Category Archives: MS Treatment

Editor's Choice Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis Article Date: 11 May 2012 - 13:00 PDT Current Article Ratings: 2.75 (4 votes) The procedure, known as liberation therapy or liberation procedure, uses stents, also known as angioplasty, to widen veins in the chest and neck. Stents are small spring loaded devices placed into arteries or veins to hold them open. They have been used successfully in heart patients, although even that has its controversies. Theory has it that CCSVI is caused by poor drainage from the brain and upper spinal cord, so the procedure makes sense to some. However, the theory is just that and research into the causes of the disease, especially in terms of finding a link between MS and CCSVI, have been inconclusive. Even the criteria used to diagnose CCSVI has not been properly established. William Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, confirm's the FDA's stance on the treatment : Widening the veins in the neck and chest has been associated with a variety of issues including: stroke, detachment and migration of the stents, damage to the treated vein, blood clots, cranial nerve damage, abdominal bleeding … Continue reading →

CAROLINE ALPHONSO TORONTO From Friday's Globe and Mail Published Thursday, May. 10, 2012 9:32PM EDT Last updated Friday, May. 11, 2012 8:31AM EDT In stark contrast to Canadas go-slow approach, U.S. drug regulators have issued their strongest warning yet to multiple sclerosis patients about the dangers of a controversial new treatment. The Food and Drug Administration issued its alert on Thursday after it received adverse reports connected with two patients who had the experimental therapy in the United States: One died from bleeding in the brain and another was paralyzed from a stroke. The agency said it also has heard reports of stents (sometimes used in the procedure) migrating to the heart, cranial nerve damage, blood clots and abdominal bleeding related to the procedure. The frequency of these complications is unknown. Because there is no reliable evidence from controlled clinical trials that this procedure is effective in treating MS, FDA encourages rigorously conducted, properly targeted research to evaluate the relationship between [the therapy] and MS, said William Maisel, chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDAs Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Patients are encouraged to discuss the potential risks and benefits of this procedure with a neurologist … Continue reading →

Hundreds take part in local Walk MS Fundraising efforts by N.J. Metro Chapter go toward patient services, research BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer NORTH BRUNSWICK More than 400 walkers raised over $16,000 in cash during the 24th annual New Jersey Metro Chapter Walk MS, which was held at Babbage Park in North Brunswick on April 15. According to Linda Rossi, manager of grants and programs, the number will increase as online and future donations are added, working toward the sites goal of $100,000. Last year, the site brought in more than $73,500 for patient programs, support services, research initiatives and professional education. Over the past two years, the New Jersey Metro Chapter has brought in $2.5 million for research alone. Its invaluable what its going to do for people with MS and their families and caregivers, she said. Recent, newly established awareness campaigns include MS NOW (No Opportunity Wasted) to stop the diseases activity and restore function; MS Kills Connections, but Connections Kill MS to spread the word about MS; and the MS Youth Movement to engage youth through volunteer opportunities and education. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder that attacks the central nervous system, interrupting functions between the … Continue reading →

Ann Romney said Thursday that it felt like a rug being pulled from underneath you when she found out about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Romney, in a brief clip from an interview airing in full Friday on Foxs Americas Newsroom, described the time after her diagnosis in 1998 as a hard time in my life. Its like a rug being pulled out from underneath you, she said. And then what are you left with? And then you really have to evaluate. Who am I? Who am I really? Am I just what is identified as a teacher, a mother, you know, a professor, a business person? Those labels that we have that we so identify with in life. If everything is taken away from us, what are you really left with? Ann Romney credited her husband Mitt with giving her the greatest strength to cope with her new life with MS. And thats where I was, and its a struggle, she said. And it was a hard time in my life. And for Mitt, thats where he gave me the greatest strength. He was the one reminding me that it wasnt what I did why he loved me, it was … Continue reading →

Relying too much on brain scans appears to be one reason doctors each year misdiagnose multiple sclerosis in hundreds of patients whose symptoms are caused by some other disease. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center surveyed 242 multiple sclerosis specialists in the U.S. to find out how often they see patients who have been misdiagnosed. Among the 122 respondents, more than 95 percent said they saw at least one patient in the past year diagnosed with MS by another medical provider, but the specialist "strongly felt" the patient had some other disease. Three out of four specialists said they saw three or more misdiagnosed patients within the past year. The authors estimate that the 122 specialists saw 600 patients in a year who had been given an incorrect diagnosis of MS. An estimated 280 of the misdiagnosed patients were receiving therapy for MS with a disease-modifying drug, which can cause serious side effects and cost $40,000 or more per patient per year. "Some of these patients have had this diagnosis for years," says lead author Dr. Andrew Solomon, an assistant professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, who began the … Continue reading →

Public release date: 9-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Todd Murphy murphyt@ohsu.edu 503-494-8231 Oregon Health & Science University PORTLAND, Ore. It is relatively common for doctors to diagnose someone with multiple sclerosis when the patient doesn't have the disease a misdiagnosis that not only causes patients potential harm but costs the U.S. health care system untold millions of dollars a year, according to a study published online today in the journal Neurology. The study is based on a survey of 122 multiple sclerosis specialists nationwide and was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Neurology is the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The survey found that all but six of the multiple sclerosis specialists more than 95 percent had seen at least one patient within the past year who had been diagnosed with MS by another medical provider, but the MS specialist "strongly felt [the patient] did not in fact have MS." Almost three-quarters of the MS specialists said they had seen at least three patients within the past year who they believe had been misdiagnosed. More than one-third of respondents said they had seen six … Continue reading →

The FDA is warning health-care professionals and patients that injuries and death have been associated with the use of the experimental procedure. The therapy was devised by Italian physician Paolo Zamboni, who says MS is caused by vein blockages in the neck and upper chest that prevent blood from being drained from the brain. He says opening these veins with balloon angioplasty reverses symptoms of MS; Zamboni calls the vein blockages chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI. The FDA says studies exploring a link between MS and CCSVI are inconclusive, and the criteria used to diagnose CCSVI have not been adequately established. Scores of Canadians have travelled overseas to get the treatment; at least two Canadians are known to have died after undergoing the therapy. Dr. William Maisel, the chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, says patients considering the treatment should discuss the pros and cons with a neurologist or other doctor familiar with MS and CCSVI. In a release, the FDA says it has learned of adverse events experienced by people who have undergone the treatment, including death, stroke, detachment and migration of stents that are sometimes used to … Continue reading →

05-05-2012 20:34 A short update after the big move and thoughts on the clogged jugular. Go here to read the rest: CCSVI and MS Update - After the Move, May 5, 2012 - Video … Continue reading →

Just because he wasn't at Allen Park on Sunday doesn't mean Doug Brown's presence wasn't felt. As Team DJ participated in the MS Walk in Allen Park on Sunday, Brown was in Buffalo receiving treatment for multiple sclerosis. Still, Brown's team was among the largest in attendance Sunday for the annual fundraiser. "We started out with just a few family members, but the team has just grown and grown," said Heather Brown of Team DJ. "We have around 60 people on the team this year and our goal is to raise at least $10,000 every year for the foundation. Doug (Brown) is missing the event for the first time this year because he is currently going through treatment for MS at Buffalo General Hospital." Brandy Wadsworth, the captain of Team Awesomeness, also has multiple sclerosis. "This team is all family and friends. I have MS so I'm doing these events while I can still walk. I want to be able to raise money for those people that can't," said Wadsworth. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society held its Walk MS Jamestown event Sunday, starting at the Allen Park Ice Rink, with hopes of raising more than $13,000 for the Upstate New … Continue reading →

PLATTSBURGH North Country residents whose lives have been impacted by multiple sclerosis will have an opportunity to raise awareness of the disease during a fundraiser in Plattsburgh this weekend. Walk MS, a national organization dedicated to supporting people with multiple sclerosis, will hold its first-ever local event on U.S. Oval on Sunday, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the walk commencing at 10. WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY The Plattsburgh location was made possible by the dedication of several people who felt a need to bring a local MS program to the North Country. I contacted the National MS Society following my attendance at an annual Walk MS event in Saratoga Springs because my sister-in-law was participating on behalf of Tracey SantaMaria, said Kelly Murphy of AuSable Forks. Tracey (who has MS) was unable to attend last year due to an MS-related issue, and the drive would have been too long and difficult for her to sustain, she added. Murphy emailed the Upstate New York Chapter of Walk MS about the possibility of organizing an event in Plattsburgh, and that started the wheels in motion to organize a local fundraiser. This is a wonderful opportunity for people in our region, said SantaMaria, … Continue reading →