This is a re-post of one of my better papers which understands MS Progression as a Positive Feedback Loop. The back injury I sustained a year ago has led to increasing rigidity and difficulty in walking. Also the increasing need for Osteopathic adjustment, barring that massage. I am currently enjoying the sun of Southern Spain which is in itself healing. But I don't have my habitual healers and the long road trip south really tensed up my body. I need to get with it and find some therapists.
MS POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP
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The French Neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, practicing at the Parisian la Pitié-Salpetrière hospital, first described Multiple Sclerosis (Sclérose en Plaques) in 1868. Among other things, he defined MS as a “rigidity disorder”. He thus set the tone in the Neurology profession of an unfortunate prejudice towards MS patients by claiming their “rigidity” symptoms were psychological in origin - signs of neurotic (usually female) hysteria. I now believe it is just this rigidity which is at the root of MS progression, but its origin is physiological, NOT psychological. Damaged nerves send “misfired” signals to the muscles which cramp and/or go into spasms. As the nervous system degenerates, the body becomes increasingly rigid, compressed as it is by muscles in spasm. And it is just this rigidity which triggers the process damaging to the central nervous system.
>
> Let’s backtrack a bit.
>
> As early as 1863 the Swiss pathologist George Edward Rindfleisch observed that MS lesions clustered around the brain’s draining veins. Disparate testimonies of this phenomena continued to surface thereafter, but it was only in 2008 that the Italian Professor Paolo Zamboni published a paper on the Internet offering an explanation. He described a condition he has named CCSVI in which venous blood “refluxes” into the Central Nervous System (CNS) owing to stenosed or damaged veins. These blood back jets injure the tissue which leads to inflammation of the myelin sheath and an immune system response. These early “attacks” describe relapse/remission MS (RRMS). Dr. Zamboni has thus discovered the origin of the “wound” which triggers the immune response.
> Progressive MS presents the exception. My brief synopsis derived from MS UK’s site reads
>
> “Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) concerns about 10 to 15% of MS cases. In contrast to RRMS (Relapse Remission) cases, the disease progresses continually without respite after striking an older population (age 40’ and 50’s). Unlike RRMS, there is little to no inflammation, there are fewer brain lesions, the lesions which do exist present fewer inflammatory cells, and more are found on the spinal cord than in the brain which leads to mobility problems. While PPMS cases exhibit less inflammation, there appears to be greater damage to the axons.”
>
> PPMS patients are not included in MS drug research and treatment because both target the myelin damaging inflammation of RRMS. To my mind, if an entire subset of patients is excluded from research because they do not conform to the auto-immune theory of MS, maybe the theory itself is suspect.
>
> Eventually RRMS may evolve into Secondary Progressive MS, meaning it resembles the primary form. I repeat. “there is little to no inflammation, there are fewer brain lesions, the lesions which do exist present fewer inflammatory cells, and more are found on the spinal cord than in the brain which leads to mobility problems. While PPMS cases exhibit less inflammation, there appears to be greater damage to the axons.”
>
> What does this imply to me? It implies that MS Progression is increasingly a problem of compromised body structure which twists the spine. Yes, there will be increasing pressure on the spinal cord itself. There wil be increased obstruction of blood and cerebro-spinal fluid flows.
But even more important will be the impact on the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which runs up the spinal cord to connect to the brain. This system controls involuntary body function : control of internal organs, the bladder and bowel functions, breathing, papillary response, heart rate and vasomotor action on the blood vessels. At this point, even if blood back jets continue to wound the brain, the progressive deterioration of the spine unleashes an anarchy in signalization of the Autonomic Nervous System. We now have SPMS.
MS POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP.
>
> MS venous blood circulation is deficient for any number of reasons. A stress attack can trigger the blood “reflux” into the central nervous system (brain/spine) which inevitably damages the nerves. When the nerves are damaged, muscles cramp up, perhaps go into spasms. As the body freezes up, and the spine loses its integrity, fluid circulation (blood/cerebrospinal fluid) slows setting the stage for the slightest stress event to trigger another “attack”. Thus each “attack” triggers muscle weakness, muscle cramps and body rigidity which in turn sets the stage for more attacks. MS Progression becomes a vicious cycle.
(I include ANY illness and/or toxicity as stress events. Also, poor blood circulation in the brain persists apart from occasional relapses so constant effort must be made to release body tension and blood/cerebro-spinal fluid circulation.)
> Obviously this implies that at the onset of RRMS one should make every effort to enhance blood/cerebrospinal fluid circulation through the brain/spinal cord in order to stop the blood “reflux” and the attendant muscle spasms/rigidity. I can see that had I known about CCSVI and followed the advice on this site 25 years ago, I wouldn’t need a cane to walk today. I realize also I must prevent increasing rigidity in my spine.
>
> Drs Arata and Owiesy, both located in southern California, focus on the Autonomic Nervous System which runs parallel the Internal Jugular Veins and impacts the smooth muscle linings of the brain’s draining veins. It is precisely this confluence of factors which triggers muscular rigidity and venous blood flow back jets into the brain/spine, that is to say, MS « attacks », and MS Progression.
>
> I can also understand why “liberation therapy” (angioplasty) works best in the early RRMS phase when stenosed veins are the primary problem and treatment “liberates” the blood flow. One has thus prevented the wound. Once Progression sets in, the veins are no longer the primary issue. In that case attention should focus on the spine. And since drug therapy focuses on the inflammation, none is proposed for Progressive MS.
Tags: Dr. Jean Marie Charcot, Rigidity Disorder, George Edward Rindfleisch, Dr. Paolo Zamboni, CCSVI, blood reflux, RRMS, SPMS, PPMS, Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), Dr Arata, Dr Owiesy
MS POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP
>
The French Neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, practicing at the Parisian la Pitié-Salpetrière hospital, first described Multiple Sclerosis (Sclérose en Plaques) in 1868. Among other things, he defined MS as a “rigidity disorder”. He thus set the tone in the Neurology profession of an unfortunate prejudice towards MS patients by claiming their “rigidity” symptoms were psychological in origin - signs of neurotic (usually female) hysteria. I now believe it is just this rigidity which is at the root of MS progression, but its origin is physiological, NOT psychological. Damaged nerves send “misfired” signals to the muscles which cramp and/or go into spasms. As the nervous system degenerates, the body becomes increasingly rigid, compressed as it is by muscles in spasm. And it is just this rigidity which triggers the process damaging to the central nervous system.
>
> Let’s backtrack a bit.
>
> As early as 1863 the Swiss pathologist George Edward Rindfleisch observed that MS lesions clustered around the brain’s draining veins. Disparate testimonies of this phenomena continued to surface thereafter, but it was only in 2008 that the Italian Professor Paolo Zamboni published a paper on the Internet offering an explanation. He described a condition he has named CCSVI in which venous blood “refluxes” into the Central Nervous System (CNS) owing to stenosed or damaged veins. These blood back jets injure the tissue which leads to inflammation of the myelin sheath and an immune system response. These early “attacks” describe relapse/remission MS (RRMS). Dr. Zamboni has thus discovered the origin of the “wound” which triggers the immune response.
> Progressive MS presents the exception. My brief synopsis derived from MS UK’s site reads
>
> “Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) concerns about 10 to 15% of MS cases. In contrast to RRMS (Relapse Remission) cases, the disease progresses continually without respite after striking an older population (age 40’ and 50’s). Unlike RRMS, there is little to no inflammation, there are fewer brain lesions, the lesions which do exist present fewer inflammatory cells, and more are found on the spinal cord than in the brain which leads to mobility problems. While PPMS cases exhibit less inflammation, there appears to be greater damage to the axons.”
>
> PPMS patients are not included in MS drug research and treatment because both target the myelin damaging inflammation of RRMS. To my mind, if an entire subset of patients is excluded from research because they do not conform to the auto-immune theory of MS, maybe the theory itself is suspect.
>
> Eventually RRMS may evolve into Secondary Progressive MS, meaning it resembles the primary form. I repeat. “there is little to no inflammation, there are fewer brain lesions, the lesions which do exist present fewer inflammatory cells, and more are found on the spinal cord than in the brain which leads to mobility problems. While PPMS cases exhibit less inflammation, there appears to be greater damage to the axons.”
>
> What does this imply to me? It implies that MS Progression is increasingly a problem of compromised body structure which twists the spine. Yes, there will be increasing pressure on the spinal cord itself. There wil be increased obstruction of blood and cerebro-spinal fluid flows.
But even more important will be the impact on the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which runs up the spinal cord to connect to the brain. This system controls involuntary body function : control of internal organs, the bladder and bowel functions, breathing, papillary response, heart rate and vasomotor action on the blood vessels. At this point, even if blood back jets continue to wound the brain, the progressive deterioration of the spine unleashes an anarchy in signalization of the Autonomic Nervous System. We now have SPMS.
MS POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP.
>
> MS venous blood circulation is deficient for any number of reasons. A stress attack can trigger the blood “reflux” into the central nervous system (brain/spine) which inevitably damages the nerves. When the nerves are damaged, muscles cramp up, perhaps go into spasms. As the body freezes up, and the spine loses its integrity, fluid circulation (blood/cerebrospinal fluid) slows setting the stage for the slightest stress event to trigger another “attack”. Thus each “attack” triggers muscle weakness, muscle cramps and body rigidity which in turn sets the stage for more attacks. MS Progression becomes a vicious cycle.
(I include ANY illness and/or toxicity as stress events. Also, poor blood circulation in the brain persists apart from occasional relapses so constant effort must be made to release body tension and blood/cerebro-spinal fluid circulation.)
> Obviously this implies that at the onset of RRMS one should make every effort to enhance blood/cerebrospinal fluid circulation through the brain/spinal cord in order to stop the blood “reflux” and the attendant muscle spasms/rigidity. I can see that had I known about CCSVI and followed the advice on this site 25 years ago, I wouldn’t need a cane to walk today. I realize also I must prevent increasing rigidity in my spine.
>
> Drs Arata and Owiesy, both located in southern California, focus on the Autonomic Nervous System which runs parallel the Internal Jugular Veins and impacts the smooth muscle linings of the brain’s draining veins. It is precisely this confluence of factors which triggers muscular rigidity and venous blood flow back jets into the brain/spine, that is to say, MS « attacks », and MS Progression.
>
> I can also understand why “liberation therapy” (angioplasty) works best in the early RRMS phase when stenosed veins are the primary problem and treatment “liberates” the blood flow. One has thus prevented the wound. Once Progression sets in, the veins are no longer the primary issue. In that case attention should focus on the spine. And since drug therapy focuses on the inflammation, none is proposed for Progressive MS.
Tags: Dr. Jean Marie Charcot, Rigidity Disorder, George Edward Rindfleisch, Dr. Paolo Zamboni, CCSVI, blood reflux, RRMS, SPMS, PPMS, Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), Dr Arata, Dr Owiesy
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