Category Archives: MS and Bill Walker

MS and the Holy Grail of MS Neural Repair

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Bill Walker

MS and the Holy Grail of MS Neural Repair

A couple of days ago I got the latest edition of MS Focus Magazine. I found two paragraphs that brought me renewed hope for an effective treatment for MS. They are reprinted below.

Medicine & Research:

Of a slightly different mechanism than the previously mentioned monoclonal antibodies, temelimab targets a specific protein that is believed to have a role in the development of MS. MS is caused in part by increased inflammation in the central nervous system, and the intended mechanism of action for temelimab would be to relieve this inflammation to prevent progression. The medication should work to help fix the damage to the myelin sheath that occurs in MS.

By Ellen Whipple, Pharm.D.

Life with MS:

The Holy Grail of MS care is neural repair. By repairing areas of damaged myelin and axons or rerouting information around areas of damage, the hope is that we may be able to reverse disability. Numerous research projects around the world are focusing on this. It could be that the answer to reversing disability ends up coming from a non-MS field, such as spinal cord injury. Currently, phase II studies are ongoing with a molecule I’m excited about, elezanumab. If this monoclonal antibody does what we hope it will, it should regenerate axons in the brain and spinal cord.

By Dr. Ben Thrower, M.D.

It is this second paragraph that excites me the most. If it works, you would still have MS. But the chances are you wouldn’t experience any, or at least not as sever, symptoms as many of us currently suffer from. There is hope on the horizon!

MS Muscle Spacticity and a Soft Mattress

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Hey that’s me!

MS Muscle Spacticity and a Soft Mattress

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of many symptoms and no two people are the same. However many of us who suffer from this horrible condition experience muscle spacticity where are muscles tighten up from lack of use.

In my case I mostly feel these effects first thing in the morning as I’m waking up and getting out of bed. Fortunately I have found a few things that seem to help with this condition. The first one my doctor prescribed and that’s cyclobenzaprine 5 mg as needed. It works pretty well and also has the extra benefit of helping me sleep. The drawback is that it helps me sleep to well sometimes making it hard to wake up when I want or have too. And I don’t like taking a lot of pills either.

The second thing I’ve found that helps is a very soft mattress. I have about six inches of egg crate foam mattresses on top of my regular mattress. This seems to work pretty well for me as I can mostly sleep through the night without getting up to stretch. I was also told that I could try a memory foam mattress that would achieve the same purpose. The draw back with memory foam is that it reflects heat back into your body even more so than egg crates. And we all know that heat is an enemy of multiple sclerosis.

And if you also occasionally get charlie horses where your muscles tighten up into what feels like a very painful ball I suggest drinking a cup of tonic water everyday. This little piece of advice came from an old golfer I met a few years ago. And it also might help with spacticity as the quinine helps to loosen up overexerted muscles. He told me that lots of athletes drink tonic water just for that reason. And if you decide to add a shot of vodka or gin and a lime to it, that might help your muscles relax as well? In moderation of course and only when you don’t have to drive anywhere.

Peace to all of my ms and beyond readers!

Bill Walker

MS PAIN AND ICING DOWN THE SPINAL COLUMN

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MS PAIN AND ICING DOWN THE SPINAL COLUMN

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Bill Walker

 I need to start by saying that I am not advocating that anyone do what I did and, in fact, still do. I’m only telling you my story of what I did quite frequently especially early on in my first initial attacks. And yes, it did and still does, help quite a bit if my pain becomes too intense.

     My first major attack was downright brutal. My legs locked up to the point where I was walking like I was standing on stilts. And my feet burned made even worse by the

hundreds of needle like pricks that I felt with every step I took. But the worst pain was in my sciatic nerves running up and down both my right and left legs. And it didn’t take long for this nearly intolerable pain to move up into my lower back making every bend and twist an agonizing experience.

     And it wasn’t long after these first symptoms that my MS moved into my hands causing my fingers to curl up to the point where I could barely get my hand to open. And finally came the flashing in my eyes and the dizzy spells that more than once sent me to my knees on the floor.

     And these were just the physical symptoms. I also had to deal with the fear of being attacked by something that even my doctor was totally perplexed about. Oh, and did I mention that I was between jobs and had absolutely no insurance at the time?

     In the beginning my doctor put me on 800 mg of Ibuprofen every six hours. And I’m sure the fact that did absolutely nothing won’t come as a surprise to any of you who also have multiple sclerosis. And since I didn’t have insurance and couldn’t really afford to see a neurologist right away I was left with only one solution that I felt might bring some relief. I went to a hardware store and purchased several of the blue icy packs that you freeze and put into coolers to keep food and drinks cold when traveling or going camping. 

     As soon as they were frozen I started laying on them with one or two of them positioned along my lower back for literally hours at a time. And thankfully it started to relieve my pain almost immediately. And then after a few days I noticed that both my legs and my hands began to loosen up to the point where I could stand and walk almost normally again and stretch my fingers to their fullest extension.

     I kept this up for weeks as the attack slowly subsided overall. At one point I had my spinal column so cold I could feel my nervous system rattle inside my body. This was a very strange experience because I could feel my nerves buzzing inside my brain.

     Fortunately after my initial attack I have never had one that severe again but I still used ice for years after this whenever I had an exacerbation with intense pain. And every time I did it my pain subsided to a point where it was at least tolerable. And I still do this though not anywhere near as much as I used too.

     The surprising thing about this over all of these years, is that none of my neurologists have ever said not to do this, though they’ve never really said that it was a great idea either. The two things that I will add here is that it’s cheap and it’s drug free which you can’t say about most other MS treatments on the market!

By Bill Walker

 

REQUEST FOR SPECIAL PET STORIES

I’m requesting stories from any and all of you who have ever had a pet die and than return in any way to let you know that they survived death and came back to ease your fears about their crossing. I think I’m going to write a book about pets surviving death as I have had like at least three of my pets return after death to comfort me after their transition.

What I would like for you to do is to first write the experience you had out in long hand and put it down for a day, or a little while, and then type it out and send it to me at the email address below. If and when I write the book I will certainly let everyone know especially if their story made it into the book. This is kind of a nonscientific study that I am undertaking so I would love to hear from you all if you’ve got a story to tell. The reason for having you write it out twice is that usually after you write something once and wait a little bit your mind starts to recall the experience and you often remember more than you did in your first draft. And I want the stories to be as in-depth as they possibly can be.

Please send your stories to: wc.walker@yahoo.com

Thank you in advance. And please ask around family and friends to see if they have stories to contribute. Please put, Pets surviving Death, in the subject box!

MS and Stem Cell Particles

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Bill Walker                                                                   

This is a reprint from a recent study:

Dr. Metcalfe, who is based at Cambridge University in England, is currently looking for funding to further develop her theory that using a stem cell particle called a LIF would switch off the body’s auto-immune cells and help repair the brain.

In addition to being able to switch off the body’s autoimmune response, LIF also protects the brain and spinal cord — the areas affected by multiple sclerosis — and aids in repairing tissue, including brain tissue.

The research has not been smooth sailing. Metcalfe has found that LIF cannot survive outside the cell for more than 20 minutes before being broken down by the body, making it difficult to use as a therapy. However, she has found that nanoparticles could be the answer to the problem, as they can be used to help deliver the LIF therapy. By using antibodies with the nanoparticles, the therapy can be directed to certain areas of the brain — helping to repair damage caused by multiple sclerosis.

Metcalfe is now looking for research funding and hopes that one of the big pharmaceutical companies will step in. She hopes to begin clinical trials of the therapy by 2020.

MS and Gut Bacteria

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Bill Walker

This is a reprint from a recent study.

A study has found that microbes in your gut may influence the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). It could be a key step towards specific treatment, and help solve what causes MS.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, two different teams conducted separate research and made the same findings. One was from the University of California, San Francisco, and the other from the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

The first team investigated the gut microbiomes of 71 MS patients and 71 control subjects. They identified specific species of bacteria that were more common in the former than the latter. Next, they exposed these bacteria to human immune cells, and found that two species triggered cells to become pro-inflammatory. One found at lower levels triggered immune responses.

In tests on mice, they found that these bacteria had a similar effect. Replacing mice microbiomes with those from an MS patient caused the mice to lose immune-regulatory cells and develop neurodegeneration, a pathway to MS.

The second study came to a similar conclusion, finding that microbiome transplants could increase symptoms in mice.

“Two different groups, using two separate cohorts of patients and controls, and two distinct mouse models of the disease, saw very similar results,” Egle Cekanaviciute said in a statement, who was involved in both studies. “This is very promising evidence that we’re on the right track.”

MS affects about 2.5 million people across the globe, and is known as an autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder. It can lead to loss of vision, weakness, and even paralysis. It’s caused by the immune system attacking the insulation around nerve cells, called myelin, but scientists have been at a loss to explain why this occurs.

These latest studies could provide an answer. While the microbiome probably isn’t the only trigger, it could play a role. This could lead to some new treatments in the future to help tackle MS.

“The microbiome is very malleable,” said Sergio Baranzini, also involved in both studies. “You could relatively easily change it in an adult who has MS or is susceptible – something you cannot do with their genetics. This is not a magical approach, but it is hopeful.”

MS and Reducing Summer Car Heat

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Bill Walker

We all know that summer heat and humidity are absolutely brutal on people with multiple sclerosis. And escaping it is almost impossible to do. But one area where everyone, ms or not dreads is getting into a car that has been sunbathing for a few hours and the internal temperature is usually somewhere in the 120 degree range.

There is a somewhat easy choice to reduce some of that direct sunlight. You’ve probably already seen them and perhaps laughed at some of the more goofy ones. If you’ve ever wondered if those car screens in the front window, and occasionally in the back as well, work? They do, and are very effective in keeping your car from becoming a roaster oven.

You can buy these screens at Walmart and other similar stores. And also keep your windows cracked open just enough to let any heat that may build up to escape. You can also invest in solar powered window fans that run off the power of the sun while your not in the car keeping the air moving so the heat moves out any cracked windows.

Try to stay cool and have a great summer everybody!

Bill Walker

Do you know a literary agent or book publisher that would be willing to read my book? If so please email me and let me know. 

MS a Child with Cancer and a Kitten

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Bill Walker

The power of having a pet, in this case a kitten, can change people’s lives forever. The following true short story was published in Parade Magazine a few weeks ago. And though it is not about multiple sclerosis it is nothing but pure love, so I decided to share it here. It brings hope that any disease can be cured!

 

ONE LAST WISH

 

Robin and Mark Myers, of Suwanne, GA., are grateful for the rescue that came into their family’s life when their 12-year-old daughter, Kylie, was battling cancer.

     “Cancer stole a lot from Kylie, but she was determined it wouldn’t steal her joy,” says Robin. When the family got the news that Kylie was dying. She looked up with a weak smile and a twinkle in her eye, asking her dad, “Now can I finally have a kitten?” Sharing their story on what would have been Kylie’s 15th birthday, Robin recalls, “We would’ve said yes to anything.”

     A friend swung by the local shelter and rushed to Kylie’s bedside with a kitten. Kylie named her Liza and the kitten curled up in the crook of her arm. “Liza just stayed there and didn’t leave her side at all in the few days until we lost Kylie,” Robin recalls through tears. “The last thing Kylie said was, ‘I want you to help find a cure for childhood cancer, and please take care of my kitty.’

     “But it’s Liza, who takes care of me, “says Robin. “When I cry, Liza comes running. She has an uncanny understanding. She rescued our family and keeps Kylie’s spirit alive.” (Visit Parade Magazines website for a video. Sorry, many sites that I publish on will not permit links.)

    

     (The FDA just approved a way to enhance the body’s own immune system to attack, Lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, which has been effective in curing 85% of the patients that have received this new breakthrough treatment. It is hoped that this treatment can one day soon be developed for use in all types of cancers for both humans and pets as well. Making cancer a disease of the past!)

 

Please support your local shelter and adopt whenever you can. And always get your pets spay or neutered.

Bill Walker

MS Turmeric and Inflammation

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     Turmeric is derived from the spice curry used extensively in India. It’s health benefits range from helping to treat constipation to also being a huge anti-inflammatory agent. I personally had read so many great things about turmeric , including that some people believed it have something to do with India’s very small incidence of Multiple Sclerosis, that I just had to give it a try. 

     That was over a year ago and unfortunately I did not experience the health benefits that I had hoped to achieve. I am certainly not saying that it doesn’t provide benefits to other people but it doesn’t seem to do much for me except cost money. It may come down to each persons own body chemistry being a factor in whether turmeric has a positive effect or not. I know that researchers are discovering that many cancer drugs can work wonders for some people and have absolutely little if any effect for others.

     In closing, if it works for you, by all means keep using it as long as your neurologist and general practitioner are aware of you using it as many supplements like turmeric can have undesirable effects when used with other prescribed drugs!   

by

Bill Walker

 

PS. I am still in search of a literary agent/publisher for my book if anyone can help by putting in a good word for me!

MS Donald Trump and His Medicaid Budget Cuts

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That would be me!

No matter how you voted or what your personal political beliefs are of Donald Trump and his administration, the 2017-2018 budget that was just released, is nothing short of draconian with respect to anyone who has a disability.

This budget calls for cuts of up to 1.4 Trillion, yes Trillion, dollars to medicaid over the next ten years. This will mean every single person with a disability that relies on medicaid for health care, including children, will be impacted.

Donald Trump has also asked for cuts of hundreds of millions of dollars from the social security fund that provides disability checks for both Veterans and people living with disabilities. And, on top of that, his administration is also seeking large cuts to the Snap program that helps people with disabilities buy food through the use of food stamps to help supplement their disability checks.  

People with disabilities need to stand as one and say, “NO!” to these outrages cuts.

Bill Walker

MS Halloween and Chocolate

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Fred Meyer Holiday Pumpkin Patch

Yea, not very scary! LOL

As we rapidly approach Halloween, probably the second biggest holiday where chocolate is indulged upon with Valentines Day being the first, I once again broach the subject of a few of chocolates healthy benefits. I’ve already discussed how chocolate is a huge anti-inflammatory treat as long as you eat the purer forms of chocolate with higher amounts of cocoa then the regular milk chocolate that is mostly available in grocery stores candy counters. And as long as you eat it remembering that moderation is the key here. And also remembering that chocolate, no matter what kind you eat, also has a high fat content that can make weight gain a real possibility if you consume to much.

I also wanted to add information that is new about a study using athletes. This study found that athletes who consumed small amounts of dark chocolate with a high cocoa content once a week of about 1.4 ounces just before working out found that their endurance was greatly enhanced. It appears that this rich chocolate acts to open veins and arteries allowing for greater blood flow which increases stamina. And if it helps athletes with their workouts I don’t see any reason that dark chocolate wouldn’t also help people with other diseases or disorders do the same thing during their exercise workouts including people with multiple sclerosis.

So please enjoy your Halloween and allow yourself a small indulgence without guilt as you celebrate All Hallows Day. The day we all chase away all of those negative spirits from our past. Be safe, and please, try to enjoy yourselves as we begin a long march towards the Fall and Winter Holidays to come!

And now I have a small favor to ask of anyone who might have either an Editor at a Book Publishing House or a Literary Agent in the family or as a friend. I’m trying to find either an Editor or an Agent that would give my book VISUS a serious read with the hopes of getting  my book out into the literary hands of the general public. Even if you get them to read the first chapter that is listed above in the title bar would be greatly appreciated by me.

Again, please have a safe Halloween weekend and enjoy your family and friends!

Bill Walker