Agonising wait after stem cell therapy
In that time he’s seen his body deteriorate to the point where he spends most of the day in a wheelchair, his eyesight is unreliable and he suffers from tinnitus, a buzzing and ringing in the ears.
Roger, 51, lives in the British Midlands, near Stafford. He used to work as an estates manager for the council near London, but his disability now means it is possible do that job.
Since his diagnosis in 1976, the potential of stem cell therapy to treat multiple sclerosis has been his great, white hope against MS.
When he was left an inheritance last year, he knew what he wanted to do with the money - give his body a chance in the face of this seemingly incurable disease.
“I had been following the progress of stem cell therapy for the last few years and was quite keen to see if it could help me.
“I thought it was a bit early on in the research but that the chance it would work was worth it”.
As in Ireland, stem cell therapy is not licensed in Britain and the British Department of Health has warned against travelling abroad for any such unproven treatment. But, hundreds of desperate British MS sufferers travel each year, and, in the words of the British Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre, get “varying results” - with some recording a turnaround in their medical condition.
“I went to the PMC Clinic in Rotterdam in Holland where Advanced Cell Therapeutics (ACT) offer a service. It cost about €18,000, which is a lot of money, but I had been left that legacy. I went eight weeks ago but I am still waiting for the effects,” he said.
“I’ve been told it can take a month or two, even three, to get results - if they occur. Other patients have recorded instant results that have lasted, but while initially, my balance and tinnitus improved, they seem to be drifting off again”.
Roger hasn’t lost faith in the power of stem cell therapy but points out that while it works to repair cells damaged by MS, the disease can continue to ruin other cells.
“I also found out afterwards that I should have got a letter which would have told me to avoid tobacco, alcohol, tea, coffee, carbonated water, red meat, dairy products and tomatoes for a period before the treatment. Sometimes, I wonder if I had followed that diet would it have made a difference?”
He has told ACT about his concerns and they have offered him a ‘top up’ treatment at no extra cost.
“I don’t think that stem cell therapy is a fraud ... but maybe it is a bit early to be offering the treatment. Maybe more research is needed?”
MULTIPILE Sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological condition of young adults, affecting approximately 6,000 people in this country, a further 85,000 people in Britain and 250,000 in the US. It has been recognised for the past century and a half but the cause remains unknown.
It is thought that a combination of genetic and environmental factors could lead to the disease.
MS is a chronic condition of the central nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord. The symptoms experienced with MS are caused by patchworks of demyelination or scarring, in the central nervous system. It is not yet known what actually triggers the process of scarring.
All nerve fibres are covered by a fatty substance called the myelin sheath. The myelin, as well as protecting the nerves, assists the passage of messages along the nerves between the brain and all parts of the body. With MS, the myelin sheath covering the nerves in the brain and spinal cord become scarred. The scarring occurs in scattered patches, distorting or preventing the smooth flow of messages from the brain and spinal cord to parts of the body.
There is no typical MS. It is individual to each person, so one general description and certain prognosis is not possible. Anyone may develop MS but there are some patterns. The most common age of diagnosis is late 20s to mid-30s. Onset is rare before the age of 12 and after the age of 50. Twice as many women as men have MS.
Symptoms of MS are unpredictable and can vary greatly. Pain, fatigue, visual loss, headaches, depression, slurred speech, tremors, stiffness, difficulty walking, loss of balance in serve cases, partial or complete paralysis
No, but there is a slightly higher chance of getting it if a relative has it.
No, but there are new drugs that can modify its course for some people and symptoms can be managed.
Dr John Dunphy is a GP who has been practisinging in the area of alternative medicine since the 1970s.
Based at Carrigaline in Co Cork, where he has a doctor’s practice with his GP wife, Mary, he is a homeopath and is trained in the field of trigger-point muscle therapy and neural organisation therapy.
Neural organisation therapy is used for head and neck injury and also dyslexia and learning disorders.
He has said that in recent years, up to 80% of his clinical time is spent practising non-conventional medicine. Despite this, however, he has refused to write off the important role of pharmaceutical medicine in human health.
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