| In 2004, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health published the results of two long-term studies on women's health and nutrition. Researchers looked at dietary and supplemental intake of vitamin D as it related to the incidence of MS. Gleaned from the Nurses' Health Study (more than 92,000 women followed from 1980 to 2000) and the Nurses' Health Study II (more than 95,000 women followed from 1991 to 2001), the data support a protective effect for vitamin D against MS, especially for women who consume more than 400 international units (IU) daily of vitamin D from supplements, but not from food sources (Munger KL et al 2004). In addition to reducing the risk of developing MS, supplemental vitamin D may also provide relief for those actively afflicted with the disease, at least in part by inhibiting nitric oxide, according to animal studies (Garcion E et al 2003). A small clinical trial conducted at the Mayo Clinic was designed to assess the safety and tolerability of daily use for a year of calcitriol, a prescription drug form of vitamin D. Patients who enrolled in the trial were diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. Patients received an equivalent of 2.5 micrograms per day (mcg/day) of calcitriol (about 100 IU/day), while their dietary calcium was restricted to 800 milligrams per day (mg/day). Researchers concluded that oral calcitriol is safe and well tolerated by patients with MS who comply with dietary recommendations (Wingerchuk DM et al 2005). Scientists have also discovered that vitamin D effectively blocks development of MS in animals. When the biologically active, hormone form of vitamin D was administered to animals in a laboratory, the disorder was prevented. Conversely, a deficiency of vitamin D tended to increase the animals' susceptibility to the induced disease. When animals were given vitamin D after developing the disease, progression of symptoms was blocked. When vitamin D supplementation was withdrawn, the disease resumed (Cantorna MT et al 1996, 2000). Numerous laboratories have replicated and expanded upon these findings, prompting one researcher to declare: “Prevention of MS by modifying an important environmental factor (sunlight exposure and vitamin D level) offers a practical and cost-effective way to reduce the burden of the disease in future generations” (Chaudhuri A 2005). | Introducing GlobalCures Life Extension members are well aware of the fact that there are many immediately available “promising therapies” for cancer, diabetes, cardiac and other diseases - therapies with lots of scientific research to suggest they could work. However, because the drugs/substances involved are not patentable or have expired patents, no pharmaceutical company will conduct clinical trials to test these treatments. Without clinical trials, physicians often will not prescribe such therapies because the proper dosage/schedules, toxicities and efficacy are not known. So many of these therapies remain in the realm of the ‘unproven’. GlobalCures (www.global-cures.org), a non-profit medical research institute, was created to address this problem. GlobalCures is ready to test several of the top scientifically promising treatments, but needs to raise funds to do so. In a grants program called Members Project® (www.membersproject.com), American Express® has asked its card holders for ideas that would positively impact the world. The GlobalCures project has been posted under the title: New, Affordable Treatments with Existing Drugs (Project ID: W7DZSG). In order to be considered for a grant, projects need to have support by the community at large. The twenty-five projects receiving the highest number of votes by September 1, 2008 will proceed to the next phase of the competition. During this current phase, American Express® card holders as well as others can nominate the project. Nominating Instructions: Go to www.membersproject.com - CLICK “Guest member sign up” on the lower right side of the screen (if you have an Amex account, log in and go to step 3)
- ENTER
- First and last name
- Email address
- Confirm email address
- Password (6-8 characters – containing at least one number and one letter)
- Confirm password
- Scroll down to enter security letters
- CLICK “sign up”
- Next screen – search for “W7DZSG” (ALL CAPS)
- This will bring up the project, “New affordable treatments with existing drugs”
- CLICK on “New affordable treatments with existing drugs”
- CLICK “Nominate this project”
- Screen will read, “you have nominated this project”
(Note: GlobalCures is not affiliated with the Life Extension Foundation.) |
