Category Archives: MS Treatment

ScienceDaily (July 17, 2012) Researchers with the UBC Hospital MS Clinic and Brain Research Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia have published important data in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) about the impact of a common drug therapy on the progression of multiple sclerosis for people with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. The study, led by Drs. Helen Tremlett, Afsaneh Shirani, Joel Oger and others, shows no strong evidence that a group of drugs, beta interferons (-IFNs), prescribed to treat MS had a measurable impact on the long-term disability progression of the disease. The team examined the linked health records of 2656 BC patients between 1985 -- 2008 in a retrospective cohort study, which means data from already collected sources were linked together in an anonymized form and studied. Data sources included the BC Ministry of Health, PharmaNet and the BC Multiple Sclerosis (BCMS) database, facilitated by Population Data BC. The study population included patients with MS who were treated with beta interferons (-IFNs), the most widely used treatment for relapsing-remitting MS, as well as untreated MS patients. The research team discovered that administration of -IFN was not associated with a … Continue reading →

Newswise CHICAGO Among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with the widely-prescribed drug to treat MS, interferon beta, was not associated with less progression of disability, according to a study in the July 18 issue of JAMA. "A key feature of MS is clinical progression of the disease over time manifested by the accumulation of disability. Interferon beta drugs are the most widely prescribed disease-modifying drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsing-onset MS, the most common MS disease course," according to background information in the article. The authors add that there is a lack of well-controlled longitudinal studies investigating the effect of interferon beta on disability progression. Afsaneh Shirani, M.D., of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues conducted a study to investigate the association between interferon beta exposure and disability progression in relapsing-remitting MS. The study included prospectively collected data (1985-2008) from British Columbia. Patients with relapsing-remitting MS treated with interferon beta (n = 868) were compared with untreated contemporary (n = 829) and historical (prior to the approval of interferon beta) (n = 959) groups. The primary outcome measured was time from interferon beta treatment eligibility (baseline) to … Continue reading →

By Benita Aw Yeong The New Paper Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012 SINGAPORE - When she first heard that her young daughter was diagnosed with cancer, Ms Cynthia Lim's knee-jerk reaction towards chemotherapy was a visceral and immediate "no". "There was the shock of having to deal with the disease. Then there was a bit of denial, which made it difficult to be rational," says the 32-year-old, whose four-year-old daughter Charmaine died from neuroblastoma last October. "For someone who did not have previous exposure to cancer, the pre-conceived notions about the side effects of chemo were so deeply ingrained in me that I just did not want her to go through that." Charmaine (right) would have turned seven yesterday. Eventually, Ms Lim came around to the idea that her child needed to undergo the treatment. After reading voraciously about the disease six months after the initial diagnosis, Ms Lim realised chemotherapy was the only chance for her daughter against cancer. The New Paper on Sunday approached Ms Lim after The Straits Times reported on Tuesday about a mother who objected to chemotherapy for her leukaemia-stricken son. The 31-year-old prefers "natural therapies" at an alternative health and well-being centre in the US … Continue reading →

Public release date: 16-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Leslie Capo lcapo@lsuhsc.edu 504-568-4806 Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, LA Research conducted by Jesus Lovera, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues has shown that stress management treatment significantly reduced the formation of new brain lesions in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) over the course of treatment. These lesions are markers of disease activity used to objectively measure disease status. The work is published ahead of print and is now available online in Neurology. "Our research found that 77% of the patients undergoing stress management therapy remained free of lesions while they were in treatment compared to 55% of those in the control group," notes Dr. Jesus Lovera, an LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans board certified neurologist whose research and practice focus on multiple sclerosis. The research team studied 121 patients with relapsing forms of MS, most of whom are women. They were randomly assigned to receive stress management therapy for MS or were wait-listed while continuing to receive their usual treatment for MS. The therapy group received 16 individual treatment sessions over 24 weeks, and were then … Continue reading →

A supplied picture of a modern Cree sweat lodge. Source: Supplied TAXPAYERS will fork out almost $21,000 to send a north Queensland assault victim overseas for spiritual healing on an Indian reserve. "Indigenous Canadian" Ruth Schaefer will fly with her friend, Hope Vale Aboriginal elder Gordon Charlie, on the trip to Cree Nations Treatment Haven in Saskatchewan, Canada - with both airfares paid for by the Justice Department. A Queensland tribunal ordered the trip, finding it "reasonable", as the treatment was only available in Canada. It found Ms Schaefer needed an escort and at least two stopovers each way. Ms Schaefer, who has post-traumatic stress disorder after a violent assault in 2007, went to Cree Nations in 2005 for trauma treatment in a sweat lodge and "a linking back to spiritual ancestors". The Canadian woman, who lives in Mareeba in north Queensland, said she now needs to return to the centre for "spiritual healing". At a Queensland Civil and Administrative hearing last month, Mr Charlie, who has known Ms Schaefer for 20 years, told QCAT that the healing programs for indigenous people in Australia were ineffective. The Justice Department previously rejected Ms Schaefer's request for financial assistance for the trip, … Continue reading →

Discovering new medicines is often the first thing that comes to mind when people think about clinical trials. But some of the most important research occurs in optimizing previously approved drugs. These follow-up studies are used to test the tolerability of drugs already approved, optimize patient safety and address patient acceptance. An example of this type of research is underway now at The Corvallis Clinic involving patients who have multiple sclerosis. MS is a disease affecting the central nervous system, brain and spinal cord, causing problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance, feeling and thinking. The Clinics Research Center participated in a previous study to evaluate fingolimod, marketed as Gilenya, the first-ever pill for treating the most common form of the disease, relapsing remitting MS. With relapsing remitting MS, patients experience attacks or relapses of symptoms, which are followed by periods of partial or complete recovery. Prior to Gilenya, medication was only available by injection. Although most patients are able to give themselves shots at home, it was a pain and a literal discomfort. These shots were also leading to a compliance problem, with patients not wanting to take their medicine. In studies, patients taking Gilenya showed improved compliance. … Continue reading →

What is multiple sclerosis? A chronic, often-disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system i.e., the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. How many people does it affect? There are about 400,000 people in the United States with multiple sclerosis. More than 200 people are diagnosed every week, according the MS Society. Why does it happen? MS is considered an autoimmune disease in which the body's own defenses attacks myelin, a fatty substance surrounding and protecting nerve fibers in the central nervous system. Nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged. Damaged myelin will form scar tissue, called a sclerosis. Portions of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber that are damaged or destroyed cause nerve impulses that travel to and from the brain and spinal cord to be distorted or interrupted. It is those distortions or interruptions that create the large variety of symptoms that can plague MS patients. What are typical symptoms? Visit link: MS: Facts about this disease … Continue reading →

CHICAGO, July 13 (UPI) -- Patients with multiple sclerosis who participated in a weekly stress management program developed fewer new brain lesions, U.S. researchers said. David Mohr, principal investigator of the study and professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said brain lesions in MS often precede flare-ups of symptoms such as loss of vision or use of limbs or pain. "This is the first time counseling or psychotherapy has been shown to affect the development of new brain lesions," Mohr said in a statement. "In MS the prevention of new brain lesions is an important marker used to judge how effective medications are. The new finding is an important step and the strongest evidence we have to date that stress is involved in MS." In the national clinical trial, 121 patients were randomized to receive stress management therapy for MS or be in a control group. Those in the therapy group received 16 sessions over a 24-week period during which they were taught coping skills to enhance their ability to prevent stressful events from occurring and to improve their capacity to manage their responses to stressful events that did arise. They received a … Continue reading →

Jill Wesselhoff loved chatting with the contestants as their makeup was applied and hair was styled. Wearing an emerald green dress, Wesselhoff donned formal wear and had to think on the fly to answer questions before judges. Its cool that it is a pageant pretty much minus the swimsuit, which is great, she said. But this was not a typical pageant. Contestants did not walk across the stage. They rolled in their wheelchairs. The 31-year-old Island Lake resident proudly earned the title as first runner-up at the second annual Ms. Wheelchair Illinois America competition, where Wesselhoff said contestants are breaking the misconception of what a beauty pageant stands for. It doesnt have to be about your looks or what you are wearing. It is about the person. Just because we have wheels doesnt mean we are any less a part of the community, she said. Wesselhoff was diagnosed at age 1 with a genetic neuromuscular disease called spinal muscular atrophy. Her mom, Terri, knew something was wrong when she never began to walk. She has used a motorized wheelchair since she was 3, adding, Ive been driving for a very long time. Even though doctors said she would not live … Continue reading →

For those suffering from the autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis, life alternates between almost symptomless periods of time and episodes of intense neurological problems that can result in anything from painful muscle spasms, loss of vision or problems moving arms and legs. These flare-ups are often preceded by brain lesions, scars that form in the nervous system and destroy myelin sheath material that surrounds neurons responsible for carrying electrical signals. By managing the development of these scars, patients with MS can keep better control their episodes. And now, new research has shown that a weekly stress management program was very effective in preventing the development of new lesions, pointing toward possibly supplemental therapy that could be used with existing MS treatments. The study, published in an issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, is part of ongoing research from principal investigator David Mohr, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg. A previous study of Mohrs involved following MS patients receiving MRIs and the stressful events in their lives; stress was found to be a good predictor of the development of brain lesions. MRIs track development of lesions Weve been able to show [with previous research] … Continue reading →