Define cure. Google says cure means to “relieve (a person or animal) of the symptoms of a disease or condition.” Interesting. It didn’t say to make it disappear; it says to relieve the symptoms.
One way to cure, halt or stop MS in its tracks would be to have new oligodendrocytes, a.k.a. cells in the brain and spinal cord, that produce myelin. The University of Alberta has researched the results of injecting mice who have chemically induced multiple sclerosis with the brain molecule fractalkine. “If we can replace those lost or damaged oligodendrocytes, then they could make new myelin and it is believed that would halt the disease progression, or maybe even reverse some of the symptoms,” assistant professor Anastassia Voronova stated to the Stem Cell Reports. (University of Alberta)
The next phase of the research will include mice with other neurodegenerative diseases.
Wyoming Jeepers Had “One Hail of a Day!”
On August 27, 2022, the Wyoming Jeepers headed to the mines near Cooke City, Montana. Boy, were we in for a ride! Not only was this drive the most beautiful we have taken thus far, one storm after another dropped hail, buckets of rain, and plenty of lightning and thunder upon our heads. I’ll admit, I was a bit cold out there filming once the storms hit, and I was exhausted by the end of this 15-hour day, but it was worth every minute.
Check out how I live my MS life on our latest YouTube episode, “One Hail of a Day!”
BOOK OF THE MONTH – February 2023
Book Recommendation – I recommend books that will benefit multiple sclerosis patients, people with chronic illness, and caretakers each month. I select books based on my recommendation and receive no compensation for choosing them. All links to Amazon are affiliate links, however.
The author in me must share The Amazing Story Generator as a source of endless entertainment. Writing provides an excellent way to be creative, keep our brains sharp, and entertain ourselves when we have time. People with chronic illnesses often find themselves isolated and alone, especially when they become disabled. Writing can be a coping strategy for loneliness.
The Amazing Story Generator provides thousands of writing prompts. I flipped open the book and received a story plot, ‘Hoping to impress an old flame.” The main character turned out to be “an obsessive-compulsive bus driver,” and the setting “is transported to another galaxy.” I flipped it open again and received this prompt, “Suffering from amnesia, a sassy nun steals a baby.”
I like this book because I can take ten minutes and fast write using unique plots, characters, and settings. Will I keep all of my fast writes? Probably not, but the point is to keep my mind active, force me into creative writing situations I wouldn’t otherwise have, and hone my writing skills as an author.
And for those who don’t know, I became an author when I began this blog in 2013. After leaving my career in education for medical disability, I found myself alone for years in an old Alaska logging community. I began writing to share my multiple sclerosis story, to help others, and to give myself a new lease on life. I branched out and wrote my MS and Alaska adventure memoir, The Call of the Last Frontier, in 2021 and the weekly blog Alaska Bush Life in 2022.
The Amazing Story Generator falls open on my desk, revealing another prompt. “Penniless after a failed business venture, a former child television star gets trapped inside a popular TV show.” Take a stab at it. What can you come up with in 10 or 20 minutes? Oh, heck, give yourself two hours.
Resources
Khongchum, Chokniti. Microscope Image. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/scientist-using-microscope-3938022/. (accessed February 6, 2023).
University of Alberta. “Researcher takes another step toward discovering how a brain molecule could halt MS: Fractalkine appears to trigger repair of brain damage caused by the disease..” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230201134234.htm (accessed February 6, 2023).
