Thursday, October 21, 2010 10:30 PM
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NIck
I beleive the desire to draw too close a link between MS and CCSVI has been the main reason for stalling any meaningful progress. The MS Establishment wants empirical evidence of a link before they consider it an MS treatment. We all see people with MS coming back from their angioplasty with significant improvements in the quality of life and want the same. But strangely enough, to move this forward I suggest we remove MS from the dialogue.
CCSVI is a real medical condition. Malfunctioning vein valves impede the ability of blood to drain from the brain, and over time this causes a number of symptoms like fatigue, headaches, muscle weakness/pain, vertigo, and bladder issues. When the blood is allowed to drain freely from the brain many of these symptoms appear to improve.
Now, it just so happens that many of these symptoms are associated with MS. It just so happens that many people with MS have CCSVI. But, that should not cloud the discussion. If someone is diagnosed with having abnormal blood drainage from the brain (i.e. CCSVI) they should have the procedure to rectify that problem (i.e. angioplasty to disable the malfunctioning valve so it stays open). These are two very different problems that overlap with symptoms. That is probably why some people with MS that have had the procedure have seen tremendous improvements and others little to no improvement. If you do not have CCSVI the procedure will not help your MS symptoms.
My wife had the procedure on Friday in California. We did not treat her MS. We treated her CCSVI. We have seen some early improvements in her CCSVI symptoms and hope that things will continue to get better. This is not to say that her MS is gone and all research needs to focus on CCSVI - exactly what the MS Establishment fear. R&D is still needed and an outright cure and prevention is needed. But, the MS Establishment should not over play their hand and prevent treatment on an entirely different condition. CCSVI is none of their business. Let the plumbers fix their drainage problems and keep the electricians focused on the electrical problems. Doing so would be in the best interests of MS and CCSVI sufferers alike.
I believe the only way to bringing this procedure to the many people that need it is by removing MS from the discussion.
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