A worry

[1eye]

I am worried by the different viewpoints adopted by scientists and doctors about "MS". On one hand you have people speculating about a possible "end of MS" by using a drug to halt some organic process which causes EAE in mice, and on the other, what I call the "supply side" theory that there is nothing wrong that an improvement in normal function won't fix. The former approach assumes there is something, genetic, environmental, or infectious, which is treatable by altering some part of the supposed autoimmune response.

If the only thing wrong is that food and oxygen supplies are low, then how much money will be spent trying to cause and cure EAE in mice, before the fantasy of a curative, blockbuster "MS" drug is abandoned? How many people continuing to wait for more science to come to their rescue will succumb to "MS"? How much money will be spent on things like Tysabri and Gilenya and Rebif and Copaxone, which are supposed to be "DMD"s, but are unable to prevent progression, or "conversion" to "SPMS"? How can you modify a disease if you don't exactly know what it is?

[FLJhawk]

There have been diseases that were cured by antibiotics before the little buggers that caused the diesease were discovered. I am thinking of Chlamydia. When microscopes got better, we could finally see the tiny things and then understand why antibiotics manage to kill them off.

But, yes, Chlamydia is something totally different than MS, and I would not be surprised if no drug is ever found to cure MS. It may take gene modification therapy to cure or prevent it, while drugs maybe able to halt progression and allow remylanization, but never cure. Would love to be wrong on this.

[sou]

Why cure it, in the first place? Not curing but "managing" it is far more profitable. Don't hurry to blame me! No, I am not into stupid conspiracy theories! I am a strong believer of "if it works, don't fix it" and "DMDs" already make some billions of $. Give me a good reason: why bother?

[Cece]

How can you modify a disease if you don't exactly know what it is?

It's frightening what a jackpot a disease-modifying drug is, compared to a drug that cures a disease and does not need to be taken again.
Once treated for CCSVI, if the veins remain open, we may no longer need dmd's. It's a possibility that needs researching.
Exercise, reducing stress, healthy diet are also disease-modifying. They're also cheaper with fewer side effects, unless crashing a bike counts as a side effect. ;)

[1eye]

unless crashing a bike counts as a side effect. ;)

OK, you better smile... My helmet protected, my head... ...I think... ...what were we talking about?

[Cece]

A week or two ago, I got my husband out of the house on a bike ride, and I got my kids out to the back yard, and it was briefly relaxing. Then my son calls up from the back yard that Dad's back, and he crashed his bike. Really? He's walking around, so I'm not too worried, but yeah, his leg had a gash, his hands were scraped, and he was limping. He said it started to go wrong when his headphone earplug fell out. When he got that back in, he began to adjust what the phone was playing, and he biked into a parked car.

Bikes. More dangerous than they look.

[tiltawhirl]

A week or two ago, I got my husband out of the house on a bike ride, and I got my kids out to the back yard, and it was briefly relaxing. Then my son calls up from the back yard that Dad's back, and he crashed his bike. Really? He's walking around, so I'm not too worried, but yeah, his leg had a gash, his hands were scraped, and he was limping. He said it started to go wrong when his headphone earplug fell out. When he got that back in, he began to adjust what the phone was playing, and he biked into a parked car.

Bikes. More dangerous than they look.

Glad he's ok.

And people argue that txting and driving a 2500kg car is safe.

tilt