Binder
You are very courageous to be undergoing this treatment and I too wish you the very best with it.
You inquired about remyelination. I’ve read about three things pre-clinical research indicates
may help support remyelination: thyroid hormone, progesterone and Vitamin B 12.
Here are some abstracts indicating thyroid hormone might be a possibility for people with MS. Actually this first one is just the abstract title, but it seems to say a lot:
Thyroid Hormone Musters Remyelination in MS Model
The next one says a bit more:
Thyroid Hormone Administration Enhances Remyelination in Chronic Demyelinating Inflammatory Disease
In this study, we show that thyroid hormone enhances and accelerates remyelination in an experimental model of chronic demyelination…
Thyroid hormone, when administered during the acute phase of the disease, increases expression of platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor, restores normal levels of myelin basic protein mRNA and protein, and allows an early and morphologically competent reassembly of myelin sheaths. Moreover, thyroid hormone exerts a neuroprotective effect with respect to axonal pathology.
Thyroid Hormone and Remyelination in Adult CNS
We also reviewed personal data on the possibility of promoting myelination in chronic experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely used experimental model of MS, by recruiting progenitors and channeling them into oligodendroglial lineage through the administration of thyroid hormone.
Now, on to progesterone.
Progesterone treatment of spinal cord injury: Effects on receptors, neurotrophins and myelination progesterone (PROG) has demonstrated neuroprotective and promyelinating effects in lesions of the peripheral and central nervous systems, including the spinal cord.
Furthermore, PROG-induced BDNF might regulate, in a paracrine or autocrine fashion, the function of neurons and glial cells and prevent the generation of damage.
And, here’s another one on progesterone.
Local Synthesis and Dual Actions of Progesterone in the Nervous System: Neuroprotection and Myelination actions of locally synthesized PROG are likely to play an important role in the viability of neurons and in the formation of myelin sheaths.
PROG also promotes myelination in the brain,
Now, I don’t know your gender, but I’m fond of saying
“progesterone, it’s not just for women”. This article,
Progesterone in the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury, emphasizes its applicability to males and females (vis a vis neuroprotection); highlights some basics about progesterone’s mechanisms of action, including
enhanced remyelination in young and aged rats with degenerative disorders; and, emphasizes the importance of natural (not synthetic) progesterone. It’s a fairly short article (pdf) and pretty easy to read.
Now, for Vitamin B 12, there’s this abstract:
Vitamin B 12 Demyelination, Remyelination and Repair in MS
low or decreased levels of vitamin B12 have been demonstrated in MS patients. Moreover, recent studies suggest that vitamin B12, in addition to its known role as a co-factor in myelin formation, has important immunomodulatory and neurotrophic effects.
They are at least some things you might want to consider discussing with your doctors, especially since they seem open to ideas. Again, wishing you the best and hopeful this all works out really well for you.
Do take care
Sharon
