of our programs and the dedication of our team and supporters. I suspect that the wisdom's gained from applying the Jugular Foramen Hypothesis will teach us numerous invaluable truths about the functioning of other neuromuscular degenerative diseases, as our testimonials suggest. Listen to my patient success stories.
Our Partnerships
Our Success Stories
Our Partnerships
We are proud to partner with a variety of organizations and businesses to support our community. Our partnerships enable us to expand our reach and provide even more resources and services to those in need. Our hope is to offer supportive strategies to unravel the mystery of ALS through this novel framework. It will take a village to ge
We are proud to partner with a variety of organizations and businesses to support our community. Our partnerships enable us to expand our reach and provide even more resources and services to those in need. Our hope is to offer supportive strategies to unravel the mystery of ALS through this novel framework. It will take a village to get this message to enough ALS patients to make a difference.