Thursday, October 28, 2010

Un.believable

As soon as any MS-er utters the phrase "big pharma", a common response is to raise an eyebrow and write you off as a conspiracy theory crazy who just might also believe in UFOS and that Elvis still lives. Meanwhile, it doesn't take much sleuthing to uncover news like this, and this. It really makes you wonder.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

good find: Be Your Own Best Advocate

Here's today's good find. Words of wisdom for everyone.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Just in case...

If you can't see the Stroke of Insight video, try this. If you want more, listen to this episode.

Monday, October 4, 2010

A Case for Clear-Eyed Hope

Why do people sometimes act like hope is blind? Sometimes we must have faith despite the surface. Sometimes that is all we have. I feel like that is brave hope. Other times we research, we arm ourselves with knowledge. Even still there are no certainties. It is much like a lottery ticket. You can't win if you don't play. We choose to hope over the alternative.

Believing helps make it so.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Dashing Skepticism

Why is skepticism healthy and hope false?

Both are gambles.

The trouble with the supposed concern expressed in the Toronto Star article is that it is not evenly distributed. No mention is made of drugs that are routinely prescribed and have many side effects, including death.

The concern that countless dollars are going to CCSVI is not paired with the acknowledgement that many funds have gone towards funding drugs and drug trials for years, fuelled by the auto-immune hypothesis that have lead us to dead ends.

It seems to me that the neurologists are quite happy with the role they have held in the MS story to date. Even though they haven't had many solutions to offer, apart from barely effective drugs, regular check ups and MRIs. I respect that some patients may be content with the status quo.

Many of the brightest med students chose this specialty.

CCSVI and treatment opens the door for a shared limelight.

Experts in imaging veins, Cardiovascular Surgeons and Interventional Radiologists have emerged as players. More expertise may be needed.

MS may now stand for Multiple Solutions. We may be entering a new era that requires many partners to collaborate. Maybe that was always the case unofficially, but neurologists may need to give up the top spot.