Multiple Sclerosis

Diagnose and adios. This statement was made to physicians who worked with patients who had Multiple Schlerosis in 1970. Such was the state of affairs; little hope was given to controlling the devastating symptoms of Multiple Schlerosis, let alone hope for a cure.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath. Your myelin sheath is the covering around your nerves, and protects the nerve cells from injury or infection. As damage occurs on the myelin sheath, scar tissue forms to take its place. This scar tissue is seen as lesions on a scan. The damage slows down or blocks messages between your brain and your body, leading to the symptoms of MS. They can include

Multiple Schlerosis (MS) typically causes limb weakness, vision loss and problems with coordination, and is the most common disabling neurological disorder of young adults. It's an autoimmune disease, occurring when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks a protective sheath around axons -- the delicate cables that nerve cells use to connect with each other. Various immunosuppressant drugs can reduce symptoms and slow the disease's course, but most MS patients become increasingly disabled with time.

AFTER A DECADES-LONG SEARCH, SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY NEW GENETIC RISK FACTORS FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

A pair of large-scale genetic studies supported by the National Institutes of Health has revealed two genes that influence the risk of getting multiple sclerosis (MS) -- data sought since the discovery of the only other known MS susceptibility gene decades ago. The findings could shed new light on what causes MS -- a puzzling mix of genes, environment and immunity -- and on potential treatments for at least 350,000 Americans who have the disease.

Did you ever think where the flowers you sent to Mom on Mother's Day come from? 78% of the stems bought annually in the USA are imported, mostly from Latin America. Because imported flowers can't show any signs of pests or fungus when they arrive here for inspection, many Latino growers literally douse their crops in agricultural chemicals that are banned or severely restricted here at home.

There are seven diseases that have subtle or confusing symptoms and are frequently missed by women and their doctors. By learning the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment, you can better protect yourself against some of life's nastier surprises.