NEW MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS THEORY
By Andrew K Fletcher,
The purpose of this report, together with the referenced histories, is to inform you of my research and its relationship with multiple sclerosis. But first let me try to explain what I believe multiple sclerosis is, and then perhaps you may begin to understand why I have achieved positive results in treating people with chronic progressive MS.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE CIRCULATION OF FLUIDS IN OUR BODY.
Brief description of nerve structure:
We call the nerve fibre, which caries the impulses from the nerve body to control the muscles or other functions, the central axon. This fibre is surrounded with a multi-layered sheath with from about five to more than thirty layers. it resembles a large tobacco leaf, coiled around a central trunk, and is produced by a special cell - the oligodendrocyte. The entire group of cells is called the oligodendroglia.
The individual layer of the laminated leaf, which makes up the myelin sheath, is structurally identical with the membrane of a cell. That means it has the capability of holding an electric charge of opposite polarity, thereby fulfilling the function of an electric condenser. We have only understood the function of the myelin sheath in the insulation of the central fibre for about a year. An article that first appeared in the magazine SCIENCE brought it out. Indeed, one can measure the insulating ability of the myelin. When this was done, however, it discovered that the many-layered condenser system, which was constructed in the myelin, acted as an electrical shunt to the central axon. In plain language, this means that we have here a classic Tesla technique, which in all probability converts gravity field energy into the electrical energy necessary for function of the central axon.
Dr. Hans A. Nieper: The Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Sept 1985
A closer look at nerves:
We have all heard about the fatty insulation around the spinal cord and brain, in which lesions form and cause short circuits, but how many of us have heard that this coating or sheath that protects the nervous system is actually liquid crystal? In fact, it behaves very similar to the substance found in LCD (liquid crystal display) on calculators and wristwatches. Historians now know that some scientists actually saw naturally occurring liquid crystals under their microscopes in the 1850s. These early sightings were made during experiments on the white fatty material known as myelin.
A number of scientists noted that myelin turned liquid when left in water. These liquids seemed to have two different melting points. Not until the 1980s did the answer become apparent. Instead of changing straight into a liquid when heated, these solid materials transform into a kind of intermediate state that emerges at the first melting point, and disappears at the second. Between these two temperatures, the materiel flows like liquid yet keeps some of its optical properties of a solid crystal. In short it has become a "liquid crystal". In a normal liquid molecules are randomly arranged, but the molecules of a warmed liquid crystal retain some of their original orderliness - just enough order for the liquid crystal to retain the optical properties of a solid. Without their liquid crystal structures, living cells could not exist. Although the precise cause of the breakdown of the myelin sheath is still mysterious, it is thought to be tied to the liquid crystal properties of myelin. (Focus November 1994 pages 70-74 by Robert Mathews).
Explanation
The reason that warming liquid assists its ability to dissolve or liquefy soluble minerals is due to the fact that the molecular structure of the liquid, which in this case is water based, is altered by additional heat. The highest alteration before water is vaporised is at boiling point. Boiling water at sea level requires more heat and energy than boiling water at altitude. This is because the atmospheric pressure at high altitude is considerably less than at sea level. In fact when pressure is removed completely within a vacuum chamber, water boils without heat. The Hon. Robert Boyle (1627-91) was first to discover this phenomenon.
An interesting article I read some years ago related to the fact that some people were prone to food poisoning from cooked food when it was prepared at high altitude. Illness occurred because the water, although boiling, was not sufficiently hot enough to kill the bacteria within the food. We of course know that the nervous system does not boil, yet the state of the liquid crystal in the myelin could be encouraged to respond (or re-liquefy) at a slightly lower temperature when exposed to high altitude atmospheric pressure. Oxygen levels at altitude are also greatly reduced in the upper regions of the atmosphere. For instance, the air at Mount Blanc's summit contains only half the oxygen of air at sea level. It is worth considering these two facts while reading the following observations made by two independent accounts. It is also worth considering the fact that a compass needle is attracted to a mountain rather than the pole, due to the mountains mass. Furthermore while standing on top of a mountain the gravitational pull under foot would also be marginally higher and this again, according to my theory, has the most profound implications for circulation throughout the whole of the human anatomy.
Altitude and MS
CASE 1: On two occasions when I have been abroad, sightseeing up mountains, (by cable car and bus I might add!) at the top, anything from 6,000-9,000 ft I have felt fantastic and have been able to walk almost normally. At home I walk with the aid of a stick. This year I was visiting my son in South Africa and where he lives is 3,000 ft. above sea level. Again I had this lovely lightweight feeling instead of my usual heavy and slow moving gait. The old legs were raring to go and I had a spring in my step. The family was amazed and delighted at the difference.
When we went to Durban, which is at sea level, I was back to normal, but it was hotter and humid there. Sad to say, that back home the good affect has gone, but it did seem extraordinary. ? Irene Davies, Glasgow., Sep-Oct 1989 edition, Arms Link, Pub by Arms Central UK.
CASE 2: I have also felt that being at altitude has made me feel very fit and well and improved my walking. I have MS but am mobile and walk without a stick. During 1984/85 my husband worked in Bolivia and I went with him. We lived in La Paz, which is at 11,000 ft and spent time in various places ranging in height from 3,000 to 14,000 ft. The higher we were the better I felt, walking long distances and getting less giddy, which is one of the effects I have with MS.
We were in London from Jan 83 to Mar 84 and I had some difficulty with walking then.
In Bolivia I was able to walk quite far, though down in the low, hot valleys I was not able to go so far as I could up in the high mountains. In Potosi, which is at 14,000 ft, I felt terrific and it was there that I began to think that perhaps altitude made some difference to my health. Once before I had the same feeling of euphoria. This was when I visited the Island Of The Sun in Lake Titicaca which is at 13,000ft. I felt I could stride out for miles and miles though afterwards I was very tired. This was1974 before I was diagnosed as having MS.
We are now home in Edinburgh, almost at sea level, and most of the time I am able to walk the dogs on the hills and go shopping, though I get giddy at times and especially find the strip lighting in shops troublesome. I get tired more than I used to and I have trouble with my sense of balance. The latter has bothered me for years; again without realising it was part of my MS.
Rosemary Wilson, Edinburgh. Mar/Apr 90 edition, Arms Link, Pub by Arms, Central UK.
Crystals, either in liquid state or solid, are based on minerals. In order to remain in a liquid form the liquid requires to be constantly moving. Should the liquid stagnate for any length of time, solid crystals will inevitably form. This is vividly shown when crystals grow on a length of thread suspended in a beaker of highly concentrated salt or sugar solution. In a beaker this creates no problems. However, when it occurs in the nervous system the formation of crystals causes considerable problems. For instance, a complete blockage of the circulation could occur causing the whole of the circulation within the nervous system in the affected part to stagnate. This would produce considerable damage to the myelin and would probably lead to the entire degeneration of the affected part of the nervous system. Re-dissolving the crystal in the beaker simply requires a stir with a spoon and a little heat to accelerate the process.
The Central and Peripheral Nervous System
If only we could put a whisk into the nervous system and stir gently for a year or more, perhaps the salts and mineral deposits would become liquid again and repair the damaged nerves in multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions, which affect our nervous system. Or if we could apply a little extra heat to the liquid nervous system it might stimulate the liquid crystal myelin into behaving as it should under normal circumstances.
In essence this is exactly what I believe has been happening to people on the Gravity Study. Everyone at some point noticed an increase in circulation and metabolism, which of course means additional warmth. In fact, many people, whom I have already helped, noticed that they are producing less urine during the night, indicated by fewer bathroom visits. This is due to the fact that the skin surface temperature has remained stable during the night rather than falling, as would be expected during horizontal bed rest.
With the additional warmth more water is lost from the lungs and skin, and a higher specific gravity occurs in the remaining liquids. This in turn increases circulation and metabolism, producing additional warmth, which as I have stated has implications for the liquefaction of the damaged myelin. This did not come as a surprise to me. My discovery, which led to this exciting new understanding of the influence of gravity in the bulk circulation of fluids and of every single cell in the human body.
Three people on my pilot study who suffered from thrombo -embolism's, found that the hard lumps which were evident in their legs disappeared. One lady was concerned enough to ask her GP if it could have moved to another part of her body.
Thrombosis improved because circulation was restored to the affected area and the blockage was gently dissolved away. Although this is not MS related I feel it is relevant to the re-liquefaction of damaged myelin.
Gravity has indeed been shown to be a very important factor in driving fluids throughout the nervous system. However if gravity is allowed to run in the wrong direction through the body for prolonged periods, then these same forces, which maintain our vital functions, wreak havoc by flowing through vital soluble tissue in the brain and nervous systems.
When the body is resting flat on a conventional horizontal bed, evaporation from skin and lungs etc concentrates the liquids, which remain in the body. These concentrated solutions find the most direct route down to the ground and this usually means flowing through brain tissue and or the nerve tissue and any other vital soluble organs or vessels.
When this occurs in the brain it would cause lateral lesions in the form of micro tubular scar tissue. The reason that lesions are found in this form is that sedimentary deposits form an outer membrane around the circulation and this is exactly how I believe all the tubes in the body of every living organism from a giant tree to an ant are formed. When applying this simple logic to the human body it becomes obvious why almost all of the bodies tissue and structure runs in tubular form from head to toe! Gravity must have played an important part in the formation of this tissue. When one considers that everything we are, developed from a tiny drop of fluid, it becomes enlightening to conclude that circulation obviously must have taken place before the surrounding cell tissue developed in the first place.
Gravity is stronger nearer the North and South Poles. This is because the Earth rotates and therefore the Equator, which spins with greater force, counteracts the pull of gravity, producing a significantly reduced level of gravity, due to the centrifugal force, caused by the rotation of the Earth. For example a wet spinning ball will throw water from the centre of the ball and not the top because the surface at the centre of the ball is spinning with greater force.
Around the Equatorial regions, the gravitational pull on concentrated fluids is significantly reduced by the above mentioned influences. This again relates particularly to horizontal bed rest, because here the damaging affects of fluids travelling in the wrong direction through vital soluble tissue as discussed previously would be influenced less by gravity at the Equator than at the poles. However, in arid areas evaporation would increase and therefore the production of heavy solutions would also increase respectively and possibly producing a different set of symptomatic problems.
For instance it is known that leprosy is found around tropical Equatorial regions and Leprosy is known to affect the nervous system. A detailed study of climate in the following study areas is required to establish a possible humidity or damp connection with increased levels of MS and other conditions.
Recent studies in the USA back up research findings in the UK and in countries in the Southern Hemisphere, showing that people living nearer to the Equator are at lower risk of developing MS. Viruses, Genetics and Race are thought to be partly to blame. Studies on migration have shown that people who move from an area of statistically high prevalence of MS to an area of low prevalence of MS reduce the chance of them developing MS, but only if they move before adolescence.
It is also thought that soldiers may have carried an infectious agent that may have been responsible for triggering MS in Soldiers during the Second World War, who inhabited both Iceland and the Faeroe Islands. Following that, there was claimed to be an increase in the incidence of MS. MS sometimes appears in 'clusters.' This means that MS cases are found in sufficient numbers and concentrations for it to be unlikely to have happened by chance. Most MS clusters turn out to be the results of accidents of time and geography, though a few have still not been adequately explained.
MS and Location. MS Matters Insight Supplement, issue 16, Nov/Dec 1997, Published by the MS Society.
The largest single difference between equatorial regions and the rest of the world is of course the climate. A warm, dry atmosphere above sea level, according to my theory is the perfect place to reside if you have MS, and would therefore bring about the opposite effects of those found in the river valley areas of the equatorial regions. Here it would be very hot and humid, and I suspect that a close statistical analysis of these areas would reveal clusters of people with MS or related problems.
On the other hand, if we keep gravity running through the body in the correct direction twenty-four hours a day for as long as it takes, regeneration of a damaged nervous system is possible irrespective of the severity of the condition. In fact, even complete spinal cord injuries have responded, and those involved in my trial continue to regain functions of the body, which a couple of years ago were thought to be beyond repair.
Restoration of the damaged optic nerve in multiple sclerosis has responded well to this treatment. So well in fact that several people have regained their sight, and in one case a lady who had lost the sight in one eye, through supposedly irreversible optic nerve damage, has been told that she may now legally drive a car without spectacles! Reference to eyesight improvements in MS and non-MS conditions are documented in the report from the MSRC, titled "Raised Bed Survey".
Humidity
Another consideration, which has been shown to have an affect on multiple sclerosis, is humidity. River valley areas in France (Rhone Valley Study) have been found to contain high levels of MS cases compared to the more elevated areas. A wrap around hair dryer, standing over a steaming cooker, a hot shower or bath have all been shown to increase the severity of MS symptoms, and sometimes trigger MS attacks. Higher air water content of course inhibits our ability to shed water from the skin and lungs which we discussed earlier. Moisture loss reduction from our lungs and skin slows down the circulation of fluids caused by the lack of development in retained concentrated fluids. In fact the clammy wet skin found under such environmental conditions should be self-evident and furthermore when fluids are present on the skin surface, so are salts. Sweat is produced when the body is placed under extreme conditions and the presence of vital minerals is an indication of just that.
Presse Med 1987 Apr 11;16(13):622-623 South-Eastern France, a high risk area for multiple sclerosis? [Article in French] Confavreux C, Darchy P, Alperovitch A, Aimard G, Devic M
A questionnaire-based prevalence study was conducted in the Chalon-sur-Saone and Avignon areas, in the Rhone-Saone valley, France, to determine the frequency of multiple sclerosis. These areas are 300 km apart and lie on the 47 degrees and 44 degrees North parallels respectively. Age-adjusted prevalence rates on March 20, 1984 were 58.5 and 48.6 per 100,000 inhabitants respectively. There was no significant difference between the two areas. These preliminary data suggest that southeastern France, as represented by Avignon, may fall within the high-risk area for multiple sclerosis.
SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN MS
People with MS and other neurological problems are able to forecast rain!
This is not however related directly to their MS. Cattle for instance are observed to lie down prior to a down pour. It has been suggested that they do so to reserve a dry area of land. Somehow I doubt that this is the case.
Cattle and other animals lie down because the increase in humidity prior to rainfall slows down their circulation and metabolism, making them lethargic, so they lie down. if a hillside is in close proximity cattle and sheep will all be laying down on the hillside and facing uphill!
MD's ONLINE from AOL - This material is quoted and provided as general medical information.
Question
Do you think that seasonal allergies could play a role in explaining these variations in the pattern of relapses? Have studies been done on the correlation between pollen levels, sensitivity to allergens and relapses? One logic for a connection might be that allergic attacks might affect the permeability of the blood-brain-barrier.
Answer
The reason for seasonal variations in the pattern of relapses in multiple sclerosis is unknown. Attempts have been made to correlate it with the incidence of viral and other infections, but there is no clear-cut pattern there. I don't know of any evidence to suggest that it be related to seasonal allergies. Perhaps there is a cyclic alteration in the reactivity of the immune system at various times of the year, but this is only conjecture on my part, and I don't know of any studies that would confirm or strongly support it.
Question
Why is it that many MS attacks come in the Spring or Fall when the weather changes? I've heard that more viruses are common during these times causing attacks, and that allergies cause the attacks. Can it also simply be a metabolic reaction by our immune system adjusting to the new season?
Answer
You are correct that there is evidence that relapses in multiple sclerosis have seasonal variations. Not all the studies performed are consistent but there does appear to be varying patterns depending on the locality where the studies are done. In a very carefully performed study in North Dakota, for example, September was a very high month for relapses but not the spring months. On the other hand, the summer months did appear to have increased incident of relapses as well. In other studies, exacerbation's have increased in the spring as well as in the fall, as you suggest. The implication here is, as you suggest, that something important in the environment is playing a role. It is known that certain types of viral infections can predispose to relapses and its possible that this could be the environmental relationship. On the other hand, when it is carefully looked for such as in the North Dakota study, it did not correlate with the incidents of various types of infections. There are of course, other variables that could play a role including temperature as well as light conditions.
Your question has also prompted me to review the more recent as well as past literature on the topic. While it does appear that an answer to this phenomenon could be important, I was struck by the fact that the number of published papers on the subject have greatly decreased in the last years. I do believe it's likely that once the full story of MS is unravelled, that the seasonal variations will be explainable. In some instances, I have seen patients who have the exacerbation's, yearly around the same time, for more than three years. While these are very isolated events, and conclusions cannot be drawn from them, it would suggest however, that there may be individuals who are more prone to seasonal changes than others perhaps.
International MS Support Foundation, P.O. Box 90154, Tucson, Arizona 85752-0154
Pauline, from Devon, mentioned in the Snooze Report, found that initially, when she introduced a dehumidifier during the night in conjunction with the new sleeping position, which she had been using for many months, her dropped foot problem would disappear. However when she discontinued the use of the dehumidifier her dropped foot problem would re-emerge. She repeated this procedure several times in order to make sure that it was the dehumidifier, which restored the function in her foot. This alone should be evidence that evaporation and gravity are two very important considerations in relation to the circulation of fluids within the nervous system.
Dr Nieper: Towards the end of 1984, I had an MS patient from the vicinity of Eureka in Northern California. Her husband reported that they lived in a region of continual earthquake activity and not far from a place where a man must stand at an angle and not perpendicular to the earth, to keep from falling down. In that region, the frequency of MS is over 4,000 per million. This would be more than ten times higher than in an average cross section of the country.
This interesting observation indicates that where the Earth's gravitational field is compromised in what is now known as a Geopathogenic Zone the percentage incidence of multiple sclerosis rises way above a national average.
Dr. Hans A. Nieper: The Treatment Of Multiple Sclerosis Sept. 1985
SPACE TRAVEL
In space travel, where gravity is also compromised, astronauts who are normally selected for their physical fitness suffer considerable damage to their nervous system. The severity of damage depends on the length of time they spend in micro gravity conditions. Once exposed to normal gravity conditions on return they encounter considerable difficulties in walking, amongst other normal bodily functions.
In order to induce the harmful effects of micro gravity, both NASA and Russian scientists have found a significantly cheaper method. They use prolonged bed rest to induce many of the harmful side effects to perfectly healthy would-be astronauts. I remember seeing a documentary about these experiments on TV some time ago. During this program cosmonauts suffered many damaging side effects and some to the point where they are no longer able to walk.
DEEP SLEEP
Take a group of people without any neurological problems, other than depression and confine them to bed for several months, without allowing them to get out even for bathroom visits. Medicate them so that they don't feel too uncomfortable.
Result: People die, lose their ability to walk, renal function packs up, they get osteoporosis, Some of them develop severe mental disorders, leg ulcers, gangrene, skin conditions, paralysis, atherosclerosis heart conditions, arthritis and many of the survivors eventually commit suicide. All of this actually happened in Australia during the now infamous "Deep Sleep" therapy programme. "Probably on the net somewhere".
So if it is possible to induce all of these horrific medical conditions by depriving people of exercise and vertical posture, a conclusion surely is that incorrect posture could also induce MS related symptoms.
Keyboard Syndrome
Sitting at the computer keyboard for hours on end brings with it for some of us a few circulatory problems, tingling in hands and fingers, numbness, finger cramp, paralysis and icy cold fingers. The problem appears to remain for a few days. In my own experience, to eliminate this problem I have found that if I raise my seat up so that my hands and arms slope down to the keyboard rather than up or horizontal to the keyboard, the problems of numbness and tingling for me at least do not occur .
The reason that these irritating problems happen is due to incorrect posture, in which gravity is unable to influence the circulation of fluids within the circulatory and nervous systems. If this postural problem is not corrected it could well lead to progressive neurological degeneration.
Diet
Water leaves the body as discussed, but can only do so safely if the balance of supply matches demand. Providing the stomach contents are less concentrated than the downward flowing liquids caused by evaporation, circulation is able to continue. Therefore a dietary change from a lightweight (low in mineral) diet to a heavy diet could cause the circulation to be compromised. An early indication of a stomach imbalance is diarrhoea. Fluids in the stomach become too heavy to be lifted and pass through the bowels instead of the blood. In fact many laxatives are salt based. Dehydration follows and has been shown to respond to the addition of a small amount of salt and sugar dissolved in water and drank.
Dairy products as we know contain high levels of calcium and a huge array of minerals and fats producing a very high specific gravity within the stomach of the consumer. To demonstrate fill a tall glass to the brim with water. Carefully lower a small amount of milk contained in a teaspoon so that it rests with its edges at the surface of the water. Introduce it gradually to the surface of the water by tilting the spoon. Result: the milk rapidly falls to the bottom of the glass, indicating that it is a heavy mineral laden liquid. Therefore dairy products like cheese and butter, which are concentrated further, would alter the specific gravity of the stomach.
Furthermore the addition of sugar and cocoa in chocolate sweets and cakes would serve to add further weight to the liquids contained in the stomach. On the North side of the Rio Grande, in Texas, it is found that the frequency of MS is at least 10 times higher than on the other side in Mexico. In Texas, the usual diet is Anglo-American, with a heavy emphasis on dairy products. In Mexico, the usual fare is of the Spanish-Mediterranean Milk poor diet. (Olive oil instead of butter).
In South Africa, MS is concentrated in the province of Natal, even though they have plenty of sunlight there. Here again, this is the dairy region. In Australia there seems to be a decided difference in the frequency of MS in different provinces. Here again the pattern fits; it is one of milk production and dairy product consumption.
My work with people with MS indicates undeniably that it responds to the omission of horizontal bed rest and poor sitting posture!
This surely then leads to the conclusion that MS in all probability is caused by progressively longer periods of horizontal bed rest or prolonged bed rest, possibly resulting from an accident or an illness, or as well as poor prolonged sitting posture, in an otherwise susceptible person. High humidity levels also influence the activity of a person and therefore must contribute to the general condition of people living in such conditions.
A questionnaire asking people if they had moved to a low lying coastal or river valley area or even residing in a damp home prior to contracting their illness would reveal some startling data. Another question relating to prolonged bed rest due to an accident or illness prior to first symptoms of MS would, I am sure, produce even more enlightening data. Further more if questioned about their improvements when they occur while in the relapsing remitting stages, I am sure it would be found that a high percentage of people would relate to a dryer time of the year or a holiday abroad, etc. (See MS and Weather)
Normal 0
There are several possibilities for the reported improvements for people with ms using IBT.
- Placebo, which is unlikely given the long lasting improvements in excess of 12 years and placebo cannot affect a person who is sleeping on an incline any more than it can sleeping flat.
- The myelin liquid crystal is significantly restored to become functional and close the gaps / plaques that signals from and to the brain have to jump. I suspect that this may be the case and that the liquid crystal myelin behaves much the same as when bark is removed from a tree. Over time the bark flows over the damaged area and circulation of sap is restored. IBT has been reported to smooth out surface scar tissue that has been present for many years.
- The damaged area is bypassed and signals find a new route to and from the ms affected areas. This could be why some people with spinal cord injuries have reported substantial improvements. Here the scar tissue is often far greater and concentrated than in a person with ms.
- IBT Increases tension in the blood within the veins (observed with varicose veins) and increased velocity of blood flow in the arteries stimulates an increase in cerebrospinal fluid circulation and this accelerated circulation throughout all the circulatory pathways increases the power of the electrical neurological signals affording them the capacity to bridge / jump the damaged areas of myelin.
I do not have access to equipment that can determine the mechanisms of recovery from IBT and will leave the reader to conclude which of the above is more likely.
------Ongoing unpaid research------