The Tea That Heals Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, And Multiple Sclerosis

Did you know that down through the centuries thyme has been used for many ailments, from influenza to epileptic seizures?

It was often mixed with equal parts of lavender and sprinkled on the floors of churches in the Middle Ages to eliminate any unwanted odors.

Long before the discovery of modern medicine, crushed thyme was placed on bandages to promote wound healing and ward off infection.

The volatile essential oils in thyme are loaded with anti-rheumatic, anti-parasitic,anti-septic, anti-viral,  and anti-fungal properties.

If taken on a regular basis it can significantly help to reduce the viral load in the body which makes it very beneficial in dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Vertigo, Tinnitus, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Thyme is packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s rich in potassium, iron and calcium, all of which contribute to blood pressure regulation, proper red blood cell formation and distribution of antioxidants in the body.

It is rich in high in B-complex vitamins, vitamin A, C and folic acid. Thyme contains a variety of important bioflavonoids and volatile oils, including thymol. Thymol is an essential oil that has very powerful antioxidant properties.Thyme has cancer preventive properties; containing terpenoids like rosmarinicandursolicacids. (Regular consumption of thyme has been shown to increase the amount of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes).

Thyme’s essential oils have expectorant and bronchial antispasmodic properties treating…

• acute and chronic bronchitis
• sore throats
• coughs
• laryngitis
• asthma
• treats inflammation of the mouth
• throat infections
• prevent gingivitis

How to Make Thyme Tea

Ingredients:

• Organic thyme
• Purified water

Directions:

1. Put some herbs in your brewing container – about 1 tsp dried herbs per cup of water. For fresh herbs, use more.
2. Pour over water that’s just off the boil.
3. Cover and infuse for about 5 minutes.
4. Strain and serve.

Article Resouces:http://www.getholistichealth.com/

Disabled multiple sclerosis sufferer wins appeal after being told he is 'fit enough to get bus' to work

DAVID Trotter, who lost his car after cruel cuts saw his vital mobility payment slashed, saw his benefits reinstated after winning an appeal against the DWP.

A DISABLED man has won his appeal against cruel benefits cuts that left him stranded without a car.

David Trotter – who has multiple sclerosis (MS) – lost his vehicle when a vital mobility payment was slashed by officials.

The 32-year-old, who needs crutches to walk, was told he was fit enough to take a bus from his home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, to his job 15 miles away in Livingston.

But David has had his payments reinstated after winning an appeal last week.

It came after the Record highlighted the IT worker’s case against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in May.

David said: “From my point of view, it is a happy ending and the DWP are going to be doing what they are supposed to do.

“The most important part for me was to tell people to appeal these decisions.

“I have an old friend who had a motability car and he was in the same boat as me. They reduced the payments and he lost the car.

“He told me he wanted to appeal but felt too tired. I just hope the story enouraged other people to appeal and not let them get away with it.”

In May, DWP officials removed the “enhanced mobility” part of his Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – worth more than £200 a month. Assessors told David he was able to take the bus, despite his claims he was unable to walk 10 steps without pain.

Last week, he took his case to a first-tier tribunal to challenge the DWP’s decision.

The DWP has changed the way disability is assessed

He told the Record the panel – including a doctor – overturned the move within 30 minutes.

“It was mainly the doctor who asked me questions,” David said.

“The difference was, the things he asked me had nothing to do with the original assessment I had.

“He was more interested in the things I could and couldn’t do.

“After the hearing, I was told five minutes later they had overturned the original decision.

“Now they are to send off the information to the DWP to let them know they disagree with them.

“I think the DWP have about a month to appeal it. But to be honest, based on the questions the doctor asked and the evidence from the hospital, I don’t think there will be a chance they’ll try to get back to the way it was.

“I just have to wait until paperwork comes through.

“Then I can get myself a car and get back to work.”

David explained he has been only be able to work some hours from home as his appeal was pending.

He said: “Because I am mostly office based, there was only so much I could do without physically being at work.

“But there were still duties I could do from home. I managed to get a few hours a week – no more than 10.

“I’ve kept the job going. My work were fine to wait and see what happened with my appeal.

“As soon as I get my car, I can head back into work.”

Morna Simpkins, director for MS Society Scotland said: “We are delighted David has won his appeal.

“This decision has given David his independence back and means he can finally return to work.

“With over 11,000 people with MS in Scotland, our benefits system needs to be fairer for those with long term and sometimes invisible conditions like MS.”

She added: “Living with MS can cost someone an additional £200 per week, and benefits like enhanced mobility can enable people to work, live independently and get the most out of life.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “After providing the tribunal with additional medical evidence, Mr Trotter has now been found eligible for the enhanced mobility component.”

Article Resources:http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/

Predicting the severity of multiple sclerosis

Predicting the severity of multiple sclerosis

Cells in the immune system of patients with multiple sclerosis behave differently from those of healthy individuals. Researchers have exploited this difference to develop a method that can predict disease activity in multiple sclerosis.

Researchers at Linköping University isolating immune cells from blood samples.

Cells in the immune system of patients with multiple sclerosis behave differently from those of healthy individuals. Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have exploited this difference to develop a method that can predict disease activity in multiple sclerosis.

It is not currently possible to know which individuals with multiple sclerosis risk developing severe disease. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that mainly affects young adults. The disease is a life-long condition.

The researchers behind the new study hope that the method they have developed will contribute to answering the question why certain patients suffer less severely with the disease than others. Eventually, a test may be developed for use in patient management.

The new study, published in the scientific journal Cell Reports, describes how the researchers have sought biomarkers that can be used in MS. Biomarkers are naturally occurring substances in the body that can be measured in, for example, blood and that mirror a condition in the body. They are used in medical care to follow the progression of a disease and measure the effect of a treatment. The researchers compared immune cells from patients with MS with cells from healthy controls. They discovered important differences in the functioning of cells from healthy and sick individuals. The researcher investigated how large numbers of proteins interact with each other, and used new bioinformatics methods to find those that are highly significant in MS.

"We have been able to study in detail changes in the immune cells of patients, and been able to identify important proteins. This has led us to a biomarker that can predict how the disease will progress in the patient," says bioinformatics specialist Mika Gustafsson, who has led the study together with Professor Jan Ernerudh.

The biomarker that the researchers have identified is a combination of four proteins, whose concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid can be measured. In the study, it was possible for the researchers to predict with the aid of the biomarker which patients with MS would have active MS disease two years later. The new method was also able to predict the efficacy of a common MS drug in a small group of patients.

"Being able to determine the prognosis more accurately is a huge step forward when it comes to choosing the correct treatment," says Jan Ernerudh, professor of clinical immunology.

The project is a collaboration between researchers at Linköping University, Linköping University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet. It has received grants from, among other sources, the Swedish Research Council, the Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden (FORSS), the Swedish Foundation for MS Research and Neuro Sweden.

Article Resources:https://www.sciencedaily.com/

The Effects of Alcohol, Coffee, and Smoking on Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers are looking into the possible benefits, if any, of these substances on people with MS.

Cigarettes, no way.

Coffee, not sure.

Alcohol, perhaps.

Those are some of the latest findings from researchers studying which substances can help, and which substances can harm, someone with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Using the Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS), and Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS), to measure disabilities, some studies are finding that higher alcohol intake is associated with lower EDSS scores and lower rates of disability.

Alcohol, along with smoking, coffee, and vitamin D, can all have effects on people with MS.

While some of these behaviors harm the nerves, researchers are finding that others actually protect them.

A drink might not hurt

There is nothing good about people with MS smoking cigarettes. In fact, cigarette smokers have five times greater odds of increased disability compared with people with MS who consume alcohol.

The benefits of drinking coffee are still being analyzed, while taking vitamin Dhas long been touted to help people with MS.

Now studies are finding that a drink or two might not be that bad, and that alcohol consumption may have a neuroprotective effect.

Many people with MS assert that a drink or two helps them get through the day.

People think I’m drunk when I’m sober and sober when I’ve had a glass of wine.

Erika Lopez, MS blogger

“People think I’m drunk when I’m sober and sober when I’ve had a glass of wine,” says MS blogger Erika Lopez, who has been living with a progressive form of the disease for the past decade.

The effects of alcohol may depend upon the type of MS, relapsing or progressive.

One study found alcohol consumption was beneficial for some and not for others.

While consumption of alcoholic beverages, coffee, and fish were all associated with slowing down the progression of disability in people with relapsing onset MS, the people with progressive onset MS did not receive the same benefits.

These findings may suggest that different underlying mechanisms might signal progression of disability in relapsing and progressive onset MS and could warrant further study.

Patients with relapsing MS who were regular consumers of alcohol, wine, coffee, and fish had lower disability scores compared with those who never consumed these substances.

But in the progressive onset group no association was found except for the type of fish eaten. Those who preferred fatty fish showed an increased risk for higher disabilities versus those that consumed lean fish.

Read more: Get the facts on multiple sclerosis »

Neuroprotective properties

Some studies suggest that neuroprotective properties, like those found in caffeine, may actually help reduce the chance of developing MS.

People who also reported a high consumption of coffee exceeding 900 mL per day showed significantly less risk of developing MS vs. those who never consumed it.

While one or two drinks might ease symptoms, the chronic use or abuse of alcohol can exacerbate symptoms. The risks and benefits of alcohol consumption for people with MS are still being studied.

These symptoms could include numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, tremor, lack of coordination, and dementia. Excessive alcohol may also damage the liver, stomach, and other organs.

Alcohol can also be a bad mix with medications sometimes prescribed for people with MS such as baclofen, diazepam, clonazepam, and some antidepressants.

And consumption of alcohol can have a negative effect on important vitamins and minerals, such as lowering levels of zinc, a trace element required for normal cell growth and repair.

Further analysis is needed to better understand the potential cause and effect relationship between alcohol and its neuroprotective effects.

Article Resources:http://www.healthline.com/

Bold claim of multiple sclerosis gene discovery comes under withering attack

Bold claim of multiple sclerosis gene discovery comes under withering attack
In multiple sclerosis, neurons lose their myelin coating and no longer transmit signals.

Scientists are forcefully challenging a recent study that claimed to identify a rare genetic mutation that sharply boosted the risk of multiple sclerosis. The critics cite calculation errors and say they have been unable to replicate the findings — and question why the original paper was ever published in a top journal.

The withering assault has dashed hopes that the study might quickly lead to new drugs for MS and also raised questions about how such critiques are handled: like more and more journals, the one that published the paper does not run letters to the editor, making it harder for scientists to see that the claim has been hotly disputed.

As soon as the MS claim was published in June, outside scientists expressed doubts to STAT that there was really a link between the newly discovered mutation and the disease. Since then, other experts have dug into the study in greater detail, tried to replicate its findings using a database of thousands of MS patients, and checked the original paper’s statistics. In each case they concluded there is no link between the rare mutation and MS.

The study — which reported that the mutation raised the risk of MS by a whopping 70 percent — was led by Carles Vilariño-Güell of the University of British Columbia and published in the respected journal Neuron. It fingered a gene called NR1H3, finding that a rare mutation silences other genes involved in regulating inflammation or other aspects of immunity. As a result, inflammation runs wild, and the immune system destroys the protective myelin sheath on neurons, crippling their ability to carry signals needed for movement and other functions.

The purported mutation-MS link led to hopes that correcting the mutation or its downstream consequences might treat or even cure MS, which affects some 2.3 million people worldwide.

Within days, experts on MS and genetics began scrutinizing the claim.

Daniel Weeks, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh, said an “extremely straightforward” analysis showed that some crucial statistical calculations in the paper were wrong. Doing them correctly “dramatically changes the strength of their claim,” he told STAT. “It’s no longer statistically significant.” That is, the association between the mutation and MS had a good likelihood of being due to chance.

Chris Cotsapas of Yale University and the Broad Institute, who studies the genetics of immune-related diseases such as MS, went further, looked for the mutation reported in the Neuron study but in different MS patients and healthy controls. Using a database maintained by the International MS Genetics Consortium, which holds information on 13 times more people than Vilariño-Güell studied, Cotsapas identified 31 people who have the mutation and also MS (out of a total sample of 32,852 MS patients in the database) and 31 who have the mutation but not the disease (out of 36,538). That is, the mutation was hardly more common in MS patients than healthy people.

“That tells us there is no association” between the rare NR1H3 mutation “and MS risk,” Cotsapas said, echoing the conclusion of a paper he posted to the online preprint site BioRxiv. “We found no evidence to support their claim.”

The third strike against the paper’s conclusions came from DNA sequence data gathered by the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC). The NR1H3 mutation is seen in 21 of the 60,706 genomes in this database, Eric Minikel and Daniel MacArthur of the Broad found. That is about as frequent as the mutation appears in the people analyzed for the Neuron paper. Only if a mutation is more common in people with a disease than in those without it does it make sense to conclude that the mutation causes the disease, the Broad scientists noted. The mutation “contributes extremely weakly, if at all, to MS risk,” they wrote in an online comment on the biomedical journal portal PubMed.

If the NR1H3 mutation turns out not to cause MS, it wouldn’t be the first time a claimed link between a gene and a disease crashed and burned. Last week,another analysis of ExAC data concluded that 43 genes once linked to heart disease were likely false positives, too. But the flaws in the Neuron paper were so apparent, said Cotsapas, that the decision to publish it represents “a failure of peer review.”

Vilariño-Güel stands by his conclusion, he told STAT. He doesn’t dispute that a mutation that raises the risk of some disease should be more prevalent in patients than in healthy people, the opposite of what the ExAC and MS consortium analyses found. But he argued that while such DNA data, from the general population, “can identify common genetic variants which increase the risk of disease,” they can miss links to very rare mutations like NR1H3. Studying only DNA from families of MS patients, as he did, can reveal such links, he said. He also argued that some apparently healthy people in the MS consortium’s database might eventually develop the disease.

“I do believe [the association between the mutation and MS] is correct, although it would be nice to have an independent replication,” Vilariño-Güell said. “In addition to the data in the Neuron article, we have unpublished results that provide additional support” for the original claim.One way to resolve the disagreement is to breed lab mice carrying the mutation and see whether they develop MS. Vilariño-Güell expects to have a colony of such mice by early next year, letting his team run experiments to determine whether the mutation really does cause MS.

In the meantime, journals’ policies make it hard for interested scientists to know what’s going on. Fewer and fewer journals run letters to the editor, said Pittsburgh’s Weeks. As a result, when readers access the disputed paper through the Science Direct portal or read it on Neuron’s website, there is no indication of the criticism. “The concern is, how can you correct the scientific record in a way everyone will see,” Weeks said.

Neuron declined to comment on whether there was a failure of peer review in its decision to publish the original paper or on plans to run criticisms of it.

Scientists involved in the dispute told STAT that they expect their critiques to be published soon as “Matters Arising,” Neuron’s section for such responses. In a statement, the journal said that it is “open to submissions that challenge previously published papers” and that those submissions undergo peer review, which letters to the editor traditionally didn’t. “This process can take some time,” the statement said.

Article Resources:https://www.statnews.com

Burden of multiple sclerosis increasing in Iran

Burden of multiple sclerosis increasing in Iran

TEHRAN — The prevalence of multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, has been rising in Iran over the recent years, the secretary of the 13th international MS congress of Iran has said.

Vitamin D deficiency, smoking cigarette and hookah, infections and change of diet over the past 20 years are known as the main contributory factor behind developing MS, Tasnim news agency quoted Abdolreza Nasser-Moqaddasi as saying.

Iran is geographically situated in a high risk region where there are greater chances of developing MS, Nasser-Moqaddasi warned, adding, as the disease is more likely to develop in youngsters it is really important to address the disorder properly.

Thankfully, the distribution of vitamin D supplement at schools has been a crucial step towards preventing the disease, he suggested.

He went on to say that “taking measures to tackle the problem of smoking among youngsters particularly women can also contribute to fighting MS.”

The 13th international MS congress of Iran will be held on November 9 to 11 in Tehran.

Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged.

This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems. Specific symptoms can include double vision, blindness in one eye, muscle weakness, trouble with sensation, or trouble with coordination.

Article Resources:http://www.tehrantimes.com/