2nd Multiple Sclerosis Inclined Bed Therapy IBT Pilot Study Results

Sleeping Inclined,Saturday 15-May-1999 14:47:25,195.232.122.70 writes,I
have had MS for 13years starting with relasp/remit type which
inevitably changed into secondary progressive. My walking is very
limited and has been for the past 16 months. I am now 4 weeks into Mr.
Fletcher's study sleeping on raised/inclined bed. I am delighted to
report that for one day last week I was able to walk on my own with
confidence for 20 minutes (10 mins there and back). This is the first
time I have been able to do this since March last year. I only hope my
improvement remains at this level as I very grateful to have walked
for this length of time. I too have been remiss in not reporting
results to Mr.Fletcher due to my lack of PC know-how but I will make
every effort to send in a report. Failing that I will WALK to the
postbox and send it. Jean H ,Jean H

MS Study Progress Report ,Monday 17-May-1999 02:27:22,212.1.159.19
writes,=========================================== MS Study Progress
Report by Andrew Fletcher ===========================================
Thank you my dear friends Betty and Cheryl for helping me to get this
far and thank you to all of you people who are helping me with this
study by sending in your reports and helping others to find us by
posting messages here.
Without your help I doubt whether I could carry on with this important
discovery. Your letters give me a much-needed boost and bring it home
to me exactly what this study is all about.
We are ignored by the charities who attract funding to support research
which helps people like you but I doubt that they will be able to
ignore us for long given the growing content of this magnificent
message board which shines like a beacon!
If you would like to help me to give these organisations governments
health authorities and science establishments a prod write to your
Newspaper TV and Radio stations and tell them about us. Local
Newspapers are a good start-point. Send messages to the Internet News
Groups about our study and be sure to paste the title and address below
in your Email.
"INCLINED TO SLEEP INCLINED"
www.InsideTheWeb.com/mbs.cgi/mb405491
Why not paste this address as a signature on every email you send?
"Our study is on target to reproduce the results of the UK-based
pilot study. We are now beginning to see some neurological
improvements in people who have spinal cord injuries. In addition to
this I have learned of some initial signs of a response from two people
with ALS although it is very early to determine whether this will work
for people with this condition.
Our message board is beginning to tell the story as it happens and
is fast becoming a place for people to learn about our study.
"I am very disappointed that in spite of receiving all of my
information a large number of people with MS have chosen to neglect our
study by not sending in any reports. I find this extremely hard to
understand given that the study is designed to prove or disprove that
this intervention works for people with neurological conditions.
If you are sleeping inclined and have not yet sent in a report or even
your consent form PLEASE COMPLY WITH THIS SIMPLE REQUEST!
Imagine how you would feel if the person next door held this valuable
information and chose to keep it to him/herself. Imagine if I had not
chosen to risk everything by giving six years of my life to you for
nothing more than an occasional few words in an e-mail.
Please don't turn your back on people with the same condition as
yourself. Please send in your consent form and keep sending in those
vital reports. The study has no validity without those reports. Those
reports are the key to getting the attention of the medical world.
Perhaps you may even want to reach more people when you have pondered
these words by posting on your message board.
Kind regards Andrew
Note from Betty Iams:
YOU ARE NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE MS STUDY? Why Not? There is
absolutely no reason for anyone not to participate in this study. It
can't possibly hurt anything and it just may make a huge difference
for you. It is free doesn't require drugs special diet or
nutritional products etc. Come on everybody we need you all to
participate!! Must send an e-mail to*************** for
details. WE NEED YOU!! Betty
To subscribe to Journey to Wellness Newsletter put SUBSCRIBE in the
BODY of an e-mail to: welln...@oaknetpub.com

,by Andrew Fletcher

Inclined sleeping,Friday 21-May-1999 15:26:18,195.92.194.105
writes,I'm interested in having more information on the sloping bed
research. My wife has MS and we try to follow up anything that may
help her. We attend a Hyberbaric Oxygen treatment centre where there
are many others who may be interested in your theory. Look forward to
hearing from you Regards Willy. ,Willy
Wilson,wi...@kilmelford.freeserve.co.uk
Inclined bed,Tuesday 18-May-1999 21:34:57,208.234.65.34 writes,I am
interested in inclined bed but don't understand how to adjust the
bed..the head or the foot? I have MS and have trouble walking and have
fatigue. ,Teresa Welch,t...@crcom.net

Re: Inclined bed,Wednesday 19-May-1999 16:22:55,204.210.52.139
writes,Hello Teresa
You simply raise the head of your bed by six inches higher than the
foot of the bed. Go to a Home Depot or building supply store and they
will cut blocks for you to place under the head of the bed. If your
bed is king size you might want to get one long piece that will stretch
the full width of the head of your bed.
Better yet send an e-mail to Grav...@currantbun.com and Mr. Fletcher
will send all the details to you.
Good luck.
,Betty Iams,bia...@san.rr.com

Re: Inclined bed,Wednesday 19-May-1999 21:09:34,205.188.200.57 writes,I
raised the frame of my bed (separated from the headboard) by placing it
on a couple of plastic milk crates. That raised it 5 inches (the frame
was already off the floor about 7 inches). I placed a 1" book on top
of each crate to make the 6". This was easy to do and since I
already had the crates it was free!!
Good luck however you do it...you'll be so glad you took the
trouble! I hope it helps you as much as it's helped me!!
,Terri,tharri8...@aol.com

My experience with inclined bed.,Sunday 30-May-1999
18:15:11,166.62.142.107 writes,I have been sleeping with my bed
inclined for a few months now. Although I haven't had any MAJOR
improvements in my MS I have had some. I slept one night out of the
bed and found that my legs were more numb and tingly in the morning.
The next day after sleeping back in my reclined bed my legs were
better again - not free of the tingliness but it was quite noticeable
that they felt much better. It's enough for me to plan to sleep
inclined from now on. ,Carol,carol.han...@cwix.com

Hello Cheryl
Hope this sounds ok.
Astronauts are given increased drug dosage during missions in
microgravity. NASA feels that the life processes the drugs differently
when subjected to a reduction in gravity.
It is my belief that the inclined bed optimises the intake of digested
drugs and may also speed up the reaction of injected drugs. This is
based on people reducing their drug intake while on the study.
If this is the case then you could have been administered an amount of
the drug which would have been too high even though the level of the
drug would be ok for someone sleeping flat. This may have been the
reason for the adverse reaction you experienced when you came off the
medication.
Another consideration is the specific gravity of the introduced drugs
and more importantly where they were administered as this could
significantly increase the circulation of fluids. (see gif exp in fluid
transport theory).
The positive reaction whether from the drug or the bed is great news
and long overdue! Now that you are up on your feet try to increase the
amount of time you spend standing but take care to do this gradually.
Ideally if you could cut the wires on your scooter and make do without
it you could be in for some interesting positive neurological
developments. I believe these electric devices create a dependence
which compounds the problem of immobility. Same goes for the
wheelchair.
I know this sounds like some soapbox preacher and I hope its received
in the spirit it is sent.
Onwards and upwards.
"On a wing and a prayer"
Andrew

"Inclined On A Wing and a Prayer",Monday 31-May-1999
11:57:47,209.30.179.61 writes,Today I complete three months in the
Gravity Study. I am pleased to report the following.
My legs are stronger balance greatly improved. I'm walking on my
walker. Bladder control is in check. Energy level is good though I
still fatigue easily. I am learning to pace myself and getting stronger
everyday. I can pick my left leg up instead of dragging it to mobilize.
Cold feet and hands occur during the day but after sleeping inclined
they are warm and toasty. I actually think I have gained some feeling
back in my legs/feet. My weight has decreased from 130 to 122. Appitite
is good and I even have one now. Cognitive abilities are still lacking
a bit. I sleep very well and wake rested. Optic Neuritis is no longer a
problem.
I just finised a 5 Day IV course of Solumedrol so some of this can be
attributed to the treatment being successful.
Overall I feel great and want to thank Andrew for his efforts in my
well being and encourage each of you to tell friends doctors media
about this study. Andrew needs the support for this study to be
successful. His email address is Andrew Fletcher
Grav...@currantbun.com
The following is Andrew's response to my email after I finished
Solumedrol. Best Wishes to all in this study!

SPACE TRAVEL. What Happens when gravity is removed?,Sunday 13-Jun-1999
02:33:54,212.1.153.118 writes,Subject: LIVING IN SPACE.
NASA Research
Prolonged conventional bed-rest is often used to simulate the harmful
effects of zero or micro gravity. U.S astronauts and Russian
cosmonauts suffer many age related problems: Osteoporosis nerve damage
muscle wastage metabolism heart immune systems and circulatory
problems are greatly advanced during space flight! *Focus 1995
"People could suffer permanent damage unless we can understand why
these problems develop and take measures to stop them " says Claude
Arnaud Professor of medicine at The University Of California at San
Francisco who accompanied SLS1 and SLS2. As early as the second day
of the flight Arnaud found the astronauts had very high levels of
calcium in their blood.
Professor Millie Hughes Fulford recalls her experience orbiting in the
Space Shuttle in 1991. Hughes Fulford had been recruited to Space Lab
Sciences mission one (SLS1) for her expertise in cell biology. "I
Vomited five times in the first two hours and was so ill I couldn't
work." Space sickness is one of the many ill effects weightlessness
has on the human body. Its hardly surprising. We have evolved to
survive the constant pull of gravity which has shaped all forms of
Earth life from a single cell to an elephant Changes include fluid
shifts loss of muscle mass anaemia loss of bone mass and reduced
immune response. On a long mission these changes can mean disaster.
Successful space exploration depends on the health and well being of
astronauts which is why NASA and The American National Institute Of
Health are funding SLS. "We Scientists need to understand the changes
that occur in zero gravity " says NASA'S Ronald White " so that
we can develop counter measures for long-term space travel."
SLS1 in June 91 and SLS2 in November 93 set out to study human
physiological changes in space. Astronauts nowadays don't correspond
to the super-fit image of the "right stuff" pioneers. Expeditions
need professional scientists-called payload specialists because their
spacelab is in the shuttle's cargo bay-who are devoted entirely to
conducting experiments.
We won't have to go to Mars to benefit from an understanding of
space-faring physiology. Studying the body in zero gravity may help
cure terrestrial medical conditions.
Many symptoms of weightlessness mimic the effects of ageing .
Weightlessness causes astronauts to lose bone matter in a similar way
to osteoporosis a bone weakening disorder found chiefly among women
past the menopause.
The effects on the skeleton can be extreme. Some cosmonauts who spent a
year aboard the Mir Space Station had to be removed from their space
craft on stretchers an their return to Earth.
Unless loss of bone mass can be countered scientists fear longer
flights may be impossible. On a three year trip to Mars for example an
astronaut could lose up to ten per cent of his/her bone mass. Orbiting
Earth at 17 500 miles per hour things are different. In free fall
astronauts experience weightlessness because all the forces on the body
are balanced. This turns them into instant acrobats somersaulting at
will. But there are physical drawbacks to such freedom-and since more
than three hundred people have flown in space they are well
documented. Despite appearances weightlessness isn't a restful
state-it is extraordinarily stressful on human systems and can produce
symptoms of disease. For example animal tests show that muscle
tissue can also lose blood vessels and nerve associations. Studies also
suggest that deterioration in muscle tissue may be accompanied by
decreases in metabolic efficiency.
The redistribution of body fluids during weightlessness causes the body
to eliminate some fluids in the urine. Tissues dehydrate to some degree
and the volume of blood plasma drops by about 10 percent.
The mass of red blood cells drops by 15 percent in two weeks and the
shape of the cells also changes. These changes appear to be normal body
adaptations to space conditions; countermeasures include increased
water intake and exercise during the flight. After the return to Earth
body fluids return to pre-flight norms rapidly and blood counts return
to normal within a few weeks. On very-long-duration Soviet flights
such changes have been observed as a rise in steroid hormones damage
to the T-lymphocytes heightened sensitization to allergens and
increased vulnerability to staphylococcus and streptococcus infections.
Such changes indicate possible changes in the body's immune system
over long periods. Bone is a dynamic structu

Re: the body constantly removes week bone and replaces it with new
growth. A high calcium level shows that the rate of change is
accelerating. The question was which of the two
processes-Breakdown or re-creation-had changed?
Blood samples also showed increased levels of chemicals from the bone
matrix- the structure that holds calcium in place. This suggests that
the bone rebuilding was continuing but that the bones were losing
calcium at an even faster rate.
Space flight offers a chance to study disease processes speeded up.
Space induced osteoporosis-as well as being fast acting-is easily
isolated from other diseases common to old people so the results of
drug treatments are easy to analyze. Astronauts can also be used to
evaluate the best exercise for preventing bone loss a lesson that
could help prevent osteoporosis on Earth. Gravity plays an important
part in the bone building effects of exercise and one suggestion is
that increasing gravity might be a way to prevent osteoporosis.
"One day we could see a device that you stand on for a few minutes
exposing a person to added gravity to build up bone." Suggests
Arnaude.
In weightlessness your ear stones no longer indicate the vertical but
stay where they last fell sending signals to the brain that conflict
with information from other organs. his sensory miss-match is thought
to be responsible for all forms of motion sickness-even adapting to a
new pair of glasses.
Exposure to weightlessness for time periods exceeding about two weeks
results in degenerative physiological effects similar to those of
prolonged bedrest on Earth. If left un-checked these changes could
result in severe and perhaps even dangerous weakness.
,Andrew,Grav...@currantbun.com

Re: Good News! I'm Finally Getting Good Results.,Tuesday 15-Jun-1999
17:47:33,209.30.180.54 writes,Thank you Liz for the encouragement. I
have been in this study since February and have had a tough month. I
too am not giving up as I do see slight improvements. Good luck to
you and everryone else in the study!! ,Cheryl,clin...@flash.net

Re: Good News! I'm Finally Getting Good Results.,Sunday 20-Jun-1999
16:49:16,204.210.52.139 writes,What great news Liz. Thanks for
sharing. I really do believe that Andrew is on the right track. We
just have to be diligent and remember how long it took for our
disability to develop. A "natural" recovery may be very slow.
I am so pleased to hear your news. ,Betty Iams,bia...@san.rr.com

Good News! I'm Finally Getting Good Results.,Monday 14-Jun-1999
12:46:10,205.188.195.53 writes,I've been doing the inclined bed since
January.I've had M.S.for over 20 years -diagnosed in 1986 as
relapsing-remitting M.S.Two years ago I had a serious attack and ended
up in the hospital for 2 weeks paralyzed from the waist down-no feeling
and no motion.After a couple of months of steroids and other drugs I
became able to walk first with a walker and then with a cane very short
distances.I was still left with lots of fatique weak legs balance
problems painful pins and needles in the legs and feet abdominal muscle
spasms incontinance and sleepless nights.My diagnosis became secondary
progressive M.S.I decided to get off all drugs(much to my neurolist's
dismay).I then found Betty Iams on the computer and began her regimen
of strict diet exercise supplements meditation and I've added
acupuncture.It feels great to be in control.This is a lifetime regimen
for me.I'd been coasting along not getting better but not getting
worse when I read about the inclined bed.I decided to try it-what could
I lose? Right away the painful abdominal muscle spasms started to
subside and sleep became somewhat better.Then nothing happened.Then I
started getting worse.I decided to give up the inclined bed -this after
3 months.One problem however-I can't sleep on a flat bed
anymore!Andrew wrote for me to hang in there that it was expected that
I get worse before I get better.Everyday I waited.Then like Andrew said
I started getting better and better.This past month has been amazing!I
even walked up and down a flight of stairs with my cane unaided.Fatigue
has gone the abdominal muscle spasms have gone the painful pins and
needles are subsiding leg strength is getting better so that I can walk
greater distances and balance is much better.I still have incontinance
and sleep problems but given time I know those problems will be gone
too.One very interesting thing happened with my eyes recently.I'm
very nearsighted and had my prescription for my contacts checked 3
months ago.Last week I went back to the eye doctor's complaining
that I just couldn't see.He checked my eyes again and much to his
amazement he found that they had improved greatly since my check-up 3
months ago!I wrote Andrew about this happening and he feels that
sleeping on an inclined bed can help the optic nerve to regenerate and
repair the damage of long term M.S.Let me encourage anyone who is
trying the inclined bed to stick with it and don't think it won't
work.I'm proof it can.My whole family and I are so grateful to Andrew
Fletcher. Liz Steinbrueck ,Liz Steinbrueck,lbs...@aol.com