Controversial?

February 26, 2012 at 9:49am

Why does every single news report on CCSVI use the words controversial and liberation therapy?

Why not use the scientific language?

As in, "venoplasty to repair a truncular venous malformation"

I suppose it is harder to denigrate an entire population when you use correct, scientific language.

It is harder to stand in judgement of those desperate sick people- when you actually look at the research.  

It is hard to make a movement look foolish and ill-informed if you refer to the volumes of published research noting truncular venous malformations and altered blood flow in people with MS and other neurodegenerative disease.

It is much easier to invoke the controversy words, and paint with a broad brush.  

Makes for better headlines, I suppose.

When my husband had his jugular truncular venous malformations repaired at Stanford University almost three years ago, the doctor there told me he was concerned the L word would be used to denigrate the science. We both knew it had been used in one Italian publication, and it would most likely be picked up.  How prescient this was. 

He told us that he had performed this type of venoplasty on patients with central venous stenosis and vena cava syndrome for many years, and it was a known and respected procedure.  Venous malformations were troublesome, and definitely were affecting my husband's brain.  No longer.  This was never a "cure" for MS.  It was a treatment to repair a venous malformation.

Why do commentators continue on with the semantics, and not the SCIENCE??

Why aren't they covering the convening meetings, being held around the world?

Who was at the ISNVD conference?  Where were the press, the MS specialists?

Why aren't they referring to research on truncular venous malformations?

For science, and for all the publications now available, see CCSVI Alliance's new, searchable data base

HERE:

http://www.ccsvi.org/index.php/component/search/index.php?option=com_search&task=search

Joan

CCSVI and the blood brain barrier--new research

February 2, 2012 at 8:56am

New research is showing us how the blood brain barrier functions.  Our understanding of what this barrier is and how it works has changed.

We may not see this happening in our neurologists' offices, or in the press, but it is important to understand that independent researchers (those with no connection to pharma) are looking at how CCSVI impacts the blood brain barrier.  I want to share this as encouragement. 

This is from an article written by K.K. Jain, MD on Medlink.  It was originally released in 1998, but Dr. Jain updates this article, as new research emerges.  The last update was in 2011.  

And now it includes CCSVI.  

Professor Jain is a nanotechnology and neurological expert, and serves as associate editor of Medlink Corporations online encyclopedia of neurology.

For over a century it has been recognized that the entry of certain substances into the brain is restricted. The old concept of the blood-brain barrier as a passive, impermeable barrier that segregates blood and brain interstitial fluid is giving way to the idea that the blood-brain barrier is a dynamic conduit for transport between blood and brain of those nutrients, peptides, proteins, or immune cells that have access to certain transport systems localized within the blood-brain barrier membranes.

When the BBB was first described in the 1800s, it was thought to be an impassible wall between blood, cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue.  But we now understand:

 Key points

  • The blood-brain barrier is an important conduit of nutrients and cells from the blood to the brain.

  • It also has an important function in protecting the brain from the entry of harmful substances.

  • Knowledge of impairment of permeability of the blood-brain barrier in various neurologic disorders is important in understanding the pathomechanisms and devising strategies for management.

  • Permeability of the blood-brain barrier is manipulated for drug delivery to the brain.

Contrast-enhanced MRI in patients with multiple sclerosis show that increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier commonly occurs with this disease. Lymphocyte recruitment into the brain across endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier, which is otherwise restricted and well regulated, represents a critical event in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (Correale and Villa 2007). The changes in capillary permeability often precede T2-weighted MRI evidence of tissue damage. Increased gelatinase B (a type of matrix metalloproteinase) is associated with an open blood-brain barrier on MRI. Steroids may improve capillary function by reducing activity of gelatinase B.

  Various inflammatory factors produced by perivascular cells in multiple sclerosis affect the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. One of these, the intercellular adhesion molecule-1, binds to its leukocyte ligands and allows activated leukocytes entry into the central nervous system. According to 1 hypothesis, pathological reflux of venous flow in the cerebral and spinal veins increases the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 by the cerebrovascular endothelium, which, in turn, could lead to increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier (Simka 2009).

Specialists of the blood brain barrier and cerebral endothelium understand CCSVI.

What's the difference between nitrous oxide and nitric oxide?

January 30, 2012 at 2:53pm

I get this question a lot.  Thought I'd take the time to break it down in English (as opposed to chemistry talk, which still makes my head spin.) 

Nitric Oxide (NO) is NOT the same as Nitrous Oxide (N2O).

Nitric Oxide is one molecule of nitrogen, one of oxygen.

Nitrous Oxide has 2 molecules of nitrogen, and one of oxygen.

And that extra molecule of nitrogen changes the gas completely.

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) has been getting some press recently, since Demi Moore was hospitalized for inhaling canned Nitrous Oxide (in a form called "whippets") and having a seizure.  Nitrous oxide is used in aerosol cans, to propel whipped cream or cooking spray out of the bottle.

Nitrous Oxide (N20) is what they give you at the dentist's office, also called "laughing gas."  I had my wisdom teeth out on Nitrous Oxide, and it made me so loopy, I was laughing while the oral surgeon was sawing into my jawbone to remove my impacted wisdom teeth.  It's powerful stuff.  And should not be used recreationally.

What I started writing about and investigating for Jeff's health was nitric oxide.

Nitric Oxide (NO) is a tiny, 2 atom gas that is the hallmark of healthy vascular function.  It is the signaling factor that controls the body's vascular tone, and levels of inflammation, coagulation and oxidation.  It controls the endothelium, or the lining of all of our blood vessels.  It's good for you.

NO has been show to protect the heart, stimulate the brain, and kill bacteria, thus playing a pivotal role in a wide variety of diseases and conditions.

If the lining of our blood vessels become damaged and the NO levels become imbalanced, cells which should remain in the blood can leak through blood vessels and into adjacent body tissue. Some of the leaked cells can include proteins, such as the C-reactive protein, which is produced by the liver and causes inflammation. When NO in inhibited, endothelial signaling can become impaired, and disease may result. 

The Endothelial Health program discusses ways to enhance nitric oxide bioavailability in our bodies, and to maintain healthy immune systems and vascular systems.  This does not mean taking nitric oxide supplements....it means healthy living for healthy blood vessels.

Here's the program I created for Jeff, for those who may not have checked it out yet---

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

Chemistry is important...one extra molecule can make a big difference!

Joan