Thank you for all the lovely messages about the update of my own MS story in last month's issue.  I know that many of you have experienced reversals of your MS.  I invite you to share your story.  It has always been my intention that this newsletter be interactive, so please send me your story, and please include a photo.  

This month we have a lot of important MS Research News to share, so let's get right to it.  The hottest MS news in all the years I have been studying it is what we call CCSVI. My e-mail box is full of questions, beginning with, "Just what is it?"  Below you'll find the simplest, easy-to-understand explanation I can find of just of what CCSVI is.  Don't miss it.

I must add kudos to my grandson Zachary.  He has come up with a set of 12 month-of-the-year banners for this newsletter.  We'll be able to watch the seasons unfold.  He also created a new masthead for Betty's House.  He and I hope you like them.

In this issue there is the usual food section, From My Mailbox, You Tube and Qi Gong, Hugging, etc., as well as other features.  Enjoy.

   What is chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI)?

CCSVI Blood Flow Diagram

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency is described as a chronic problem (ongoing) where blood from the brain and spine has trouble getting back to the heart.

It is caused by a narrowing in the veins (stenosis) that drain the brain and the spine. Blood takes longer to return to the heart, and it can reflux back into the brain and spine or cause oedema and leakage of red blood cells and fluids into the tissues of the brain and spine.

Blood that remains in the brain too long creates a delay in deoxyginated blood leaving the head ("slowed perfusion"). This can cause hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the brain. Plasma and iron from blood deposited in the brain tissue can also be very damaging leading to iron along with other unwelcome cells crossing the crucial brain-blood barrier.

You will find a lot of information on CCSVI all over the Internet.  Just do a Google search and you'll find lots of information.  The following research report, with the follow-up report from Dr. Ashton Embry, will bring you up to date on this promising new procedure for MS.
 

  Research News

Here's the latest Research News on a large CCSVI Study.
First Blinded Study of Venous Insufficiency Prevalence in MS Shows Promising Results

BUFFALO, N.Y. – More than 55 percent of multiple sclerosis patients entered in the initial phase of the first randomized clinical study to determine if persons with MS exhibit narrowing of the extracranial veins causing restriction of normal outflow of blood from the brain were found to have the abnormality, neurology researchers at the University at Buffalo have found.

When the 10.2 percent of subjects in which results were border line were excluded, the percentage of affected MS patients rose to 62.5 percent, preliminary results show, compared to 25.9 percent of healthy controls. These preliminary results are based on the first 500 participants in the Combined Transcranial and Extracranial Venous Doppler Evaluation (CTEVD) study, which began at UB in April 2009. Investigators are planning to examine 500 additional subjects, who will be assessed in the second phase of the study with more advanced diagnostic tools. Complete data on the first 500 will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in April.

Robert Zivandinov, MD, PhD, UB associate professor of neurology and principal investigator on the study, says he is "cautiously optimistic and excited" about the preliminary data. Zivadinov directs the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) located in Buffalo General Hospital of Kaleida Health, where the study is being conducted.

"The data encourage us to continue on the same course," he says. "They show that narrowing of the extracranial veins, at the very least, is an important association in multiple sclerosis. We will know more when the MRI and other data collected in the CTEVD study are available." The analyses are being conducted by an independent statistician.

The investigation is the first step in determining if a condition called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a major risk factor for MS. CCSVI is a complex vascular condition discovered and described by Paolo Zamboni, MD, from Italy's University of Ferrara. Zamboni’s original investigation in a group of 65 patients and 235 controls showed CCSVI to be associated strongly with MS, increasing the risk of having MS by 43 fold.

Zamboni and Zivadinov hypothesize that this narrowing restricts the normal outflow of blood from the brain, resulting in alterations in the blood flow patterns within the brain that eventually cause injury to brain tissue and degeneration of neurons.

The first 500 patients, both adults and children, were grouped based on their diagnosis: MS, clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and "other neurologic diseases" (OND), in addition to healthy controls.

All participants in the first phase underwent ultrasound (Doppler) scans of the head and neck in different body postures to view the direction of venous blood flow. MS subjects also underwent MRI scans of the brain to measure iron deposits in lesions and surrounding areas of the brain, using a method called susceptibility-weighted imaging. Iron findings on these images will be related to subjects’ disability and neuropsychological symptoms.

Of the total participants, 97.2 percent were adults, with the 280 MS patients comprising the largest disease cohort examined in the study to date. The majority of MS subjects were diagnosed with the relapsing-remitting form of MS. There were 161 healthy controls. Doppler scan results were reported on five specific criteria that affect venous blood flow. Patients who met at least two of the criteria were considered to have CCSVI. More detailed analysis of specific Doppler criteria and their association to disease status is underway.

When the 10.2 percent borderline subjects were included in the "normal" category (no venous insufficiency), the CCSVI prevalence was 56.4 percent in MS subjects and 22.4 percent in healthy controls. In this large MS cohort, the presence of CCSVI did suggest an association with disease progression, a finding that was not shown in Zamboni’s smaller cohort, Zivadinov notes. The finding that 22.4 percent of healthy controls also met two CCSVI criteria requires continuing investigation, he says.

Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, UB associate professor of neurology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a co-principal investigator on the study, notes that the results of the CTEVD research will pose new and provocative questions about the CCSVI theory.

Murali Ramanathan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Ralph Benedict, PhD, UB professor of neurology and psychiatry, also are major contributors to the study.

WHAT THIS ALL MEANS:

As a follow up to this news release, Dr. Ashton Embry's article at www.Direct-MS.org is a must read. It is entitled CCSVI and Multiple Sclerosis: Integrating New Data to Help Guide Actions.  Please be sure to read this article.  It is a little long to quote here.  Ashton brings clarity to the results of the above study, as well as guidance for those wishing to follow through with Doppler testing referred to in the article.

It appears that we may be on the verge of finally determining just what causes MS!

MedWatch reports the following additional Research News:
FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Report on Tysabri

To: Neurological healthcare professionals and patients

The FDA has notified healthcare professionals and patients that the risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) increases with the number of Tysabri infusions received. This new safety information, based on reports of 31 confirmed cases of PML received by the FDA as of January 21, 2010, will now be included in the Tysabri drug label and patient Medication Guide. Information about the occurrence of Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) in patients who have developed PML and subsequently discontinued Tysabri has also been added to the drug label. IRIS is a rare condition characterized by a severe inflammatory response that can occur during or following immune system recovery, causing an unexpected decline in a patient’s condition after return of immune function.

Based on the available information, FDA believes that the clinical benefits of Tysabri continue to outweigh the potential risks. Revisions to the drug label and patient Medication Guide, with the continued use of the TOUCH Prescribing Program, are intended to maximize the safe use of Tysabri and the identification of new PML cases.

Read the MedWatch 2010 safety summary, including a link to the FDA Drug Safety Communication, at:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm199965.htm

NOTE TO ALL MY READERS: Tysabri is a really scary drug!  Please, please be aware.

For some months I have been studying the material by Burt Goldman, often called The American Monk. He is a phenomenal man and an awesome teacher.

A key subject Burt teaches for self mastery is . . . ACT AS IF!!

It is so easy to say, "I can't do that!," or "I can't understand how that could work," or perhaps "I don't feel anything" when I teach about our body's Internal Guidance System (IGS) and how our body "talks" to us all the time. Ever since I began my own healing journey about 15 years ago and invited you to come along with me, I have repeatedly heard just about every "I can't" there is.

Then recently I discovered Burt Goldman and began to study with him. Quickly I learned the answer to all the I can'ts there are. Just ACT AS IF. Burt works with meditation and mental imaging; that is, seeing things with our mind's eye. Did you know that the word imagination comes from the root word image? Some people seem to have a more vivid imagination than others. That's where "acting as if" comes into play. It is another way of saying just pretend. We all did it as children, and we have watched our children do it, so it is a natural talent when we do not let our judging and critical nature get in the way.

Remember that old adage,

"If you think you can, you are right,
and if you think you can't, you are right too!"

I invite you to ACT AS IF and let me know what you experience.  I'll share your results with my newsletter readers.

  Bon Appétit - Healthy Food Tips and Recipes 

10 HEALTHIEST FOODS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER TRIED
(From the SparkPeople.com website)

1. Kiwi (just scoop it straight from the skin!)
2. Broccoli rabe (sauté with olive oil, garlic and lemon)
3. Brazil nuts (munch on a couple)
4. Edamame (steam in the pod and sprinkle with salt)
5. Red lentils (cook lentils, then substitute them for chickpeas in hummus)
6. Quinoa (use instead of brown rice)
7. Canned salmon (throw on salads or in pasta sauces)
8. Prawns (shrimp) (stir fry with vegetables and serve with brown rice)
9. Whole grain and multigrain pastas (swap these for all your white pasta)
10. Pomegranate (toss the seeds on salads or mix them with yogurt)

ROASTED VEGGIES

Do you or someone in your family think you hate vegetables? This foolproof and rather quick cooking technique will have you gobbling up those loathed vegetables and begging for seconds. So what's the secret? Roasting!

Roasting concentrates the natural sugars in vegetables and caramelizes the outside, giving humble veggies a sweet, rich flavor, a crispy coating and a soft interior.

The technique is simple, AND SO FAR AS I KNOW THERE ARE NO VEGGIES THAT YOU CANNOT ROAST. Just empty out your crisper. You will never again throw away veggies that are past their prime.