Progression vs symptom relief

[ljm]

The posted slide show about cannabinoids raised a question I've had for a while.

I note that in discussion of, say, statins, a number of people report seeing improvements rather quickly. Same with supplements, people report VitD etc has made a real difference and they feel worse if they miss a few days.

I am, in fact, one of these people. But while symptom relief is obviously a good thing, it doesn't mean that progression has been delayed, right?

I had a single debilitating episode, took tons of supplements, and reported that my symptoms improved significantly over the next months.
Great...but... assuming I am RR...my symptoms would have improved regardless of supplements (ie there would have been a remitting phase).

And...even if the supplements have made me feel better and stronger, the core destruction may be continuing. Not like I have terribly many choices...but again...I could always turn to aggressive therapy.