MS patients with a different message – The Globe and Mail
Some people who receive liberation therapy describe results so insignificant that it almost sounds like wishful thinking. I spoke with a woman who, after heavy pressure from her family, went on the same trip to India. Now, she says, she can shake hands again. “The improvements have been small, but for me they’ve been huge.” She expects the improvements to continue, and she’s frustrated that governments have been so slow to act.
A lot of outfits are marketing hope these days. New “liberation” clinics are opening around the globe – in Mexico, Costa Rica, Poland, Bulgaria – and you can get quotes for travel packages on request. Mr. Oakey regularly gets Facebook ads that say, “Costa Rica now taking 75 patients a month!”
Both men expect they’ll get a bunch of hate mail for speaking out. But they worry about the devastation that can result from false hope, and the money being made from feeding it. Mark Pickup is confident that a real cure will come one day, though not in time for him. Meantime, he says, “we shouldn’t make decisions based on who’s yelling the loudest.”
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Edmonton scientists’ ID new gene in MS fight
Marek Michalak and Allison Kraus, scientists from the University of Alberta’s faculty of medicine and dentistry, were lead investigators on an international research team which identified a gene that plays a key role in the normal function of nerve cells and their ability to relay messages in the body. They discovered that shutting off an important gene causes mobility issues much like those seen in MS patients. The finding helps in the understanding of complex neurological diseases such as MS and Charcot Marie Tooth, both of which involve something called myelin impairment. Myelin is the protective coating around neurons which allow messages to travel quickly within the nervous system.
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Talking about MS Society of Canada – Treatment Notes (short updates, focused on news affecting MS treatment)
Health Canada has approved Sativex® [delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol 27 mg/mL (from Tetrabinex® – cannabis sativa L. extract – Bayer Inc.) as adjunctive treatment for symptomatic relief of spasticity in adult patients with multiple sclerosis. In 2005 Sativex® was approved for as adjunctive treatment for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain in adult patients with multiple sclerosis. Canada is now the third major country to approve Sativex® for symptomatic relief of spasticity in adult patients with MS.
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