Gender has become a dominant factor in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) during the last decades. Already with a ratio of 3.2 to 1 MS is gradually changing into a disease predominantly among women. Since genetic factors can be ruled out as a cause of this gender related increase, scientific attention is on environmental factors that may increase MS risk in women exclusively. Most likely environmental factors include smoking, viral infections, Vitamin D deficiency, hygiene changes and dietary factors.
Almost 400 MS scientists and clinicians from around the world gathered this week during a medical scientific conference on ‘Multiple Sclerosis and Gender’, organized by the independent European Charcot Foundation, to share and discuss their scientific views on the backgrounds of this major shift in gender ratio.
Sheffield Hallam University has been awarded a new £200,000 research grant to investigate the effects of exercise intervention on sufferers of multiple sclerosis (MS). The MS Society has awarded the grant to the University’s Centre for Sport and Exercise Science, which will study the effects of exercise therapy on physical activity and health outcomes in people living with MS. Led by Dr John Saxton, a Reader in Clinical Exercise Physiology, the grant becomes the third received from the Society by Sheffield Hallam University.
I registered for the MS Walk today. If you are in Seattle and want to register you can go here.
I also finished week two of my 6 times a week exercise challenge. Yay!
Oh, and I know there are a lot of Seattle folks that read my blog. Would any of you folks be up for a meeting at a local starbucks? If so, date/time/location that would be best?
Being a bit of a computer nerd, patients like me is kind of up my alley. It is a new idea that sharing information with other patients makes for happier and healthier patients. They believe in the Openess Philosophy which is the complete opposite of all the HIPPA/privacy laws out there:
Currently, most healthcare data is inaccessible due to privacy regulations or proprietary tactics. As a result, research is slowed, and the development of breakthrough treatments takes decades. Patients also can’t get the information they need to make important treatment decisions. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When you and thousands like you share your data, you open up the healthcare system. You learn what’s working for others. You improve your dialogue with your doctors. Best of all, you help bring better treatments to market in record time.
Every patient has a provide with history of relapses, symptoms, medication, and weight (haha!). It is open to all members (well you can turn that off but most have it open) so you can get a good idea of how others are doing and what medications they are on. While web boards for medical conditions is nothing new (web md has been around for years), the idea of sharing such personal information is new.
I have worked at a couple startups before and while it isn’t really for me, I respect the work that they do. So, I was thrilled to receive an email last month asking if I wanted to be in Patients Like me patient spotlight. I said sure and happily filled out the questionnaire. Here are my answers if you are interested:
Well, drink all the diet coke you want. Drs. Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz says the link to Diet Coke is debunked:
3. Diet Coke and MS: The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation has debunked the notion that Diet Coke can cause or worsen multiple sclerosis symptoms. Its verdict is backed up by the Food and Drug Administration and other organizations. The notion that Diet Coke can cause neurological disorders may be based on an observation years ago by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that aspartame seemed linked to mild neurological problems.
Of course, the studies were probably paid for by The Coca-Cola Company.
The MS Walk registration for Seattle starts tomorrow! It is scheduled for April 5 in Seattle starting at Huskey Stadium and going for 4 miles. For more information see here.
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