October 5, 2013 I posted an article on Thisisms.com titled "Five CCSVI MS Types", the five being 1) Congenital 2) Developmental 3) Aging 4) Skeletal and 5) Toxic. I later divided Toxic into Toxic and a 6th Infectious, though as I explained I believe they perform in similar ways. Toxicity/Infection can both damage the vein walls AND create a tension which impedes the circulatory system. (Same Blogs found here.)
The response on the Thisisms website was that the origin of MS is "Truncular" which happens to be the position of the Society of Interventional Radiologists. Apparently "truncular" means congenital, embryonic and/or originating in the main "trunk" venous lines (Jugular, Vertical and Azygous). In short one is born with whatever venous malformations exist.
I disagree and so does Dr. Robert Zivadinov, Professor of Neurology at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Director of the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) who states in the CCSVI Symposium of 2011 in his lecture "CCSVI and Brain Perfusion” that Venous Malformations can be either Congenital or Acquired. Congenital malformations are 1) Truncular (Embryonic) or 2) Physiological. Malformations are Acquired through 1) Aging 2) Inflammation (leading to numerous disorders, for example CCSVI heart disease, as well as MS) 3) Vascular risk factors and 4) Infective agents (Epstein Barr Virus being prominent.)
Dr Zivadoniv’s 4 risk factors for MS are
- EBV Mononucleosis being number one. It is estimated that while 95% of the general population carry the EBV antigen, ALL MS patients carry it.
- Genetic: 65% of MS patients carry the HLA-DR15 gene as opposed to 20-30% non MS (if I understood correctly).
- Vit D deficiency. Extreme north or south latitude. T cell immunity factors
- Smoking
Yes, I had Mono at age 9 along with hepatitis. If the gene HLA -DR15 is also a factor in celiac disease, can it be seen as an intolerance for glutens and lactose? (True for me. I don’t know if I have this genetic profile). I grew up in Seattle, 48°N Latitude. And both of my parents smoked which doubtless damaged my health growing up.
But I actually believe plain old STRESS is the primary risk factor. Latitude can’t explain MS incidence differences in the Israeli population, Ireland (between Catholic and Protestant areas,) or Crete or the significant increase in Japanese MS over the past 30 years (diet change? IT electro-magnetic interference?) (See Blog post “Success Stress” June 1, 2012) While Dr. Zivadinov is a Neurologist interested in the CCSVI theory and reduced blood perfusion in MS brains; he believed that the DMDs “work” and apparently held to the auto-immune theory of MS. However as Dr. George Ebers has shown, they “work” only in the RRMS early phase, and do not prevent decline into the Progressive phase and handicap. (See MS Drug/MRI Fallacy blog) They work in the inflammatory phase characterized by gadolinium lesions in white matter revealed by the MRI. But eventually, the inflammations cease and the patient descends into the SPMS and PPMS stage. Consider the following quotes from Thisisms.com:
Posted by Liberation on Thisisms.com February 13, 2014 under General Discussion “EBV targeting treatments yields clinical improvements in spms”
“Cheer, you made a very good point, I agree with you. Both SPMS and PPMS patients have less and eventually no gadolinium enhancing lesions, so they seem to be without an acute inflammation at a later stage. Gadolinium enhancing lesions decrease over time in both SPMS and PPMS patients to eventually zero. Most PPMS patients have only a short time at the very early stage of the disease when they have active lesions.”
Posted by cheerleader (Joan Beal) on Feb 19, 2014
One thing I noted years ago, was that EBV enters the "lytic", or reactivated phase, in hypoxic situations. We find it reactivated in stroke patients, too.
Quote:
There has been much made about the connection of the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and MS. Most people carry the latent, or dormant version of this virus. Nearly 95% of all adults carry the EBV virus. A recent post mortem study showed reactivated EBV cells in active MS lesions.
In the seven MS patients' postmortem brain tissue studied, active MS lesions all contained Epstein-Barr virus infected cells.
Quote:
Such cells weren't unique to MS, but were also detected in CNS tissue from two control patients with stroke, which the researchers pointed out is also a disease in which inflammation plays an important role.
Notably, Epstein-Barr virus-positive cells were present in much higher numbers in active MS lesions than expected in peripheral blood B cells, "which suggests that these cells are recruited to or accumulate in CNS infiltrates," Lünemann noted.[/b]
http://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple- ... in-ms.aspx
What might reactivate this virus and cause it to replicate in the B cells?
Why were these cells also in the brains of stroke patients? It's not just about inflammation or the immune system.
Hypoxia. Lack of oxygen reactivates EBV infection. The ischemic injury of slowed blood flow, caused be stroke or CCSVI, could reactivate EBV cells.
EBV in latent infection can be activated to lytic infection by hypoxia treatment.
http://www.journalofclinicalvirology.co ... 2900244-7/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC419879/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++…
Researchers cannot comment on how cigarette smoking would increase EBV, increase brain atrophy and worsen MS??
Smoking decreases oxygen and increases hypoxia. Hypoxia activates EBV.... cheer »
End of quotes
What does that tell me?
Does EBV infection cause MS, or does MS trigger a serious EBV infection such as Mononucleosis? I suspect the latter. Reduced blood perfusion, reduced oxygen, activates or re-activates EBV infections. A high supply of EBV titers simply implies that CCSVI reduced brain blood flow has re-activated the EBV virus. It may be that someone with reduced blood flow is particularly susceptible to Mononucleosis and any Epstein Barr Virus infection.
Strolling about the internet one finds that epithelial cells are the primary location of the EBV virus. The Endothelium (inner lining of the blood vessels) is a specialized form of epithelium. Perhaps Mononucleosis and EBV illnesses in general actually damage the endothelium of blood vessels And the various stress factors which impede blood circulation leave one vulnerable to an EBV infection because of lack of oxygen or “Hypoxia”.
Let’s put this all together.
I grew up in the Northern latitude city of Seattle Wa., the cold, rainy winters leaving me vulnerable to frequent viral infections, including Mononucleosis and Hepatitus when I was 9 years old. Poor diet, much processed food and few fresh, raw vegetables and fruit. If I lacked Vitamin D, it wasn’t just the restricted sunlight that did it. (Poor diet and almost no sea food). From adolescence terrible, debilitating menstrual cramps. But the worst stress factor was my mother’s frequent hysterical, unpredictable, emotional outbursts. The whole family walked on eggs. Early on my back muscles tensed up and my breathing was shallow as befits a child living in constant fear. So maybe poor oxygen circulation to the brain due to stress actually LED to the mononucleosis, and then the illness further damaged my circulatory system. If I have a gene which causes an intolerance of glutens and lactose, this could have led to further stress and poor digestion of whatever nutrients were available to me. And both of my parents smoked. During car trips my 2 sisters and I had the choice of opening the windows to freeze in the wind, or suffocating in smoke. Low oxygen may leave one open to either getting the EBV virus, or to re-activating the dormant virus one already has.
Further discussion on this theme can be found in the blog posts of June 1, 2012, "Success Stress", and July 4, 2013 "Rigidity Disease".
So let's try to understand what is happening with MS. In 2011 Dr. Zivadinov states that MS becomes an auto-immune disease AFTER the chain of events triggered by CCSVI. Otherwise the DMD's wouldn’t "work". Except recent research reveals that they don't work, at least in the long run. (See blog post the MS Drug/MRI Fallacy) They apparently treat the Inflammation of early RRMS. Once the Progressive stage sets in, they don't work and decline sets in.. What appears to be happening is that the brain atrophies as do the veins draining the brain. It has been demonstrated that blood transit time in MS patients is one half that of normals. The question is one of perfusion ie blood flow, volume and mean transit time. ALL brain fluids contribute to adequate blood flow. “Hypoperfusion of brain parenchyma is strongly associated with severity of CCSVI in MS.” Zivadinov
Think of it this way. Arterial blood flows into the brain rich in oxygen and nutrients to penetrate the brain through the capillary bed blood flow after which the blood returns to the heart through the veins. But if that flow is impeded because of venous obstruction (for example) or atrophy, this could lead to tissue death.
"The data generated by SWI (Susceptibility weighted Imaging MRI) has bearing on the debate about CCSVI because it is able to image very small veins, oxygen saturation and iron in tissue. In MS pathological iron deposits are extensive and associated with disability, while inflammatory lesions in white matter are less correlated with disability.(Bakshi et al.2002: Zhang et al 2007a: Neema et al.2009)" quoted from pg 125 Marie Rhodes CCSVI as the Cause of Multiple Sclerosis
It may be a reductive, materialistic bias that refuses to consider that plain old body tension induced by emotional stress can set off the whole process of MS "attacks". Let's say I have a venous stenosis. The Doppler ultrasound found no stenosis, but only one out of the Zamboni 5 criteria was studied, and Jeff Beal's Ultrasound was also negative even though both of his Jugulars were stenosed. Presumably he had these stenosis for a while (since birth?) or they had been developing for a while (my opinion). A stress event could cause them to close off triggering an important reflux - hence an "attack". Once relaxed, the blood flow resumes, though at a slower rate than "normals".
Let's return to me. Tension induced by stress (emotions, toxicity, infection?) literally squeezes the fluid circulation inducing an "attack" as the blood brain barrier is breached and blood floods the tissue provoking inflammation and an immune system response. Eventually the tension is relieved, the attack stops and the tissue gradually heals, though not entirely. Loss of myelin gradually undermines corresponding physical processes. What I need to do is relieve the tension and get the blood circulating.
(According to Noel N. Batten whose blog I just read, Dr. Charcot originally labeled MS “a rigidity disorder”. The Zamboni blood flow theory provides a physiological explanation of how body tension can actually trigger a response which injures the central nervous system. His “liberation therapy” should overcome the “stigma” associated with the “Charcot’ idea that MS is an hysterical female disease. I don’t agree with Mr. Batten that stress reduction alone can overcome MS. Some MSers have a skeletal obstruction of blood/cerebrospinal fluid flow - for example muscles, bone spurs – which have to be removed to release blood circulation. Others may have serious vein stenoses/pathologies in need of opening. So many possibilities, so many potential solutions, so much frustration in deciding where to begin.)
I also need to nourish the brain tissue in particular. When I swim the crawl I feel "oxygenated". When I drink freshly extracted raw vegetable juice I enjoy a similar relief. It may be more accurate to say I feel "nourished", the swim gets the oxygen into the cells, the raw juice penetrates the blood stream directly.
I may have a stenosis, but not a thrombosis. The blood flow or perfusion is inadequate but apparently not closed off. I probably am now in a Progressive stage with slow blood "perfusion" and occasional setbacks brought on by body tension. Dr. Zamboni's insight has opened the door to diminishing this Progression. I am otherwise in excellent health, largely thanks to the measures I've taken to control the MS.
But occasionally when I weaken my nervous system appears to be under a generalized assault I can’t control. I would compare this to a progressive MS phase, not closely linked to a blood reflux. Has the Epstein Barr Virus re-activated?
If I can eliminate the EBV virus, will that eliminate the MS? I doubt it. It may slow MS progression by improving overall health, especially if brain blood flow is enhanced by reducing body tension. But the problem of insufficient oxygen supply to the brain may persist.
So what to do? I’m not going to take an anti-viral drug to try to eliminate the EBV virus. (And I’m going to re-think my paragraph about the inherited EBV DNA because I don’t think it a valid, or helpful idea. It fits the persistent fallacy that MS is an auto-immune disease. Try as they might, scientists have been unable to prove that. If researchers come up with a super drug to eliminate the EBV RetroVirus, they are still going to need to deal with the damaged blood vessels and poor blood/brain circulation induced by body tension. Also, eventually find a way to reconstitute the myelin sheath as well as repair other brain damage. A big task).
The likelihood that the EBV virus rears its ugly head occasionally when my immune defenses are down may explain the feeling a virus is “eating” at me. And while the EBV virus is active some brain damage may occur. I’ve found the homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum protects me from viruses. If I start going downhill, it’s Acupuncture or Osteopathy to give me a boost. (This last time, the Acupuncture treatment really turned things around). Maybe I could look into a Homeopathic remedy specific to the EBV virus.
But above all, I must keep the blood circulating in order to NOURISH the brain with OXYGEN and NUTRIENTS to prevent grey matter atrophy and to keep the EBV virus dormant. I believe nourishing brain grey matter is the key to maintaining general health, brain health and preventing disability.
Tags: Multiple Sclerosis, MS, Dr. Charcot, Dr. Zivadinov, Dr. Ebers, Epstein Barr Virus, Mononucleosis, CCSVI, Oxygen