Is MS an autoimmune disease?

[Paul]

I've just fiished writing this piece on whether MS is autoimmune.

 

It was a lot of work so I hope it'll make some difference:

 

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/blog/

 

 

 

Festive greetings to you all,

 

Paul

[Marina]

Hello Paul and a very special welcome to you.

 

I've always thought your site was particularly informative and useful and have been linking to various parts of it for years now. We're honoured to have you as a member.

 

Thank you for posting your new Blog entry. I'm sure everybody with MS is most appreciative of the hard work you put into both your site and your Blog.

 

Festive greetings back to you and yours.

[Paul]

Thanks Marina. That's vert sweet of you to say all those nice things.

Best wishes to you,

Paul

[Nick]

Yes Paul a very interesting bit of work.

 

Nick

[Marina]

Thanks Marina. That's vert sweet of you to say all those nice things.

You're welcome (in every way)! And I meant every word of it; your site and its "encyclopaedia" has the most comprehensive and useful information on MS I've ever seen. The work involved in collating and creating it must have been enormous.

 

We hope we may see more of you here, if you have the time, but will obviously understand if you don't.

 

As your Blog entry is of particular interest, I'd hate it to get lost in the midst of newbies' "Hello, I'm new" topics, so I'll move and pin it to the General Discussion area, and hope that's OK with you.

[Scully]

Hello Paul,

 

I've read about half of your blog so far, and I'm sure it was a lot of hard work for you. I too found it really interesting to read,and will complete my reading tomorrow

 

I had visited your own site in the past, and also read some of the 'patients stories'.

 

Scully

[angeltess]

I've spent the last hour reading the blogs - can I just say what an inspiring, educational and intelligently written work this is. You must be a tremendous help to others in a similar position, as your outlook and approach are fantastic. Thank you for sharing it with us. Jan. xx.

 

 

[Babs 9292]

Hi Paul I would just like to say Thank You for all the hard work you have put into your site and the link you gave us was really interesting to read. I too spent an hour reading your blogs and looking through your work and having SPMS myself I could relate to what you were saying.I look forward to your next piece of work and Well Done.

 

Babsx

[Tania B]

Thank you Paul. This question must be asked and deserves a convincing answer!

 

T

[Guest zelinda]

I've just fiished writing this piece on whether MS is autoimmune.

 

It was a lot of work so I hope it'll make some difference:

 

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/blog/

 

 

 

Festive greetings to you all,

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul, I wish i could write like you.

 

A few years back I found some research that linked Endometriosis (which is an auto immune disorder) with diseases such as MS/ RA/LUPUS.

 

http://www.lef.org/protocols/female_reproductive/endometriosis_01.htm

 

I have just done a quick google and found the above information which links endo with MS/ RA/Lupus, although it wasnt the same research website I orginally found.

 

From the above web site:

The autoimmune theory of endometriosis is supported by the frequent finding of autoantibodies in women with endometriosis and by the high rate of other autoimmune conditions among women with endometriosis, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus

 

Now I joined quite a few different web sites for the above diseases (MS/LUPUS/ RA, and asked the question how many of them had endometriosis and then get diagnosed with MS etc.

 

In about 10 days I had over 300 women.

 

I was stuck then because i had no idea what to do with the information in the UK......

 

IF I had your prowess with the written word I would have sent it all to the Lancet.

 

Sadly though my laptop was stolen from my home, and all my research and contacts were lost, and I kind of lost heart with it all.

 

Out of curiosity my daughter was diagnosed with endometriosis, and finally 2 years ago had a full hysterectomy. In the last year she has been developing MS symptoms, and is now being investigated for MS. She also sadly has a nerve cut in her stomach because of a botched hysterectomy, BUT her weakened left side and dimming left eye has nothing to do with it.

 

It is a worry.

 

Anyway I am not sure you are interested about the link between endo and MS etc but I felt I would share it with you anyway.

[Scully]

Hello Paul,

 

I have always wondered why there wasn't more research into finding what causes MS. In my tiny brain, it seems to me to be very simple......

 

If they knew what caused it, or triggered it, then surely, they would know how to fix it!?!?!? Or am I just being simplistic here?

 

There are so many thoughts and theories as to why a certain group of people develop M.S, and why some don't, even given a very similar background of health, demographics etc..

 

As I think I've said in many a post. Someday, someone will shout 'Eureka!!!!..it's caused by ????????????!?!?!?!? '

 

For me that moment can't come quickly enough

 

Scully

[happyandy]

On the Scottish News an Oxford Professor has urged the Scottish government to fortify our food with vitamin D.

 

All those years I avoided oily fish and put factor 40 sunblock on.

 

I think one of the news feeds has this story.

 

Andy

[Christina]

Hello Paul,

 

I have always wondered why there wasn't more research into finding what causes MS. In my tiny brain, it seems to me to be very simple......

 

If they knew what caused it, or triggered it, then surely, they would know how to fix it!?!?!?

 

Scully

 

 

Do you know Scully, I think it's a very complicated situation as far as causes is concerned and I tend to believe it's a combination of many factors and those particular factors are difficult to be certain of, especially for researchers who continue to chase them. I also wonder whether RRMS and PPMS are in fact quite separate diseases, albeit both demyelinating. As you say, the 'eureka' moment can't come quickly enough.

 

Chris x

[PaulX]

On the Scottish News an Oxford Professor has urged the Scottish government to fortify our food with vitamin D.

 

All those years I avoided oily fish and put factor 40 sunblock on.

 

I think one of the news feeds has this story.

 

Andy

BBC Scotland are running it.

The response from the health minister was interesting.

 

 

 

 

[PaulX]

Paul,

An interesting piece, you have obviously put a lot of work into it.

Personally I go with the autoimmune theory, but I am willing to be wrong if it means finding a cure.

 

There is a branch of research that thinks it is an under active and not over active immune system that is at fault.

 

Lots and lots of theories out there, one to suit us all I think.

 

Good contribution.

Paul

[PaulX]

You might find this interesting.

 

http://www.eurasiareview.com/23122011-multiple-sclerosis-not-disease-of-immune-system/

 

 

Again I am not totally sold on this I have a very low cholesterol level and still got this damn condition. Interesting all the same.

[Bernadette]

I have always wondered why there wasn't more research into finding what causes MS. In my tiny brain, it seems to me to be very simple......

 

If they knew what caused it, or triggered it, then surely, they would know how to fix it!?!?!? Or am I just being simplistic here?

 

"They" probably already do, but there's money in researching things forever!

 

[/cynicism]

[holly]

Hi Paul,

 

I read your blog, but still not sure, I was given a mri scan, originally due to a head injury, the results were that i had a lesion which as far as I could gather from the consultant, covered a multitude of could be problems, i.e parkinson ms and others with very long names. I was quite dismayed, as I would rather have a diagnosis that said you have got something in particular, then just having a brain injury, he then said he would speak to someone else about the mri scan results, and finally got the results that I did have MS, it was an alround relief because if you have a negative label, people treat you totally differant i.e if you are brain damaged they never talk to you perse, and you become invisible, but if you have MS most people dont really know, how tol treat you, butyou are not invisible, as you would be if you had brain damage.

 

So what Im trying to say, though im not a scientist, I feel that MS has something to do with the brain, and causes damage because the body doesnt get the right signals, a bit like epilesy, the wiring has gone awry. Cells within the body cannot be affected by the brain, they can only be affected by something foreign some sort of virus, i.e like m.e, which we knew as yuppie flu, we may come down with flu, try to treat it with Anti biotics, feel better, but has the virus gone just like that or has it left some residue behind some weakness which in time will come back to haunt you.

 

At the moment my iron stores have gone down to two, this is the second time, and again have had to have infusions of iron, I orignally went to my MS nurse, because of even more fatigue, he wrote to my GP,had a blood test,the only thing that came up was low iron, so this as far as I can see has nothing to do with the MS , maybe my body cannot fight in the same manner as a healthy person, the bottom line is they dont no why, and in a way MS is like that, no one is really sure.

holly

[davslav]

You are so wright Holly,no one is really sure. My daughters eyes ware playing up so she vent to see my neuro and he(cose of my history ) sent her to have an MRI.She was dignosed with MS at 35. Now,,,,I was born in Yugoslavia.She was born in New Zealand.Don't know much of my family health history as they are all dead.,so just speculate,,,,,Not a virus,,,that is diagnosable.Here is something for you to think.My neuro died from cancer,neurologicaly related.His wife is in care as she has Alzimers and don't know what has happened.She was a doctor to,,,,,

[2serious]

Since LDN causes the release of several times more endorphins than usual and is proven to affect both hypo (AIDS, Cancers, etc) and hyper-immune responses with massive success rates I conclude for now that, indeed, MS deals with the body attacking its own tissues: auto-immune. There have been reports of +90% positive response to LDN in practice. A full clinical trial only needs 5% according to Dr. Bihari, the neurologist who pioneered it.

[PaulX]

The over-riding message I got from the recent Seminar in Cambridge, where the University presented the current research they are conduction into MS is that they consider it to be an autoimmune disease.

I am sold on that idea, the evidence seems to be overwhelming, to my untrained mind.

 

It is good to consider other ideas though. History has shown that as we gain more knowledge, them the models we use change. At one point it made sense to have Earth at the centre of the Universe. Now we have progressed and know that is not the case.

 

Always keep an open mind.

[davslav]

Yah,,,, I tried LDN. My friend went to US and had CCSCI. We are both in wheelchairs now.

So beware of snakeoil.

Davslav

[Happymama]

Found out recently that a coronavirus (SARS variety) that goes around us called OC43 that is now weak enough to give us just a 'cold' can cause neurological stuff including MS.  

 

And I know that viruses can get into the gut and talk to the brain via the Vagus nerve.  

 

I wonder if there's a connection with pandemics in the past and MS?  The 1918 flu was H1N1, like 2009 (I had it but long after I started with symptoms).  Bet that would take some digging.  

 

I'll look at the blog!