What is Multiple Sclerosis?

MS stands for Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis is currently considered by the medical community to be an autoimmune disorder, where the body becomes confused in some way to where it attacks itself, as if it is a foreign invader that the body needs to defend itself against.

Due to the more recent release of the conclusions of the 2 year study by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, that was conducted at the University of Ferrara in Ferrara, Italy, there is a newer theory arising that many of the cases of Multiple Sclerosis many have something to do with the chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI, where there appears to be restricted blood flow to the veins that drain the blood away from the brain (jugular veins) and possible reduced blood blow to veins through out the upper chest (called the azygous process in medical terms).

The theory about the restricted blood flow or CCSVI condition being present in the majority of the cases of Multiple Sclerosis is such a new idea, that it still needs to be tested on a wider scale before any conclusions can be drawn from this idea.  As further studies are springing up in different countries around the world and as more vascular doctors, cardiologists and neurologists are working more with their MS patients to have them evaluated for CCSVI, more information is being gathered to determine if CCSVI is present in many cases of Multiple Sclerosis and in what can be done about it to correct this problem.

As a result of the initial study, Dr. Zamboni also developed a procedure dubbed "The Liberation treatment" where a catheter is inserted in the vein that has a restriction present that results in reduced blood flow and a small balloon is inflated in the vein to open up the blood flow to the vein.

In the original study, 90% of the MS patients were found to have the CCSVI condition.  After the MS patients under went the procedure to open up the blood flow to the restricted vessels, 75% of the MS patients that under went the procedure show remarkable improvement in a reduction of their MS symptoms and with recovering more of their ability to function.

As more MS patients are being evaluated to see if the CCSVI condition is present, it also will need to be determined what to take for the next step, since "The Liberation treatment" is also a fairly new development as to a way to correct this problem with venous insufficiency or reduced blood flow.

Although this more recent development in MS research has raised questions as to how to classify and treat Multiple Sclerosis, "The Liberation Treatment" has been not called a cure to Multiple Sclerosis, since the cause of Multiple Sclerosis is still under investigation at this time.

Multiple Sclerosis symptoms can vary from one case of Multiple Sclerosis to the next.  The type, frequency and severity of the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis depends on which part of the nervous system has been attacked by MS and on the degree of resulting damage to the nerves.

Although the frequency and severity of Multiple Sclerosis symptoms can vary from case to case, there is still a core group of symptoms that are more often associated with Multiple Sclerosis, that helps doctors to suspect that Multiple Sclerosis may be present sooner, before the MS progress becomes as severe.

Symptoms often associated with Multiple Sclerosis can include:

* vision problems or eye pain -- this can be blurriness of vision, problems focusing, seeing double, partial loss of vision in one or both eyes.

*  Numbness, tingling, pins and needles, lack of sensation (can't feel heat or cold or can't touch things and feel them against your skin) -- numbness can be present almost anywhere in the body but often this occurs in the extremities (hands, arms, legs, feet or face)

* Nerve Pain -- this can occur anywhere throughout the body and the pain can be constantly there or it can come and go.

Nerve pain is an intense pain that can be unbearable at times.  This pain can be much more difficult to calm down, if it isn't confined to a specific point on the body or specific part of the body, since nerve pain can travel kind of randomly around the body or it can be a more general pain that is present over a larger area of the body at one time.

* Placement and control problems -- this refers to where you are unable to control where you place your feet or how you move your legs, hands, feet and arms.  It is like you lose control over movement of different body parts.

* loss of balance - this can happen when you try to stand or walk.

* loss of the ability to stand or walk -- this can be continuously a problem or it come and go periodically as to whether you can stand up and/or walk much from day to day. This can also be where you lose part of your ability to stand and walk for longer distances, but you can still stand and/or walk some.

This may be a milder problem (you need assistance walking or standing using a cane or walker), but it doesn't get any worse than this or you can progressively lose more of the ability to stand and/or walk to where you need a wheelchair to get around.

In more extreme cases, you can lose the ability to stand and walk totally as the disease progression accelerates or progresses to a more severe or advanced form of the disease and resulting nerve damage and loss of the ability to function independently on your own.

* bladder control problems (or incontinence) -- this can be partial loss of control where you periodically wet yourself from lack of control or you have closer to total lack of control

Bladder control issues can also include where the bladder retains instead of draining as it should and you may end up having to catheterize just to drain the bladder several times a day.

Cathetorization can set you up to get infections much more often, since this is introducing a foreign object into the urethra that can actually push extra bacteria from outside the bladder to inside the bladder.

* Night time Incontinence -- this can be a loss of control of drainage of the bladder when you lie down to go to sleep at night.

Multiple Sclerosis is also a term that covers a broad range of symptoms that can vary from one case of MS to the next.  Since there appears not to be any 2 cases of Multiple Sclerosis that are exactly alike, in the severity, frequency or combination of the symptoms of MS, this has resulted in there being several theories as to the suspected cause or causes of Multiple Sclerosis.

"What is Multiple Sclerosis?" is a question that is still not totally settled, in the minds of the world wide medical community, since the disease process of Multiple Sclerosis is not well understood, at this point.

Most current MS research, that is being done to work towards a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, includes going many different directions at the same time, in the hopes that a cure will be found, while in the process more will hopefully be understood about how and what is affecting the body that can result in the scarring and possible nerve damage that is so often associated with Multiple Sclerosis.

Possible Multiple Sclerosis causes that are being considered include:

* virus theory -- the idea here is that something like the Epstein Bar virus (that is linked to mononucleosis) or the German measles or perhaps the chicken pox virus can be a way that the conditions are set up for Multiple Sclerosis to attack the body.

* genetic link -- this appears possible, according to Professor George Jelinek, M.D. of the University of Western Australia.

Professor George Jelinek has written a few books where he talks about different aspects of Multiple Sclerosis.  In his book, "Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis", Professor Jelinek discusses that there appears to be a genetic link with Multiple Sclerosis.
Basically, according to Professor George Jelinek, M.D., who is an emergency  physician and Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Western Australia, he states that if a family member that is one generation away from you was previously diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, that you have a 300% higher chance of also being diagnosed.

What Professor George Jelinek, MD is referring to is if your father, mother, brother or sister were previously diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, this greatly increases the possibility that you will also be diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

But in his book, Professor Jelinek, MD also comes to the conclusion, through his own battle with Multiple Sclerosis after his mother was severely disabled by the effects of Multiple Sclerosis, that there are natural and alternative ways that can help to not only reduce the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, but that can also help to restore much or even most of what Multiple Sclerosis has removed from your life previously.

With the release of the findings of the more recent Dr. Zamboni study, the possibility that CCSVI may contribute to many cases of Multiple Sclerosis may exist, but is not certain as to whether the MS causes the CCSVI or the CCSVI may be another possible cause of Multiple Sclerosis.  Until further studies are performed over a period of time, further conclusions into this matter are still pending.

* Environmental factor to causing MS

Another idea, which is also being considered as one of the possible Multiple Sclerosis causes is that the scarring is a result of the effects of Environmental toxins attacking the body (like a nerve agent or something similar, which can cause direct nerve damage to the body).

But, at this point, there is no conclusive proof that gives the medical community enough evidence as to which way to focus the MS research for finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis or to help focus the efforts for finding what can resolve the wide spread physical problems, resulting from the increase in the Multiple Sclerosis incidence rate of the number of people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis around the world, but the MS research h is continuing to advance in finding out more about the disease process, the possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis and the possible treatment methods to help to alleviate the suffering of MS patients from the effects of Multiple Sclerosis on the body.

Additional ways, including what is called complimentary medicine is also being pursued, which includes alternative and natural ways to find ways to work with the body to help speed healing and recovery by helping to restore more of the balance of the body's natural methods of healing itself, such as finding ways to reduce the effects of stress, reduce the over stimulation of the nervous system, relax and restore the ability to sleep better at night, using different forms of MS exercise to help to stimulate the regeneration of damaged nerves and weakened muscles to help improve how well MS patients can function each day..

Because there are such a wide variety of theories as to what is Multiple Sclerosis and what can may be the cause or causes of Multiple Sclerosis, this has resulted in many approaches being used by the traditional and complementary medical doctors in an attempt to bring some relief to the symptoms of their Multiple Sclerosis patients.

The traditional medical doctors are broadening there scope of treatment options to include what is called Complimentary Medicine for Multiple Sclerosis.

Complimentary medicine includes using a broad range of options in finding a way to bring relief to the Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, that can include pharmaceutical drugs, which are often used to treat Multiple Sclerosis many times.

There are also Alternative and Natural ways that are used effectively for helping to reduce the broad range of MS symptoms that are seen in the many cases of MS that are diagnosed each year throughout the many countries throughout the world.  The traditional doctors are finding that there are some benefits of using alternative and natural ways for helping to reduce the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.

This is called Complimentary medicine or even alternative medicine, when the traditional methods of the treatment of disease are combined with alternative or natural methods.  Because of the controversy that surrounds the possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis can also include a broad range of the possible MS treatments, therapies and ways that are being used for Multiple Sclerosis in an attempt to bring relief to the symptoms of MS.

Since around 80% of our brains and 60% of the rest our bodies are made up of nerves, the nerve damage that typically results from Multiple Sclerosis can affect how well the majority of our bodies can function.  The problems with the scrambling of nerve signals, that typically accompanies the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, can also cause most of the nervous system to appear to be short circuiting. 

The Multiple Sclerosis brain can also be affected that can result in scarring in the brain or MS brain lesions within the brain, which can be seen on the films of MRI test or magnetic imaging resonance test results.

MS scarring in the brain or lesions can result in the following brain function problems:

* cognitive problems

* memory problems

* brain fog

* scrambling of words, phrases, numbers
   and concepts

* difficulty speaking

* hearing loss (partial or total)

* vision problems

* problems connecting with your
   surroundings

* difficulty figuring things out or with
   thinking logically

* mild to severe loss of the ability to function
   on your own

Although there is such a broad range of the degree of disability in Multiple Sclerosis, since MS can be mild to severe and Multiple Sclerosis is still not very well understood, we still have a ways to go for understanding the disease process of Multiple Sclerosis, understanding the causes of MS and finding ways to treat or even cure Multiple Sclerosis.

No matter what, don't lose heart because more and more is being understood and discovered about Multiple Sclerosis as the MS research progresses.

Who knows how close we are at this point to finding that piece to the puzzle for Multiple Sclerosis that brings a breakthrough in MS to help bring about a cure for Multiple Sclerosis in the near future.

To find out more about Multiple Sclerosis, along with more about ways to help reduce MS symptoms, complete the form below to subscribe to our FREE Multiple Sclerosis Report.

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