Welcome! This blog contains research & information on lifestyle, nutrition and health for those with MS, as well as continuing information on the understanding of the endothelium and heart-brain connection. This blog is informative only--all medical decisions should be discussed with your own physicians.

The posts are searchable---simply type in your topic of interest in the search box at the top left.

Almost all of MS research is initiated and funded by pharmaceutical companies. This maintains the EAE mouse model and the auto-immune paradigm of MS, and continues the 20 billion dollar a year MS treatment industry. But as we learn more about slowed blood flow, gray matter atrophy, and environmental links to MS progression and disability--all things the current drugs do not address--we're discovering more about how to help those with MS.

To learn how this journey began, read my first post from August, 2009. Be well! Joan

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Celebration!

UPDATE 2018---Jeff remains MS progression free eleven years after diagnosis, with no new lesions, and a continuation of healing.


Our family has some great news to share!  Jeff's new MRI shows a continued healing of his brain and spine.  His cervical lesions are now "less prominent" than they were on his last MRI in 2012, an indication of remyelination.   He has no new white matter lesions, and, most importantly, his gray matter structures are all healthy and normal, with no signs of atrophy.  This MRI shows actual healing---not placebo---when compared to Jeff's very first MRI in 2007, which showed gray matter atrophy and enhancing lesions on the spine and brain.

It has been 8 1/2 years since Jeff's MS diagnosis, and 6 years since his venoplasty treatment at Stanford.  Jeff remains physically and mentally active, and has stayed on the Endothelial Health Program.  He has had no MS progression.  We do not take Jeff's health for granted.  We are very thankful for the wonderful CCSVI community and researchers, and we consider this blessing of good health something which we are responsible to share. We want to stay involved in the neurovascular community at large, because we remain convinced that it is essential to look at the brain's blood, cerebrospinal fluid and lymphatic flow when evaluating treatments.  

MS is an inflammatory disease in which neurodegeneration and gray matter loss is the only correlate to disease progression.  The autoimmune hypothesis remains unproven.  All of the current drug treatments---now, a $20 billion a year industry--- are based on the EAE mouse model of MS, which relies on stopping immune activation in the central nervous system, and uses white matter lesions to measure "success" of a disease modifying med.  None of these meds have been shown to stop MS disease progression.

New research on the brain continues to come in, and points to the brain's reliance on the major draining veins to maintain gray matter structures.  MS specialists remain intransigent;  by refusing to consider how slowed venous flow and endothelial dysfunction might be affecting their patients' brain health.

Yet the evidence continues.  Outspoken advocates who have treated their own MS with cardiovascular means of diet, exercise and lifestyle changes continue to speak out and gain followers.  These individuals are pointing the way to health and healing for the MS brain.

Dr. Terry Wahls  http://terrywahls.com

Matt Embry  http://www.mshope.com

Dr. George Jelinek  http://www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org

Jeff Beal  http://ccsvi.org/index.php/helping-myself/endothelial-health


Even though each program has specific dietary differences (paleo, anti-allergen, low fat)---it's important to notice the lifestyle measures which these programs SHARE.

1. Healthy, whole foods, with plenty of colorful organic fruits and vegetables
2. Removal of processed foods and transfats
3. Smoking cessation
4. Increased intake of Vitamin D with UV ray exposure and supplementation
5. Regular cardiovascular exercise
6. Meditation or some form of stress relief
7. Consideration of the blood, CSF and lymphatic flow to and from the brain
8. Good quality and regular sleep
9. Maintaining a healthy weight
10. Addressing microbiome health with probiotics

There are things that can be done today, to help the brain heal.  Will these measures "cure" or "end" MS?  None of us know that for sure.  There may well be genetic factors which contribute to highly progressive MS, that cannot be completely addressed by these programs.  But we now have years and years of evidence compiling---Matt Embry is out the furthest with 20 years of no disease activity, George Jelinek is at 16 years, and Terry Wahls and Jeff are at eight years.

These numbers are impressive, and they matter.
Please be encouraged (which literally means, to give heart!!!)
The heart and brain are connected, and it's possible to take care of them.
You can do it, one day at a time,

Joan and Jeff




11 comments:

  1. Well done! Thanks for plugging away for the greater good.

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  2. Thank-you. There is a connection and I hope it gets proved by one of the scientists soon.

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  3. Il cuore e il cervello sono collegati, ed รจ possibile prendersi cura di loro...Brava Joan!
    Credo che meritate... Auguri Infiniti!!!

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    1. mille grazie, Sandro. E vero! The heart and brain have always been connected. xo

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  4. Thank you for your continued advocacy and congratulations to all who have shown true success.
    I wish Jeff continued healing!

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  5. Wow, that is all amazing and encouraging!!!

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  6. Joan, Thankyou. I too have had this done and it has saved my life. Huge Hugs and a thankyou again for your perciverance, your husbangs Guts to try and of course ZAMBONI

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    1. thanks so much for the hugs and good story. Yeah...Jeff was the brave one, being treated first in North America (!!!) And we share your love and appreciation for Dr. Zamboni's research. He is not giving up---will be presenting more research at the ISNVD conference at the end of this month. We're only at the beginning.

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  7. I can't believe I'm only running into your great blog now. I was in a similar situation of having to research MS a few years ago. My husband, also a composer, was given a probable MS diagnosis. As with other health issues in our lives, we turned to food and lifestyle. Thankfully we found info from Dr. Wahls among others who helped steer us in the right direction. I don't have any proof but I do believe that my husband's issues are auto-immune related (as he has another auto-immune disease). We are all so lucky that so much progress has been made in real solutions towards improving people's health. Thanks to you, all the others out there who are writing about this and of course, thanks to the internet for making it so much easier to find differing voices. All the best!

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    1. Hi Lisa! Nice to meet you. Glad that you were able to help your husband find stability, and that you found Dr. Wahls' research. She is an incredible doctor and woman. I agree---we are all so fortunate to have pub med, and access to medical research at our fingertips. And each other for support!!!

      When I first put together the endothelial health program, I saw that all autoimmune diseases were exacerbated by permeability of blood vessels...plasmic particles and antigens were allowed to get into areas they weren't supposed to, due to endothelial cell dysfunction-- thereby causing an immune reaction. The idea was to give endothelial cells all of the things known to help them survive...antioxidants, shear stress via exercise, reduced stress hormones, better fats, better sleep, etc. That's how I got going on the vascular connection. And we're still going strong. All best to you and your family!!

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  8. All the best to you too Joan and to everyone you are helping!

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