Multiple Sclerosis ( MS ) affects more than one million
people around the world. This disease is unpredictable and varies in severity,
from a mild illness in some patients to a permanent disability in others.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, potentially
debilitating disease that affects the brain, brain stem and spinal cord. MS
affects more than one million people around the in world. This disease is
unpredictable and varies in severity, from a mild illness in some patients to a
permanent disability in others. Symptoms typically begin between ages 20 and 40,with
women being afflicted twice as often as men. The most common symptoms of
Multiple Sclerosis include numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, difficulty
walking, impaired balance, muscle weakness, visual disturbances and memory
loss.
Your central nervous system contains millions of nerve fibers
that carry electrical impulses from your brain and brain stem to almost every
tissue, organ and cell within your body. The degenerative process of MS is called
demyelination. This is the destruction of the fatty substance, or myelin, which
coats and
protects the nerve fibers. This fatty substance functions much
like to the insulation that shields electrical wires. In patients with MS, the
body mistakenly destroys the myelin sheath, which becomes inflamed and swollen
and detaches from the nerve fibers; then, firm or hardened (sclerosed) patches
of scar tissue form over the fibers. Eventually, this damage slows or even blocks
the nerve signals from the brain, brain stem and spinal cord that control
muscle coordination, strength, sensation and vision. This results in some of
the permanent disabilities that may develop in patients with MS.
Medical Treatments For Multiple Sclerosis
According to the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the typical medical treatment for MS
includes a variety of Interferon drugs (Avonex®, Rebif®, and Betaseron®), Copaxone®,
Novantrone® and Tysabri®. For acute relapses, corticosteroids such as Prednisone
are used, as well as muscle relaxants, antidepressants, anticonvulsants,
central nervous system stimulants and NSAIDS.
Multiple Sclerosis & Physical Trauma
For more than a century, physicians and scientists have unsuccessfully
attempted to determine the exact cause of Multiple Sclerosis. The textbook
Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatments states there are many factors,
including trauma, that may trigger or precede exacerbations.
An article in the European Journal of Neurology concluded that there
is a definite sub group of MS patients where trauma, specifically whiplash of
the neck, appears to worsen the natural course of MS. In susceptible individuals,
these injuries might unleash critical changes in the central nerve system and
trigger the onset of MS symptoms.
Another expert on Multiple Sclerosis, Dr. Charles Poser of
The Harvard Medical School, published a similar article entitled "Trauma
to the Central Nervous System May Result in Formation or Enlargement Multiple Sclerosis
Plaques”. A renowned expert, Poser also concluded that trauma to the head,
neck, or upper back can act as a trigger for the appearance of new or recurrent
symptoms in some patients with MS. He further stated that only trauma affecting
the brain and or spinal cord can be considered significant, as is the case in
some whiplash injuries.
At the very least, these studies have shown that trauma does
indeed have a relationship with the aggravation or creation of MS. However, in
this particular situation, the symptoms of multiple sclerosis may not develop for days, months, or even
years after the injury.
Upper Cervical Care & Multiple Sclerosis
Some of the newest and most relevant research on upper cervical
care has demonstrated the link between MS and the upper cervical spine. Although
upper cervical care is not considered a cure for those with MS, the studies
demonstrate the extreme benefits for those suffering with this debilitating
neurological disease.
A study published in 2005 revealed that 100% of the patients
with Multiple Sclerosis had a history of upper cervical injuries whether months
old or years old. Another recently published case stud that correction of the
upper neck injuries may reverse the progression of MS. The research was performed
by Dr. Erin Elsler, an upper cervical chiropractor. Through the use of upper
cervical care, Elster corrected
chronic upper neck injuries in an MS patient, which may have
stimulated a reversal of his MS symptoms. These results have been duplicated in
upper cervical centers across the country and have shown the same promising
results.
Elster's report was published in the Journal‘ of Vertebral
Subluxation Research. It stated that, "According to medical research, head
and neck injuries have long been considered a cause of Multiple Sclerosis. But
this is the first research to show that correction of those injuries can have
dramatic effects on reversing MS."
In light of these recent reports, it is absolutely
essential, if you have MS, that you have your spine and nervous system examined
by an upper cervical doctor.
If you suffer from
Multiple Sclerosis and would like to seek the help of an Upper Cervical Health
Center doctor, call Dr. Grammer an Upper Cervical Chiropractor at (704)
588-5560 for the Charlotte, NC metro area
or visit the Web site at www.UpperCervicaiCare.com for a clinic in your
area.
