That's Fit

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers can puzzle medical professionals sometimes. Standard treatments that work on some just don't work on other. From a genetic standpoint, some genetic differences at play within patients may explain this, according to a new study out of Europe.

Relapsing-remitting MS is the most common form of the disease, so international researchers extracted the DNA from those MS patients who had full symptom reduction after having used interferon therapy. It then collected DNA from those who also received the same type of therapy, but who suffered relapses after this therapy.

The differences discovered in the two groups pointed to specific genetic differences in the two MS groups. Customizing treatment per patient would be a end goal of medical professionals (compared to "blanket" treatments that are not as effective for some) -- this this new discovery fits squarely in that camp. Researchers wrote "in the absence of prognostic clinical, neuroradiological and/or immunological markers of response, the question remains who and when to treat when adverse effects, inconvenience and the cost of drugs are significant."

And, when insurance companies start balking at the price of treatment for those suffering from MS with valid insurance coverage, I suppose.

The state of genetic research as it applies to disease treatment continues to increase every year from what the media reports. Will there one day be some kind of "cure" for conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and perhaps Multiple Sclerosis?

When it comes to MS, two new genes have been identified that may raise the risk of MS, giving medical researchers possible views into the actual causes of the disease itself.

It's been two decades of dead ends for scientists when it came to studying MS; at least, until now. The exhaustive study revealed two genes responsible for autoimmune disease after scanning the entire human genome of more than 12,000 MS sufferers for possible causes.

Sunlight's getting a lot of press lately, with emerging research that vitamin D is crucial for the prevention of certain diseases. Sun exposure is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to get vitamin D, but because sun exposure also brings with it the risk of skin cancer, getting enough but not too much is a balancing act.

A recent small study of identical twins has now also linked sun exposure with a reduced risk of developing multiple sclerosis. The study found that female Caucasian twins who spent more time tanning or in the sun were 50% less likely to develop the condition. The finding was not replicated in male twins or in other races. Because the study was based strictly on input from the participants, it's purely preliminary, but experts say that further studies in this area should be a high priority for MS prevention.

Multiple sclerosis is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 and is more common in women than in men. Remember, a little sun exposure goes a long way and for some, just 2 minutes may make all the vitamin D the body can process, so if you do get sun exposure without sunscreen, play it safe and smart.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease of the central nervous system. One of the most prevalent symptoms of MS is difficulty with balance and walking. It's important for MS patients to exercise regularly in order to maintain muscle tone and improve balance. Stretching and swimming are common exercise choices for patients with advanced MS. The Powerplate exercise machine is a good therapeutic addition to their exercise routine.

The Powerplate machine vibrates the body to help build muscle tone. In addition, the machine helps with circulation and pain relief. According to the manufacturer's website, the Powerplate machine also offers benefits to patients with Parkinson's, osteoporosis, and arthritis as it allows them the opportunity to build and tone muscle while working within their physical limitations.

When someone suffering from multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's walks, they may sometimes "freeze" or have difficulty following through with the motion. Health experts have known that patients' brains can be triggered to keep moving by placing an object in front of them, which helps send a new signal to the brain and gets the muscles moving again.

Scientists in Israel have taken that knowledge and turned it into a working piece of high-tech equipment -- eyeglasses. The glasses, or "goggles" project an image of a tiled floor in front of the patient. As the wearer steps forward, the tile floor appears to move under them, sending a signal to the brain to keep moving. In addition, as the user walks, a rhythmic clicking sound is played in their ear. If their movements become staggered, the noise rises in pitch and volume.

Freezing in public can be embarrassing for patients, but also unsafe. The glasses improved walking by 50% for Parkinson patients and 86% for MS patients, and are currently being used in Israel and the U.S.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis have been noted to ease for women during pregnancy, and scientists believe it's due to the hormone prolactin. In MS the human body attacks the myelin that surrounds nerves, and it's been thought that during pregnancy the immune system no longer attacks the myelin. Now, though, according to data published in the Journal of Neuroscience, it seems the body could be repairing myelin as well. This means that prolactin could be used in the future as an official treatment for MS -- although it does have a tendency to increase inflammation, so that would need to be addressed somehow.

So far the theory has only been tested in mice, but researchers are optimistic.