Posted on 03/06/2008 9:55:53 PM PST by neverdem
When it comes to understanding, preventing and treating chronic diseases, multiple sclerosis ranks among the most challenging. The word “multiple” is apt in more ways than one.
Various suggested causes include early-life exposure to certain viruses or toxic agents, geographic and dietary influences, inherent immunological defects and underlying genetic susceptibilities.
MS is highly unpredictable. Rarely are any two patients alike in the presentation, duration and progression of symptoms; even the underlying cause of disability in MS is being reconsidered. And rarely do any two patients respond in the same way to a given therapy, be it medically established or alternative. Trial and error is the name of the game, experts say, because it is often not possible to know in advance what will work best for individual patients.
These are the frequent underpinnings of confusion and distrust among those afflicted and their families. They sometimes give rise to claims that the organizations raising large amounts of money to support research and patient services and the scientists studying the disease have no intention of finding a cure, lest it put them out of business. It is a ridiculous notion on its face, since many of those involved in fund-raising and research have watched loved ones suffer and succumb to diseases like MS.
The failure of the medical establishment to solve mysteries like MS also prompts many patients to seek alternative remedies suggested by friends and relatives or found on the Internet. Many of these remedies are harmless, and some may actually be helpful, at least for a time. But when the remedies keep patients from trying the best that modern medicine can offer — or when they interact negatively with established remedies — the result can be a far more rapid downhill course than might otherwise have occurred...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Mother-daughter Conflict, Low Serotonin Level May Be Deadly Combination
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Seems to be some fairly good evidence that lecithin and Omega 3’s can help, as they are heavily concentrated in cell membranes and myelin.
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