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back to multiple sclerosis
2013-Apr-03, Wednesday 10:23 amI already knew that there was a loose connection between autism and multiple sclerosis. I gave up investigating that connection a year ago when I thought my health problems were related only to B12 absorption, cured by ridding my body of an unhelpful gut infection. My recent muscle injury while walking (a common multiple sclerosis complaint) has changed my mind. I am revisiting the issue... and it's fascinating.
Nerve cells require myelin insulation for them to propagate a signal correctly. This insulation is NOT built by the nerve cell itself as I once assumed, but is instead built externally by glial cells (helper brain cells) called oligodendrocytes. There is some evidence of glial abnormalities among autistics, but the main link with multiple sclerosis may involve myelin antibodies.
Normally, a body shouldn't reject myelin as foreign material, but there is ample evidence that some autistics develop antibodies to myelin anyway. I repeatedly find recent studies (such as these from 2010 and 2011) that note prominent differences in these antibody levels between autistics and neurotypicals. Researchers are investigating possible factors such as serotonin and vitamin D, which also lead me back to ideas about membrane permeability in the brain and gut.
I'm rethinking multiple sclerosis as a self diagnosis. I'm rethinking Primal Diet as a helpful change for myself.
I may drop by the office of the local Autism Society of Minnesota to ask if they know any neurologists who are familiar with autism. I think I might like to pursue my health issues with doctors again, but only if I can avoid the ones I've dealt with previously. Of course, I'll have to sign up for taxpayer-subsidized Minnesota Care again, since I have no money of my own to spend on this stuff, even though an actual solution would help keep me employed for many years to come.
Edit (2013.04.08): Well, I had a muscle cramp tonight around 10pm, breaking my year-long streak without them. At least it was in my right foot and not my left (where it might have aggravated my injured leg muscles).
Nerve cells require myelin insulation for them to propagate a signal correctly. This insulation is NOT built by the nerve cell itself as I once assumed, but is instead built externally by glial cells (helper brain cells) called oligodendrocytes. There is some evidence of glial abnormalities among autistics, but the main link with multiple sclerosis may involve myelin antibodies.
Normally, a body shouldn't reject myelin as foreign material, but there is ample evidence that some autistics develop antibodies to myelin anyway. I repeatedly find recent studies (such as these from 2010 and 2011) that note prominent differences in these antibody levels between autistics and neurotypicals. Researchers are investigating possible factors such as serotonin and vitamin D, which also lead me back to ideas about membrane permeability in the brain and gut.
I'm rethinking multiple sclerosis as a self diagnosis. I'm rethinking Primal Diet as a helpful change for myself.
I may drop by the office of the local Autism Society of Minnesota to ask if they know any neurologists who are familiar with autism. I think I might like to pursue my health issues with doctors again, but only if I can avoid the ones I've dealt with previously. Of course, I'll have to sign up for taxpayer-subsidized Minnesota Care again, since I have no money of my own to spend on this stuff, even though an actual solution would help keep me employed for many years to come.
Edit (2013.04.08): Well, I had a muscle cramp tonight around 10pm, breaking my year-long streak without them. At least it was in my right foot and not my left (where it might have aggravated my injured leg muscles).