This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

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Bob,
Not to worry, I am pretty thick skinned. A trait one develops when late, wrong, misguided or as I read here one time, just plain "wonky".
Take Care
Lars

Hi Lars-

Many researchers believe that viruses "kick start" the MS process, by putting T cells into overdrive...not many have posited that MS is an actual virus.
I've been on the viral trail since Jeff's dx march '07. He had a terrible virus as an infant, almost died, and had several bad viruses during childhood...mumps, measles, and mono (oh my!) When he had his first MS flare, complete with high liver enzymes and petechiae, I kinda went....hmmmm.

Jeff's done well on amantadine and several natural antivirals. He hasn't been sick since dx, and hasn't had any flares. Did all of the viral exposures cause his MS? Who knows...but keeping his viral load low seems to help him. He got the flu shot last year.

The recent research on HERV K18 in MS points to a retrovirus which is activated by other viruses....a dormant, ancient virus, encoded in our DNA that might be the underlying cause to the T-cell activation.

still more questions than answers!
AC

Cheerleader,
Natural antivirals? Do tell.
Lars

Natural Antiviral Foods and Spices: oregano, sage, curcumin (tumeric) garlic, green tea, ginger, red pepper (We enjoy lots of spicy foods)
Supplements: zinc, olive leaf extract, monolaurin, lactoferrin, l-carnetine, magnesium
(note: some of these items are noted for "immune boosting" properties. If this goes against your MS belief system, be fore-warned.)

Lots of Chinese herbs and Amazonian plants I haven't gotten to:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... i_81761453

Also, read Gibbledygook's antiviral log under regimens for more ideas- she's done tons o' research. DIM and Jimmylegs are into this area, as well.

AC

And licorice, Cheer. I chew licorice root. You have to be careful not to overdo on it, though. It causes high blood pressure, etc.
Terry

Cool! Thanks, Terry- will look into adding it to the arsenal.
We're off to hot and thunder-stormy NYC. My kid is singing in Carnegie Hall over the weekend (hubby and I have performed there, so has my Dad, so it's a 3rd generation thing!)
Will be back after the 4th.
later,
AC

This thread started with retroviruses, so I'll post this new abstract here:


Endogenous retroviral genes, Herpesviruses and gender in Multiple Sclerosis.

J Neurol Sci. 2009 May 15.
Perron H, Bernard C, Bertrand JB, Lang AB, Popa I, Sanhadji K, Portoukalian J.
GeNeuro, 14 Chemin des Aulx, CH-1228 Plan-Les Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland; GeNeuro-Innovation, Bioparc Lyon-Laënnec, 60 avenue Rockfeller, F-69008 Lyon, France.

Unexpected findings on endogenous retroviral elements expressed in cells from patients with Multiple Sclerosis appear to open a new avenue of research, after years of research dedicated to the understanding of their biological significance in human health and disease. Human endogenous retroviral family W (HERV-W) RNA present in circulating viral particles (Multiple Sclerosis associated RetroViral element, MSRV) has been associated with the evolution and prognosis of Multiple Sclerosis. HERV-W elements encode a powerful immunopathogenic envelope protein (ENV) that activates a pro-inflammatory and autoimmune cascade through interaction with Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) on antigen-presenting cells, and triggers superantigen-like dysregulation of T-lymphocytes. HERV-W/ENV antigen has further been shown to be an upstream inducer of immunopathogenicity like that in MS and has repeatedly been detected in association with MS lesions in post-mortem brain studies. ENV protein now represents a novel target in MS, in our ongoing development of a neutralising therapeutic antibody. We here review the pieces of a puzzle, which now offer a consistent picture for Multiple Sclerosis aetiopathogenesis. Interestingly, at the gene-environment interface, this picture also includes gender-related specificities through the potential interplay with endogenous retrovirus type W copies present on the X chromosome.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19447411

Our studies suggest that HHV-6 is an important causative or associated virus in some neurological infections, such as encephalitis and it might contribute to the development of MS, at least in some cases. In conclusion, HHV-6 is a neurotropic virus that should be taken into consideration when studying acute and chronic CNS diseases of unknown origin.

https://oa.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10 ... sequence=1