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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 9:13 am
by Lyon
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let's use facts and reason

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 9:37 am
by prairie
While we, and readers of the International Angiology Journal might give more weight to an article from a M.D. or Ph.D. in biology, neurology, etc. than to a non-medical layman, I think that without actually reading Ashton Embry's article it's value - good or bad - is moot at this point.

If he has written an opinion piece, then we can judge it based upon the usual criteria for an editorial. If it's a scientific article, then we can judge it on that basis. But since the journal accepted the contribution, then at least the editor thought it had some value to the focus of the issue.

Guess I'll have to get to the med school library to read what he's written instead of hypothesizing about the article or the man with no factual basis.

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:32 am
by agate
Does anybody know anything about International Angiology as a journal--what its reputation is among medical professionals?

I don't know much but it seems possible that some journals might appear "significant" but might really be in the hands of a few people who are interested in promoting some medical idea that is in danger of being discredited by the medical community.

I hope that International Angiology isn't one of those less reputable medical journals.

For instance, some years ago I ran across one that had scholarly-looking articles by people with MDs, but it seemed to be put out for the main purpose of selling certain drugs. I don't find it referred to in the better known medical journals (NEJM, Lancet, JAMA).

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 5:34 pm
by msgator
the msrc.co.uk ccsvi section had summaries and results/conclusions of most of these articles, if I was more technically able i would post the link. They all seemed very pro CCSVI as far as I could tell.

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:28 pm
by agate
The names of many of the authors are the same names that have been cropping up since CCSVI became a hot topic--Drs. Zamboni, Zivadinov and others.

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:54 pm
by Lyon
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 8:23 pm
by agate
Thanks for the information! In other words, this journal might be the product of some researchers interested primarily in promoting one idea rather than in representing the spectrum of research on a topic--?

If it's so little known, it sounds as if this might be what's going on.

On the other hand, some mainstream MS researchers seem to be coming close to acknowledging that the CCSVI theory might have something to recommend it, or maybe I've misread what they're saying here:

"Vascular comorbidity is associated with greater disability progression in MS"

(From PubMed, March 31, 2010)

Thanks for the great link!

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:36 pm
by Brightspot
Hi happy_canuck
Thanks for the great link.
Not sure why people are getting caught up with how prestigious the publication might be. It is the scientific research that I am happy to be able to link to.

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 12:18 am
by Lelo
For me Ashton Embry is a good man. And it really stresses me up to read that people dislikes him. He has helped me a lot since my diagnosis 3 years ago. Always answering mail and his BBD changed my life totally. I have done the Liberation treatment and I am so happy for that, but my life came back with the BBD three years ago.
So thank you very much Ashton for helping me so much and thank you for charing the news about CCSVI, back in November, so I had a chance to take an early contact with Dr Simka.

I think there is to many bad vibes on this forum now. Not like it was some months ago.

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:53 am
by sou
Hi.

My apologies if this has been posted elsewhere, but I wanted to share it with you:

Chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency: report of transcranial magnetic stimulation follow-up study in a patient with multiple sclerosis.
The pyramidal pathway is frequently affected early on in multiple sclerosis (MS) and impaired motor performance is a major cause of disability. Pyramidal tract function can be assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS supports the diagnosis of MS, detecting corticospinal tract involvement and monitoring its course with or without treatment. It has been never investigated whether any relationship exists between the TMS outcome measure and minimally invasive treatment of multiple severe extracranial stenosis, affecting the principal ce rebrospinal venous segments in MS patients. We report the clinical and transcranial magnetic stimulation follow-up of a patient during a relapse in relapsing-remitting MS. She underwent percutaneous balloon angioplasty of the associated chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), due to membranous obstruction of the proximal azygous vein, with severe stenosis of the left internal jugular vein. Treatment of the associated CCSVI made a parallel improvement in both clinical and neurophysiological parameters, allowing us to avoid high dose steroid therapy. The relationship between the clinical and neurophysiological course on the one hand, and haemodynamic correction of the associated CCSVI on the other, calls for further exploration on a wider number of patients. The impact of CCSVI on the different neuro-physiological parameters has not been fully estimated, but the intriguing case here reported suggests that it may be greater than previously assumed. The demonstration of a modification of the cerebrovenous function with both clinical manifestation and via TMS suggests that the hampered cerebral venous return may contribute to the clinical course of MS.
sou

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 7:11 am
by Lyon
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 8:01 am
by patientx
Lelo wrote:For me Ashton Embry is a good man. And it really stresses me up to read that people dislikes him. He has helped me a lot since my diagnosis 3 years ago. Always answering mail and his BBD changed my life totally. I have done the Liberation treatment and I am so happy for that, but my life came back with the BBD three years ago.
So thank you very much Ashton for helping me so much and thank you for charing the news about CCSVI, back in November, so I had a chance to take an early contact with Dr Simka.

I think there is to many bad vibes on this forum now. Not like it was some months ago.
I have no doubt that Ashton Embry is a good man, and cares about people with MS. I didn't mean to imply otherwise, though I don't really agree with some of editorials that were linked here recently.

But in a journal publishing serious research on vascular issues, and in this case CCSVI, I don't understand why the editors would publish something from a non-medical professional. They could have chosen from many others, such as vascular doctors or neurologists in Buffalo or from other SUNY locations.

But maybe his editorial is just expressing the urgent need on the part MS patients for research. Maybe medical journals publish articles like that sometimes - I don't know.

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:44 am
by mangio
Lelo,
Quilty of being off topic but just wanted to share something and to thank a very young Swedish doctor that had just moved to our city.

After filling my 3rd or 4th prescription for the typical ulcer drugs at the local chemist that were absolutely not working, I decided to visit the Walk-in-Medical-Clinic across the street in utter frustration for help on the advice of the pharmacist to ask for something new.

I showed the physician my tattered newspaper clipping story
about an antibiotic
treatment that was showing good results - early 1990's.

After reading carefully the articles and despite some reservations
she wrote me a prescription with a big caution "I have never heard of such a thing but"

I crossed back over the street got my prescriptions filled and have
never had a stomach problem since. By the way one of the antibiotics
was minocycline and I believe it changed the entire course of my ms
not to mention fixing my terrible stomach problem.

Today in our city at our MS Clinic minocycline is almost standard
care for newly diagnosed.

I never did get to thank her personally because she was never there
again. And as for Dr Embry he has given back many I know
personally their health or at least helped slow down the disease course considerably.

Sometimes we just have to take a chance and throw logic to the
wind.

P.S. At least 10 physicians belittled me for my suggestion that
an ulcer could be helped by antibiotics.

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:10 am
by prairie
I went to a med school library this morning and printed Mr. Embry's editorial article "Integrating CCSCI and CNS auoimmunity in a disease model for MS" as published online in International Angiology, a publication of Minerva Medica.

As described by Dr. Zamboni in his introduction to this issue of the journal: "Ashton Embry proposes to integrate the pathophysiologic and molecular consequences of impaired venous drainage of the brain into the current autoimmune model of MS.related to venous function."

It is a short, two page reiteration for the most part, of Ashton's similarly titled MS-Direct article "CCSVI and Multiple Sclerosis: Integrating New Data to Help Guide Actions".

(Note, when I accessed the publication's web site for the full text PDF the link to Ashton Embry's article was switched with the link to the article by A.B. Lee; check that you get the correct article if you are accessing their online publication)