This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

The last part of that sentence caught my eye the first time I read it. It seems to contradict what they are presenting as their finding

This passage could be read that it was the starting of medication, after a birth, that altered their chances of a relapse, not the breast feeding?

wow - this might eb one of the best things I have seen in ages! I am determined that I want to breast feed for a good long time should I manage to have a baby but last time I was PG the MS nurse was talking about having to go straight back onto copaxone after giving birth! Now I have some food for thought.

I took copaxone during pregnancy and lactation. As copaxone takes a full 6 months to work, if you start it right after birth, I don't see how it could affect relapse rate within the first 6 months PP if you weren't taking it during pregnancy. Which CRAB were they referring to?

Sandy

Hi Sandy

I haven't seen any references to which CRABs were involved, but this article mentions the point you made and may also address Cure's question.

Breastfeeding may reduce a woman's risk of having a relapse of multiple sclerosis after giving birth


Sharon

Any mention in the article of the fact that prolactin is, I believe, the only substance shown in animal studies to be very effective in repairing myelin? Why aren't more scientists jumping at researching that one? Could it be that the pharmaceutical industries that fund research could lose out by the most effective treatment being completely natural and not so profitable? Sorry for being a cynic.

Sandy

Sorry the link to the article must not be working on your end, but no, no mention of prolactin in the article.

I don't know if it's "very effective" in repairing myelin, but progesterone (another natural substance) has also shown promise in remyelination.

Progesterone receptors: form and function in brain

Progesterone: therapeutic opportunities for neuroprotection and myelin repair

Unfortunately, I have no idea if progesterone levels stay elevated during breast feeding but I certainly share your cynicism.

Luckily, progesterone is being pursued (outside the US) in a "non" immune mouse model of MS.

17beta-estradiol and progesterone prevent cuprizone provoked demyelination of corpus callosum in male mice

Anyone know if progesterone stays elevated during breast feeding?

Thanks

Sharon

I sent an email to the guy who wrote the above, in the hope he would direct me to a copy of his article. He directed me to the original journals from 1966 at my local library, or the book he was selling.

Today it crossed my mind again, so I did another bout of searching and found the following Patent (ie not a published peer reviewed article) which does imply they performed some minor testing, including dosage. If your not pregnant, it sounds pretty safe to do a test.

Its not as "text" but a scan, so you can download it from:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=40d43633b02f6e517f7ec40ada4772a6e04e75f6e8ebb871
I don't know how long it will stay up there.

Thanks so much for finding that pdf, Cure.
Was interested to see that Armour was the company associated with the tests. (Armour makes my natural thyroid supplement- not chemical, but from pig thyroid.) Surprised that they did not follow thru with the research of the 60s...perhaps because they used frequent injections of oxytocin, and didn't think it was feasible to market.

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum treats patients with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia with oxytocin, because he believes it helps restore function of the HPA axis (the hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal connection.)
book link

I mentioned the HPA axis on the CCVI thread, because I realized that it uses the jugular vein as a hormonal drainage pathway from the hypothalmus to the base of the brain to the rest of the body...wondered if venous insufficiency would mess up the communication of hormones. May possibly explain why oxytocin helped so many with MS.
AC

_________________
Husband dx RRMS 3/07
dx dual jugular vein stenosis (CCSVI) 4/09
dual stents placed 5/09
CCSVI in MS

In the patent, it also suggests in-sufflation; and a nasal spray is also mentioned in the text that inspired my search. Also, from my understanding, this passage can be a more direct pathway into the CNS; where MS resides. I am actually chasing up if any of my local compounding pharmacies make a nasal spray version.

The one suspicious factor of this avenue, is that from my interpretation, the effects were almost immediate, and returned to "normal" after the drug wore off. ie it is simply a symptomatic relief; but who's complaining about that!

I am also wondering how this "patent" relates to the published article on its effects for MS? it features different names.