This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

i am still doing the searching/reading but wondering if anyone cared to opine on MS and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

is it common to have both?

knee pain has been the biggest complaint since CCSVI treatment and now we know why. both knees are bad. good news is she likely won't ever need surgery, just more drugs.

CCSVI, MS, RA - what's next for this poor woman?

i think CCSVI played a role in her MS. did it also play a role in her RA?

here's an article re comorbidity stats:

Comorbidities amongst patients with multiple sclerosis: a population-based controlled study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20192982
"... regression analyses showed that patients with MS were more likely to have ... peripheral vascular disorders (OR = 6.6, 95% CI = 4.0-11.0), deficiency anemias (OR = 4.9, 95% CI = 2.8-8.7), rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 2.9-8.1) and fluid and electrolyte disorders (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 2.8-8.3) than the matched controls."

also, posted this list of studies on RA and nutrition the other day:
general-discussion-f1/topic19401.html#p187711

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

thank JL, i knew you would be all over this. i did read your post on RA and nutrition.

i also just read the first part on comorbidity... thanks

no probs!

my maternal grandmother realllly suffered with RA, hers was very bad. terrible diet, terrible sweet tooth. if i had only known then what i know now!

i also spent a chunk of time a couple years ago compiling some research on nutrition and juvenile RA, so it was just a matter of bringing it back and connecting with MS as well.

changed the title of your post, so that the site would also pick up and display related topics below... may or may not contain info of interest to you.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

It is very understandable that you would have both, because both are caused by the exact same thing: exposure to methanol, whether in the environment, through smoking, or through diet. That is why they are finding that arthritis meds help with MS. But what is even better is if you avoid methanol, which is actually easy to do. Don't smoke and follow a methanol-free diet. I will be happy to email you a chapter from a book by Woodrow Monte, PhD that explains how methanol causes MS. His book also explains the arthritis connection. Just email me at beckymillerartist at yahoo dot com. I promise you won't ever get spammed as a result of your request and I won't bother you again.

this doesnt explain then why does my friend who smokes and eats fast food at least 3 times a week doesnt have ms and i dont smoke and eat fast food once a month, if that, does have ms. this may exacerbate symptoms but idk about causing it

upper cervical care
http://www.erinelster.com/CaseStudies.a ... itionID=21

I think the relation is explained by the gut.
It is a misguided immune system by the gut that cause a number of chronic "immune" diseases.
see the last posting on pg 20 of general-discussion-f1/topic15188-285.html

MMPs play a BIG role in MS damage. Especially rogue MMP-9s.

In arthritis both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) MMPs also do the greatest amount of damage.

jackD


Front Biosci. 2006 Jan 1;11:529-43.

Matrix metalloproteinases: role in arthritis.

Burrage PS, Mix KS, Brinckerhoff CE.

Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA.

The irreversible destruction of the cartilage, tendon, and bone that comprise synovial joints is the hallmark of both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).

While cartilage is made up of proteoglycans and type II collagen, tendon and bone are composed primarily of type I collagen. RA is an autoimmune disease afflicting numerous joints throughout the body; in contrast, OA develops in a small number of joints, usually resulting from chronic overuse or injury.

In both diseases, inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) stimulate the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), enzymes that can degrade all components of the extracellular matrix. The collagenases, MMP-1 and MMP-13, have predominant roles in RA and OA because they are rate limiting in the process of collagen degradation.

MMP-1 is produced primarily by the synovial cells that line the joints, and MMP-13 is a product of the chondrocytes that reside in the cartilage. In addition to collagen, MMP-13 also degrades the proteoglycan molecule, aggrecan, giving it a dual role in matrix destruction.

Expression of other MMPs such as MMP-2, MMP-3 and MMP-9, is also elevated in arthritis and these enzymes degrade non-collagen matrix components of the joints.

Significant effort has been expended in attempts to design effective inhibitors of MMP activity and/or synthesis with the goal of curbing connective tissues destruction within the joints.

To date, however, no effective clinical inhibitors exist. Increasing our knowledge of the crystal structures of these enzymes and of the signal transduction pathways and molecular mechanisms that control MMP gene expression may provide new opportunities for the development of therapeutics to prevent the joint destruction seen in arthritis.


PMID: 16146751 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hi everyone,

Although I've been reading this forum for a few years now, as you can probably tell it's not my habit of posting much. But a few days ago, this topic caught my eye. Personally, I was diagnosed with MS in 2009, when I was almost 31 years old.

Now, I don't have RA myself, but my brother unfortunately does. He's about nine years older, but like me, he got diagnosed in his early thirties. To me, it has always seemed that there has to be a link somehow.

Of course, this link might very well be that we both have lousy immune systems, but I've been reading the chapter Dr Monte wrote about MS (you can just download it from his website by the way) and to me he seems to make a very interesting argument that methanol might be the cause. I've also read things that reminded me much about CCSVI and about the importance of healthy mitochondria as stressed by Dr Wahls.

I guess all I want to say is that if you're looking for something to read: I'd recommend downloading that chapter. Hopefully, you'll find it as interesting as I do.

Cheers,
brm