Wanted to repost this note about chickens and eggs, in light of today's news. It began at ECTRIMS last fall.


CCSVI--the new strategy to come out of ECTRIMS---
Tomorrow I'll be posting the negative studies presented at ECTRIMS.  There are two new studies that are approaching CCSVI from a new angle...that of proving that CCSVI is not the cause MS.  They both look at clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and early MS are conclude there is no CCSVI.  Both studies appear to be doing the doppler and venography testing incorrectly, and we'll get into more specifics tomorrow...but what I found interesting is that these studies actually found CCSVI in more progressed or later-stage MS.  They do not deny CCSVI exists...but they are trying a new tactic.  They are saying CCSVI is created DUE TO brain damage from MS.  It's the old chicken and egg switcheroo.   Here's why this is interesting.  It is obvious that the correlation to CCSVI and MS is undeniable.  More and more patients are coming forward with positive venograms showing stenosis and reflux in the central veins.  It is becoming impossible to ignore or deny.  So, the neurologists and MS specialists are going to re-write the script and say, Yes...you do have CCSVI.  But it's because you have MS.  MS causes CCSVI.  Let us treat your MS with our drugs, and your CCSVI won't progress.   Now,  this was the question raised by the Alberta document (maybe MS causes CCSVI?)  and I think those who hope to disprove CCSVI were very smart to pick up on this line of logic.  Problem is...CCSVI exists.  And it exists early in the MS disease process.   Other doctors are finding it in early MS and clinically isolated syndrome.  I've told the story of Dr. Dake testing the daughter of one of his first patients, and finding she had occluded veins, even though she did not have an MS diagnosis.  She later had an MRI, and there were the white matter lesions.  Dr. Dake treated her with angioplasty, even before she ever had an official MS diagnosis.  The other daughter had great veins, no CCSVI and no MS.   And Dr. Zivadinov told a similar story in Bologna, about the daughter of an MS patient in his study who was part of the healthy control group.  Sure enough, she had CCSVI and it was a few months later she showed white matter lesions on MRI and received an MS diagnosis.  And this is happening world wide.   Those who've been following this page already know that Dr. Byung B. Lee and a panel of international vascular experts have classified CCSVI stenosis as truncular venous malformations, formed in utero.  Here's Dr. Lee's paper. http://www.fondazionehilarescere.org/pdf/03-2518-ANGY.pdf   And we also know that these truncular venous malformations grow with the body, and get progressively worse with age.  And yes, as inflammation in the body increases, the stenotic lesion will worsen as well.  MS is a chronic disease which progresses over the duration of the disease...and venous malformations get worse as the body ages and disturbed blood flow continues to damage the veins.  Chronic venous disease gets worse.  CCSVI gets worse.   So, be prepared for the neurologists' new tactic...telling you that your MS has created your CCSVI.   It's getting more interesting all the time....til tomorrow--- Joan