I find the story of Eric Small, who approx. 40 years ago was diagnosed with MS and today is a yoga teacher, very inspiring. I have seen a picture of him with now over 70 doing headstand and his legs in lotus position. It is his story that I often tell to my students - to show them what is possible with yoga. So It must also be said - it can be hard work and needs lots of disciplin.

The World of MS
National MS society

This one, in French links to possible plant treatments.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

My knowledge of MS is certainly not expert or in-depth, but I have seen its effects first-hand.  A dear family friend, who I've known since I was 10, was diagnosed with MS more than 15 years ago.  It tooks over a year to get the diagnosis right after her symptoms first appeared.  She, too, was in her mid-30s when she was diagnosed, and the first episode was a rather extreme one.

After finally getting the proper diagnosis, she went on  a drug called interferon beta-1b (Betaseron) and her MS went into remission.  She has been able to lead a productive, active and happy life.

In addition to the drug treatment, she was also given a list of "triggers" to avoid and lifestyle changes she needed to make.  I don't remember everything that was on the list, but it included getting adequate sleep, avoiding hot climates, avoiding stress, limiting alcohol intake, and I think some dietary improvements (she's from the deep south, lots of fatty and fried foods on the menu till then).

One very important thing is for your son to pay attention to his body; when it tells him there is a problem, he needs to listen.  My friend's first MS episode, which occurred more than a year before her diagnosis, resulted in her being paralyzed from the waist down and on a respirator.  Part of the reason for that was that she did not recognize the symptoms when they occurred, and thus ignored them; she continued to push herself to work through the pain.  She had to learn how not to do that.

But as I said, she has been able to lead a productive, active and happy life.  She finished her college degree as an adult and a mother of three, which would have been a challenge to anyone even without MS.  She has built a successful career in a notoriously difficult and emotionally challenging field.  It's been nearly 20 years since her first symptoms emerged, and today she does not consider herself disabled or terminally ill.  She lives a good life.

This is obviously not to say that what worked for my friend will work for everyone, but you also should not despair, because there are ways to manage this disease.

Good luck to you and your son, and to the rest of your family.

They will check the progress of the disease, that's all....

My only hope is that you can find somewhere a very good doctor which knows about everything-thing (and not only the western medicine but certainly included).. I hope you can find someone who knows everything a doctor knows plus everything for alterantive therapies (and no I am not talking about mystic or healing hands or that kind of stuff).

A good combiantion of western, eastern/chinese (probably the Shangai version of the digestive track hardcore), indian and overall strong nathuropaty (no, not only plants but highly concentrated stuff) can certainly slow it down. Homeopathy does not work very well with me (of course I have tried everything.. I am scientist, you know so I do not trust anybody).. but certainly you can give it a try since the "diagnosis" approach (why and how would it slow donw) is something I like it very much, so maybe is the right approach for him.

Unfortuantely, it depends on finding a good personal doctor (somekind of xaman) and the sick person... having a lot of strength, take a tough fight.. and change everything taking care of your own health.

I wish the best for your son.... and hopefully you will find soemone that can really help.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

Basically it said this: we humans have these 'parasite worms* - for instance, tape worms. They live in our digestive system. They don't kill us, but neither do they promote wellbeing.

They are able to exist inside us, without being expelled, because they have some magic talent to suppress our auto-immune system.

MS - as I understand the literature - MS is an auto-immune system disease. The body starts to attack itself. The worms might give us a clue to how that works, since they exploit it.

No answers - just a direction to point in....

You can't be me, I'm taken

Still, the latest breakthroughs are of a more generic sort, understanding more the auto-immune triggerings (from cancer cells to Langerhans islets)... So, in a short future there should be good news for the other diseases too...
But the Migeru could explain it better then me!

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

once i was in tahoe, ca and i met a therapist who was given medical marijuana for the pain of ms.

it worked really well for her, so she could even ski.

best wishes for your research, and quality of life for both of you.

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

http://www.medicalmarihuana.ca/alison.html

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/07/1068013387743.html?from=storyrhs

keep to the Fen Causeway

I don't have any experience of MS, but I'd side with those who suggest - whatever treatment may be offered by Western medicine and accepted and followed - that diet  and the combination of exercise and mental concentration found in Yoga (for example) will also be extremely important.

Forgive me for not stopping by this thread sooner. I could say I was busy, but I was ducking out. After reading your pleasure at the European trip, this was icy. Hope things look up a little soon.