MS information - treatments and research

MS treatments has come a long way in helping people manage MS symptoms.

As you are probably aware MS takes many forms and not everyone who has MS experiences the exact issues or length of a flare. There is Relapsing Remitting MS, Primary Progressive MS, Secondary Progressive MS & Benign MS.

There are also free magazines that are dedicated just to MS which are loaded with resources and devices to help people like us.

Less than 20 years ago there was no medication on the market to slow down the progression of MS, only medication to treat the symptoms caused by it. Since then, thanks to research, there were three approved drugs, all injectables...Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone. Over the past few years other approved drugs have come on the market and some taken off the market due to serious side effects which included death...I believe it to be Tysbari however it is back on the market apparently after being tweaked. With that said there are other drugs on the horizon, double-blinded studies are currently being done. Some of these drugs could be taken orally (YES!!!).

I question why do you think enough is not being done? What form of MS does your Aunt have? Does she have or attend a support group? Is she mobile, how is her speech, vision, strength, etc? Does she have a neurologist that she trusts, etc?

I have found that as far as 'out of ordinary treatment: I changed my diet to more natural...if it is man-made then I do not eat it (well, I do sometimes but it is rare). Light exerise to keep muscles from atrophy, get plenty of rest and live a stress free life as much as possible. Listen to your body and if it is tired, rest...if you have energy, do something but not too much.

To sum it up...Yes, there is a lot being done in the research and development of MS treatment and a continued active search to pinpoint a gene or genes responsible for MS as well to hopefully find a cure for MS. The more money that can be raised the more research that can be done. There must be reseach to help people with all form of MS, one drug that is developed for RRMS may be ineffective for a person who has PPMS. So there is a lot of research and action being taken to help us who suffer from MS.

If I can help shed light on anything else for your paper, please ask. I've been officially dx'd with MS for 8 years...probably had it for 20+ years and the support that I have received from the MS community has been great.

~Zig