Most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been told the same basic story: MS starts in the brain. The immune system suddenly attacks myelin, and leaves scars called lesions scattered throughout the brain and spinal cord. But what if that story is missing the real starting point? What if MS lesions actually start in the
The following references, taken together, point to a very different way of looking at MS. They show that MS lesions often form around tiny blood vessels, that people with MS can have more small brain bleeds and iron deposits around brain lesions, and that infections living inside red blood cells can cause exactly this kind
What if the answer to MS has been hiding in plain sight since 1880? Every day, people with multiple sclerosis are told there’s no known cause for their disease. They’re told their immune system is attacking their nerves for unknown reasons, and the best that standard of care can offer is immune-suppressing drugs that do
In this video, Pam Bartha discusses how chronic malarial infections are diagnosed and treated. There are at least five types of plasmodium single celled parasites that can cause malaria in humans. They infect red blood cells (RBCs) and cause a highly inflammatory disease in the body. Some types cause life-threatening illness while others cause less
This post discusses compelling research and case studies that reveal how malaria drugs significantly help MS patients. Last week’s post reviewed evidence about the many similarities between MS and malaria. In 1917, Castellani wrote that he observed four cases of malaria that closely resembled disseminated sclerosis which is the same type of condition as
This post discusses how MS has been linked to malaria for over 100 years and why malaria may be one of the main infections that causes multiple sclerosis. This is part 4 of our MS and malaria series. A large and ever-growing body of research confirms that MS is an infectious disease caused by
There are insightful connections between the distribution of MS and malaria in many countries. It is also fascinating how MS patients have experienced symptom improvements when prescribed malaria drugs. This post discusses this forgotten research and how it may help in the treatment of MS. In Part 1 of this series, I reviewed a 2021
Most of us diagnosed with MS wouldn’t consider that we could have a chronic silent malarial infection because we haven’t travelled to a tropical country that has malaria. Nevertheless, over 100 years of compelling scientific evidence links malarial infections to MS. This research shows that for some and possibly many MS patients, a malarial infection
Is multiple sclerosis caused by a malaria-like parasite? A recent study found that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) significantly slowed down the progression of disability in people with primary progressive MS (PPMS). This post will discuss: What protists are and how they infect us Highlights of this study Provide compelling evidence linking MS and
Why are so many people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis deficient in vitamin D? And what is this deficiency trying to tell us? Vitamin D deficiency is remarkably common in MS. Studies from different parts of the world have reported deficiency in the majority of people studied, with rates reaching 73 percent in one population and
I still vividly remember my first MS attack. I developed severe optic neuritis and lost all vision in my left eye. My legs were weak and tingling, I had a terrible headache, I could barely sleep, and the fatigue was overwhelming. I could not care for my family, let alone myself. Thank goodness my mother
You have been told your bladder problems are just “nerve damage.” But if nerve damage is permanent, why do some people with MS see their bladder function improve within days of changing their diet? Up to 80 percent of people with MS develop bladder dysfunction at some point. Urgency. Nighttime trips. Leaking. A weak stream.
Parasites have been documented in peer-reviewed research to invade the brain and spinal chord, produce white matter lesions on MRI, and trigger a relapsing-remitting pattern of symptoms. One of these parasites is estimated to infect one-third of the global population. Another is found in North American backyards. Parasites are not required to be tested for
There is a parasite living inside millions of people right now. Experts call it a neglected parasitic infection. The World Health Organization classifies it as an emerging global public health concern. It is found on every continent except Antarctica — including North America, Europe, and the Americas. It causes severe, sustained inflammation. It is directly
There is a condition, documented by the CDC, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Merck Manual, where tapeworm larvae travel through the bloodstream, cross into the brain, and form cysts in the central nervous system. Those cysts cause inflammation, lesions, and a waxing and waning pattern of neurological symptoms. The condition is called neurocysticercosis. And the
In 1988, a neurologist looked me in the eye and told me I would be completely disabled in time. I was told that there was no cure. No hope offered. No path forward. That conversation happened 37 years ago. And yet today, I’m healthier and more active than many people my age who were never
Revealing the Overlooked Link Between Parasitic Infections and Multiple Sclerosis A New Perspective on Multiple Sclerosis For decades, people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been told that their immune system is attacking their body for no reason — that it’s an autoimmune disease with no known cause and no cure. But new research tells
For decades, multiple sclerosis (MS) has been treated as an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks nerves for no clear reason. Groundbreaking research over the last several years is rewriting that story. Today, leading evidence points to MS as primarily a vascular disorder: a disease driven by chronic blood-vessel dysfunction, low oxygen, impaired venous
Privacy Policy: We hate spam and promise to keep your email address safe
