June 20, 2013
Dr. Richard Weller of Edinburgh University reports on research finding that when skin is exposed to UV rays for 20 minutes, vasodilating nitric oxide is released. This effect is independent of vitamin D levels--and may explain why even if D levels are raised by supplementation, the full benefit is not received.
Why does this matter to those with CCSVI and MS?
If MS is a disease of hypoperfusion (or slowed blood and CSF flow thru the brain)-- looking at all of the environmental issues which may compound this problem is essential. An improvement in endothelial health and nitric oxide utilization can help in symptom relief.
Here's more on how the research connects MS and UV rays--
MS and latitude--
There is a significant link between MS and the amount of sunshine we receive. The connection of higher MS prevalence for those living in northern latitudes has been long-established---based on 30 years of research.
This explains why Canada, Ireland and Scotland have higher rates of MS than countries nearer the equator.
(NOTE-This does not mean living at a northern latitude causes MS. It means there is an environmental link which has been scientifically noted regarding northern latitudes and the prevalence of MS diagnoses.)
There has been a recent surge in published research on the connection of Multiple Sclerosis and UV rays, in relation to vitamin D. The connection is being further elucidated every day. Dr. Embry's Direct-MS has the most complete library of full research papers available online. Here is a link for those who wish to explore Vitamin D more thoroughly:
But UV rays may have an effect on MS, outside of the production of vitamin D.
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Dr. Furchgott and the Discovery of Photorelaxation
In reading up on the effect of UV rays on the body, and I came back to the research of Nobel prize winning researcher, Dr. Robert F. Furchgott. He passed away in 2009, and his university keeps his web page online. Dr. Furchgott was a professor at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY---the same place where Dr. Sal Sclafani recently retired and where the first CCSVI conference was held in the US! Here's Dr. Furchgott's page--
Dr. Furchgott discovered the process of photorelaxation over 40 years ago. What he noted in the lab was that exposure to UV rays changed the endothelium, encouraging nitric oxide production and vasodilation of arteries. In 2009, before he passed, he stated the current working hypothesis--
The present working hypothesis is that light photoactivates some material in the vascular smooth muscle, causing the release of some product which stimulates the guanylyl cyclase to produce cGMP. We are planning experiments to test this hypothesis. One possibility is that the vascular smooth muscle in vivo accumulates some "end pro" formed from the endothelium-derived nitric oxide, and that this product releases NO intracellularly when exposed to the proper wavelengths of light.