This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Just wanted to share a quick update for anyone that is seriously interested in HSCT to cure their MS. . . . . . I have communicated extensively with an individual (Richard Syrop) that read my HSCT blog and decided that this treatment course would likely have the best curative benefit for his wife's PPMS. Unfortunately (as is the case for the vast majority of MS'ers), they didn't have the money to cover the procedure at one of the more-established hospital facilities. So he looked, researched and investigated all around India and found a suitable treatment facility in Bangalore willing to perform HSCT to cure his wife's MS. To cut to the end story. . . . . he found a good facility and she recently completed myeloablative HSCT which will 'likely' result in stopping and reversing her MS at a (relatively) very reasonable cost of USD$40,000. (Less expensive than all other treatment locations that I am aware of.)

It seems to me that this development would likely open up HSCT to many MS patients seeking HSCT treatment to cure their MS that also have financial limitations. $40K is so much more reasonable for HSCT that it seems to fill an unmet market & treatment need. So if you have MS and are seriously interested in HSCT to cure your MS at a (relatively) reasonable price, check out my treatment options page (near he bottom) to see more detail about this. (*Disclosure: I have absolutely no financial or business interest in this. I'm just sharing the information for anyone that is interested. Really!)

http://themscure.blogspot.com/2011/06/g ... -have.html

Thanks so much for this information. I am sure this will help a lot of people who wish to seek HSCT for lesser price.

I am still wondering why Apollo would choose to push people into getting CCSVI done and not HSCT. CCSVI could have possibly been the trigger to get MS, but I thought MS is now proven to be an auto immune disease ....Anyways...

I am still wondering why Apollo would choose to push people into getting CCSVI done and not HSCT.

Sinple answer. Money.

It is more profitable for Apollo to perform an easy one day outpatient (CCSVI) treatment as opposed to admitting someone to the a hospital for several weeks of (HSCT) treatment and intensive monitoring required for the treatment. Here's what I wrote about on my blog that sounds harsh, but I totally beleive. . . .

In a previous posting I mentioned that the Apollo Hospital network in India would also be willing to perform HSCT for those with MS. And when I contacted them in August of 2009 they did agree to do HSCT for an MS case like me, sight unseen. However, since that time the CCSVI scam craze has gotten so big and out-of-control that now Apollo appears to be refusing to to do HSCT for MS because they claim they consider it "experimental" (when in actuality it is far from experimental since it is now in final FDA phase III clinical trial), and instead are now pushing MS patients to get CCSVI treatment. Since CCSVI is not only 100% experimental with absolutely no evidence at all (none, zero, zip, nada) that there is ANY proven beneficial effect whatsoever from CCSVI treatment for MS (there is no valid clinical study data to even remotely suggest that it has any beneficial effect on MS), I am sorely dissappointed that Apollo has decided to take this hypocritical & unethical approach putting money squarely ahead of patient's health. I have now lost all respect for the Apollo hospital network in India and would never even suggest to anyone to consider treatment there. Very sad.

but I thought MS is now proven to be an auto immune disease

It is.

As for the underlying MS disease process / progression, the overwhelmingly-established science and scientifically-valid data clearly indicates that the mechanistic action of the underlying MS disease pathology is that of self-intolerant autoimmunity. Most doctors / researchers now consider this as fact, not just conjecture as explained by these research scientists at Wayne State University:

Researchers publish results settling multiple sclerosis debate

http://media.wayne.edu/2011/02/22/wayne ... s-settling

"This work is significant because for the first time we are able to definitively establish a cause-and-effect relationship linking the marked T cells to the development of relapses and show unambiguously that it was the same T cells that mediated relapsing cycles"

"Targeting such disease-causing T-cells in MS is definitely a valid therapeutic approach that should be pursued," Tse added.

And indeed, this is exactly what HSCT does.