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Good news: New hope for victims of traumatic brain injury

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

Every year, nearly two million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI), the leading cause of brain damage and permanent disabilities that include motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, and memory loss. Current rehabilitation programs help patients but often achieve limited success.

Now Dr. Shai Efrati and Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience have proven that it is possible to repair brains and improve the quality of life for TBI victims, even years after the occurrence of the injury.

In an article published in PLoS ONE, Dr. Efrati, Prof. Ben Jacob, and their collaborators present evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) should repair chronically impaired brain functions and significantly improve the quality of life of mild TBI patients. The new findings challenge the often-dismissive stand of the US Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the medical community at large, and offer new hope where there was none.

The research trial

The trial included 56 participants who had suffered mild traumatic brain injury one to five years earlier and were still bothered by headaches, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and other cognitive impairments. The patients’ symptoms were no longer improving prior to the trial.

The participants were randomly divided into two groups. One received two months of HBOT treatment while the other, the control group, was not treated at all. The latter group then received two months of treatment following the first control period. The treatments, administered at the Institute of Hyperbaric Medicine at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, headed by Dr. Efrati, consisted of 40 one-hour sessions, administered five times a week over two months, in a high pressure chamber, breathing 100% oxygen and experiencing a pressure of 1.5 atmospheres, the pressure experienced when diving under water to a depth of 5 meters. The patients’ brain functions and quality of life were then assessed by computerized evaluations and compared with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans.

Persuasive confirmation

In both groups, the hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions led to significant improvements in tests of cognitive function and quality of life. No significant improvements occurred by the end of the period of non-treatment in the control group. Analysis of brain imaging showed significantly increased neuronal activity after a two-month period of HBOT treatment compared to the control periods of non-treatment.

“What makes the results even more persuasive is the remarkable agreement between the cognitive function restoration and the changes in brain functionality as detected by the SPECT scans,” explained Prof. Ben-Jacob. “The results demonstrate that neuroplasticity can be activated for months and years after acute brain injury.”

“But most important, patients experienced improvements such as memory restoration and renewed use of language,” Dr. Efrati said. “These changes can make a world of difference in daily life, helping patients regain their independence, go to work, and integrate back into society.”

The regeneration process following brain injury involves complex processes, such as building new blood vessels and rebuilding connections between neurons, and requires much energy.

“This is where HBOT treatment can help,” said Dr. Efrati. “The elevated oxygen levels during treatment supply the necessary energy for facilitating the healing process.”

The findings offer new hope for millions of traumatic brain injury patients, including thousands of veterans wounded in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. The researchers call for additional larger scale, multi-center clinical studies to further confirm the findings and determine the most effective and personalized treatment protocols. But since the hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the only treatment proven to heal TBI patients, the researchers say that the medical community and the US Armed Forces should permit the victims of TBI benefit from the new hope right now, rather than waiting until additional studies are completed.

fibrosis

FDA approves new treatment for cystic fibrosis read now

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first drug for cystic fibrosis directed at treating the cause of the disease in people who have two copies of a specific mutation.

Orkambi (lumacaftor 200 mg/ivacaftor 125 mg) is now approved to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients 12 years and older, who have the F508del mutation, which causes the production of an abnormal protein that disrupts how water and chloride are transported in the body. Having two copies of this mutation (one inherited from each parent) is the leading cause of CF.

“The FDA encourages manufacturers to develop new and innovative treatments for serious rare diseases like cystic fibrosis,” said John Jenkins, M.D., director of the Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval significantly broadens the availability of targeted treatments for the specific defects that cause cystic fibrosis.”

Orkambi received FDA’s breakthrough therapy designation because the sponsor demonstrated through preliminary clinical evidence that the drug may offer a substantial improvement over available therapies. The FDA also reviewed Orkambi under the priority review program. A priority review is conducted over six months, or less, instead of the standard 10 months, and is employed for drugs that may offer significant improvement in safety or effectiveness in treatment over available therapy in a serious disease or condition.

In addition, the FDA granted Orkambi orphan drug designation because it treats cystic fibrosis, a rare disease. Orphan drug designation provides financial incentives, like clinical trial tax credits, user fee waivers, and eligibility for market exclusivity to promote rare disease drug development.

CF is a serious genetic disorder that results in the formation of thick mucus that builds up in the lungs, digestive tract and other parts of the body leading to severe respiratory and digestive problems, as well as other complications such as infections and diabetes.

CF, which affects about 30,000 people in the United States, is the most common fatal genetic disease in Caucasians. The F508del mutation is the most common cause of CF. People who have two copies of the F508del mutation, one inherited from each parent, account for approximately half of the CF population in the U.S.

The safety and efficacy of Orkambi was studied in two double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of 1,108 participants with CF who were 12 years and older with the F508del mutation. In both studies, participants with CF who took Orkambi, two pills taken every 12 hours, demonstrated improved lung function compared to those who took placebo.

The efficacy and safety of Orkambi have not been established in patients with CF other than those with the F508del mutation. If a patient’s genotype is unknown, an FDA cleared CF mutation test should be used to detect the presence of the F508del mutation on both alleles of the CFTR gene.

The most common side effects of Orkambi include shortness of breath, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, diarrhea, and rash. Women who took Orkambi also had increased menstrual abnormalities such as increased bleeding.

Orkambi is made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Boston.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

Dementia

‘Microbes identified as dementia cause’ – new hope for cure

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

New treatments for dementia patients could be a major step nearer after a group of influential scientists identified microbes as a cause.

An editorial in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease brings together evidence linking microbes – a virus and two kinds of bacteria – to the development of the illness.

The authors are calling for more research into the area, including clinical trials of antimicrobial drugs as potential Alzheimer’s treatments.

The editorial claims are based on substantial published evidence implicating the microbes – a virus and two specific types of bacteria – in the cause of the degenerative illness.

However scientists say the work has been largely ignored or dismissed as controversial, despite the absence of evidence to the contrary.

It is hoped the findings set out in the editorial could also have implications on the future treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other progressive neurological conditions.

Researchers say the opposition to microbe theories is similar to hostility see some years ago against studies which showed viruses cause certain types of cancer and bacterium causes stomach ulcers, which eventually proved to be correct, leading to new treatments.

Scientists also say the research into the microbe cause of Alzheimer’s can no longer be ignored.

One of the editorial’s authors is Professor Douglas Kell, of Manchester University’s School of Chemistry, who says supposedly sterile red blood cells were seen to contain dormant microbes, which also has implications for blood transfusions.

He said: “We are saying there is incontrovertible evidence that Alzheimer’s Disease has a dormant microbial component, and that this can be woken up by iron dysregulation.

“Removing this iron will slow down or prevent cognitive degeneration – we can’t keep ignoring all of the evidence.”

Professor Resia Pretorius, of the University of Pretoria in South Africa, who also worked on the editorial, said “The microbial presence in blood may also play a fundamental role as causative agent of systemic inflammation, which is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease – particularly, the bacterial cell wall component and endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide. “

Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society said: “A large number of different microbes including viruses, bacteria and fungi have been found in the brains of older people – but there do appear to be more of them in the brains of people who have died with Alzheimer’s disease.

“While these observations are interesting and warrant further research, there is currently insufficient evidence to tell us that microbes are responsible for causing Alzheimer’s disease in the vast majority of cases.

“We would like to reassure people that there remains no convincing evidence that Alzheimer’s disease is contagious or can be passed from person to person like a virus.

“Given the enormous global impact of dementia, there is intense interest from the research community to understand all the potential contributing factors.

“We welcome research that explores all possible avenues and have committed £100 million over the next decade to more fully understand the causes of dementia and to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the condition.”

Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia. And in less than 10 years a million people will be living with dementia.

Depression

A Jolt Of Good News In Dealing With The Dilemma Of Depression

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

It’s normal to feel depressed following the death of someone you love, the loss of any important relationship, or, as Hamlet said, ” The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ” and “The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.” Scales that rank the stress of life change events place death of a spouse at the top, followed by divorce, marital separation, death of a close family member and imprisonment.

Depending on the number and severity of life change events, it is possible to predict the likelihood of developing some stress related illness. Following the death of a spouse, mortality rates in the survivor soar over the next 6-12 months and remain high for the next few years, particularly in widowers. The dilemma for physicians in this and other situations is how can you tell when depression is abnormal? And if it is, how should it be treated?

To begin with, strictly speaking, depression is not a distinct disease. It is merely a collection of certain symptoms that can have varied causes and therefore require different treatments. Unlike any other disease, there are no physical signs, blood, urine or saliva tests, x-rays and sophisticated imaging studies (MRI, CTT, PET scans) or biopsy results to confirm a diagnosis. Even a thorough autopsy with microscopic examination of brain tissue will fail to show any distinctive abnormalities.

As emphasized in prior Newsletters and e-magazines, there has been little if any progress in the diagnosis and treatment of depression (or other mental disorders) over the past 200 years. That helps to explain why we have such a large list of different therapies for depression, including over 20 serotonin and combined serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic and tetracyclic drugs, membrane stabilizers, lithium and hormones. There are also numerous non prescription vitamins, herbals (St. John’s wort, valerian), nutraceuticals (fish oils, SAM-E), melatonin and stimulants, as well as acupuncture, visual imagery, therapeutic touch, stellate ganglion block, U-V light, hypnosis, psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), emotional freedom technique or “tapping” (EFT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), companion dog therapy, meditation, music, yoga, aerobic exercise, electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and most recently, ketamine (an anesthetic) and scopolamine, used to treat motion sickness.

It is difficult to think of any other illness where there is such a plethora of diverse modalities, each of which has its own proponents based on apparent efficacy in selected patients. The problem is that with the possible exception of U-V light exposure in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD syndrome), there is no algorithm to predict which modality will succeed in any given patient.

We do know that there are hormonal differences since women are affected twice as often than men. Depression and other emotional disturbances were previously thought to be related to the monthly (lunar) cycle, hence the term lunatic. Women with PMS and especially PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) may suffer from depression, post-partum depression is not uncommon, and menopausal depression is so well recognized that involutional melancholia was previously an accepted psychiatric diagnosis. However the treatment for these and all other types of depression is apt to be a drug that boosts serotonin and or some other neurotransmitter.

Such SSRI antidepressants are now the most common prescription medication for Americans age 18-59 despite the fact that no studies show a serotonin deficiency in depression. In addition, these drugs are no more effective than placebos in the vast majority of patients, have serious side effects, including suicide, and are difficult to stop because of severe withdrawal symptoms. As psychiatrist and drug company whistleblower David Healy, author of Pharmageddon, wrote, “The serotonin theory of depression is comparable to the masturbatory theory of insanity.”

Newer does not always mean better. Lobotomy was originally touted as such a breakthrough and safe treatment that many patients opted for a 15-minute “icepick” procedure done through the eyes for only $25.00. The current deplorable situation is only going to worsen as the incidence of depression has been steadily increasing, especially in younger age groups. It is now the leading cause of disability worldwide, and the World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, more people will suffer from depression than any other medical condition.

Psychological

Good News or Bad News: Which Do You Want First?

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

It’s the setup line to a well-worn genre of joke, but it’s no laughing matter, according to Angela Legg, a Ph.D. student in psychology at the University of California, Riverside.

Legg’s research—done with Kate Sweeney, also of UC Riverside, and published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin—put a scientific lens to the question.

The answer, Legg found, depends on whether you are the giver or receiver of the bad news, and if the information will be used to modify behavior.

Close-up photo of hands embracing.

If you are on the receiving end, Legg says, experiments showed that an overwhelming majority—more than 75 percent—wanted the bad news first. “If people know they are going to get bad news, they would rather get it over with,” she says. Then, if there is good news to follow, “you end on a high note.”

Conversely, news givers—between 65 and 70 percent—chose to give good news first, then the bad news. “When news givers go into a conversation, they are anxious. No one enjoys giving bad news. They don’t understand that having to wait for bad news makes the recipient more anxious.”

But good news first, then bad could be a useful strategy if the goal is to get someone to change a behavior—when, for example, Legg says, “you are giving feedback to a patient needing to lose weight, who has to take action. The recipient doesn’t feel good about the news, but may do something about it.”

The Sandwich Approach

Then there is what she calls the good news, bad news, good news sandwich—when the bad news comes between piece of good news on either side. Example: “Your cholesterol is down. By the way, your blood pressure is morbidly high. Your blood sugar levels are good.”

That’s fine if you want someone to feel good, she says. “But hiding the bad news in the sandwich is generally not a good strategy. It downplays the bad news, and the recipient gets confused.”

The person who delivers a bad news sandwich is engaging in what Legg calls conversational acrobatics. “They believe they are making the conversation easier, but the message gets garbled.”

There’s even an acronym in psychological jargon for people who delay giving out bad news or avoid it altogether—MUM (mum about undesirable messages).

“The best news-giving strategies take into account that sometimes we want to make people feel good and sometimes we need them to act,” she says.

Legg’s advice to doctors is that when relaying a diagnosis or prognosis, it’s better to give the bad news first, and then the positive information to help the patient accept it.

What If There’s No Good News?

But how do physicians deliver bad news when there is no good news to soften it?

“Many physicians prefer not to have to give bad news until it’s obvious,” saysThomas J. Smith, director of palliative medicine at the Johns Hopkins Institutions in Baltimore. Palliative care is a relatively new field that emphasizes open and honest communication with seriously ill patients.

According to one study, “If we look at the charts of people with lung cancer, only 22 percent of the charts have any notation that the doctor and patient talked about the fact that the patient is going to die,” he says. “Most of the time the conversation goes along the lines of ‘it’s incurable, but treatable.’ Many times it doesn’t get mentioned again.” In reality, 90 percent of people say they want truthful and honest information.

The “bad news” conversation, Smith stresses, needs to be more than one conversation. “When you give a bad diagnosis, they don’t hear anything [anyone says] for the next three weeks anyway. They are stunned. ”

The situation is improving. “Forty years ago when I started, palliative care wasn’t the norm,” he says. Now, at Johns Hopkins, medical students practice breaking bad news to a trained actor “patient.”

“Many [other] countries are changing, as well. Japan has shifted from no one being told to everyone being told” the truth, even if it’s bad news.

And sometimes, even when the news is bad, good news can follow unexpectedly. Recently, Smith met with a survivor group at the National Institutes of Health, where a woman shared her story: “My doctor told me I had eight months to live. He did say, ‘Some do better, some worse.’ So I took that to heart and told the kids and prepared them, and my husband and I went and picked out our burial plots. I thought at the time it would all be grim, but it turned out to be really important planning.

ADHD

Children Who Don’t Get ADHD Treatment Can Have Problems Into Adulthood

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

Criminal activity, academic performance, and driving abilities are among the behaviors that can be affected if attention deficit hyperactivity disorder isn’t treated.

Not getting treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can affect more than just a child’s ability to sit still.

In some cases, it can have long-term effects on things such as substance abuse, driving ability, and eating habits.

“An interesting thing happens when people are considering whether or not to treat ADHD,” says Ari Tuckman, psychologist and author of “More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD.” “They will often focus on the potential risks and side effects but ignore the potential benefits. In other words, they ignore the risks and side effects of not treating ADHD.”

In many cases, the risks of not treating ADHD outweigh the potential side effects of stimulant medications, which can include loss of appetite, potential slowing of growth in childhood, and increased blood pressure or heart rate.

“For kids, [not treating ADHD carries] all the risks that parents worry about,” explains Tuckman. “Doing badly in school, having social struggles, greater substance use, more car accidents, less likely to attend and then graduate college. For adults, untreated ADHD also affects job performance and lifetime earnings, marital satisfaction, and likelihood of divorce.”

That’s because untreated kids sometimes don’t learn impulse control, emotional regulation, and social skills.

As adults, they can sometimes fall behind the curve and don’t always catch up. Children who receive ADHD treatment can slow down and focus enough to participate in therapy and learn critical skills and coping strategies to manage ADHD into adulthood.

Potential Risks of Not Treating ADHD

Studies have recognized a number of potential problems that can develop out of untreated ADHD.

One is substance abuse. Stimulant medication commonly used to treat ADHD is a controlled substance, which indicates a possibility of addiction. However, in the doses prescribed for ADHD, these stimulants are not addictive.

Studies have actually shown that individuals with untreated ADHD are more prone to use and abuse alcohol and illegal drugs.

In a 2003 study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the author noted, “Findings included confirmation that, in fact, stimulant therapy protected medicated ADHD patients against substance use disorder, which occurred at rates that were 3 to 4 times greater among people with untreated ADHD.”

Another potential risk is criminal activity. Studies have shown about 25 percent of individuals behind bars in the United States have ADHD.

Experts mainly contribute this fact to impulsivity and poor self-regulation, two symptoms that can be improved with ADHD treatment. Researchers compared rates of antidepressant and stimulant prescriptions to the rate of violent crimes in the United States from 1997 to 2004. They said that as rates of antidepressant and stimulant use rose, the rate of violent crime dropped.

Driving abilities can also be affected. A 2009 examination of the literature on ADHD and driving injuries found that stimulants used to alleviate ADHD can reduce symptoms such as inattention, distractibility, and impulsiveness that have implications on driving skills.

Linda Roggli, founder of the ADDiva Network, knows all too well the dangers of driving with untreated ADHD. She learned the hard way when she rushed out the door forgetting to take her ADHD medication one morning.

The panic of brushing one car against the other in her garage created enough cognitive confusion to lead her to use the wrong pedal and cause $12,000 worth of damage.

“Driving is a complex task,” explains Roggli, “involving paying attention to the road, the people and cars on either side, planning ahead to turn off on the correct exit, and changing lanes. All of which are impacted by my distractibility.”

Eating, Studying, and Job Performance Are Also Affected

Another potential risk of untreated ADHD is binge eating.

A study published last month in the International Journal of Eating Disordersfound children with ADHD are 12 times more likely to have loss of control eating syndrome (LOC-ES) than kids without ADHD. The researchers found that the worse a child’s impulse control, the more likely they were to have LOC-ES.

Untreated ADHD also impacts academic achievement. Improvement in both achievement tests and academic performance outcomes have been noted when comparing untreated ADHD patients to treated ADHD patients, although achievement test scores improved more than academic performance.

Academics affect more than grades on a report card. One study found, “Adults with self-reports of diagnosed ADHD in the community were significantly less likely to have graduated high school (83% vs. 93%) or obtain a college degree (19% vs. 26%).”

Job performance is another issue. Individuals with ADHD have increased difficulty getting jobs and keeping them. As well, they make $8,900 to $15,400 per year less than non-ADHD workers.

Adults with ADHD were less likely to be currently employed (52% vs. 72%), and had more job changes over a 10-year period (5.4 vs. 3.4 jobs). Poor time management and organizational skills can also lead to poor workplace performance. Treated or not, experts say it’s crucial for people with ADHD to seek careers that play to their strengths.

Finally, there’s divorce. Adults with untreated ADHD are nearly twice as likely to get separated or divorced from their spouses. According to Melissa Orlov in her book, “The ADHD Effect on Marriage,” untreated ADHD can cause an unsuccessful parent-child relationship between partners.

“[It] can translate into a lot of extra work for a non-ADHD spouse,” Orlov wrote. “If workload distribution inequities aren’t addressed, the resentment and feelings of ‘being a slave’ that the non-ADHD partner often feels can result in divorce.”

Multiple Sclerosis

Italian doctor may have found surprisingly simple cure for Multiple Sclerosis

March 12, 2016 Published by: Lussy James

An Italian doctor has been getting dramatic results with a new type of treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, which affects up to 2.5 million people worldwide. In an initial study, Dr. Paolo Zamboni took 65 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, performed a simple operation to unblock restricted bloodflow out of the brain – and two years after the surgery, 73% of the patients had no symptoms. Dr. Zamboni’s thinking could turn the current understanding of MS on its head, and offer many sufferers a complete cure.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, has long been regarded as a life sentence of debilitating nerve degeneration. More common in females, the disease affects an estimated 2.5 million people around the world, causing physical and mental disabilities that can gradually destroy a patient’s quality of life.

It’s generally accepted that there’s no cure for MS, only treatments that mitigate the symptoms – but a new way of looking at the disease has opened the door to a simple treatment that is causing radical improvements in a small sample of sufferers.

Left: diagram from a medical text showing how MS affects the myelin sheathing of nerves. Right: ...

An Italian doctor has been getting dramatic results with a new type of treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, which affects up to 2.5 million people worldwide. In an initial study, Dr. Paolo Zamboni took 65 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, performed a simple operation to unblock restricted bloodflow out of the brain – and two years after the surgery, 73% of the patients had no symptoms. Dr. Zamboni’s thinking could turn the current understanding of MS on its head, and offer many sufferers a complete cure.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, has long been regarded as a life sentence of debilitating nerve degeneration. More common in females, the disease affects an estimated 2.5 million people around the world, causing physical and mental disabilities that can gradually destroy a patient’s quality of life.

It’s generally accepted that there’s no cure for MS, only treatments that mitigate the symptoms – but a new way of looking at the disease has opened the door to a simple treatment that is causing radical improvements in a small sample of sufferers.

Italian Dr. Paolo Zamboni has put forward the idea that many types of MS are actually caused by a blockage of the pathways that remove excess iron from the brain – and by simply clearing out a couple of major veins to reopen the blood flow, the root cause of the disease can be eliminated.

Dr. Zamboni’s revelations came as part of a very personal mission – to cure his wife as she began a downward spiral after diagnosis. Reading everything he could on the subject, Dr. Zamboni found a number of century-old sources citing excess iron as a possible cause of MS. It happened to dovetail with some research he had been doing previously on how a buildup of iron can damage blood vessels in the legs – could it be that a buildup of iron was somehow damaging blood vessels in the brain?

He immediately took to the ultrasound machine to see if the idea had any merit – and made a staggering discovery. More than 90% of people with MS have some sort of malformation or blockage in the veins that drain blood from the brain. Including, as it turned out, his wife.

He formed a hypothesis on how this could lead to MS: iron builds up in the brain, blocking and damaging these crucial blood vessels. As the vessels rupture, they allow both the iron itself, and immune cells from the bloodstream, to cross the blood-brain barrier into the cerebro-spinal fluid. Once the immune cells have direct access to the immune system, they begin to attack the myelin sheathing of the cerebral nerves – Multiple Sclerosis develops.

He named the problem Chronic Cerebro-Spinal Venous Insufficiency, or CCSVI.

Zamboni immediately scheduled his wife for a simple operation to unblock the veins – a catheter was threaded up through blood vessels in the groin area, all the way up to the effected area, and then a small balloon was inflated to clear out the blockage. It’s a standard and relatively risk-free operation – and the results were immediate. In the three years since the surgery, Dr. Zamboni’s wife has not had an attack.

Widening out his study, Dr. Zamboni then tried the same operation on a group of 65 MS-sufferers, identifying blood drainage blockages in the brain and unblocking them – and more than 73% of the patients are completely free of the symptoms of MS, two years after the operation.

In some cases, a balloon is not enough to fully open the vein channel, which collapses either as soon as the balloon is removed, or sometime later. In these cases, a metal stent can easily be used, which remains in place holding the vein open permanently.

Dr. Zamboni’s lucky find is yet to be accepted by the medical community, which is traditionally slow to accept revolutionary ideas. Still, most agree that while further study needs to be undertaken before this is looked upon as a cure for MS, the results thus far have been very positive.

Naturally, support groups for MS sufferers are buzzing with the news that a simple operation could free patients from what they have always been told would be a lifelong affliction, and further studies are being undertaken by researchers around the world hoping to confirm the link between CCSVI and MS, and open the door for the treatment to become available for sufferers worldwide.

It’s certainly a very exciting find for MS sufferers, as it represents a possible complete cure, as opposed to an ongoing treatment of symptoms. We wish Dr. Zamboni and the various teams looking further into this issue the best of luck.