Conventional medicine is categorical about there being no simple multiple sclerosis cures to speak of. However, it does point to the existence of promising multiple sclerosis research. The idea is that the continuation of such research on multiple sclerosis will ultimately bring long-awaited cures to sufferers of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple Sclerosis Current Research
Some of the promising lines of multiple sclerosis research are those that examine the association of multiple sclerosis with certain forms of infection. These may include various viral infections. Medical scientists have observed that multiple sclerosis patients can often be shown to have previously succumbed to certain viral infections. Even after successful treatment of these infections, the virus remains in the body, dormant for stretches of time. Then one day it is reactivated and starts to replicate. Among MS patients, it has often been shown by multiple sclerosis research that this viral replication coincides with MS flare ups.
Now, the association between MS flare ups and viral replication may very well be direct or indirect. The specifics can only be determined by research. Multiple sclerosis patients may be shown to be particularly vulnerable to viral replication because their blood-brain barrier, which typically protects the brain from exposure to infection, is compromised. On the other hand, it is possible that viral replication may trigger an immune response from the body (as is normally the case), and that the hypersensitive immune system may consequently subject the body’s own nervous system to its attacks. This would not be unusual: After all, multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune condition.
Another subject of multiple sclerosis research could be the implication of various bacterial infections in triggering or exacerbating multiple sclerosis. Some research in multiple sclerosis-focused laboratories has shown that the treatment of these bacterial infections with antibiotics often results in the resolution of the multiple sclerosis symptoms. Clearly then, any ultimate MS cures will have to take into account the ties between MS and burdensome infections.
Other areas of research have shown the connection between MS and other inflammatory autoimmune conditions. Patients exhibiting thyroid autoimmunity, for instance, may also have multiple sclerosis. The treatment of these patients’ thyroid conditions often results in the clearing of their MS symptoms. This is promising. It suggests the possibility that, in certain instances, MS can be managed well with minimally-invasive procedures and with minimally-toxic pharmaceutical products.
The foregoing suggests that new research on multiple sclerosis will focus more on the interaction of the body’s various systems and its implications for overall health.
