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NEWS ABOUT: multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment: Parasitic Worms

Hookworms, whipworms can reduce brain lesions caused by MS

(Newser) - The fight against multiple sclerosis has found an unexpected ally—parasitic worms. Researchers in the United States and Denmark are looking into the eggs of pig whipworms, which can reduce the size of the MS brain lesions and the effects of the disease, while doctors in the UK are studying... More »

Montel Williams to Open Medical Pot Dispensary

Former talk show host turned to pot to battle his own multiple sclerosis

(Newser) - Montel Williams may once again be more popular than Maury Povich: The TV and radio personality is set to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Sacramento. Williams has been a public proponent of medical marijuana since turning to it in his battle against multiple sclerosis. "I want this to... More »

New Hope or False Promise for MS Patients?

A look at Paolo Zamboni's 'liberation procedure'

(Newser) - While multiple sclerosis has long been thought to be an immune disorder, Italian researcher Paolo Zamboni has posited that it may be something else entirely. Zamboni thinks that the disease may be caused by inflammation created when blood cannot exit the brain because of clogged veins. He calls this chronic... More »

Tim Gunn Calls Bluff on Michaele Salahi's MS

Salahis are 'sociopaths who believe own lies,' says fashion wonk

(Newser) - Poor White House gatecrasher Michaele Salahi recently revealed she has multiple sclerosis, which is why she had to duck out of the state dinner so quickly. One problem, though: The newly snarky Tim Gunn doesn't believe it. “I find it curious that the story is coming out now,"... More »

Lack of Sunshine Linked to MS, Arthritis

Vitamin D affects 229 disease-linked genes

(Newser) - A lack of sunshine makes people more likely to contract diseases including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, and some cancers, according to scientists exploring the genetic link between disease and low levels of vitamin D. Genetic researchers found that the vitamin—which the body makes when the skin is... More »

Pot Stops Pain, Spasms: Study

Medical marijuana shown effective in clinical trials

(Newser) - Who knew? Marijuana actually does stop pain—and muscle spasms. A $8.7 million California study, including the first US clinical trials of marijuana use in decades, has found pot significantly relieves neuropathic pain and reduces muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis patients. A leading neuropsychiatrist found the studies so convincing... More »

Bad Driving Is in the Genes

Study says 30% can't help being lousy on the roads

(Newser) - Certain people—perhaps up to 30% of the population—may be fated by their genetic makeup to be bad drivers, a new study suggests. Researchers tested a small group of people on a driving simulator and found that subjects with a particular gene variant weren't so hot at keeping up... More »

Men More Likely to Abandon Sick Partners

Seven times as many women stay when serious illness strikes

(Newser) - Relationships fail seven times more often when illness strikes the female partner than when it strikes the man. Researchers don't know why, but theories abound: “There is an immediate shift in a relationship when an illness is diagnosed,” a counselor tells the Times of London. Gender roles change... More »

Swiss Politicians Battle 'Suicide Tourism'

As Britain eases rules, Switzerland fears rush of ill bent on killing themselves

(Newser) - Swiss politicians have stepped up efforts to battle "suicide tourism" as British officials prepare to announce new rules expected to make it easier for citizens to cross borders to die, reports the Independent. Some 115 Britons have died at assisted suicide operations run by Dignitas in Switzerland. Assisted suicide... More »

British MS Victim Wins Key Right-to-Die Ruling

Court orders that current law be clarified

(Newser) - A British woman has won her legal battle to force the government to clarify its law on assisted suicide, the Guardian reports. Multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, whose health is deteriorating, wants to travel to a Swiss euthanasia clinic to die when her condition becomes unbearable. Britain's highest court agreed... More »

Sunlight Offers Ray of Hope in Preventing MS

Vitamin D deficiency triggers disease

(Newser) - Deadly multiple sclerosis, which slowly destroys the central nervous system, may be  prevented with healthy exposure to the sun or Vitamin D supplements, according to a new study. Fresh research at Oxford University shows a vitamin D deficiency triggers a gene variant that increases the risk of developing MS by... More »

Ailing Biotech Firms Need Shot in the Arm

Flatlining economy threatens breakthrough medical research

(Newser) - For the first time in years, the biotech industry is in desperate need of a lifeline, Bloomberg reports, as the economic crisis threatens to shove companies into bankruptcy and derail the development of potentially life-saving drugs. “I’m looking down the barrel of a gun,” admitted one CEO.... More »

Study: Drug Reverses MS Brain Damage

Doctors hail 'major breakthrough' in treatment

(Newser) - Doctors are hailing what appears to be a huge breakthrough in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the BBC reports. A drug used to treat leukemia reversed some of the brain damage caused by MS, researchers found, leaving sufferers less disabled at the end of the 3-year study than they had... More »

Guzzle Coffee, Prevent Multiple Sclerosis?

Mice who consumed equivalent of 6-8 cups a day were protected

(Newser) - For preventing the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, caffeine might be just what the doctor ordered, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a study involving what must have been some very jittery mice, researchers found that the equivalent of 6-8 cups of coffee per day conferred protection from the rodent equivalent of... More »

Immune-System Ailments Now an 'Epidemic'

Doctors blame sterile homes, diet, obesity for making us sick

(Newser) - Allergies and immune-system ailments like asthma, lupus, and MS are on the rise—and scientists increasingly blame modern life, the Washington Post reports. Many point to sterile conditions in the US and Western Europe, but pollution, diet, and obesity may also play a role. "We have dramatically changed our... More »

Dutch Pharma Firm Preps Pot Pill

Drug may hit shelves in 5 years for migraine, Parkinson's victims

(Newser) - Why smoke pot when you can pop a pill? Echo Pharmaceuticals is jumping into Phase II trials for a new cannabis pill that could snag 20%-30% of the booming medical marijuana market, Reuters reports. The Dutch firm plans to sell the pill within 5 years, giving medical marijuana users a... More »

Bone Marrow Breakthrough Gives New Hope

Safer technique could benefit MS, arthritis sufferers

(Newser) - Scientists investigating bone marrow transplants have made a breakthrough that could one day help millions. Currently, before transplants occur defective cells are killed with radiotherapy or chemotherapy—which causes widespread damage and can have serious side effects. But researchers have found it's possible to pinpoint and destroy blood-forming stem cells... More »

Elizabeth Edwards Finds Unlikely Ally in Ann Romney

Both battle illness on campaign trail

(Newser) - Elizabeth Edwards' decision to encourage her husband's presidential campaign despite her diagnosis of incurable breast cancer has drawn considerable controversy. Lambasted by some as a "terrible mother" for leaving her young children at home to join the campaign trail, Edwards soldiers on and has found key support from an... More »

New Genetic Ties to MS Found

Findings represent stunning medical breakthrough

(Newser) - Scientists have pinpointed two genes that may be linked to MS, signaling a breakthrough in the fight against the debilitating disease 20 years in the making. In separate studies published today by two medical journals, researchers revealed one specific gene receptor may trigger cells to inhibit the body's autoimmune reaction,... More »

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