Category Archives: MS Treatment

06-09-2012 03:47 A controversial approach to treating multiple sclerosis is now gaining widespread attention. Debilitating headaches led to more research, specifically to a novel procedure: Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency or CCSVI. Here is the original post: Controversial MS treatment has Connecticut link - Video … Continue reading →

Singapore, Sept 6, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - Scientists from A*STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), together with clinical collaborators from London(1), discovered for the first time that children and young patients with chronic Hepatitis B Virus infection (HBV carriers) do have a protective immune response, contrary to current belief, and hence can be more suitable treatment candidates than previously considered. This discovery by the team of scientists led by Professor Antonio Bertoletti, programme director and research director of the infection and immunity programme at SICS, could lead to a paradigm shift in the current treatment of patients with chronic HBV. The findings were published in Gastroenterology on 1st September. Current guidelines from international liver associations recommend delaying therapy until HBV carriers show clear signs of active liver disease, which generally appear after the age of 30(2). This is based on two assumptions. One, young patients are unable to react to treatment because they are immune-tolerant to the virus. This means that there is no protective immune response(3) in their body to help them get rid of the virus, and therefore, they will not run the risk of liver damage or inflammation. Two, HBV infection is largely harmless in … Continue reading →

The ACT opposition has accused the government of putting a ''photo opportunity' at the Canberra Hospital ahead of patient treatment. Some patient appointments for radiation therapy at the hospital were rescheduled to a different time of day last month when Chief Minister Katy Gallagher officially launched a new linear accelerator device used to treat cancer. The government said yesterday the date of the launch had been changed at short notice because of the no-confidence motion moved by the Liberals against Ms Gallagher in the Assembly and there had been no intention to inconvenience patients. A Health Directorate spokesman said some appointments had been moved to a different time to protect patient privacy when the media and other visitors attended the launch on August 21. Advertisement Opposition health spokesman Jeremy Hanson said the rescheduling of patient appointments was disgusting and Ms Gallagher should take responsibility for what had occurred. ''I think it's actually disgraceful that she has prioritised her photo op over the cancer patients who have been disrupted by this,'' he said. Mr Hanson said he had spoken with a patient whose appointment time for radiation treatment had been changed to accommodate the ministerial visit to the hospital. The patient … Continue reading →

NORTHFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- A controversial approach to treating multiple sclerosis is now gaining widespread attention. And a small group of Connecticut women diagnosed with MS had a part in it. Jennine Kelley has multiple sclerosis, an often disabling chronic disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. "I started to lose the ability to speak clearly and then I started to lose the ability to use my right hand," Kelley said. Debilitating headaches led to more research, specifically to a novel procedure: Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency or CCSVI. And Joan Beal says, "I wrote about it online. And then other people found out about it." Beal's husband has MS and underwent CCSVI, which was first performed overseas. It gets blood flowing to the brain by using a balloon to open blocked jugular veins. Beal explains, "if you have slowed blood flow going through your brain, you're going to suffer for it." MS symptoms like heat fatigue disappeared. That convinced Kelley to follow suit. Kelley says her doctor, "found both my jugular veins had stenosis on both sides. And then where he found the stenosis, he ballooned it open. Since I had the procedure, I haven't had the headaches." Since … Continue reading →

MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PhotoMedex, Inc. (PHMD) (PHMD.TA) announces that the Companys XTRAC excimer laser was favorably featured in articles that appeared in two dermatology medical trade journals in August 2012. Both articles are available at http://www.photomedex.com/xtrac/index.htm. The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology featured two case studies in an article entitled Treatment of Psoriasis and Long-term Maintenance Using 308 nm Excimer Laser, Clobetasol Spray, and Calcitriol Ointment. The authors include Jillian W. Wong, MS of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Department of Dermatology, Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center, as well as Tien V. Nguyen, BA, Tina Bhutani, M.D. and John Y.M. Koo, M.D., colleagues of Ms. Wong at UCSF. The article profiles one patient with a 15-year history of plaque psoriasis and another with a six-year history of plaque psoriasis. In their conclusion, the authors write, Targeted UVB laser therapy is a promising method of treatment especially for many who have failed systemic therapy and traditional phototherapy. This case series shows that the use of the excimer laser may be a feasible way to manage a significant proportion of generalized psoriasis patients possibly more efficaciously than biologic … Continue reading →

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Thirteen children diagnosed with neuromuscular issues ranging from severe hypotonia to athetoid cerebral palsy/dystonia are experiencing "dramatic improvement" thanks to a new protocol being advocated by the Preemie Growth Project. Executive Director and Founder Ida Briggs reports the breakthrough treatment was initially discovered last year when a 9-month old severely hypotonic boy diagnosed with cerebral palsy went from twelve pounds to twenty-two in under ten weeks, and then took his first steps while using the Preemie Growth Project "preemie protocol." This year a 9-year old girl, born at 26 weeks weighing 1 pound, 11 ounces, diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy had "dramatic improvement" which included healthy weight gain, increased strength and hyperspastic hands becoming normal, among other improvements. Additional patients were recruited, with similar results. The protocol uses micronutrient supplementation, relying on the "Textbook of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition," edited by Dr. Stefano Guandalini, for the explanation of the protocol's efficacy. The key passage, per Ms. Briggs, is on page 631: "The infant born prematurely is at increased risk for developing trace mineral deficiencies. Premature birth is associated with low stores at birth, because accretion of trace minerals takes place during the … Continue reading →

Sheila Fynes couldnt sleep most nights this summer, wondering whether she made the right decision in allowing a public inquiry to view a 34-minute military police video of her sons lifeless body hanging from a chin-up bar in his barracks. The graphic, disturbing images of Corporal Stuart Langridge were never released to the news media, but the commission investigating the militarys handling of his suicide played it in public as part of a series of hearings last spring. His mother and stepfather, Shaun Fynes, wrestled with the question of showing the video almost up until the day it was played. There are times when I think Ive shared the most personal thing about Stuarts life and I hope I hope it wasnt for nothing, said Ms. Fynes in an interview from her Victoria home. Cpl. Langridge hanged himself on March 15, 2008, and his body was left in place for four hours while investigators documented and searched through everything in the room. The video sometimes zoomed in on his head and face. Federal lawyers representing the Defence Department argued in advance that if the video were to be shown, it would have to be in its entirety. Ms. Fynes said … Continue reading →

With its first Orphan Drug application for Beurger`s disease approved last fall, Pluristem Therapeutics (PSTI) will seek a second one for aplastic anemia (AA), an extremely dangerous condition associated with bone marrow degeneration that the company successfully treated earlier this month. If approved for clinical trials, it would mark Pluristem`s entry into the $1.3 billion bone marrow market that includes conditions stemming from chemotherapy and radiation poisoning. Orphan drugs aimed toward the most life threatening diseases take the shortest time to approval, and AA is considered a medical emergency. Finding and treating rare disorders is big business; orphan drugs average $200,000 per patient per year. Pharmaceutical firms, recognizing the advantages in developing these `niche-busters` that are expected to comprise a $27 billion market in 2015, are highly focused in their search for them, and investors place more value on orphan drugs for various economic reasons - less review time, higher probability of FDA approval, advocacy organizations that act as free marketing, less price sensitivity - and also because in an environment of patent litigation, orphan market exclusivity cannot be easily challenged. According to the FDA`s November 2011 issue of Innovative Drug Approvals, of 35 compounds cited for their medical novelty, … Continue reading →

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States. Caused by damage to the myelin sheath the protective coating of the nerves in the brain MS is marked by an array of symptoms, including muscle spasms, loss of vision and difficulty moving arms and legs. While there is no cure for MS, there are various treatments available for those suffering from the disease. Dr. Michael Devereaux, a neurologist for University Hospitals Case Medical Center, spoke with FoxNews.com about the many options for MS patients looking for symptom relief. According to him, there are two main goals when it comes to treating MS. One is treating the acute attacks, Devereaux said. And then, what youre really interested in even more is reducing the frequency of attacks and reducing overall disability over time. Thats been a harder to question to answer from studies and the like, because all the drugs are promoting the idea that they can reduce frequency and overall disability, but theres been some debate about that. Modifying the disease During MS, white blood cells, called T-cells, become activated and cross the blood-brain barrier into the brain. While there, they cause an inflammatory … Continue reading →

Retro gaming legend Ms. Pac-Man gets an update with a 3D version that lets our hungry heroine run up and down walls and across the ceiling. Ms. Pac-Man gets super-sized. The phrase "immersive experience" gets bandied about quite a bit, but it's often an overstatement -- unless you happen to be in a room completely surrounded by a fully playable Ms. Pac-Man game. Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy, got to experiment with a variety of video games for the recent Babycastles Summit at the Museum of Art & Design in New York. Takahashi's new take on Ms. Pac-Man involved projecting it onto the walls and ceiling of a room. It looks like what would happen if Tron and Ms. Pac-Man got together, minus the glowing skin-tight suits. This all goes to show that old retro games can learn new tricks. Some neck craning is involved for the player to track Ms. Pac-Man as she flies up the walls and crosses over onto the ceiling, but it sure looks like fun. It's super cool now, but we would have paid really big bucks for this kind of experience back in the '80s. (Via Kotaku) Follow this link: Ms. Pac-Man … Continue reading →