MS Stinks (literally)

[Marco]

Technion has developed an electronic nose that can detect multiple sclerosis and various cancers.

The technology was tested on about 50 people, correctly identifying 34 MS patients and 17 people without ms.

Crazy ....


The best article I found is here:
http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=241681

[hope32]

Wow, that's crazy!

[jazzgirl]

Maybe that's why I NEVER get bitten by mosquitoes anymore. They don't like the way my blood smells!

[Tawanda]

Would you test your kids?

Thanks for passing this on. It really brings up a lot of questions for me. Since my mother and I both had/have M.S., would I want my daughter to get "tested" at the age of 10 that she is right now? Could it detect M.S. years ahead of when symptoms present? Upon birth? Nobody knows exactly when our M.S. began, and we wait until our body starts mocking us before we head down to the neurologist for the 'ol MRI. Is the advantage of going on a DMD worth the risks if M.S. is detected even before symptoms present? Would the psychological aspect of knowing you have a disease for which there is no cure be worse than early detection.

I guess with cancer, however, the questions would differ as the cells have mutated and early detection and treatment for many cancers has been proven to actually cure a person. No DMD has ever cured M.S.

[candycane]

wow

wouldn't that make a geat screening tool for early diagnosis....

[Tawanda]

wouldn't that make a geat screening tool for early diagnosis....

The only problem is that the research water is still very murky as to the advantage of an early M.S. diagnosis. I probably had M.S. years before I really was bothered enough by it to get the official diagnosis. Right or wrong, I've always been pretty happy about that...it was like 10 bonus, care-free years. It is possible a DMD would have been more effective had I started on it earlier, but who can say for sure? Isn't it also possible that at least some of this bad stuff going on in my body these days is from years and years of injections? Like M.S., Interferon therapy is some serious business, too.

[Sequoia]

Maybe that's why I NEVER get bitten by mosquitoes anymore. They don't like the way my blood smells!

Interesting idea! Mosquitos stopped biting me too, around the time my MS symptoms really got underway.

[candycane]

good point

Good point, Tawanda

"I probably had M.S. years before I really was bothered enough by it to get the official diagnosis. Right or wrong, I've always been pretty happy about that...it was like 10 bonus, care-free years."

BTW, I still get bit by misquitos

[jumpinjiminy]

Interesting idea! Mosquitos stopped biting me too, around the time my MS symptoms really got underway.

It makes sense, in a way. If I remember correctly, mosquitoes are drawn to the CO2 on the breath. That's how they detect their hosts. There may be something else on the breath that obscures or interferes with their detection.

Would that be an interesting research project, or what?

[cosake]

Cool article - my son is going to use this for his current event story this week !

[Tawanda]

Good point, Tawanda

""

BTW, I still get bit by misquitos

OMG! Me too! I always win the first to get bit on outdoor trips. They LOVE me!! Maybe we don't have M.S. afterall!

[Maple25]

mosquitos

Interesting theory. I always thought mosquitos didn't like Copaxone that's why I didn't get bitten.

[hope32]

Mosquitoes still love me. I'm jealous.

And yeah, I'm kind of glad I was only told "probable MS" after my first attack in 2001. I then had six years with (it hanging over my head but) no injections, no KNOWING I had it. I kind of like that. My current MS specialist said he would've recommended I start on a DMD after that first attack but I really liked the approach of the specialist I saw at the time. He said since 15% of MS patients never have another attack, why not wait on the drug until we know I'm in the 85%? Otherwise that's a lifetime (and many thousands of dollars!) worth of drugs that I didn't really need. I totally respect people who make a different decision and start treating right away but I'm happy with my own decision.