Copied from Dave Bexfeld’s newsletter...DMT conclusions

[Lazarus]

Dave Bexfield is the Active MSers guy! I copied this from his newsletter today.

.”FDA Approves Two Oral MS Meds. Last month the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Mayzent (siponimod) and Mavenclad (cladribine) tablets to treat relapsing forms of MS and active secondary progressive disease. That makes 17 disease modifying therapies for MS! And why does that matter so dang much? For starters, a new study recently confirmed that the MS prevalence in the US alone is nearly 1 million (release the balloons!), more than doubling earlier estimates. But more importantly, a new large, sweeping MS DMT study in JAMA found that the "risk of reaching major disability milestones has significantly decreased" likely due to "increased use of more efficacious disease-modifying treatments." Keep rereading that sentence. Yes, DMTs matter. A lot.”

[agate]

I wasn't sure where to put this but since it's also from Dave Bexfield's newsletter, I'll put it here. It has some connection with recent discussions here about diets for MS:

It is estimated that as many as 75 percent of people with multiple sclerosis modify their diets and/or take supplements. Certainly, eating healthier and losing weight is good for you, period. So is avoiding crystal meth, poorly-packed parachutes, and street gangs. But when it comes to multiple sclerosis, no diets (Swank, Jelinek, Wahls, et al.) have been shown to have any scientifically proven effect on the disease. No supplements (fish oil, turmeric, et al.) have been shown to have any scientifically proven effect on the disease. No non-FDA approved procedures and treatments (removing mercury fillings, et al.) have been shown to have any scientifically proven effect on the disease. And I'm not gonna touch CCSVI and LDN, both of which have vocal supporters but limited scientific backing as of this writing. Indeed, all CCSVI studies have failed to show any benefit.

Arg! Yes, it is frustrating. While MS studies have found Ginkgo Biloba does nothing for cognition, that statins don't reduce relapses, and that bee sting therapy, well, just plain hurts, little is conclusive in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Diets in particular are hard to study because of compliance. Now I've read that Vitamin D may hold some promise ... but studies are still ongoing so it's not a slam dunk. Excess salt may ramp up disease progression ... in mice with an MS-like disease when they consume enough NaCl to kill a horse. Lowering stress, which research suggests may be associated to relapses, is good (who wants stress?) but not proven to influence the disease. My personal favorite study is the one that found moderate alcohol intake may have a neuroprotective effect. But sorry, I'm not about to tell you to booze it up.

Bottom line: some of these lifestyle changes and treatments may help--and may even help in a big way... or do absolutely nothing at all. So if you want to go on an anti-inflammatory, gluten-free, turmeric-laden vegan diet (gads, no more corndogs) it almost certainly won't hurt you--and you'll probably lose weight and feel better. It just might not help your MS, either. My best advice: talk to your neurologist and tell him or her exactly what you are taking to avoid dangerous drug interactions (or unnecessary treatment; e.g., Biotin can trick docs into thinking you have thyroid issues), do your own research on reputable sites, and please tread carefully when it comes to unproven remedies touted on the internet. Regretfully, the CAM market, as I've personally discovered, is rife with scammers and hucksters.

[links in text removed]

[Howie]

I'm JUST seeing this post from 4:15. It's not the first time this has happened, and it's not because I'm not here.

[Sunshine]

Agate, can you post the link to that?

[agate]

Agate, can you post the link to that?

I can try.
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Howie, I'm not sure what problem you're having. The 4:15 post you're talking about wouldn't be anything I would know about because the time zones are different. The posts are usually timed to fit your time zone (unless your settings are wrong).

You do know how to refresh the board, right?

[Howie]

Yes. Maybe it's my computer's server that's having trouble. It's no big deal.

[agate]

Your latest post in this thread is post #6 if that's any help.