For long-suffering multiple sclerosis patients, it seemed like a miracle: a relatively simple new explanation for what causes the often-crippling disease, and an equally straightforward fix.
Indeed, glowingly positive Canadian media accounts of work by Italy's Dr. Paolo Zamboni, who says the disease can be treated by unblocking veins from the brain, have triggered a sensation across the MS world -- and raised questions about how journalists and scientists portray medical research to the public.
Clinics throughout Canada and the United States have been deluged with calls and emails from patients eager to learn more or demanding immediate treatment with the new technique, often bringing the offices' regular work to a halt, physicians say.
Some doctors report that patients have gone off their medication, with potentially long-term negative implications. Others have talked of taking out loans or even selling their houses to fund the experimental therapy. Almost overnight, the MS Society directed hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to study of the new concept.
Meanwhile, neurologists trying to explain the limitations of Dr. Zamboni's findings have faced sometimes angry recriminations from patients desperate for a cure.
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5 comments:
When I was first diognosed I was told to start a DMD now, now, now. So we want answers about the Liberation Therapy Now, Now, Now! So after years of putting pressure on MSers the Neuros cant take the heat, well turn about is fair play. With all the new drugs comming out as well all we want is whats best for us.
I think it makes sense and I'll be on a trial this year. I understand the caution expressed by people and agree with it to a certain extent, but I do warn those people to remain cautious without being negative or 'stuck'.
Change can be hard to deal with (especially when it's an idea which means one has to rethink one's ideas on how their body works), but this will be a great thing once 'proven'! lol
Dr. Zamboni acknowledges MS is an auto-immune disease, which he believes is stimulated by iron deposits caused by venous malformations. Even if this is correct, surgery may not undo past damage nor stop the immune attack.
Hope is good. False hope is bad.
Douglas W. Cooper, Ph.D.
dwcooper05@yahoo.com
By what I understand, Dr Zamboni does not say that it is a auto-immune disease. He says that reflux of blood in the brain is causing accumulation of iron deposits. The damage to the myelin which is caused by these deposits stimulates the immune system which will then appear and cause more damages. Surgery solves the problems caused by a bad blood circulation. Accumulation of iron disappear, immune system goes back home and stop causing inflammation and damages. But the permanent loss remains. One can only hope on the body capacity to repair itself for further improvement along with research on cell therapy to regenerate the neurons.
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