My thoughts about chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency – CCSVI and liberation treatment November 23, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Diet - the right diet for MS, what you need to eat.4 comments
Hope is almost always realistic. Be bold! Hope! Be smart and take action!
The chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) theory and related liberation surgery to remove blood vessel blockages have spurred great hope for those with MS. It is my belief this hope is well-founded but it is important to pay attention to two issues. First, it is important to understand what the blockages mean in practical terms. Second it is important to understand what additional treatment is likely to be necessary even if the surgery can be used.
CCSVI essentially identifies blockages in blood vessels as a problem causing MS symptoms. This is not the first time, however, blockages have been identified as a problem in MS. Roy L. Swank, M.D., a professor emeritus of neurology and world wide expert in MS, long ago stated that blockages caused by saturated fat were the cause of MS symptoms. In fact, Professor Swank identified blockages not in larger blood vessels but in very small blood vessels surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Also, many articles in medical journals have discussed vein problems related to MS. For example, some articles point out that problems with small veins in eyes seem to precede optic neuritis in MS.
The widespread nature of blockages suggests the second issue. Even if blockages are leading to MS symptoms, the blockage problem is probably far more widespread than can be surgically corrected in full. This means that diet, exercise, etc. changes will still be needed to prevent future blockages and help treat current blockages too small to be surgically corrected. These self-help changes are not surprising because they are also required to treat some heart problems and varicose veins which also involve blood vessel problems.
The likelihood that dietary changes, for example, will continue to be important in managing MS is highlighted by a study released in 2009 from South Africa that showed that saturated fat in the blood of those with MS is related to the severity of MS symptoms. The study showed that as saturated fats in the blood increased, MS symptoms and disability also increased. Those with lower levels of saturated fats in their blood had fewer MS symptoms and lower levels of disability. Given this, we all obviously want to keep the level of saturated fat in our blood as low as possible.
The so-called CCSVI liberation surgery is being conducted in two ways. In Italy, a Dr. Paolo Zamboni is using balloons to stretch veins that are supposedly too narrow. At Stanford University in the United States, Dr. Michael Dake is using stents to open the veins. The jugular veins in the neck are often opened using one of the two methods as is the azygous vein which drains blood from the chest and abdominal area. The method used by Dr. Dake causes more pain than the method used by Dr. Zamboni.
The article on liberation surgery published in December 2009 suggested the surgeries done in Italy may provide relatively modest improvements, contrary to initial hopes for major improvements. For example, the rather poorly designed study (it was not blinded) did not show statistically significant improvements in post-operative relapse rate. The article did state that post-operative Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite scores that measured disability had statistically significant improvements. Likewise, the number of patients with relapsing/remitting MS who stayed relapse free increased but re-blockage of the veins “liberated” often occurred within 18 months. The surgery seemed to offer little benefit for primary and secondary progressive MS.
In summary, the surgery seems to offer fewer benefits than a recent study showed for patients receiving Vitamin D3 supplements of 14,000 I.U. each day. Unfortunately, the design of the study needs to kept in mind as well. The study design was problematic enough the benefits that were found may not stand the test of time. Future studies may not be able to show the surgery produces the claimed benefits.
It should be mentioned that the modest benefits that may be provided by the surgery are not surprising. Since vein problems in MS are widespread, unblocking a couple of large veins would probably not solve the overall dysfunction in MS.
Much more research on the liberation procedure and whether it can actually help reduce MS symptoms is needed. The great benefit of the study is that it focuses attention once again on the role of veins in MS disease process. Therein lies our hope.
While all of us wait for additional information on CCSVI surgeries, we all can take steps to decrease blockages right now. The best non-surgical method that I know of to do this has been suggested by George Jelinek, M.D., a professor of medicine from Australia. His website Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis still offers important and timely information for those with multiple sclerosis. Taking the steps recommended by Professor Jelinek will help prevent and resolve blockages.
It is wonderful to have a new focus on hope for those with MS. When so many, like myself, are living full and vigorous lives, with no visible disability despite having MS and not taking any MS medications, there has been far too much emphasis on doom, gloom and pessimism. Let’s all hope the possibility of surgical treatment will spur those all with MS to start making the diet and other lifestyle changes likely to be needed to help heal MS. We all need to grit our teeth and promise ourselves we will make the lifestyle changes that scientific studies show will probably help us heal or keep us healthy. Hope, it seems, generally comes with some effort.
To read more about CCVSI and the so-called liberation surgery, you might wish to check the Multiple Sclerosis Research Center in the United Kingdom. The information at the Multiple Sclerosis Research Center is quite optimistic. For more realistic information, you may wish to read a press release from Italy about the liberation surgery. This press release is more realistic in that it points out, for example, that the opening of a narrowed vein is not permanent in some cases. Instead, it points out the blockages will sometimes re-occur in less than within, apparently, a couple of years. Risk factors for the recurrence of blockages probably include obesity since obesity has been implicated in narrowing of veins.
Even so, the liberation surgery seems destined to help change how we think about MS. In the future, it seems we may well think of many cases of MS as preventable and reversible. Most important, the urgency behind making life style changes once MS is found will become more well known. “Unclog” may become the new slogan for treating MS.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Hoover
What healthy fats are best for multiple sclerosis? February 9, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Diet - the right diet for MS, what you need to eat, Uncategorized.3 comments
Be sure to have some fish oil with omega-3s and a fatty acid called linoleic acid every day. Linoleic acid is found in sunflower seeds, safflower oil, etc.
Because epidemiological evidence shows that saturated fat consumption is linked to high rates of multiple sclerosis (MS), everyone who has studied even a little bit about fats and MS knows that saturated fats should be kept to less than 15 grams per day in the diet. Other than that, however, what kinds of fats should be included?
First, researchers have often found that fish oil and its omega-3 fats seem to be helpful for multiple sclerosis–based on both epidemiological studies and experiments. I recommend at least six grams of fish oil each day containing about 2 grams of omega-3s each day. For more information on how fish oil may help MS and make you sexy too, please see my post: Fish oil makes you sexy and helps MS.
Next, a number of experiments suggests that linoleic acid, a fat found in safflower and sunflower seeds, etc. may help MS. For example, one experiment showed that while linoleic acid in the diet did not decrease the number of relapses, it did help make relapses more mild and it did help delay disability. The evidence is strong enough that the National Health Service in England recommends use of linoleic acid by MS patients. I personally eat about 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds to secure some linoleic acid each day. Other sources of linoleic acid include walnuts.
Other helpful oils include olive oil. While there is no evidence that olive oil helps treat or prevent MS, there is plenty of evidence that olive oil is good for overall health.
When using oils, it should be remembered that oils should not be heated too much or reused. To keep oils from getting too hot, water can be added to pans in which oils are heated. Also, oils that are rancid should never be used.
Eating the right oils in the right amount is essential for those with MS. For additional information on the right diet for MS, please see my post on: Right diet may be the best way to beat MS and sizzle too.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Beat, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Linoleic Acid, Oils, Fats
Right diet may be the best way to beat multiple sclerosis and sizzle too August 27, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Diet - the right diet for MS, what you need to eat.Tags: Add new tag, Hope, Jelinek, MS Diet, Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition, Swank Diet
6 comments
Drop dead georgeous from eating right.
As each year passes, doctors and scientists learn more and more about what is needed to manage MS instead of having MS manage you. With a modern science-based approach to MS, the odds are on your side. A key part of a science-based approach involves having the right diet.
Realistically, the best medicines in the world are unlikely to make you well if you have a lousy diet. A good diet is essential for those with MS, just as it is essential for everyone, but those with MS are wise to be extra careful about what they eat. Studies show some foods may make MS worse and others seem to help reduce MS symptoms. The right diet will help you keep your sizzle and even make you look more youthful and more attractive. In other words, you can forget disability and start thinking about wellness and being classy. You may not be able to cure MS but, most likely, you can beat it.
Numerous studies have shown a relationship between diet and MS. Dr. Roy Swank, a professor and neurologist at a university’s medical school in Oregon, believed that eating too much saturated fat helps cause MS. Other studies have found, MS is more frequent where Vitamin D deficiencies are common, when too much animal fat is consumed and even when too many sweets are eaten. At the same time, one study shows that eating whole grains and fruits and vegetables helps protect against MS.
Most important for those with MS, Dr. Swank studied the impact of diet on MS patients. He found that those who followed a low-fat, ultra healthy diet he planned, often lived normal lives. In fact, he wrote that 95% of patients who started following his diet shortly after diagnosis never became disabled. In contrast, he reported those who did not eat a healthy low-fat diet, often became disabled and died at a relatively young age.
Dr. Swank carefully defined what a low-fat diet is because he was so concerned about the impact of saturated fats on those with MS. His diet prohibits eating of more than 15 grams of saturated fats each day and recommends eating of only 20 to 50 grams of unsaturated fats each day. Of course, Dr. Swank’s diet also prohibits eating of any transfats, monoglycerides and diglycerides because the health problems caused by these are well known.
I believe I have no visible symptoms today because way back in 1992, shortly after I was diagnosed I found information on Swank’s theories about a low-fat, ultra-healthy diet and started following his advice. (I take no drugs.) Best of all, you can try his advice for free. You can borrow his classic book from your local library using an interlibrary loan if necessary. Otherwise, you can buy is book at a modest price at Amazon.com. His book is entitled The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book by Roy Laver Swank. This book is so important for anyone with MS that it should be required reading. If you read nothing else about MS, this is the book to read.
If the opportunity for better health is not enough to get you to try Dr. Swank’s diet for a few months, please consider this: his diet will make you look better than you have ever looked. When you start eating the right fats, taking fish or cod liver oil, taking a few low-cost supplements, and eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you are going to be surprised at the difference in your appearance in a few months. Dr. Swank’s diet is precise, though, so be prepared to be precise when following it. Cheating is not a good idea.
An excellent web site that includes important information, including dietary recommendations prepared by a doctor, is Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis, prepared by Dr. George Jelinek who is also a professor of medicine. I love this web site and I highly recommend its use. Dr. Jelinek has MS himself and believes most can minimize MS symptoms with the right life style choices.
I also highly recommend Dr. Jelinek’s book. A new version of this book, however, will be published in Feburary 2010, and most book sellers are no longer stocking the curent version. If you want to read this book, it is probably best to borrow it from your local library unless you are from Australia and can buy it from the Gawler Foundation. Also, the Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis web site is so thorough and informative that it includes the basic information you need.
Of the many books I have read on MS, I most highly recommend those by Dr. Swank and Dr. Jelinek. Please note, though, that the recommendations of Dr. Swank and Dr. Jelinek do differ somewhat. I use combination of ideas from both. I tend to follow Dr. Swank’s recommendations on diet and Dr. Jelinek’s recommendations on supplements. (Please also note that I do not recommend the web site of the Swank Foundation that was founded by Dr. Swank. Dr. Swank is now deceased and, unfortunately, the web site of the Swank Foundation now includes recommendations that are not well-grounded in science.)
In summary, I’m not the only one who thinks the odds you can beat MS are good if you eat a healthy diet and follow the other advice included here. A couple of professors agree with much of what is included here. So, best wishes in changing your life style. Eat healthy to live healthy and look drop dead gorgeous!
I will include more information on how you can maximize your sizzle in upcoming blogs.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Is that veggie juice or what? (Er, I do not think so.)
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, Diet – the right diet for MS, Fatigue, Fish Oil, Food, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition, Prevent, Rebif, Relapses, Sizzle, Tysabri
