Unless you've been living under a rock the last 3 weeks, you've noticed a new craze taking over social media. No, it's not a viral video of cats, but instead, hundreds of people dumping ice cold water over their heads all to raise awareness for a debilitating disease, ALS. The #IceBucketChallenge has flooded Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as challenges are accepted, and new nominations are handed out.

I thought I would maybe make it through unscathed, but my 3 year old nephew decided to nominate me. I gladly accepted the challenge, and more importantly, donated at www.als.ca/icebucketchallenge.

What does pouring freezing cold water over yourself have to do with ALS? Nothing... and now everything. The social movement has created awareness of this condition, and brought friends and families together for a good cause. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease (also called Lou Gehrig's disease) that slowly causes nerve cells to stop functioning, leaving muscles from your head to toe weak, and eventually paralyzed resulting in death. There is no cure to date, but this chilly challenge has raised over $7 million, greatly surpassing the inital goal of $2.5 million. Nevertheless, keep donating, whether you choose ALS (www.als.ca), Multiple Sclerosis (www.mssociety.ca), Parkinson's Disease (www.parkinson.ca), or a different cause. There are lots of charities and conditions that don't have such a large social media presence, so do some research and give what you can. If nothing else, this challenge is a great way to get in some hydrotherapy!

In health (and wet clothing),

-Dr. K