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MS: A FLUID CIRCULATION DISORDER
If I had known that Multiple Sclerosis is essentially a dysfunction of fluid flows bathing the central nervous system – blood, cerebro-spinal, lymphatic, glymphatic– I wouldn’t need a cane to walk today. A simple idea with vast consequences. This site is intended to share the “liberation” I feel as an MSer who no longer needs to fear inevitable doom
This story began when I read about Professor Paolo Zamboni’s« Liberation Therapy » on the site Daily Kos summer 2010. In search of treatment for his wife’s MS, the vascular surgeon Professor Zamboni proposed using the Sonogram to diagnose veins running from the brain towards the heart – the Internal Jugular Veins and the Vertebral Veins. Once narrowings/blockages in these veins were observed he recommended opening the stenoses with balloon venoplasty and, if so indicated by the venogram, the chest azygos vein as well (his wife’s case.) In his paper “CCSVI – A New paradigm and therapy for multiple sclerosis” posted on July 25, 2010, the Interventional Radiologist Salvatore J.A. Sclafani, MD refers to Dr. Zamboni’s work by writing “Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a hemodynamic condition in which cerebrospinal drainage is altered and inhibited. Outflow obstructions of the internal jugular veins (IJVs), vertebral veins, and/or azygos vein ( AZV) and their tributaries result in stasis or reflux of these outflow veins and redirection of flow through vicarious circuits…
On reading this I immediately asked my husband to massage my neck/back, both of us standing. He was to work from the head down to the waist while we both visualized the blood flowing down from my head to circulate through the heart. I felt better at once as the head congestion lifted. Late that summer stress triggered a MS “attack”. I wondered with a heavy heart how much ground I would lose. That evening I performed a TENS acupressure treatment on myself (see Acupuncture and CCSVI blog Sept 10, 2013). I was shocked the next morning to realize the attack had abruptly stopped. Not diminished, not attenuated, but stopped. Years later when I studied my journals and records I realized a Shiatsu massage had stopped my first major attack in 1980 just when my Neurologist was preparing steroid treatment. (See Pallis/Shiatsu blog May 5, 2013). Opening the flow of blood/fluids was the best treatment.
I began to read and participate in the THISISMS.com forum
https://www.thisisms.com (which I found through Wheelchair Kamikaze - Marc Stecker). It was an exciting time when MSers had a real hope of a simple, straightforward cure. Under the CCSVI thread I discovered « Dr Sclafani answers some questions » which he had launched March 12, 2010. Joan Beal, who had arranged the first CCSVI venoplasty at Stanford Medical Center for her composer husband Jeff in April 2009, became a « cheerleader’ (her pen name) for the CCSVI procedure given the remarkable reversal of MS symptoms he enjoyed. His veins did not re-stenose, probably because the stents which had been inserted remained cogent. Unfortunately, the stents – designed for arteries where blood flows away from the heart – slipped out of place to finish in the heart of one patient who had to undergo heart surgery, a truly horrific outcome. So Stanford stopped performing venoplasty for MS patients and stents were no longer used elsewhere. In my opinion if research had been encouraged to solve the problem of veinous stents (of use now in kidney veins for dialysis) venoplasty for MS might now be part of standard treatment. Instead, this complication lent credence to the MS treatment lobby’s hysterical opposition to the very IDEA of CCSVI.
I launched my site MSCureEnigma.net March 2012. The CCSVI Alliance was founded in 2011. The first conference of The International Society for Neurovascular Disease ISNVD was held in 2011. (Their research work is ongoing.)
Dr. Sclafani became a leader in CCSVI treatment and research. His use of the Intravenous Ultrasound (IVUS) allowed him to actually SEE the interior of the vein he was treating and to judge accurately the size of expansion – too small the vein would re-stenose, too large the vein wall could be damaged. Unable to insert stents, he would advise his post venoplasty patients to avoid certain activities which could trigger the veins to collapse (like carrying heavy bags arms down.)
In spite of some impressive recoveries after venoplasty, treatment of MS as a CCSVI disorder met with skepticism and eventually strident opposition from the dominant Neurology/Big Pharma lobby. Doubtless these special interests influenced the American FDA to effectively ban the treatment for MS patients in May 2012. While venoplasty is relatively safe and legal, this meant MSers had to pay out of pocket to get treatment since medical insurance refused to pay for an “experimental” procedure.
There were problems. Outcomes varied. Perhaps one third of patients knew impressive recovery of function, one third minor recovery, and one third none at all.
In 2013 I (as Vesta) joined in a discussion on the Dr Sclafani thread on ThisisMS website with Dania. We both felt that before undergoing venoplasty one should verify that no external factor like a bone, artery, or muscle was obstructing venous blood and/or cerebro-spinal fluid flow. A horse riding accident had injured Dania’s spine in adolescence. (Dr Damadian, inventor of the FONAR Upright Cine MRI, estimates that on average it takes 11 years for an accident to manifest as neurological symptoms. This would fit Dania’s time frame.) Subsequent to venoplasty undertaken in Bulgaria, her jugular veins had withered while still remaining obstructed by bones. A true pioneer, she sought by her testimony to advance MS CCSVI treatment.
At about this time I began to avidly read Chiropractor Dr. Michael Flanagan’s thread CCSVI- CCVBP. Author of The Downside of Upright Posture – The Anatomical Causes of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis . he believed that up to 25% of MSers were in fact victims of skeletal obstructions of cerebro-spinal fluid and blood circulation. By very generously answering personal questions, commenting on MRI images and X-Rays, he opened an entire new world for me. He demonstrated that neurological symptoms could originate from pressure OUTSIDE the vein rather than obstructions from within. In order to get a global view of fluid flows within the Central Nervous System (CNS) he recommended use of the FONAR Cinematic (as in cinema) Upright MRI developed by Dr Damadian (who had invented the precursor of the first MRI). The velocity and any obstructions to actual CSF and blood flows are filmed to accurately understand the patient’s condition. See Dr. Flanagan’s quote from:
C1, C2 and CSF Flow | Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple ...
https://uprightdoctor.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/c1-c2-and-csf-flow/
« when it comes to blood and CSF flow, upright MRI is the wave of the future in brain research…
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow is called the third circulation of the brain and it is the least understood…
CSF comes from arterial blood that has been filtered through the blood brain barrier to the point where it is mostly water. CSF leaves the brain through the venous system. Therefore, backups in the venous drainage system affect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow and drainage. Although it uses other routes as well, such as cranial and spinal nerves and the lymphatic system, most of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) produced by the brain eventually makes its way up to the superior sagittal sinus where it empties into the venous system…
About sixty percent of the CSF produced in the brain ends up in the spinal cord… »
After careful analysis of my own experience and relevant research, I have come to think MS progression is characterized by increasing obstruction of cerebro-spinal fluid and/or direct pressure on the spinal cord so that venoplasty treatment for CCSVI will become less and less effective in bringing relief to handicap. (See MS Positive Feedback Loop under Cure or Control, and RRMS Progresses to SPMS blog Jan 21, 2015. My quote follows.)
« Eventually the body rigidity/muscle spasms deform and damage the spine. As muscles weaken and atrophy the entire body structure is compromised leading to obstructed cerebrospinal circulation and direct pressure on the spinal cord. At this point it is no longer the blood reflux inflammation which “wound” the nerves so much as lesions and cerebrospinal fluid obstructions which impact the spine. We now have SPMS and increasing issues with mobility. Ideally MSers should turn to functional healers – Osteopaths and Chiropractors - who can manipulate the head/cervicals/full length of the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and free the cerebro-spinal fluid. Physical Therapists and Massage Therapists can provide fluidity and movement so vital to overcoming the natural tendency to rigidity ».
INSERT : (January 2018 I injured my spine by falling on my derrière. Ensuing symptoms including bladder weakness (autonomic nervous system) have unfortunately confirmed this analysis.)
My next « Eureka » moment came thanks to Mark Miller, another Stanford stent recipient. (See Dr. Owiesy’s « Superior CCSVI Solution », Feb 12, 2017) His family MD Dr. Owiesy of Southern California has observed that when the middle layer of the vein composed of smooth muscle tenses up or goes into spasms, blood flow is obstructed. Again the problem resides “exterior” to the vein, not “interior”. The veins may be weak or somehow defective, but the mechanism which shuts off the blood flow isn’t “intima”. This corresponds to my experience. The treatment? Dr. Owiesy, specialist in migraines, administers a mixture of dexamethasone/lidocaine/thiamine (used to treatTrigeminal Neuralgia) in the area around the Internal Jugular Vein. Stress alone - emotional, psychological, toxins, cold, the flu -may trigger a physical response which obstructs blood flow.
Here is suggested one of the many benefits of the MS diet. For example non-inflammatory diet/supplements alone may prevent the release of cellular calcium which is known to trigger muscular spasms and, to Dr. Owiesy’s thinking, constricted veins. Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system which runs through the spine may follow. It is this system which controls the urinary and bowel functions whose dysfunction marks MS Progression.
Another benefit of the MS Diet. If too much cholesterol accumulates in the cell, cholesterol can form destructive needle-shaped crystals. To eliminate these crystals, the MS Diet promotes high levels of the « good » HDL cholesterol which contains the transport protein ApoA1. Eating well will cleanse the vascular system to let the blood circulate freely. (See February 23, 2020 post « Re-thinking Veins and CCSVI-MS »)
My final « Eureka » moment ? « Violin », a correspondant who came to my site through Thisisms.com has provided critical information which completes my understanding of the Vascular Connection to MS. Treated for Lyme disease which mimics MS symptoms (but which can be treated with antibiotics), venoplasty was recommended to her as necessary to clear out veins caused by chronic Lyme disease. Her first venoplasty helped her enormously, a second was recommended. She was also told that infections in the head located above the jugulars tend to obstruct venous blood flow through them. She had suffered many such infections, ear, teeth, Lyme. So here is suggested that infections alone can damage, obstruct and « clog up » venous blood flow – for example EBV Mononucleosis or Chlamydia pneumoniae. Other potentially « clogging » factors include an unhealthy diet and Birth Control Pills.
One final idea to consider ? Simon Ewart-Grist, a British electrical engineer by profession, has proposed an original idea - brilliant might be the word – suggesting that the iron nanoparticles of magnetite in the blood damage the myelin of MS patients. (I have posted his theory on the blog posts of September 29, 2018 and October 22, 2018). He has invented a device – the desatascador- which acts as a magnet to draw the nanoparticles out of the body. To prevent bacterial obstruction he recommends the use of cranberry juice to « lubricate » the vein walls. At least one participant on TIMS found use of the desatascador improved his eyesight dramatically, and his testimony suggests to me that the magnetite had punched holes in the vein walls to damage the optic nerve and retina. Anyway, we are still addressing blood flow.
So here I’ve suggested multiple causes of fluid obstructions in the central nervous systems of MSers.
It has been over 150 years since the « central vein sign » was observed –and ignored - as characteristic of MS, that is to say the Vascular Connection. Dr Anton Schelling provides the history in his paper MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS : The Image and its Message. The Meaning of the Classic Lesion Form. For a scientific study of why this FACT has been rejected by Neurologists who dominate MS treatment see Malcom Nicolson and Cathleen McLaughlin :Social constructionism and medical sociology: a study of the vascular theory of multiple sclerosis (See also my July 19, 2019 blog post « Status, not Science, rules MS Treatment »)
Neurologists enjoy a superior status to Interventional Radiologists and Vascular specialists which does much to explain why they had few qualms in rejecting Zamboni’s work.
As frustrating as it is for Vascular specialists to be disdained by Neurologists, they too are guilty of imposing superior rank in the pecking order to discredit alternative therapies. The family GP Dr Owiesy’s work on treating spasms in the vein’s smooth muscle layer to facilitate blood circulation has been more or less dismissed by the Interventional Radiologists of the ISNVD. Even lower in the pecking order we find Chiropractors and non MD Osteopaths who don’t count officially precisely because they aren’t MDs. Allopaths disdain Homeopaths, Kinesiologists, and Acupuncturists while massage therapists hardly rate at all even if they may be able to release CNS (Central Nervous System) fluid flows.
I believe Multiple Sclerosis should become a distinct specialty independent of Neurology. One might begin with this one scientific study.
*Cerebral Circulation Time is Prolonged and Not Correlated with EDSS in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Study Using Digital Subtracted Angiography
http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0116681&representation=PDF
« Discussion : The present study reported a significant CCT (Cerebral Circulation Time) increase in MS patients compared to control sub- jects, indicating a consistent condition of cerebral hypoperfusion. »
Where, why is the blood flow obstructed ? And fluid flows impacting the central nervous system? Once determined, I believe one can begin to be of real help to the MS patient.
So, what should my MS specialist do that I can’t do myself (like improve my diet)?
See my August 19, 2019 blog post
« I need a REAL Multiple Sclerosis Specialist »
Even though Dr. Zamboni's insight has come a bit late for me, it has given me a new lease on life. I used to live in constant fear of a debilitating relapse. Now I know what to do to head off a breakdown. Having embarked once again on my diet I feel better and hopeful of improvement in the future. I know that anything which improves blood/brain fluid circulation (swimming, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, kinesiology, osteopathic, chiropractic, any energy therapy – AND fifteen minutes of Sun a day) will make me feel better and prevent a relapse. As I’ve gotten control over the blood reflux into the brain, I’ve come to see the importance of keeping my spine strong and stabilized. Optimal nutrition and supplements and oxygen can keep my blood vessels as well as the brain’s grey matter healthy. And I need to be ever vigilant in avoiding illnesses which might trigger the latent EBV virus.
I hope other Multiple Sclerosis patients will reflect on their own history and that my experience will be of use in their Healing.
Anna Macy
September 15, 2019
(Version 1 February 15, 2012. Version 2 June 8, 2013. Version 3 August 1, 2014. Version 4 July 1, 2015, Version 5 CCSVI MS Updated. Version 6 July 28, 2016 CCSVI MS: A Functional Disorder. Version 7 March 1, 2017 MS:Nerves and Veins. (See these versions under pages more...)
Anna Macy is an American writer living in Paris.
She can be reached at [email protected]
RESOURCES
Matt Embry’s MSHope http://www.mshope.com provides an excellent « Recipe » for MS healing – Diet, Supplements, CCSVI, Exercise
CCSVI RESOURCES
NEW: DR. OWIESY’S SUPERIOR CCSVI-MS SOLUTION
See February 12, 2017 Blog post
www.mscureenigmas.net/ms.../dr-owiesys-superior-ccsvi-ms-soluti...
CCSVI Alliance and ThisisMs.com www.thisisms.com/ are the websites I consult for updated information on CCSVI.
CCSVI Alliance www.ccsvi.org/
The site is well worth visiting and rather than repeat what they say, I insist on a visit if one is serious about understanding fully the CCSVI issue. Under The Basics find a Basic Definition of CCSVI, a Technical Definition as well as “The Origin and History of CCSVI”. Under Advanced Topics find RESEARCH DATABASE – you want SCIENCE – here it is . Treatment and Efficacy, Treatment Risks, Addressing the Myths, Research Analysis and “The Great Debate: CCSVI and MS”. Under Discussing CCSVI with your Doctor find tips on creating a medical team (Primary Care Physician, Neurologist, Interventional Radiologist – see www.sirweb.org) The Alliance gives advice on finding an Interventional Radiologist without naming anyone, obviously because the Big Pharma/Neurologist lobby has basically hindered those who treat CCSVI, forcing them “underground”.
There is also excellent advice on self care, including Joan Beal’s “Endothelial Health”.
CCSVI Alliance doesn’t neglect the “functional” form of CCSVI which requires skeletal adjustment rather than Venoplasty. Their home page features Chiropractor Dr. Scott Rosa’s paper and video “How Craniocervical Misalignment Effects Fluid Flow”. Dr. Rosa works with MRI inventor Dr Raymond Damadian’s FONAR Corporation whose UPRIGHT multipositional MRI can register the cine (moving) cerebrospinal fluid flow as well as arterial/venous flow dynamics. He mentions how the glymphatic system cleanses brain toxins and the recently discovered existence of the brain’s lymphatic vessels. Dr. Rosa founded the Trauma Imaging Foundation (TIF) in 2012 and developed the Atlas Orthogonal Instrumental Manipulation Technique.
For diagnosis of CSF and arterial/venous flow there are apparently 15 FONAR sites in the USA. (http://www.fonar.com/news/052114.htm
Europeans interested in obtaining an Upright MRI refer to Medserena Upright MRI Centre in London. Also Manchester.
www.mri-london.com. There are sites in Germany and Switzerland as well. Consult Fonar site in New York for current availability.
Once assured that the observed vein stenosis is not caused by pressure ON the vein rather than pathology WITHIN the vein, one might consider Venoplasty.
Brain Flow Team, Rome - <www.ccsvi.net>
For Europeans this may be the best resource for Angioplasty (PTA) treatment of CCSVI. The Italians have taken the lead in diagnosing and treating CCSVI since one of their own – Dr. Zamboni – launched the idea publicly on the Internet December 2008. They have performed more than 2500 PTA in CCSVI patients since 2010. See 2013 Journal Vascular Surgery (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23948669 ).
Interventional Radiologist Dr. Sclafani no longer treats CCSVI in the United States. He now works with the following CCSVI center in Poland. See The index of his excellent case studies can be found at chronic-cerebrospinal-venous-insufficiency-ccsvi-f40/topic23360.html#p217664 from the ThisisMs.com website. www.thisisms.com/
There is also a CCSVI clinic in Dayton, Ohio.
Thisisms.com www.thisisms.com/under CCSVI thread find
3. “cheerleader” (Joan Beal) 2015 ISNVD** abstracts online
All available in Veins and Lymphatics publication--
http://www.pagepressjournals.org/index. ... /view/5398 **International Society of Neurovascular Diseases
See also Dr. Flanagan’s review article published in Neurology Research International
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nri/2015/794829/ book
Other resources :
International Society for Neurovascular Disease (ISNVD) founded 2011.
Joan Beal’s
“The VascularConnection” <ccsviinms.blogspot.com/>
Marie A. Rhodes’ book CCSVI as the Cause of Multiple Sclerosis is an outstanding general resource.
Hugo Macia who writes a site in Spanish (– see his blog www.secretosdelaesclerosismultiple.blogspot.com.es.) has brought to my attention the Bio-Magnetic Pair therapy used widely in Spanish speaking countries. It may prove useful as an “energy” therapy like acupuncture, in this case magnets are used to harmonize the body’s electro-magnetic field. Maybe worth a try.
Other resources of use in releasing central nervous system fluid circulation include Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Shiatsu Massage, Massage, Chiropractic, and Kinesiology.
2. BLOOD TESTS/DIET/SUPPLEMENTS
Matt Embry Matt Embry’s MSHope http://www.mshope.com provides an excellent « Recipe » for MS healing – Diet, Supplements, CCSVI, Exercise
I was lucky to find Jimmy Scott,PhD. an outstanding kinesiologist/nutritionist in 1984. He used “muscle testing” to determine allergy, diet and supplements rather than blood tests. Most of the Supplements are Standard Process which I can chew and absorb directly. They don’t have that artificial chemical taste I find disagreeable. In addition. I take Evening Primrose Oil, Vit E, Zinc Picolinate, Calcium-Magnesium, Vitamin D3 100,000 IU once a month dose, Raw Vegetable Carrot juice.
Dr. Michael Flanagan had this to say about Standard Process on Thisisms.com when I described my 1984-92 healing: CCSVI CCVBP, July 6, 2013
Hello Vesta,
I have all of Dr. Royal Lee's books. He was a remarkable biochemist and organic farmer way ahead of this time. His whole food extracts are more on the order of neutraceuticals and physiological agents than simple vitament supplements. He was big on cofactors in vitamins long before anyone considered the importance of cofactors like rutins, hespirdins, bioflavinoids in vitamen C. Everyone else was focused on and isolating ascorbic acid. I am very familiar with all the Standard Process products. They are highly effective.”
Standard Process is sold through “qualified health care professionals” e.g. Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Osteopaths, Massage therapists, etc. The company may be able to provide practitioners in your area.
Carolyn Parker – my nutritionist, naturopath, kinesiologist – uses Standard Process in her San Francisco practice. She has a worldwide clientele and can be reached at 415-664-1464. <[email protected]>
My Kinesiologist used Standard Process to steer me through a major DETOXIFICATION process which I believe to be essential before nutritional therapy can really succeed.
If you are on your own, and/or are working with a M.D consider the following.
Step One under my Seven Steps to Multiple Sclerosis Health follows:
STEP ONE. DETOXIFICATION
1.“Dr. Hyman explains his 10 day detox diet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgcGlei_JLo
want2bike (From Thisisms.com)
Dr. Hyman maintains that a simple diet change over 10 days will do the trick (or at least be a beginning) which is something anyone can try. So why not?
AFTER THE DETOX, ALLERGY TESTING.
AFTER THE ALLERGY TESTING, THE DIET
AFTER THE ALLERGY TESTING, MEDICAL BLOOD TESTS TO DETERMINE SUPPLEMENTS (OR ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS?)
Aside from a vitamin D3 test (me 57 ng/mL, OK) I’ve never taken the blood tests or followed the advice below of “Lyndacarol” or “jimmylegs” of ThisisMS.com. However, I will provide their suggestions as a resource if one prefers a standard “blood test” medical approach such as that recommended by Dr. Newbold;
For starters, while in the diagnosing phase, one should eliminate other causes of neurological symptoms, in particular Lyme Disease and Vitamin B12 deficiency and Vitamin D3 deficiency.
Lyndacarol of Thisisms.com www.thisisms.com/is particularly concerned with blood sugar issues (diabetes, hypoglycemia) as was Dr. Newbold. On May 29, 2011 she wrote:
As this website's member who believes that excess insulin initiates the MS cascade, I found that Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends these optimal insulin levels in his nutrition plan:
http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/index2.htm
On December 10, 2013 she furnished the following quote from the Peripheral Naturopathy Center of the University of Chicago
http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest
“Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.
Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B”
jimmy legs also of ThisisMS gives detailed blood work/supplement advice. She warns that “normal” readings are not “optimal”, and for MS patients lab result “normals” may be deficient.
She/He? provides the following resources.
May 27, 2012
George mateljan's 'world's healthiest foods' web site. http://www.whfoods.com
the nutrient search tool at http://www.nutritiondata.com. the amount of detail you can access is amazing. this web site led me to the concept of inflammation ratings, developed by monica reinagel.
weil's anti-inflammatory food pyramid is a useful complementary resource, but i don't visit this site often: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/PAG00361/an ... ramid.html.
whfoods and nutritiondata are the two top sites i frequent for food info. (as distinct from science info, for which pubmed and resources like scholar.google.ca are tops)
Below are her estimates of optimal levels for MS patients.
AUGUST 7 2012
Suspect nutrients for MS patients include but are not limited to:
vitamin b complex (all of them, particularly b12)
vitamin e
vitamin d3
magnesium
selenium
zinc
essential polyunsaturated fatty acids …
Here is a useful conversion resource:
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scale ... _data.html
[end aug 7 2012 update]
TARGETS
vitamin B12: aim for at least 500 pg/mL or 370 pmol/L.
vitamin D3: aim for at least 100 nmol/L (40 ng/mL). preferably 125-150 nmol/L (56-60 ng/mL). no higher than 250 nmol/L to avoid risk of hypercalcemia. The risk appears to increase the better your absorption of d3. The test is serum 25(OH)D3. linked to your zinc status.
At my first test I had already been supplementing thousands of IU per day for months and my level was only 72 nmol/L, but that was when my zinc was deficient and I didn't know it yet.
fyi
Severe Hypercalcemia Following Vitamin D Supplementation in a Patient With Multiple Sclerosis
http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article ... id=1107961
she was only on 5500 IU of vit d3 per day. regular monitoring is the key with supplementation of this kind!
(oh and by the way this article lists the reference range for calcium as 8.7-10.1 mg/dL)
zinc: aim for 18.2-18.4 umol/L. (120 ug/dL) I have not firmly established this upper limit but I would say go no higher than 20 umol/L. The test is just serum zinc.
at my first zinc test my level was 8.6 umol/L. [update: found a study of children with healthy controls averaging 20.5 umol/L serum zinc]
copper: aim for 100-114 ug/dL or 17.3-18 umol/L. NB Zinc supplementation should always be balanced with copper. detailed copper info here general-discussio:n-f1/topic19529.html#p188525
magnesium: aim for .91 mmol/L. 2.2-2.3 mg/dL. 'normal' range in SI units is 0.70-1.10 mmol/L. research says anyone below 0.90 should be supplementing. some sources say minimum 0.95 mmol/L. the test is just serum magnesium.
MS Cure Enigmas again: My many thanks to both lyndacarol and jimmylegs for their valuable contributions.
AFTER THE MEDICAL BLOOD TESTS, THE SUPPLEMENTS
WITH THE DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS, THE ENERGY AND FLUID CIRCULATION THERAPIES
3. FOOD ALLERGY TESTS
a. Mono food test. After fasting 5 days to remove all foods in the body, one re-introduces a substance one at a time to see if there is a reaction. One may experience withdrawal symptoms the first 2 or 3 days. I am not strong enough to fast 5 days.
b. Pulse test. The pulse rate increases in response to an allergen. See Dr. Arthur Coca pulse test on the internet.
c. Cytotoxic blood test observes reaction of white blood cells to an allergen. Paris labs test 250 items. Dr. Scott feels these are only 75% valid and only if a food item has been recently eaten.
d. Dr. Newbold finds traditional medical skin allergy tests are only 20% effective.
e. Kinesiology muscle tests. Dr. Scott used the unorthodox kinesiology muscle test to determine my allergies, his definition of allergy being that an allergen perturbs the body’s energy flow which can be observed by a weakened test muscle. Touch For Health classes teach the technique for mutual help among family and friends.
.
If I had known that Multiple Sclerosis is essentially a dysfunction of fluid flows bathing the central nervous system – blood, cerebro-spinal, lymphatic, glymphatic– I wouldn’t need a cane to walk today. A simple idea with vast consequences. This site is intended to share the “liberation” I feel as an MSer who no longer needs to fear inevitable doom
This story began when I read about Professor Paolo Zamboni’s« Liberation Therapy » on the site Daily Kos summer 2010. In search of treatment for his wife’s MS, the vascular surgeon Professor Zamboni proposed using the Sonogram to diagnose veins running from the brain towards the heart – the Internal Jugular Veins and the Vertebral Veins. Once narrowings/blockages in these veins were observed he recommended opening the stenoses with balloon venoplasty and, if so indicated by the venogram, the chest azygos vein as well (his wife’s case.) In his paper “CCSVI – A New paradigm and therapy for multiple sclerosis” posted on July 25, 2010, the Interventional Radiologist Salvatore J.A. Sclafani, MD refers to Dr. Zamboni’s work by writing “Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a hemodynamic condition in which cerebrospinal drainage is altered and inhibited. Outflow obstructions of the internal jugular veins (IJVs), vertebral veins, and/or azygos vein ( AZV) and their tributaries result in stasis or reflux of these outflow veins and redirection of flow through vicarious circuits…
On reading this I immediately asked my husband to massage my neck/back, both of us standing. He was to work from the head down to the waist while we both visualized the blood flowing down from my head to circulate through the heart. I felt better at once as the head congestion lifted. Late that summer stress triggered a MS “attack”. I wondered with a heavy heart how much ground I would lose. That evening I performed a TENS acupressure treatment on myself (see Acupuncture and CCSVI blog Sept 10, 2013). I was shocked the next morning to realize the attack had abruptly stopped. Not diminished, not attenuated, but stopped. Years later when I studied my journals and records I realized a Shiatsu massage had stopped my first major attack in 1980 just when my Neurologist was preparing steroid treatment. (See Pallis/Shiatsu blog May 5, 2013). Opening the flow of blood/fluids was the best treatment.
I began to read and participate in the THISISMS.com forum
https://www.thisisms.com (which I found through Wheelchair Kamikaze - Marc Stecker). It was an exciting time when MSers had a real hope of a simple, straightforward cure. Under the CCSVI thread I discovered « Dr Sclafani answers some questions » which he had launched March 12, 2010. Joan Beal, who had arranged the first CCSVI venoplasty at Stanford Medical Center for her composer husband Jeff in April 2009, became a « cheerleader’ (her pen name) for the CCSVI procedure given the remarkable reversal of MS symptoms he enjoyed. His veins did not re-stenose, probably because the stents which had been inserted remained cogent. Unfortunately, the stents – designed for arteries where blood flows away from the heart – slipped out of place to finish in the heart of one patient who had to undergo heart surgery, a truly horrific outcome. So Stanford stopped performing venoplasty for MS patients and stents were no longer used elsewhere. In my opinion if research had been encouraged to solve the problem of veinous stents (of use now in kidney veins for dialysis) venoplasty for MS might now be part of standard treatment. Instead, this complication lent credence to the MS treatment lobby’s hysterical opposition to the very IDEA of CCSVI.
I launched my site MSCureEnigma.net March 2012. The CCSVI Alliance was founded in 2011. The first conference of The International Society for Neurovascular Disease ISNVD was held in 2011. (Their research work is ongoing.)
Dr. Sclafani became a leader in CCSVI treatment and research. His use of the Intravenous Ultrasound (IVUS) allowed him to actually SEE the interior of the vein he was treating and to judge accurately the size of expansion – too small the vein would re-stenose, too large the vein wall could be damaged. Unable to insert stents, he would advise his post venoplasty patients to avoid certain activities which could trigger the veins to collapse (like carrying heavy bags arms down.)
In spite of some impressive recoveries after venoplasty, treatment of MS as a CCSVI disorder met with skepticism and eventually strident opposition from the dominant Neurology/Big Pharma lobby. Doubtless these special interests influenced the American FDA to effectively ban the treatment for MS patients in May 2012. While venoplasty is relatively safe and legal, this meant MSers had to pay out of pocket to get treatment since medical insurance refused to pay for an “experimental” procedure.
There were problems. Outcomes varied. Perhaps one third of patients knew impressive recovery of function, one third minor recovery, and one third none at all.
In 2013 I (as Vesta) joined in a discussion on the Dr Sclafani thread on ThisisMS website with Dania. We both felt that before undergoing venoplasty one should verify that no external factor like a bone, artery, or muscle was obstructing venous blood and/or cerebro-spinal fluid flow. A horse riding accident had injured Dania’s spine in adolescence. (Dr Damadian, inventor of the FONAR Upright Cine MRI, estimates that on average it takes 11 years for an accident to manifest as neurological symptoms. This would fit Dania’s time frame.) Subsequent to venoplasty undertaken in Bulgaria, her jugular veins had withered while still remaining obstructed by bones. A true pioneer, she sought by her testimony to advance MS CCSVI treatment.
At about this time I began to avidly read Chiropractor Dr. Michael Flanagan’s thread CCSVI- CCVBP. Author of The Downside of Upright Posture – The Anatomical Causes of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis . he believed that up to 25% of MSers were in fact victims of skeletal obstructions of cerebro-spinal fluid and blood circulation. By very generously answering personal questions, commenting on MRI images and X-Rays, he opened an entire new world for me. He demonstrated that neurological symptoms could originate from pressure OUTSIDE the vein rather than obstructions from within. In order to get a global view of fluid flows within the Central Nervous System (CNS) he recommended use of the FONAR Cinematic (as in cinema) Upright MRI developed by Dr Damadian (who had invented the precursor of the first MRI). The velocity and any obstructions to actual CSF and blood flows are filmed to accurately understand the patient’s condition. See Dr. Flanagan’s quote from:
C1, C2 and CSF Flow | Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple ...
https://uprightdoctor.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/c1-c2-and-csf-flow/
« when it comes to blood and CSF flow, upright MRI is the wave of the future in brain research…
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow is called the third circulation of the brain and it is the least understood…
CSF comes from arterial blood that has been filtered through the blood brain barrier to the point where it is mostly water. CSF leaves the brain through the venous system. Therefore, backups in the venous drainage system affect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow and drainage. Although it uses other routes as well, such as cranial and spinal nerves and the lymphatic system, most of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) produced by the brain eventually makes its way up to the superior sagittal sinus where it empties into the venous system…
About sixty percent of the CSF produced in the brain ends up in the spinal cord… »
After careful analysis of my own experience and relevant research, I have come to think MS progression is characterized by increasing obstruction of cerebro-spinal fluid and/or direct pressure on the spinal cord so that venoplasty treatment for CCSVI will become less and less effective in bringing relief to handicap. (See MS Positive Feedback Loop under Cure or Control, and RRMS Progresses to SPMS blog Jan 21, 2015. My quote follows.)
« Eventually the body rigidity/muscle spasms deform and damage the spine. As muscles weaken and atrophy the entire body structure is compromised leading to obstructed cerebrospinal circulation and direct pressure on the spinal cord. At this point it is no longer the blood reflux inflammation which “wound” the nerves so much as lesions and cerebrospinal fluid obstructions which impact the spine. We now have SPMS and increasing issues with mobility. Ideally MSers should turn to functional healers – Osteopaths and Chiropractors - who can manipulate the head/cervicals/full length of the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and free the cerebro-spinal fluid. Physical Therapists and Massage Therapists can provide fluidity and movement so vital to overcoming the natural tendency to rigidity ».
INSERT : (January 2018 I injured my spine by falling on my derrière. Ensuing symptoms including bladder weakness (autonomic nervous system) have unfortunately confirmed this analysis.)
My next « Eureka » moment came thanks to Mark Miller, another Stanford stent recipient. (See Dr. Owiesy’s « Superior CCSVI Solution », Feb 12, 2017) His family MD Dr. Owiesy of Southern California has observed that when the middle layer of the vein composed of smooth muscle tenses up or goes into spasms, blood flow is obstructed. Again the problem resides “exterior” to the vein, not “interior”. The veins may be weak or somehow defective, but the mechanism which shuts off the blood flow isn’t “intima”. This corresponds to my experience. The treatment? Dr. Owiesy, specialist in migraines, administers a mixture of dexamethasone/lidocaine/thiamine (used to treatTrigeminal Neuralgia) in the area around the Internal Jugular Vein. Stress alone - emotional, psychological, toxins, cold, the flu -may trigger a physical response which obstructs blood flow.
Here is suggested one of the many benefits of the MS diet. For example non-inflammatory diet/supplements alone may prevent the release of cellular calcium which is known to trigger muscular spasms and, to Dr. Owiesy’s thinking, constricted veins. Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system which runs through the spine may follow. It is this system which controls the urinary and bowel functions whose dysfunction marks MS Progression.
Another benefit of the MS Diet. If too much cholesterol accumulates in the cell, cholesterol can form destructive needle-shaped crystals. To eliminate these crystals, the MS Diet promotes high levels of the « good » HDL cholesterol which contains the transport protein ApoA1. Eating well will cleanse the vascular system to let the blood circulate freely. (See February 23, 2020 post « Re-thinking Veins and CCSVI-MS »)
My final « Eureka » moment ? « Violin », a correspondant who came to my site through Thisisms.com has provided critical information which completes my understanding of the Vascular Connection to MS. Treated for Lyme disease which mimics MS symptoms (but which can be treated with antibiotics), venoplasty was recommended to her as necessary to clear out veins caused by chronic Lyme disease. Her first venoplasty helped her enormously, a second was recommended. She was also told that infections in the head located above the jugulars tend to obstruct venous blood flow through them. She had suffered many such infections, ear, teeth, Lyme. So here is suggested that infections alone can damage, obstruct and « clog up » venous blood flow – for example EBV Mononucleosis or Chlamydia pneumoniae. Other potentially « clogging » factors include an unhealthy diet and Birth Control Pills.
One final idea to consider ? Simon Ewart-Grist, a British electrical engineer by profession, has proposed an original idea - brilliant might be the word – suggesting that the iron nanoparticles of magnetite in the blood damage the myelin of MS patients. (I have posted his theory on the blog posts of September 29, 2018 and October 22, 2018). He has invented a device – the desatascador- which acts as a magnet to draw the nanoparticles out of the body. To prevent bacterial obstruction he recommends the use of cranberry juice to « lubricate » the vein walls. At least one participant on TIMS found use of the desatascador improved his eyesight dramatically, and his testimony suggests to me that the magnetite had punched holes in the vein walls to damage the optic nerve and retina. Anyway, we are still addressing blood flow.
So here I’ve suggested multiple causes of fluid obstructions in the central nervous systems of MSers.
It has been over 150 years since the « central vein sign » was observed –and ignored - as characteristic of MS, that is to say the Vascular Connection. Dr Anton Schelling provides the history in his paper MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS : The Image and its Message. The Meaning of the Classic Lesion Form. For a scientific study of why this FACT has been rejected by Neurologists who dominate MS treatment see Malcom Nicolson and Cathleen McLaughlin :Social constructionism and medical sociology: a study of the vascular theory of multiple sclerosis (See also my July 19, 2019 blog post « Status, not Science, rules MS Treatment »)
Neurologists enjoy a superior status to Interventional Radiologists and Vascular specialists which does much to explain why they had few qualms in rejecting Zamboni’s work.
As frustrating as it is for Vascular specialists to be disdained by Neurologists, they too are guilty of imposing superior rank in the pecking order to discredit alternative therapies. The family GP Dr Owiesy’s work on treating spasms in the vein’s smooth muscle layer to facilitate blood circulation has been more or less dismissed by the Interventional Radiologists of the ISNVD. Even lower in the pecking order we find Chiropractors and non MD Osteopaths who don’t count officially precisely because they aren’t MDs. Allopaths disdain Homeopaths, Kinesiologists, and Acupuncturists while massage therapists hardly rate at all even if they may be able to release CNS (Central Nervous System) fluid flows.
I believe Multiple Sclerosis should become a distinct specialty independent of Neurology. One might begin with this one scientific study.
*Cerebral Circulation Time is Prolonged and Not Correlated with EDSS in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Study Using Digital Subtracted Angiography
http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0116681&representation=PDF
« Discussion : The present study reported a significant CCT (Cerebral Circulation Time) increase in MS patients compared to control sub- jects, indicating a consistent condition of cerebral hypoperfusion. »
Where, why is the blood flow obstructed ? And fluid flows impacting the central nervous system? Once determined, I believe one can begin to be of real help to the MS patient.
So, what should my MS specialist do that I can’t do myself (like improve my diet)?
See my August 19, 2019 blog post
« I need a REAL Multiple Sclerosis Specialist »
Even though Dr. Zamboni's insight has come a bit late for me, it has given me a new lease on life. I used to live in constant fear of a debilitating relapse. Now I know what to do to head off a breakdown. Having embarked once again on my diet I feel better and hopeful of improvement in the future. I know that anything which improves blood/brain fluid circulation (swimming, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, kinesiology, osteopathic, chiropractic, any energy therapy – AND fifteen minutes of Sun a day) will make me feel better and prevent a relapse. As I’ve gotten control over the blood reflux into the brain, I’ve come to see the importance of keeping my spine strong and stabilized. Optimal nutrition and supplements and oxygen can keep my blood vessels as well as the brain’s grey matter healthy. And I need to be ever vigilant in avoiding illnesses which might trigger the latent EBV virus.
I hope other Multiple Sclerosis patients will reflect on their own history and that my experience will be of use in their Healing.
Anna Macy
September 15, 2019
(Version 1 February 15, 2012. Version 2 June 8, 2013. Version 3 August 1, 2014. Version 4 July 1, 2015, Version 5 CCSVI MS Updated. Version 6 July 28, 2016 CCSVI MS: A Functional Disorder. Version 7 March 1, 2017 MS:Nerves and Veins. (See these versions under pages more...)
Anna Macy is an American writer living in Paris.
She can be reached at [email protected]
RESOURCES
Matt Embry’s MSHope http://www.mshope.com provides an excellent « Recipe » for MS healing – Diet, Supplements, CCSVI, Exercise
CCSVI RESOURCES
NEW: DR. OWIESY’S SUPERIOR CCSVI-MS SOLUTION
See February 12, 2017 Blog post
www.mscureenigmas.net/ms.../dr-owiesys-superior-ccsvi-ms-soluti...
CCSVI Alliance and ThisisMs.com www.thisisms.com/ are the websites I consult for updated information on CCSVI.
CCSVI Alliance www.ccsvi.org/
The site is well worth visiting and rather than repeat what they say, I insist on a visit if one is serious about understanding fully the CCSVI issue. Under The Basics find a Basic Definition of CCSVI, a Technical Definition as well as “The Origin and History of CCSVI”. Under Advanced Topics find RESEARCH DATABASE – you want SCIENCE – here it is . Treatment and Efficacy, Treatment Risks, Addressing the Myths, Research Analysis and “The Great Debate: CCSVI and MS”. Under Discussing CCSVI with your Doctor find tips on creating a medical team (Primary Care Physician, Neurologist, Interventional Radiologist – see www.sirweb.org) The Alliance gives advice on finding an Interventional Radiologist without naming anyone, obviously because the Big Pharma/Neurologist lobby has basically hindered those who treat CCSVI, forcing them “underground”.
There is also excellent advice on self care, including Joan Beal’s “Endothelial Health”.
CCSVI Alliance doesn’t neglect the “functional” form of CCSVI which requires skeletal adjustment rather than Venoplasty. Their home page features Chiropractor Dr. Scott Rosa’s paper and video “How Craniocervical Misalignment Effects Fluid Flow”. Dr. Rosa works with MRI inventor Dr Raymond Damadian’s FONAR Corporation whose UPRIGHT multipositional MRI can register the cine (moving) cerebrospinal fluid flow as well as arterial/venous flow dynamics. He mentions how the glymphatic system cleanses brain toxins and the recently discovered existence of the brain’s lymphatic vessels. Dr. Rosa founded the Trauma Imaging Foundation (TIF) in 2012 and developed the Atlas Orthogonal Instrumental Manipulation Technique.
For diagnosis of CSF and arterial/venous flow there are apparently 15 FONAR sites in the USA. (http://www.fonar.com/news/052114.htm
Europeans interested in obtaining an Upright MRI refer to Medserena Upright MRI Centre in London. Also Manchester.
www.mri-london.com. There are sites in Germany and Switzerland as well. Consult Fonar site in New York for current availability.
Once assured that the observed vein stenosis is not caused by pressure ON the vein rather than pathology WITHIN the vein, one might consider Venoplasty.
Brain Flow Team, Rome - <www.ccsvi.net>
For Europeans this may be the best resource for Angioplasty (PTA) treatment of CCSVI. The Italians have taken the lead in diagnosing and treating CCSVI since one of their own – Dr. Zamboni – launched the idea publicly on the Internet December 2008. They have performed more than 2500 PTA in CCSVI patients since 2010. See 2013 Journal Vascular Surgery (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23948669 ).
Interventional Radiologist Dr. Sclafani no longer treats CCSVI in the United States. He now works with the following CCSVI center in Poland. See The index of his excellent case studies can be found at chronic-cerebrospinal-venous-insufficiency-ccsvi-f40/topic23360.html#p217664 from the ThisisMs.com website. www.thisisms.com/
There is also a CCSVI clinic in Dayton, Ohio.
Thisisms.com www.thisisms.com/under CCSVI thread find
- “Dr. Sclafani Answers some Questions” for Venoplasty (or Angioplasty)
3. “cheerleader” (Joan Beal) 2015 ISNVD** abstracts online
All available in Veins and Lymphatics publication--
http://www.pagepressjournals.org/index. ... /view/5398 **International Society of Neurovascular Diseases
See also Dr. Flanagan’s review article published in Neurology Research International
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nri/2015/794829/ book
Other resources :
International Society for Neurovascular Disease (ISNVD) founded 2011.
Joan Beal’s
“The VascularConnection” <ccsviinms.blogspot.com/>
Marie A. Rhodes’ book CCSVI as the Cause of Multiple Sclerosis is an outstanding general resource.
Hugo Macia who writes a site in Spanish (– see his blog www.secretosdelaesclerosismultiple.blogspot.com.es.) has brought to my attention the Bio-Magnetic Pair therapy used widely in Spanish speaking countries. It may prove useful as an “energy” therapy like acupuncture, in this case magnets are used to harmonize the body’s electro-magnetic field. Maybe worth a try.
Other resources of use in releasing central nervous system fluid circulation include Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Shiatsu Massage, Massage, Chiropractic, and Kinesiology.
2. BLOOD TESTS/DIET/SUPPLEMENTS
Matt Embry Matt Embry’s MSHope http://www.mshope.com provides an excellent « Recipe » for MS healing – Diet, Supplements, CCSVI, Exercise
I was lucky to find Jimmy Scott,PhD. an outstanding kinesiologist/nutritionist in 1984. He used “muscle testing” to determine allergy, diet and supplements rather than blood tests. Most of the Supplements are Standard Process which I can chew and absorb directly. They don’t have that artificial chemical taste I find disagreeable. In addition. I take Evening Primrose Oil, Vit E, Zinc Picolinate, Calcium-Magnesium, Vitamin D3 100,000 IU once a month dose, Raw Vegetable Carrot juice.
Dr. Michael Flanagan had this to say about Standard Process on Thisisms.com when I described my 1984-92 healing: CCSVI CCVBP, July 6, 2013
Hello Vesta,
I have all of Dr. Royal Lee's books. He was a remarkable biochemist and organic farmer way ahead of this time. His whole food extracts are more on the order of neutraceuticals and physiological agents than simple vitament supplements. He was big on cofactors in vitamins long before anyone considered the importance of cofactors like rutins, hespirdins, bioflavinoids in vitamen C. Everyone else was focused on and isolating ascorbic acid. I am very familiar with all the Standard Process products. They are highly effective.”
Standard Process is sold through “qualified health care professionals” e.g. Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Osteopaths, Massage therapists, etc. The company may be able to provide practitioners in your area.
Carolyn Parker – my nutritionist, naturopath, kinesiologist – uses Standard Process in her San Francisco practice. She has a worldwide clientele and can be reached at 415-664-1464. <[email protected]>
My Kinesiologist used Standard Process to steer me through a major DETOXIFICATION process which I believe to be essential before nutritional therapy can really succeed.
If you are on your own, and/or are working with a M.D consider the following.
Step One under my Seven Steps to Multiple Sclerosis Health follows:
STEP ONE. DETOXIFICATION
1.“Dr. Hyman explains his 10 day detox diet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgcGlei_JLo
want2bike (From Thisisms.com)
Dr. Hyman maintains that a simple diet change over 10 days will do the trick (or at least be a beginning) which is something anyone can try. So why not?
AFTER THE DETOX, ALLERGY TESTING.
AFTER THE ALLERGY TESTING, THE DIET
AFTER THE ALLERGY TESTING, MEDICAL BLOOD TESTS TO DETERMINE SUPPLEMENTS (OR ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS?)
Aside from a vitamin D3 test (me 57 ng/mL, OK) I’ve never taken the blood tests or followed the advice below of “Lyndacarol” or “jimmylegs” of ThisisMS.com. However, I will provide their suggestions as a resource if one prefers a standard “blood test” medical approach such as that recommended by Dr. Newbold;
For starters, while in the diagnosing phase, one should eliminate other causes of neurological symptoms, in particular Lyme Disease and Vitamin B12 deficiency and Vitamin D3 deficiency.
Lyndacarol of Thisisms.com www.thisisms.com/is particularly concerned with blood sugar issues (diabetes, hypoglycemia) as was Dr. Newbold. On May 29, 2011 she wrote:
As this website's member who believes that excess insulin initiates the MS cascade, I found that Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends these optimal insulin levels in his nutrition plan:
http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/index2.htm
On December 10, 2013 she furnished the following quote from the Peripheral Naturopathy Center of the University of Chicago
http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest
“Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.
Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B”
jimmy legs also of ThisisMS gives detailed blood work/supplement advice. She warns that “normal” readings are not “optimal”, and for MS patients lab result “normals” may be deficient.
She/He? provides the following resources.
May 27, 2012
George mateljan's 'world's healthiest foods' web site. http://www.whfoods.com
the nutrient search tool at http://www.nutritiondata.com. the amount of detail you can access is amazing. this web site led me to the concept of inflammation ratings, developed by monica reinagel.
weil's anti-inflammatory food pyramid is a useful complementary resource, but i don't visit this site often: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/PAG00361/an ... ramid.html.
whfoods and nutritiondata are the two top sites i frequent for food info. (as distinct from science info, for which pubmed and resources like scholar.google.ca are tops)
Below are her estimates of optimal levels for MS patients.
AUGUST 7 2012
Suspect nutrients for MS patients include but are not limited to:
vitamin b complex (all of them, particularly b12)
vitamin e
vitamin d3
magnesium
selenium
zinc
essential polyunsaturated fatty acids …
Here is a useful conversion resource:
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scale ... _data.html
[end aug 7 2012 update]
TARGETS
vitamin B12: aim for at least 500 pg/mL or 370 pmol/L.
vitamin D3: aim for at least 100 nmol/L (40 ng/mL). preferably 125-150 nmol/L (56-60 ng/mL). no higher than 250 nmol/L to avoid risk of hypercalcemia. The risk appears to increase the better your absorption of d3. The test is serum 25(OH)D3. linked to your zinc status.
At my first test I had already been supplementing thousands of IU per day for months and my level was only 72 nmol/L, but that was when my zinc was deficient and I didn't know it yet.
fyi
Severe Hypercalcemia Following Vitamin D Supplementation in a Patient With Multiple Sclerosis
http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article ... id=1107961
she was only on 5500 IU of vit d3 per day. regular monitoring is the key with supplementation of this kind!
(oh and by the way this article lists the reference range for calcium as 8.7-10.1 mg/dL)
zinc: aim for 18.2-18.4 umol/L. (120 ug/dL) I have not firmly established this upper limit but I would say go no higher than 20 umol/L. The test is just serum zinc.
at my first zinc test my level was 8.6 umol/L. [update: found a study of children with healthy controls averaging 20.5 umol/L serum zinc]
copper: aim for 100-114 ug/dL or 17.3-18 umol/L. NB Zinc supplementation should always be balanced with copper. detailed copper info here general-discussio:n-f1/topic19529.html#p188525
magnesium: aim for .91 mmol/L. 2.2-2.3 mg/dL. 'normal' range in SI units is 0.70-1.10 mmol/L. research says anyone below 0.90 should be supplementing. some sources say minimum 0.95 mmol/L. the test is just serum magnesium.
MS Cure Enigmas again: My many thanks to both lyndacarol and jimmylegs for their valuable contributions.
AFTER THE MEDICAL BLOOD TESTS, THE SUPPLEMENTS
WITH THE DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS, THE ENERGY AND FLUID CIRCULATION THERAPIES
3. FOOD ALLERGY TESTS
a. Mono food test. After fasting 5 days to remove all foods in the body, one re-introduces a substance one at a time to see if there is a reaction. One may experience withdrawal symptoms the first 2 or 3 days. I am not strong enough to fast 5 days.
b. Pulse test. The pulse rate increases in response to an allergen. See Dr. Arthur Coca pulse test on the internet.
c. Cytotoxic blood test observes reaction of white blood cells to an allergen. Paris labs test 250 items. Dr. Scott feels these are only 75% valid and only if a food item has been recently eaten.
d. Dr. Newbold finds traditional medical skin allergy tests are only 20% effective.
e. Kinesiology muscle tests. Dr. Scott used the unorthodox kinesiology muscle test to determine my allergies, his definition of allergy being that an allergen perturbs the body’s energy flow which can be observed by a weakened test muscle. Touch For Health classes teach the technique for mutual help among family and friends.
.