to the editor: Walling's recent review of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)¹ was thorough and informative, but your readers might also like to know that the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is the nation's leading nonprofit, nongovernmental organization funding research and services for people with ALS.

For diagnosis and other medical services, physicians may wish to refer patients whom they suspect may have ALS to any of the 230 hospital-affiliated MDA clinics in our nationwide network or to one of the 19 MDA/ALS research/clinical facilities located at various major medical centers across the country. A directory of these facilities and information on ALS clinical trials, potential treatments and current research is available on the MDA Web site (http://www.mdausa.org).

MDA's services for patients with ALS and their families also include support groups and up-to-date information.

For copies of any MDA publications and videos about ALS, or referrals to the nearest MDA facility, physicians may check our Web site or call us at 800-572-1717.