Wishful Thinking a Marker-Free Disease Does Not a Cure Make

I have a hard time reading news concerning Multiple Sclerosis when it amounts to little more than distorted or wishful thinking.

Even worse, when professional-journalists (editors) warp headlines based on their own deficient-thinking about the disease it irks me to no-end.

Having M.S. myself, I've identified more BAD journalism about M.S. than most folks.

Firstly, the perception that M.S. features definitive-markers like other diseases is just plain dumb.

Multiple Sclerosis doesn't result from the usual contagions with which other diseases are spread through human beings.

To my knowledge, only the (sometimes painful) extraction and measurement of Spinal-fluid mass can even professional neurologists determine that a person CERTAINLY HAS M.S.

A confirming (very expensive) MRI-scan will either verify or refute a neurologist's determination...but the idea that even small-molecule screening can lead to curative-medicines is fraught with error.

I think this misconception is caused by the irrational/hopeful belief that even professional-neurologist know EVERYTHING about human biology...they don't.

However, that doesn't stop people from deifying medical-science errantly.

We've only known about basic-human-physiology since the American Civil War, and it's still fairly brutal.

The transience of FACT in any analysis of M.S. is frightfully deceptive...physicians being ill-heralded miracle-workers (which, to be fair is PARTIALLY TRUE), but the truth is far-less hopeful.

I'm not saying that M.S. is incurable but I believe that any article about M.S. demands to be read with a healthy sense of skepticism.

If not, one risks falling into the pit of ideas such as CCSVI (chronic cerebral venous insufficiency), which although a novel idea, is as yet LACKING analysis as a legitimate THEORY.

A bad bet for SURGERY, imho...but M.S. is so disabling a condition, that some people would rather risk a surgeon monkeying around inside their neck to correct the problem rather than waiting for responsible theoretical testing to be completed.

CCVSI is scheduled for such testing by the National M.S. Society, but such testing will take several years to complete and verify...

I can't discourage risk-taking...but I wouldn't do it!

:) mattergy