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Click here for a text only version of this newsletter Feature Articles: Faking Pain and Suffering in Support Groups on the Internetfrom Concerned Counseling Assistive Media: A note from the
founder Idealist.org - 13,000 Organizations
Under One Roof The American Style Of Change Addresses - Challenge for Disabled by Nancy Denofio Ginkgo Biloba Facts Past Issues NEW Other MedSupport FSF Web Pages |
What's New at
MedSupport FSF? Lots!
We
are pleased to announce our move to a new server.. our very own server as well as
our all new chat rooms that will be open hopefully by the time this newletter is due, on
June 1or shortly after. We will be moving our forums to the new server also and thank
those wonderful people at Proxicom for the donation of the software and the server
space all these months. We would like to thank Pan.com and Perry in particular for putting
up with us these last few years and most of all, thank you Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
for making this all possible.
You will see in this issue articles by executive members of several nonprofit organizations and also a couple of darned good for profit ones. We believe that only by working together, with the same goals and caring, can we truly make a difference. We believe there should be no competition between nonprofits but that all should exist only for the purpose of helping others. It is our hope and dream that more and more nonprofits and for profits join us in truly working for the individuals who need us the most, those to whom MedSupport FSF International is dedicated... those whose lives have been affected in some way by Multiple Sclerosis. Susan J. Mark MedSupport FSF International Leads the Way With Audio! Listen to this story in real audio MedSupport FSF International, the first and only nonprofit to offer 24 hour moderated support groups on the Internet and 24 hr. phone support for those with Multiple Sclerosis once again paves the way by announcing today our intent to add audio.With the help of with Assistive Media (http://www.assistivemedia.org) we will provide all our newsletters and articles in the future in real audio format to make it easier for those with visual problems to access. We are very proud to be taking this step and happy to be able to bring you this service free of charge. With this issue of the newsletter, which is the first in both text and audio, we are also releasing our library of articles in audio with many more on the way. AAN MEETING: Treatment With Higher Dose Rebif Reduces MS Activity New results from the PRISMS study, the largest clinical trial completed in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), were presented today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Read the full story or LISTEN. Prescription For Wellnessby Nancy Weber, R.N, President HAI Stress is usually defined in conversation as the villain that is destroying one's life. However the actual facts demonstrate that it is not the monster we need to slaughter, but rather the power we need to harness and discipline. Read the Article or LISTEN. Visit the HAI website! Counter-acting / Neutralising Antibodies by B.Arnason.MD Listen to the article Research to date, suggests that the immune system is both intricately and crucially involved in MS. The treatments being put forward are understandably involved with immune reactions. Our immune system is dynamic and alert. Foreign substances need only be very slightly different and they will prompt fighting cells from the immune system to come forward. Neutralising refers to an activity that is 'counter-active'. In the recent past, many clinicians have taken the appearance of neutralising antibodies during Beta Interferon treatment as a definite marker of loss of therapeutic effect, and a reason to discontinue therapy. However, there is substantial evidence that this is not true. Initially, it is estimated that neutralising antibodies will develop in up to one third of patients receiving Interferon therapy, and much effort has been made to discover when and why they develop. Clear clinical guidelines for the management of patients who become antibody positive are needed. Small quantities of antibodies are often found in anyone. During Interferon treatment, there may be a transient increase in antibody levels but they can also sporadically decrease and then disappear. It is becoming increasingly obvious that levels of antibodies against the Interferon treatment are fluctuant and unpredictable. A large group of neurologists internationally agree that Interferon antibodies may be associated with loss of efficacy in some circumstances in some patients, but there is no clear or consistent correlation between the finding of antibodies and the client's clinical status. At this present time it would appear that clinical status is still the defining factor for continuing or otherwise Beta Interferon therapy. There needs to be far more clarity between laboratories for the measurement both Interferon levels and neutralising antibodies before any further recommendations can be made on this subject. As these treatments become available, issues such as this need clarification. International MS Journal Vol4 (2) ed. ©1998 MedSupport FSF International |
New Feature! You will need to download the real audio player for this
feature...it's free! MedSupport
FSF International, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to educating,
assisting and providing Visit our MS forums: New Member Introductions Cognitive Dysfunction and Solutions PART II -- Multiple Sclerosis Foundations Internet Educational Series Listen to this article On Wednesday, June 24, 1998 at 2:00 PM, Central Time, Dr. Annette M.Howard, Strategies of Managing Multiple Sclerosis".Dr. Howard is the Chief Administrative Neurology Resident at Baylor College and her private practice encompasses General Neurology and Multiple Sclerosis. You will be able to access his program through the Multiple Sclerosis Foundations home page or through the MedSupport FSF Homepage the day of the conference.Dr. Howards audio and slide presentation will cover recent research studies, drug therapies, symptom management and sexual dysfunction. Please either e-mail your questions for Dr. Howard in advance of this program to: mssupport@msfacts.org or during the live performance. If you are unable to listen to the live program, you may hear the archived presentation at a later date at the MSF website. This educational series is made possible by an unrestricted grant from TevaMarion Partners. This newsletter may be copied to other sites replublised in its entirety only as long as it is not changed in any way. |
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