by Paul Páez

Ace Reporter Paul Paez has learned –just 2 1/2 months after the rest of the world!– that the hottest topic in MS therapy appears to be that the illness may actually be a vascular disease.

Known as CCSVI or Chronic CerebroSpinal Insufficiency, it’s a theory first postulated by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, an Italian vascular surgeon who began looking into the issue because his wife suffered from Multiple Sclerosis.

Presumably taking a break from resurfacing ice skating rinks, Dr. Zamboni began reading studies from researchers that found high levels of iron in the brains of MS patients. He began his own research by Using Doppler ultrasound to begin examining the necks of MS patients and found that almost 100 per cent of the patients had a narrowing, twisting or outright blockage of the veins that are supposed to flush blood from the brain. Comparing these findings to healthy people, he found none of these problems.

To address the problem, Dr. Zamboni stole a page from angiography in which doctors use balloons to open up blocked arteries that feed blood from the heart.  Three years ago, he began to study 65 MS patients to see if endovascular surgery would restore flow in these vessels. The results suggest that patients had a decrease in the number of new MS attacks, and a big reduction in the number of brain lesions.

All good, but the limited sample is far from proof, so there is much debate still going on.

Here’s a good overview of the situation by fellow blogger, Marc the Wheelchair Kamakaze

There’s also a Facebook page dedicated to the subject, with more than 8000 members!

And here’s something from Julie Stachowiak over on About.com.

Cheers,

Still more news stories on CCSVI below:

• MS ‘blood blockage theory’ tested (news.bbc.co.uk)
• MS vein theory creates ‘huge hope’: MD (cbc.ca)
• Experimental MS surgery draws Canadian interest (cbc.ca)
• Multiple Sclerosis and Irrational Exuberance (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
• MS Society calls for research into experimental therapy (ctv.ca)

I’ve been writing and reporting about the latest news and information on Multiple Sclerosis and autoimmune diseases for a little over a year now, and at times I think I’ve covered everything. (I mean, how many times can the press report about the promise of oral MS therapy that still hasn’t hit the market!)

So I was a bit shocked, or should I say, “stung” by this small blurb from a newspaper in Oklahoma about the efficacy of bee sting venom in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Known as Apitherapy, the treatment of a number of illnesses with bee venom is neither novel nor new.  The early Egyptians used the venom, (or that is, by products) to cure arthritis, and ever since, Apitherapy has been credited for curing pain, skin conditions, burns, and much more.

How much more?

Well, according to this source, thousands of multiple-sclerosis patients in the United States are rumored to be using bee venom not in addition to their normal therapy but as an alternative to interferon and steroids.  While that number may be exaggerated, it is a fact that about 50 physicians nationwide use bee-venom therapy to relieve the symptoms of MS. That’s amazing considering much of this is unproven.

“Unproven you say?”

Well, not according to the Standing Commission on Apitherapy, which published a research paper (pdf file) written by two Russian medical scientists claiming an apparent,  undeniable truth.

“The best approval of the effectiveness of Apitherapy in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis is a fact that cannot be contradicted,” said the researchers.  “Bee keepers almost never suffer multiple sclerosis.”

Now that’s science!

Cheers,

More in Today’s News:

• Multiple Sclerosis and Irrational Exuberance (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
• MS pill studies show better results, more risks (cbc.ca)
• Novartis, Merck KGaA Pills Bring ‘New Horizon’ for MS (Update1) (businessweek.com)
• FDA approves Ampyra (dalfampridine) for multiple sclerosis (MS) (medicineandtechnology.com)
• Italian group offers $4.5M to fund new MS research (ctv.ca)
• Two New Multiple Sclerosis Pills Show Promise in Late-Stage Studies (dailyfinance.com)
• Viatamin D deficiency in African Americans. (socialactions.net)
• What the New MS Drug Does (and What It Doesn’t Do) (blogs.wsj.com)
• Extavia (interferon beta-1b) approved for multiple sclerosis (medicineandtechnology.com)
• MS Patient Support Organizations (brassandivory.blogspot.com)

• Two New Multiple Sclerosis Pills Show Promise in Late-Stage Studies (dailyfinance.com)
• Viatamin D deficiency in African Americans. (socialactions.net)
• What the New MS Drug Does (and What It Doesn’t Do) (blogs.wsj.com)
• Extavia (interferon beta-1b) approved for multiple sclerosis (medicineandtechnology.com)
• MS Patient Support Organizations (brassandivory.blogspot.com)

As a “romantic” (in the historical sense), I’m viscerally repelled by the thought of two people genetically testing themselves to learn what, if any, “defects” their off-springs may have; however, as a father who has Multiple Sclerosis, I bear a tremendous burden and responsibility (and guilt) should either of my two boys develop the disease or any other serious autoimmune disorder.

So, it was with “optimistic skepticism” I read this piece in the New York Times about a company, Counsyl, that offers genetic tests for couples to learn if their children will be afflicted with any serious diseases. If so, “call off the wedding band” or, as they suggest, try in vitro fertilization with genetically tested embryos.

The tests costs just north of $700 for a couple. Embryo testing prior to in vitro is $3000.  You see where they’re going here.

Having said that, the ability to avoid the pain and suffering caused by some illnesses such as muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis is well worth the cost–assuming the test works.

As the company’s president, Ramji Srinivasan, 28, says,

“One of our goals is to make this like the home pregnancy test.”

More info here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/business/29gene.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

As people accustomed to the MRI machine, otherwise known as the “hell-tube,” I found this blurb in the Wall Street Journal Health blog worth sharing.

From  California comes the story of a patient on a metal gurney, who was not even in the MRI machine, but was indeed sucked into it after it was turned on.  The force of the action actually fractured her leg.

The FDA keeps a database of such incidents, and apparently, they are not  rare.

Among the other incidents is the case of a pair of scissors that flew out of an attendant’s pockets and into the head of the MRI technician.

Now, we’ve all had our moments with MRI technicians who “scold” us if we move too much, (or in my case, breathe too much…no, I’m serious, he actually said, “try not to breathe too much,”);  so we might be tempted to sympathize with the pair of scissors; but in this case, the poor technician had to have surgery to remove the projectile. Yikes.

More stories at:  http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/01/28/yes-metal-things-do-fly-into-mris-and-hurt-people/

Cheers,