Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Chronic Illness – Genetics, Environment, or Both?

The number of multiple sclerosis patients is increasing steadily. It has become commonplace to personally know more than one person suffering with this disease.

What causes Multiple Sclerosis (MS)? What makes some people more susceptible than others to this disease?

A number of resource sites theorize that along with genetics, there are environmental factors involved in the cause of MS. It makes sense that as environmental toxins increase, so will the number of people with MS. The evidence seems to be building: environmental factors play havoc on the autoimmune system; toxins can trigger and/or worsen MS; and even something as simple as where we live can increase our risk factor for developing MS. Let’s look at three sources that will help explain these current theories.

Genetics and the Environment Work Together to Trigger Multiple Sclerosis

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center:
A combination of environmental and genetic factors likely plays a role in causing MS. A current theory is that the disease occurs in people with a genetic susceptibility who are exposed to some environmental assault (a virus or a toxin) that disrupts the blood-brain barrier. Immune factors converge in the nerve cells, triggering inflammation and an autoimmune attack (a self-attack) on myelin and axons.

Cigarette Smoking and Multiple Sclerosis

A study from The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Center sheds light on the dangers of cigarette smoking and MS:

Persons with multiple sclerosis who smoked for a little as six months during their lifetime had more destruction of brain tissue and more brain atrophy than MS patients who never smoked, a study by neuroimaging specialists at the University at Buffalo has shown.

Research published in the Aug. 18, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, showed that “ever-smokers” had more brain lesions and greater loss of brain volume, as well as higher scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), than MS patients who had no history of smoking.

“Cigarette smoking is one of the most compelling environmental risk factors linked to the development and worsening of MS,” said Robert Zivadinov, M.D., Ph.D., UB professor of neurology, director of the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) where the research was conducted and first author on the study.

Climate, Environmental Factors, and Multiple Sclerosis

Research and observations by UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center show climate, diet, and sunlight may play an important role in MS:

The environmental theory proposes that an environmental factor triggers the symptoms of MS. Support for this theory includes the observation that multiple sclerosis is diagnosed more frequently in temperate than tropical or subtropical climates. A map of the United States shows that the prevalence of MS increases with northern latitude. For example, the prevalence of MS in North Dakota is approximately twice that observed in Florida. The prevalence of MS in northern California is 150 cases per 100,000 individuals.

The relationship between latitude and prevalence of MS is also evident in other countries throughout Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Investigators have explored the possibility that exposure to viral or bacterial infections, environmental toxins, duration of sunlight, changes in temperature and humidity, or diet might in some way produce or aggravate MS. To date, no specific environmental factor has been proven to cause MS.

What Conclusions can We Draw About the Causes and Increase of Multiple Sclerosis?

The research mentioned here, whether in fact or theory, points in the same direction: our environment plays a part in our health. The number of people with multiple sclerosis, lupus, chronic fatigue, autism, and a list of other disabling chronic illnesses and disorders is increasing year by year. It’s not difficult to take that logical step and determine there must be an environmental link contributing to this increase.

To learn more about Multiple Sclerosis you can visit:
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society
http://www.nmss.com

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer,
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing for Children and More

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice

Today’s post will offer a number of health articles that pertain to one or more of the health issue this sites deals with.

Here are the links to important health information:

1. New Findings on Multiple Sclerosis: Immune Cells Also Attack Neurons Directly

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100923125113.htm

ScienceDaily (Sep. 24, 2010) — Researchers in Germany have gained new insight into how the immune system causes damage associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable neuroinflammatory disorder. Using imaging tools which enable investigation of processes in living organisms, they were able to show a direct interaction between immune cells and neurons which plays a significant role in neuronal injury. However, this direct interaction may respond to therapeutic intervention.

2. Herbs and Supplement Information

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/herb_All.html

Browse dietary supplements and herbal remedies to learn about their effectiveness, usual dosage, and drug interactions.

3. Depression Heart Disease Combo May Up Odds of Death

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_103390.html
(this link will only be available until 12/15/10

Together, they quadruple risk of dying from heart attack, stroke, study finds

4. New Map Offers a Global View of HealthSapping Air Pollution

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100923104142.htm

5. Miracle Treatment Turns into Potent Bleach

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm228052.htm

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the product—known as Miracle Mineral Solution, Miracle Mineral Supplement, and MMS—becomes a potent chemical that’s used as a bleach when mixed according to package directions. The agency first warned consumers about the product in July, but federal regulators say it’s still available for sale on the Internet.

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I hope you find these articles useful, I did.

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter-for-hire, Freelance writer, Reviewer,
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Here is an article from Mercola.com about the possible benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid. Please note, I am not endorsing this treatment; I am merely bringing it to your attention. As with all health issues, you must talk to your doctor.

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This Antioxidant Can Smash Insulin Resistance and Autoimmune Disease

I first became aware of the alpha lipoic regimen by Dr. Burt Berkson in the late 90’s. Early on in his career, while an internist, he was given several patients who were expected to die from hepatitis C. His job was more or less to simply baby sit them in the ICU and watch them die.

But Dr. Berkson was a rebel at heart and he simply couldn’t do that. Instead he called an associate at the National Institutes of Health and found out how he could treat them. He learned that alpha lipoic acid had some impressive experimental support.

Remarkably, although these patients were expected to die within a few weeks, they all completely recovered!

However not all went well for Dr. Berkson as he made his superiors look foolish and they simply could not tolerate that so rather than embrace his findings, they actively suppressed the results and made his life miserable for showing them up.

This was a pivotal moment in Dr. Berskson’s career and caused him to make choices that eventually led to where he is at now. Since then, Dr. Berkson has lectured all over the world on this topic, and published a study on the use of antioxidants for the treatment of hepatitis C.

His first book, The Alpha-Lipoic Acid Breakthrough was published in 1998.

As many of you already know, I am not fond of recommending many supplements, but I do believe that antioxidants make sense for many of us.

Why You Need Antioxidants

Your entire body, including your DNA, is under endless, daily assault from a variety of sources, from poor diets to pollution. Think of your cells, including your brain cells, each getting hit by free-radicals thousands of times a day. This violent process is called “oxidation,” which damages your cells.

Enter antioxidants. They include vitamins and other nutrients that target free radicals.

Food, particularly fruits and vegetables, is a powerful source of these valiant protectors, and your body produces some itself.

Their role is to limit the damage to your cells, which can slow down disease and signs of aging.

In the case of alpha lipoic acid, your body does produce it in minute quantities, but most of it comes from your diet. Some of the best natural sources include grass-fed red meat and organ meats.

The Benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) has many functions, but it’s one of the most effective free radical scavengers, and the only one known to easily get into your brain.

It also has the ability to regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, and glutathione. So, when your body has used up these antioxidants, if there’s ALA around, it helps regenerate them.

You may not know this, but glutathione is another very important antioxidant. You can get it from supplements, but the only form that works effectively is the reduced form, which is difficult to absorb when taken orally. It is much more cost effective to supplement with precursors, or items like alpha lipoic acid that regenerates glutathione.

Alpha lipoic acid also recycles coenzyme Q10 and NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).

But, if that wasn’t enough, this powerful antioxidant is also:

• A great modifier of gene expression to reduce inflammation
• A very potent heavy metal chelator
• An enhancer of insulin sensitivity

The benefits of ALA can appear near miraculous. For example, according to Dr. Berkson, Russia has successfully used ALA intravenously to reverse ischemia reperfusion injuries by injecting it right after a heart attack or a stroke.

And people with diabetes or metabolic syndrome tend to do much better when taking lipoic acid, as it enhances insulin sensitivity.

There’s even been quite a bit of research showing it can restore T cell function. T cells are a type of white blood cells that are of key importance to your immune system, and are at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors your body’s immune response to specific pathogens.

What Health Conditions Can be Treated With Alpha Lipoic Acid?

Clinically, alpha lipoic acid seems to be a useful supplement in treating hepatitis C. It can also be used for painful nerve conditions in diabetes, and may help slow down the aging process itself through its reduction in free radicals.

Dr. Berkson uses ALA along with low dose naltrexone (LDN) for the reversal of a number of more serious health conditions such as:

• Lupus
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Dermatomyositis (an inflammatory muscle disease)
• Autoimmune diseases
Most of his patients normalize in about one month on this combination of ALA and LDN.

What is Low Dose Naltrexone?

Naltrexone (generic name) is a pharmacologically active opioid antagonist, conventionally used to treat drug- and alcohol addiction – normally at doses of 50mg to 300mg. As such, it’s been an FDA approved drug for over two decades.

However, researchers have found that at very low dosages (3 to 4.5 mg), naltrexone has immunomodulating properties that may be able to successfully treat cancer malignancies and a wide range of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s disease, just to name a few.

As explained on the informative website www.lowdosenaltrexone.org, when you take LDN at bedtime — which blocks your opioid receptors for a few hours in the middle of the night — it is believed to up-regulate vital elements of your immune system by increasing your body’s production of metenkephalin and endorphins (your natural opioids), hence improving immune function.

Can Alpha Lipoic Acid Help Your Workout?

Alpha lipoic acid can be a potent aid when you exercise vigorously.

In my interview, Dr. Berkson gives an anecdotal story about a friend – an international weight lifting champion – who regularly uses ALA prior to meets.

Unfortunately, there are no set guidelines on dosage and timing. It can be highly individual, and is something that requires a little bit of trial and error in order to get it just right.

But if you suffer from any of the conditions listed above or diabetes it would certainly seem like a useful supplement to consider.

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi

http://karencioffi.com