Five Tips for Coping with a Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

by Stemedix | Nov 16, 2020 | Multiple Sclerosis, Stem Cell Therapy

Receiving a multiple sclerosis diagnosis can be overwhelming. It will inevitably lead to changes in your life, and there will be some days that are more difficult than others. Yet, you’re not alone in your diagnosis: roughly one million Americans are believed to have MS. 

Fortunately, the condition and its symptoms can often be managed successfully. Treatments have come a long way since MS was first discovered, and they continue to evolve through developments such as regenerative medicine. 

If you’ve recently received a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, here are some things you can do to begin taking control. 

Familiarize Yourself with MS. 

Oftentimes, it’s the unknown that can be particularly scary when it comes to a new diagnosis. By arming yourself with facts, you’ll have a better understanding of the characteristics of MS and what to expect. Sources like the National MS Society offer comprehensive guides for newly diagnosed patients to learn about symptoms, treatment options, and other need-to-know information. 

Be Ready for Any Symptoms. 

One particularly frustrating aspect of MS is that no two people experience the same symptoms in the same ways – which means that, even if you know what the condition can cause, you won’t know when to expect which symptoms, or how severe they may be. The unpredictable nature of the disease means that MS patients have to build some degree of flexibility into their routines. You may experience pain, numbness, fatigue, and vision changes which can come and go, seemingly without any pattern. 

With that being said, keeping a journal may help you track your symptoms. It can shed light on whether treatments are working, and if there could be any triggers that you may want to avoid, such as going out during particularly cold weather. Becoming overheated, drinking alcohol, and stress are also common triggers. 

Explore Treatment Options. 

Promptly beginning treatment for MS could help you delay the disease’s progression. There are a number of medications which can modify the course of the disease, help you manage symptoms, and control relapses. 

You may also want to explore lifestyle management techniques, such as physical therapy and stress management. Some patients also use complementary and alternative medicine techniques, such as yoga, dietary modifications, and massage therapy. Additionally, you might explore emerging options for regenerative medicine, including stem cell therapy, which could improve symptoms and potentially even aid in rebuilding myelin sheath tissue.

Partner With The Right Healthcare Professional. 

Because MS is a chronic illness, you’ll want to find the right doctor for your needs. The original neurologist who established your diagnosis isn’t the medical professional you have to stick with; in fact, you should find a doctor who specializes in the treatment of MS. Consider looking for someone who is fellowship-trained, is actively involved in clinical trials and ongoing research, makes you feel comfortable and heard, and has an office atmosphere that puts you at ease. The Consortium of MS Centers is a comprehensive online database where you may want to begin your search. 

Exploring functional medicine is also another alternative therapy option to help manage symptoms. Home comprehensive test kits help to find diet and vitamin deficiencies and insufficiencies you may have to help correct the causes of certain symptoms experienced. Stemedix offers these home tests provided by Genova Diagnostics. 

Don’t Give Up. 

A chronic illness diagnosis is major news to process, and it will affect you emotionally. Give yourself time to go through this emotional process and experience feelings like frustration and sadness. Yet, try not to give up hope. Know that MS research is constantly evolving, and that while existing treatments can delay the disease’s progression, as further treatments are approved, results will likely only improve in the future.  Contact a Care Coordinator today for a free assessment!

Can Stem Cells Treat Neural Damage Caused by Multiple Sclerosis?

by Stemedix | Oct 26, 2020 | Multiple Sclerosis, Stem Cell Therapy

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic illness that damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord. In this disease, the body’s immune system mistakenly targets and attacks the myelin in the central nervous system, or the layer of insulation around the nerves. As the autoantibodies target healthy myelin tissue, neurological disabilities ensue. While there is currently no cure for MS nor any means of repairing myelin damage to improve disease progression, results from clinical trials suggest mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be effective in treating nerve damage caused by the condition. So many may be wondering “Can Stem Cells treat neural damage caused by Multiple Sclerosis”.

According to researchers, MSCs can help to control the immune response in people with Multiple Sclerosis. These cells have powerful self-renewal capabilities, in addition to immunomodulatory and neuroregenerative properties. While the precise cellular mechanisms of stem cells in treating Multiple Sclerosis are still being studied, researchers are encouraged by the results of several clinical trials thus far. 

For instance, MSCs can be targeted to the brain tissues to reach the sites of damage, including brain lesions, to help improve the survival rate of brain cells. Also administered systemically, these cells have the potential to improve one’s quality of life and severity of symptoms.

Stem cells can be retrieved from various sources, including fat tissue, umbilical cord-derived tissue, and bone marrow aspirate. The mesenchymal stem cells derived from these tissues provide the potential power in improving cognitive function and decreasing disease severity, which is likely due to the cells’ anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective characteristics. The source of cells is determined by a few factors including age, medical history, and patient preference. Results can vary from patient to patient. Their environment factors, diet, and lifestyle choices can play an important part in the outcome. However, studies have shown that stem cell therapy for those whose immune systems have been compromised has the potential to prohibit the progression of MS for up to five years in 70% to 80% of patients. This and other stem cell treatments have the potential to significantly improve treatment outcomes for people with MS. Contact a Care Coordinator today for a free assessment!

Stem Cell Therapy More Effective Than Disease-Modifying Therapy for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

by admin | Jul 8, 2020 | Multiple Sclerosis, Stem Cell Therapy

The most common form of multiple sclerosis is a relapsing-remitting MS. In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, patients have relatively quiet, healthy times interrupted by disease flares. MS flares can cause many different neurological symptoms. The disease can interfere with any number of bodily processes, from walking to seeing, to urinating.

For many years, the only treatments available for relapsing-remitting MS were steroids or other powerful medications that had troubling side effects. Recently, disease-modifying drugs have become available that extend the times in between flares. Steroids are still used to treat disease flares, but disease-modifying drugs seem to make those flares occur less often.

One way that scientists judge the value of disease-modifying therapy for relapsing-remitting MS is to see how long it can prevent relapse. For example, researchers divide a group of patients into two groups, give each group a different treatment, and track to see the time until a relapse occurs.

Researchers took this same scientific approach to compare disease-modifying therapy to nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation which is the infusion of stem cells without destroying the patient’s existing bone marrow and stem cells with chemotherapy. The results were published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The scientists from hospitals and institutions around the world followed about 100 women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Half received disease-modifying therapy, which is the current standard of care, while the other half received stem cell therapy.

During the first year of the study, the symptoms were more severe in patients who received disease-modifying therapy. This was expected since patients with this form of MS tend to get worse over time. Impressively, the group who received stem cell treatment had less severe symptoms than when they started a year earlier.

Three patients who received stem cell therapy experienced disease progression; however, a staggering 34 patients in the disease-modifying group had disease progression. In other words, far fewer RRMS patients in the stem cell therapy group had disease progression than those receiving standard disease-modifying treatments.

The authors of this groundbreaking study mention that “further research is needed to replicate these findings,” presumably in a double-blind trial. Nevertheless, this is not a small study (~100 patients) and patients were followed for a very long time (5 years). As such, the results provide strong, preliminary evidence that stem cell therapy was more effective than disease-modifying therapy for patients with

Reference: Burt, R., et al. (2019). Effect of Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation vs Continued Disease-Modifying Therapy on Disease Progression in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. JAMA. 2019;321(2):165-174.