The Doctor Kavorkian of M.S.

Understanding M.S. is overwhelming at times. OK, it's overwhelming pretty much all of the time. When I had cancer, I had a much easier time grasping the disease and its treatment options. It seemed, at least in my particular battle, to be well defined and my learning curve was minimal. M.S. is a whole different story. Despite the uncertainty of this disease though, there is one constant - the immune system.

Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues and organ cells. So instead of white blood cells attacking harmful antigens and pathogens, the immune system starts attacking healthy cells for reasons that are not yet clearly understood. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders and of course, Multiple Sclerosis is one at the head of the pack.

In the case of M.S., the immune system attacks the myelin around the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. This leads to damage of the nerve cells and lesions or scars (sclerosis) are left behind on the brain or on the spinal cord. These damages then bring about a myriad of symptoms faced by more than 400,000 Americans; more than 2.5 million people worldwide. There is no cure for the disease, although there are treatments currently designed to slow the disease's progression to allow patients to experience a better quality of life. In order to treat my relapsing-remitting M.S., I have selected the D.M.D. (disease modifying drug) called Copaxone. I selected this drug based on my own personal prognosis at this point in my battle, the way in which I understand it to work, and its lack of any major side effects. This D.M.D. and the interferons like Avonex, both try to stop the progression of M.S. relapses, although they seem to do this in different ways. No one really knows why Copaxone and other D.M.D.'s work, but M.S. treatment is tied directly to the immune system. From my admittedly limited understanding, one drug acts as a "decoy" so that the immune system attacks the pretend myelin, and the other drug slows down an individual's immune system so the attacking doesn't take place as often. Tysabri, another treatment for M.S., also works to interfere with the patient's immune system, particularly by inhibiting crossing of immune cells (white blood cells) from entering in the brain. There is much talk about the "blood brain barrier" and its relationship to halting the progression of this uncertain disease.

Regardless of a patient's choice for treatment - and some choose to avoid all D.M.D.'s, instead opting for homeopathic or dietary treatments - the one constant is the immune system. It's at fault here; it's the culprit. Weeks into my diagnosis, I was updating a friend and discussing my worries about catching a cold or the flu. Any major viral attack could bring on a relapse in symptoms, and some say viruses can actually be the cause of M.S. at its onset. My friend, Brian, suggested that I try the product "Airborne", it seemed to protect him well. Both his young daughter and wife were horribly sick and he was faring just fine. What a terrific idea! Apparently the product, created by a school teacher who was always surrounded by sick kids, is supposed to help prevent illness or at least reduce the severity of an ailment like a common cold. I went shopping. Not only did I buy Airborne, I also stocked up on Zicam.