What is MS?
Multiple Sclerosis is a degenerative disease. It happens when the body’s immune system begins to attack the central nervous system via the myelin around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Much like buried electrical lines, your body’s nerves are sheathed by a material called myelin. It protects the nerve and streamlines communication between the nerve and the brain. MS deteriorates the myelin, causing permanent nerve damage and the symptoms of this nerve damage. MS is hard to diagnose, because the symptoms and severity vary widely between people. Some people might have short episodes but feel okay most of the time, while others can lose the ability to walk. MS itself isn’t fatal most of the time, but the nerve degeneration often causes permanent disabilities of some kind. It’s estimated that MS patients have a life expectancy up to 10 years less than the national average.
What Causes MS?
No one knows what causes the onset of MS. It’s considered an autoimmune disease, so it could be anything from genetics, to undue stress, to exposure to toxic materials. But no one knows. It’s hard to diagnose because the symptoms do vary so much from person to person. Symptoms include vision issues, tingling in parts of your body, cognitive problems and sexual dysfunction, among several others. Most people with MS have the kind that acts like fibromyalgia – episodes of relapse followed by periods with no symptoms. Others suffer from the kind of MS that gradually progresses no matter what you do.
Is There Currently a Cure for MS?
Much like other autoimmune diseases, there is no cure for MS. Traditional treatments include oral medications and treatments designed to mitigate the degenerative process of the disease. Sometimes doctors will treat the specific symptoms and other times they’ll use steroids or other medications meant to modify the progress of the disease. Scientists are constantly researching new medications, supplements, and even a possible vaccine to help those who suffer from MS, especially its progressive form. At the Blatman Health and Wellness Center we have long recognized that autoimmune issues are based in the gut, and related to the toxicity of food and environmental poisons. Healing your gut and reducing a burden of toxicity can be very helpful to slow progression.
Stem Cell Treatment for MS
Regenerative medicine is changing the way we deal with MS. This year, the FDA approved trials for stem cell therapy for MS. They believe, and are gathering evidence, that stem cell treatments for MS, in high doses and repeated injections, can suppress the immune system – meaning your body will stop attacking itself. The goal of stem cell therapy is, using a specific type of stem cell available in your own body, to stop degeneration and make it to a point where they can actually help regenerate damage that’s already been done.
So far, stem cell treatment for MS is mostly effective in mild to moderate cases. Our health and wellness centers in New York and Cincinnati offer stem cell treatment for MS, as we believe that regenerative medicine is the healthiest way to treat chronic conditions and autoimmune diseases. We hope that eventually regenerative medicine will become the norm in Western medicine, using natural methods instead of pharmaceuticals, and attacking the problem (not just the symptoms) with treatments like PRP therapy and stem cell injections to help patients regain their quality of life.
