Hounslow summer issue

Branch Newsletter
June 2014 issue 61
Barry
Daydreamer
2
Index
Notice
Neither the editor of this Newsletter
nor the MS Society are responsible
for claims made in any advertisement
carried in this newsletter.
All readers are advised to check
claims with the advertisers.
Check out our new
and much improved
website at:
http://www.mssociety.org.uk/near-me/
branches/hounslow-branch
It looks useful, seems useful,
and by golly
it is useful
Vitamin D
Could it stop modern diseases?
4
Tommy Atkins
10
Web Matters
Coffee Morning
12
13
A girls holiday
SPMS
14
15
MS in the media
16
Cooper’s corner
Puzzles
18
19
Tins, Notices, Poets corner
20-23
USEFUL NUMBERS
MS Helpline 0808 800 8000
MS National centre 020 8438 0700
Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurse
Janice Newbury
020 8630 3879
DIAL-A-RIDE - To book 0845 9991999. Cancel 0845 300 4717 6am to 12pm
MOBILE HAIRDRESSER - Anita Brackstone - Working Hours 9.00 - 3.00
Tel: 020-8898- 9653 Mobile: 07889-823020
LIBRARY AT HOME SERVICE - 0845 456 2800 Phone mornings only to check
for your area for home service.
SHOPMOBILITY, HOUNSLOW - 020-8570-3343
WHEELCHAIR REPAIRS - NRS Mobility Care,
Unit 4 McNicol Drive, Park Royal, London, NW10 7AW Phone 0845 0450194
Open Mon- Fri 8am to 5pm. Emergency service Monday to Friday 5pm to 11 pm
and Saturday , Sunday and Bank Holidays 8am to 11 pm
HOUNSLOW WHEELCHAIR SERVICE
Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health, 92 Bath Road Hounslow TW3 3EL
Telephone No: 020 86303994 or 020 86301277
3
Our donation to Research
is acknowledged.
You will all be aware of the extremely generous legacy given to the Hounslow
Branch by Miss Yvonne Veronica Wharton. At last I can now confirm to you all that
the gift of £60,000 has now been processed through to the general Research fund as
shown in this snapshot from the March 2014 issue of Teamspirit
Introducing Kate Burness
I am very lucky to have met Kate Burness. She is a member
of our branch who until recently was just a name and
membership number. But Kate answered my plea for help
with web editing and ideas for our newsletter.
Like most of us, Kate has MS, she is commuter literate and a
person who runs her own blog called “It is as it is” ( the story
of her journey through breast cancer) I know that her words give inspiration and
hope to her readership.
She is full of ideas to make our web site more user friendly interesting and informative. Although Kate will not be available to attend
committee meetings due to her work load, she will be a great asset to
the promotion of our branch.
Be sure to check out the Hounslow Branch blog now and again.
4
Vitamin D – could it stop
Telegraph 11th March
modern’ diseases?
By Oliver Gillie
A
n award-winning writer and scientist believes a deficiency of Vitamin D in
pregnant women is behind the increase in conditions such as MS, diabetes,
schizophrenia and asthma
Scientists often liken the process of discovery to doing a jigsaw. At first, few pieces
fit and the picture is a mystery. Then suddenly two or three pieces lock together and
an image starts to take shape.
This is what is happening in the study of apparently unrelated, chronic diseases
such as multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, diabetes and asthma. These conditions are
increasingly common both in the UK and elsewhere; their causes have puzzled
doctors and scientists for decades.
Now pieces of the jigsaw are starting to fit together – and they focus on vitamin D
which is produced naturally in the skin when exposed to sunlight.
A deficiency in this crucial vitamin, thanks to our increasingly indoor lifestyles, is
already blamed for the reappearance of rickets, the painful and deforming bone
disease in children, in the UK. But gradually, evidence is emerging that links low
vitamin D levels to a rise in a whole host of “modern” diseases, some of which
were virtually unheard of in the pre-industrial era.
As a scientist and writer, I first realised the significance of vitamin D for prevention
of ill-health some 12 years ago, at a time when it was only recognised as important
for bone growth. I have researched and written extensively on the topic, including a
report on the health benefits of sunlight - this at a time when official advice was to
avoid the sun at all costs, especially when the sun is at its highest.
The report, published in 2004, gained support from the late Sir Richard Doll, the
eminent epidemiologist who co-discovered the link between smoking and lung
.
cancer. He had completed a clinical trial which found that people who took vitamin
D supplements may live longer - and had he lived had wanted to do another. It has
taken eight years to get that clinical trial started with Professor Julian Peto of the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Called VIDAL, the trial is looking at benefits of supplementation and for any increase in life expectancy in over
65s.
5
Highlighting the benefits of vitamin D has led to at least some degree of change in
official attitudes. We are now advised to spend some time in the sun at midday,
while vitamin D supplements are advised for breastfed (but not bottle-fed) babies
from the first month of life.
My belief is that we could go much further – that vitamin D, given freely to all
women in pregnancy, could be used to curb or prevent some major diseases
including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, schizophrenia, asthma and several cancers;
and that it might also be used to treat established disease, at least in early stages.
One crucial piece in the jigsaw has come from the study of birthdays. Links
between birthdays and future life events have long been the territory of
clairvoyants and mediums; and when evidence first emerged about a decade ago
that people born at the end of winter were more likely to get multiple sclerosis and
those born in autumn less so, many scientists found it hardly credible.
“It looked as if we were interested in star signs and futurology,” said George
Ebers, emeritus professor in the Department of Department of Clinical Neurology
at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, whose
career has never deviated from scientific correctness. “But now we know that MS
is associated with end of winter births, when shortage of sunshine is demonstrable
and vitamin D levels are lowest. This suggests, in line with other observations, that
vitamin D protects against the disease.”
THE POWER OF THE SUMMER SUN
Summer sun is at its maximum in June and July but vitamin D, generated in the
skin by sunlight, takes two or three months to get into the general circulation. So
we reach our maximum level of vitamin D in about September. Babies born in October or November have the best chance of a relatively high level of vitamin D
during their final months in the womb. And this, the birthday evidence suggests,
can protect them from MS, while the risk is higher for babies born at the end of
winter.
This seasonal pattern in the risk of MS has now been found in eight different countries including Australia, winning over previously sceptical scientists. Less well
known is the link between end of winter birthdays
and an increased risk of several other diseases.
Studies of thousands of birthdays in Europe, Canada and Australia over some 30 years have found
that people born at this time are also at greater
risk of type 1 diabetes, coeliac disease
(gluten intolerance), schizophrenia and autism.
6
For a long time experts did not know what to make of this data, since these
diseases had no obvious links. But now more conditions are being added to this list
by the Oxford team. Writing in the peer-reviewed journal, BMC Medicine, in July
2012, Professor Ebers, working with Dr Sreeram Ramagopalan, has shown that the
risk of rheumatoid arthritis, a digestive disease called ulcerative colitis and a
distressing condition called systemic lupus erythematosus follows the same pattern
of seasonal births. These are all autoimmune diseases, which occur when the body
is attacked by its own immune system. Diabetes type 1 is also an autoimmune
disease and in the case of coeliac disease the immune reaction is to wheat in the
bowel. To date, at least 18 autoimmune diseases have been linked to low vitamin
D levels – more than enough to demonstrate a pattern.
''These immune-mediated diseases are one of the most common disease groups in
modern economies today, affecting some 10% of the world population. Vitamin D
deficiency is the most obvious risk factor” says Dr Ramagopalan. To test this
theory Dr Ramagopalan has examined blood taken from the umbilical cords of 50
healthy babies born in November and 50 born in May when, after winter, levels of
vitamin D are low. The May babies had a far higher frequency of newly generated
white blood cells called T cells which are normally programmed to react against
infection by an outside agent and to tolerate the body’s own tissues.
However certain types of T cells react against the body tissues and they may cause
autoimmune disease later on if they persist. These unwanted T cells are normally
removed from the body in the first year of life by a clever arrangement - they are
deleted in the thymus gland, a process that requires vitamin D. So a low vitamin D
level leaves the baby at risk. Dr Ramagopalan has explained his findings in detail
in the open access, peer-reviewed PLOS Genetics, 2009, in which he writes: “The
prevalence of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory
bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis correlate positively with latitude and reduced ultraviolet radiation exposure which is the primary determinant of vitamin
D levels.”
The scientific jigsaw is now making more sense, but some pieces still do not seem
to fit. Why should schizophrenia, a mental health condition, be linked to season of
birth? In fact the birthday evidence on schizophrenia has provided a vital scientific
clue to a disease which has puzzled doctors for over 100 years. Researchers now
recognise that schizophrenia also has features of an autoimmune disease in which
the body attacks its own tissues.
Schizophrenia and MS are both diseases of the nervous system. In MS myelin
nerve sheaths deep in the nervous system are attacked by an immune reaction. If
this can happen in MS, surely it is not so strange that schizophrenia may be explained similarly by an immune attack on crucial areas of the brain.
7
Dr John McGrath, international expert in schizophrenia based at the University of
Queensland, Australia, says the evidence suggests that sun exposure in pregnancy
and early life protects against schizophrenia and “raises the tantalising prospect
that optimising vitamin D status during pregnancy may lead to the primary
prevention of the disease”.
“Being born in the country where there is more opportunity for sun exposure is associated with a lower risk of schizophrenia - while moving subsequently to an urban area where more time is spent indoors does not seem to increase the risk,” he
points out.
Could lack of vitamin D in pregnancy also explain autism? The latest evidence
suggests that a low vitamin D level in the mother’s body during pregnancy may
induce her immune system to make antibodies which can damage the baby’s brain,
as well as causing certain genes to malfunction. Last month, Rhonda Patrick and
Bruce Ames from the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, in
California, published research findings that these genes normally make the
chemical serotonin.
Too little of this neurotransmitter is associated with abnormal social behaviour
while too much in the digestive tract causes sensitivity to foods which may explain
some autistic children’s difficult eating habits.
Patrick and Ames, both well-respected scientists in the field of autism, suggest:
“Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan [which is made into serotonin in
the brain] is a practical and affordable solution to help autism and possibly ameliorate some of the symptoms of the disorder.”
But the vitamin D jigsaw puzzle is not finished yet. Some 15 or more different
cancers have been consistently associated with low vitamin D levels in a way that
accords with established criteria, according to epidemiologist Dr William B Grant,
from the non-profit organisation the Sunlight Nutrition and Health Research Center in California. In his paper published in 2009, the link is most clearly seen in
breast and bowel cancer. Insufficient vitamin D leads to loss of control of several
genes which regulate proliferation of cancer cells and inhibit the cell cycle.
In fact there are more than 900 genes that Vitamin D is now known to switch on
and off - and in doing so alters our vulnerability to disease. The large number of
genes involved explains how so many quite different diseases can be caused by
insufficient sunshine. In this way sunshine exposure directly alters the action of
genes which may actually be passed on in their altered state – a newly understood
process known as epigenetics. So it is possible to see how some diseases may
emerge for the first time in one generation and be passed on to the next.
There is understandable opposition to these theories from some in the medical establishment. In an editorial published last December,the journal The Lancet argued
that failure of “gold standard” clinical trials of vitamin D to treat disease in adults
8
disproves the possibility that insufficient vitamin D is a causal factor.
In my view, this ignores a wealth of experimental and observational evidence
associating low vitamin D levels with higher risk of certain diseases. Also, vitamin
D given in adulthood cannot necessarily be expected to cure a condition that has
arisen through lack of vitamin D in early life. This is an error in scientific
reasoning which I call the The Lancet’s “gold standard fallacy”.
INDOOR LIFESTYLES BLAMED
At the same time researchers are finding links between vitamin D and chronic disease, the world is facing an epidemic of these same conditions, caused by our indoor lifestyles. Even in the height of summer people in cities often have suboptimal levels of vitamin D, and so babies born at any time of year may develop
these diseases. It’s well recognised that multiple sclerosis has become increasingly
common in the UK over the last century. Today, in cloudy Orkney, off the north of
Scotland, one in 150 women suffer from MS, believed to be the highest prevalence
in the world.
Less well known is that a generation ago the disease was much less common in
southern than in northern Europe. But MS has increased rapidly in the Mediterranean over recent years, reflecting the increased movement of people away from rural subsistence farming to town and a life in urban apartments. In the Greek island
of Crete MS has increased almost four fold over the last generation.
One striking example of the rise in MS is in Iran where, after the Islamic
revolution in 1979, women were compelled by law to wear the veil outdoors
together with clothing covering most of the body. Between 1989 and 2006, the increase of MS in Iran increased more than eight fold, from an incidence of about
one case in 100,000 to nearly one in 10,000 in the city of Isfahan. “The Islamic
revolution can potentially explain the observed increase in MS incidence in Iran in
just over 30 years,” said Dr Ramagopalan. “Veiled women have lower vitamin D
levels compared to unveiled women, giving an increased risk of low vitamin D in
pregnancy which can account for the increase in MS.”
PREVENTION IS CRUCIAL
Although The Lancet may insist otherwise, some clinical trials have shown that
people with MS, asthma or Crohn’s may do better or have fewer relapses when
they take vitamin D, if disease is not too advanced. For example, MS begins with
optic neuritis, a temporary form of blindness, in 20 per cent of cases. Doctors at
Isfahan University, Iran, have shown in a clinical trial that giving vitamin D (about
7,000 IUs per day) at this early stage can reduce risk of a relapse in blindness by
68 per cent and lower the incidence of lesions and “black holes” in the brain. They
are hopeful that vitamin D may delay the usual conversion of optic neuritis to
subsequent MS.
9
BRITAIN'S CLOUDY SKIES ARE BAD NEWS
THE UK has least sunshine of almost any advanced economy; our cloudy
weather is arguably one of the unhealthiest climates in the world. And even when
the sun shines we spend too much time indoors, detained by our computers and
TVs. Fear of sunlight has been spread by misguided advice from cancer charities
urging people to “seek the shade” rather than enjoy the sun safely and often. Extensive use of suncreams since the 1970s, has reduced exposure to UVB, the part
of sunlight which generates vitamin D. The Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally
Davies, has said she is “profoundly ashamed” at the return of rickets in the UK.
But the increase in rickets is small compared with the pandemic of immune system disease, the cost of which can be calculated in billions. MS costs the UK £3
billion a year, type 1 diabetes £9 billion, and schizophrenia £12 billion.
In 1942, when Britain was besieged by German submarines, the government was
eager to maintain the nation’s health by providing all children with cod liver oil,
the best natural source of vitamin D. Since then successive governments have
pursued a false economy and restricted free supplies of vitamin D supplements to
a small percentage of pregnant and breastfeeding women and under-fives who
are on state benefits.
I believe a great advance could be made by returning to heroic wartime thinking,
providing all pregnant women and babies with free vitamin D supplements. I
would argue that an intensive programme reaching 80-90 per cent of people, as
modern vaccinations do, would greatly reduce and might even virtually eradicate
MS, type 1 diabetes and several other autoimmune diseases.
Even lesser measures could at least halt or slow the pandemic. At little cost, the
government could encourage voluntary fortification of foods such as milk and
bread with vitamin D and give better advice on benefits of sunshine and how to
enjoy the sun safely. Failure to act soon will be a cause for profound national
shame.
Oliver Gillie is an award-winning writer and scientist. His report Sunlight
Robbery: Health benefits of Sunlight are Denied by current Public Health
policy in the UK can be downloaded fromhttp://
www.healthresearchforum.org.uk/
10
Tommy
Atkins
"Tommies" from the Royal Irish
Rifles in the Battle of the Somme's
trenches during the First World War.
Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is
slang for a common soldier in
the British Army. It was already well established in the 19th century, but is
particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of
reference, or as a form of address. .German soldiers would call out to
"Tommy" across no man’s land if they wished to speak to a British
soldier. French and Commonwealth troops would also call British soldiers
"Tommies". In more recent times, the term Tommy Atkins has been used
less frequently, although the name "Tom" is occasionally still heard, especially with regard to paratroopers.
Tommy Atkins or Thomas Atkins has been used as a generic name for a
common British soldier for many years. The origin of the term is a subject of
debate, but it is known to have been used as early as 1743. A letter sent
from Jamaica about a mutiny amongst the troops says "except for those
from N. America ye Marines and Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly".
A common belief is that the name was chosen by the Duke of Wellington
after having been inspired by the bravery of a soldier at the Battle of
Boxtel in 1794 during the Flanders Campaign. After a fierce engagement,
the Duke, in command of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, spotted the best man
at-arms in the regiment, Private Thomas Atkins who was terribly wounded .
The private said "It's all right, sir. It's all in a day's work" and died shortly after.
According to Lieutenant General Sir William MacArthur in an article in
the Army Medical Services Magazine (circa 1950), "Tommy Atkins" was chosen
as a generic name by the War Office in 1815. Richard Holmes, in the prologue to Tommy (2005), states that in:
1815 a War Office publication showing how the Soldier's Pocket Book should
be filled out giving as its example one Private Thomas Atkins, No. 6 Troop,
6th Dragoons.
Atkins became a sergeant in the 1837 version, and was now able to sign his
name rather than merely make his mark.
11
The Oxford English Dictionary states its origin as "arising out of the casual
use of this name in the specimen forms given in the official regulations
from 1815 onward"; the citation references Collection of Orders,
Regulations, etc., pp. 75–87, published by the War Office, 31 August 1815.
The name is used for an exemplary cavalry and infantry soldier; other
names used included William Jones and John Thomas. Thomas Atkins
continued to be used in the "Soldier's Account Book" until the early 20th
century.
A further suggestion was given in 1900 by an army chaplain named
Reverend E. J. Hardy.
He wrote of an incident during the Sepoy Rebellion in1857. When most of
the Europeans in Lucknow were fleeing to the British Residency for protection, a private of the 32nd Regiment of Foot remained on duty at an outpost. Despite the pleas of his comrades, he insisted that he must remain at
his post. He was killed at his post, and the Reverend Hardy wrote that "His
name happened to be Tommy Atkins and so, throughout the Mutiny Campaign, when a daring deed was done, the doer was said to be 'a regular
Tommy Atkins'.
Following the British defeat by the Boers at the Battle of Magersfontein in
December 1899, Private Smith of the Black Watch wrote the following
poem:
Such was the day for our regiment
Dread the revenge we will take.
Dearly we paid for the blunder
A drawing-room General’s mistake.
Why weren’t we told of the trenches?
Why weren’t we told of the wire?
Why were we marched up in column,
May Tommy Atkins enquire…
Robert Graves, in his autobiography Goodbye to All That (1929), states
that: "The original 'Thomas Atkins' was a Royal Welch Fusilier in
the American Revolutionary War. Graves, an officer in the Royal Welch in
1915, mentions this among other regimental history but does not cite his
reference.
Rudyard Kipling published the poem Tommy (part of the Barrack-Room
Ballads, which were dedicated "To T.A.") in 1892
See Poets Corner page 23
12
Web Matters!
Your Hounslow branch website has had
a makeover and now has a new look!
Please take a look and see how it's developing. You can now see pictures of the
faces behind your committee members in the ‘Who’s Who in Hounslow?’ section,
with information about what they do and what they can do to help you. Also you
can find a ‘Useful contacts” section which gives you contact details and opening
hours of various services available in Hounslow.
We will soon be adding information about “Welfare Support and Services” and
what is available to you in the form of MS Nurses, Support Officers and Occupational Therapy in your area.
We’re also now on Facebook!
Take a look at https://www.facebook.com/hounslowbranch. It’s a fun way to keep
up to date with what’s going on with everything from MS Society news and research to events, fund raising and even the local cake breaks that took place in
May!
Please pass the word around about this page to anyone who might be interested.
All you have to do is send them the link or tell them to search for
“hounslowbranch” on Facebook. The important thing then is to 'like us' when you
get there. Couldn’t be easier! Don’t forget to bookmark the page so that you can
return regularly to keep up with what's going on.
We really want to know how you feel about the website and our Facebook page?
What else you would like to see on the site? We’d also like to receive any relevant
stories and images that we can use on the website or on our Facebook page. So
please email us with any ideas or suggestions to:
[email protected]
USEFUL LINKS
MS Society branch website:
www.mssociety.org.uk/near-me/branches/hounslow-branch
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/hounslowbranch
Contact Web Matters!:
[email protected]
13
Join us for our Monday
coffee mornings!
These are organised by our Social Secretary, Brenda Whale and have been running regularly for many years. Brenda is also our Support Officer for Newly Diagnosed and can offer friendly support and advice when required.
Our regulars all come down to forget their problems and enjoy themselves for a
few hours each week and to chat to others of different ages living in our area. It's
a fun group and everyone always has a good time. Anyone is always welcome to
join us!
Please also pass the word to anyone you know who might be interested - its important for newly diagnosed people to know that we are there for them as well.
We meet from 10am - 2pm every Monday (excluding Bank Holidays) at our
branch headquarters at:
82 Heston Road
Heston
London TW5 0LJ
t:el. 020 8577 1964
(messages are picked up each morning and we will get back to you)
Please come and join us soon!
14
A girls holiday
John Newell and his wife Sally invited his daughter Lisa and Brenda Whale away
for a break with them at their home in Salisbury. The journey by train turned out to
be a very good experience for us both as the rail staff gave all the help we needed
so there never was any need for concern
On arrival at our destination, Sally and John made us very welcome and soon we
were settled in our rooms after a very welcome cup of tea just before having lunch.
Now what do ladies do when out together, they shop and that is exactly what Lisa
and I enjoy doing. In fact this is what we did the whole week. On one of our shopping outings we got chatting to a very well dressed handsome man but he was
strangely unresponsive, in fact he looked bored stiff which is not surprising as he
turned out to be a dummy.
The highlight of our time there was when we met four soldiers in the Bulford
Army camp canteen, where we were treated to tea and an insight into army life in
the camp. That experience was very interesting as neither of us had a clue as to the
inside of army life.
So you live and learn.
15
Secondary progressive MS:
researchers discover potential treatment
Research published today in the Lancet has confirmed high doses of simvastatin – a cholesterol lowering drug – might slow progression in people with
secondary progressive MS.
These are the first clinical trial results in recent years to show a drug could be
beneficial for people with secondary progressive MS. There are currently no treatments available that can slow or stop disability progression in people with a progressive form of the condition.
The results
The phase 2 trial involved 140 people with secondary progressive MS: 70 took the
drug for two years, and their results were compared to 70 people who took a
dummy (placebo) treatment.
Those taking simvastatin (80mg per day) showed:
•
significant reduction in the rate of brain atrophy (brain shrinkage) over two
years
•
better end-of study EDSS scores (a scale measuring disability levels)
better end-of study MSIS-29 scores (a scale used to measure the impact of MS on
somebody’s day-to-day life)
The researchers reported that high dose simvastatin was well tolerated, but tests in
larger groups of people with MS will need to be carried out to further validate its
safety and effectiveness.
Further trials crucial
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Head of Biomedical Research at the MS Society, said: “There
are no treatments that can stop the condition from worsening in people with progressive MS. Scientists have worked for years to find a potential treatment that
could help people, and now, finally, one has been found. This is very exciting
news.
“Further, larger clinical trials are now absolutely crucial to confirm the safety and
effectiveness of this treatment, but for now, people with MS should be really encouraged by these results.”
The discovery was initially announced at a scientific conference by Dr Jeremy
Chataway over a year ago; but the results of his study have now been further scrutinised by the scientific community and published in a peer reviewed journal.
Progression a priority
Finding treatments to help people with progressive MS is the top research priority
for the MS Society and the focus of the global research community.
Read more about what we are doing to tackle progression in the spring 2014 issue
of Research Matters.
Published date: 19 Mar 2014 at
Source MS Website
16
MS in the media
T
he National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has given the
go-ahead for alemtuzumab as a treatment for adults with relapsing–
remitting MS.
‘Revolutionary’
Some experts have described alemtuzumab – which is also known by its brand
name Lemtrada – as ‘life-changing’ and ‘revolutionary’.
Current available treatments for this type of MS are either oral daily tablets or
injections given several times each week. These treatments can have unpleasant
side effects.
Alemtuzumab is given intravenously once a year for two years.
Taken in two courses, the first course is administered for 5 consecutive days, and
the second course is administered for 3 consecutive days 12 months later.
No further treatment is needed the rest of the time, although regular check-ups
may be required.
Clinical trials
In clinical trials, people taking alemtuzumab had about half as many relapses as
people taking beta interferon 1a (Rebif).
MS is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system begins to attack the
body's own healthy nerve cells, stripping away their protective myelin sheath and
preventing electrical signals from passing smoothly and quickly between the brain
and body.
Alemtuzumab ‘reboots’ the immune system by first depleting a key class of immune cells, called lymphocytes. The system then repopulates, leading to a
modified immune response that no longer regards myelin and nerves as foreign.
‘Cost effective’
In a statement, Professor Carole Longson, NICE Health Technology Evaluation
Centre director, says: “We are very pleased to be able to recommend alemtuzumab
for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Evidence has shown that
alemtuzumab is more effective and less expensive than current similar treatments
for those with severe relapsing-remitting MS.
Side-effects
Alemtuzumab does have some possible serious side effects associated with it,
including kidney disease and thyroid problems, although clinical specialists say
that these can be manageable when patients comply with monitoring requirements.
17
The decision to approve alemtuzumab for use on the NHS has been welcomed by
MS charities.
Nick Rijke, director for policy and research at the MS society, says in a statement:
“The NICE approval of Lemtrada is a major step forward in the treatment of
people with multiple sclerosis.
“This drug has taken decades to develop, and while it’s not without risk, it’s
proven to be a highly effective medicine for people with relapsing remitting MS.
We look forward to seeing it made available to those who could benefit.”
‘Innovative’
In a statement, Amy Bowen, director of service development at the MS Trust, says:
“The greater efficacy and novel dosing schedule of alemtuzumab represent an innovative addition to the treatment options for relapsing remitting MS.
“We are particularly pleased that alemtuzumab should become an option for anyone with active relapsing remitting MS, allowing people the opportunity to choose
a disease modifying treatment that gives them the best balance between risks and
benefits in consultation with their neurologist and MS nurse.”
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which serves a similar function to
NICE, is due to publish a decision on the use of alemtuzumab by the NHS in Scotland in July.
Cambridge scientists
Alemtuzumab began life as Campath-1H, a drug developed from research by scientists at the University of Cambridge, which began in 1979.
The drug was initially developed as an immunosuppressant to prevent the rejection
of bone marrow transplants before being identified as a potential treatment for MS
in the late 1980s. The first MS patient was treated with the medication in 1991,
and evidence began to mount that the drug would be effective if used to treat people before the disease had progressed too far.
Professor Alastair Compston, Professor of Neurology at the University of Cambridge, who was responsible for expanding trials of the medication, says in a statement: "I am delighted that the decision from NICE will make Lemtrada available
on the NHS. This brings to a conclusion work involving a number of research
groups in Cambridge, stretching back over several decades, which made possible
our use of Alemtuzumab in multiple sclerosis.
“The decision from NICE now provides an opportunity for neurologists to offer a
highly effective therapy for patients with multiple sclerosis early in the course of
their illness.”
Scientists at the University of Cambridge are now investigating how the
side-effects of alemtuzumab can be managed.
By Peter Russell
WebMD UK Health News
18
Tommy cooper’s
corner
On Ballet
All those girls dancing round on their
toes ... If they want taller girls, why
don't they get them?
My wife said, 'How did you enjoy the
ballet?' I said, 'I couldn't hear a word
they were saying!
'I've tiptoed into my house so many
times at four in the morning, the
neighbours think I'm a ballet dancer!
I used to be a ballet dancer. I was priceless in 'Swan Lake' and matchless in
Swan Vestas!
Only two things prevented me becoming a dancer myself... my feet!
On Banana
Two fellows were on a train. One took
out a banana and started to eat it, peel
and all. The other said,
'What are you doing? Why don't you
peel the banana before you eat it?' The
other said, 'Why? I
know what's inside.'
At the Bank
A woman went to the bank to cash a
cheque. The cashier said, 'Can you
identify yourself?' She took
a mirror out of her handbag, looked
into it andsaid, 'Yes, it's me!'
At theBarbecue
There's a guy having a barbecue in his
front garden. He's turning the spit like
this and the flames are getting higher
and higher - higher
and higher - and he's singing,
'Oh
sole mio ... 0 sole mio, farewell.' And
the flames are getting
higher and higher and this drunk walks
by and says,
'Your singing's alright, but your
monkey's on fire!'
At the barbers
I was telling my barber how I was planning a trip to Italy on one of these
economy flights.
He said, 'You don't want to do that. The
plane will be crowded, the heat is terrible and besides if you think you'll get
in to see the Pope, you can forget it.'
Three months later
I was back in the same barber's. I told
him the trip was terrific, the plane was
very comfortable
and the weather was just right. He
said, 'Okay, but did you get in to see the
Pope?' I said,
Yes, and what is more I got a private
audience.' He said, 'And what did the
Pope say?'
I said, 'He said, "Where did you get
that lousy haircut ?”
19
20
Buy a Dog
If you want someone who will eat
whatever you put in front of him and
never says it's not quite as good as his
mother made it ...
then buy a dog.
If you want someone always willing
to go out, at any hour, for as long
and wherever you want ...
then buy a dog.
If you want someone who will never
touch the remote, doesn't care about
football, and can sit next to you
as you watch romantic movies ..
then buy a dog.
If you want someone who is
content to get up on your bed just to
warm your feet and whom you can
push off if he snores ..
then buy a dog.!
If you want someone who never
criticizes what you do, doesn't care if
you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin,
young or old, who acts as if every
word you say is especially worthy of
listening to, and loves you
unconditionally, perpetually ...
then buy a dog.
But, on the other hand, if you want
someone who will never come when
you call, ignores you totally when you
come home, leaves hair all over the
place walks all over you, runs around
all night and only comes home to eat
and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his
Happiness….
then buy a cat!
Now be honest, you thought I was
going to say....
Please close the gate??
Word search solution
Hidden song is;
Tie a yellow ribbon round the old Oak tree.
21
OUR AM
On Wednesday April 30th at 2.30PM
The branch held its annual meeting.
All standing members were elected for
another year. A new committee
member was welcomed aboard as our
web editor Kate Burness.
If anyone is interested, transcript of the
meetings minutes can be viewed at:
http://www.mssociety.org.uk/near-me/
branches/hounslow-branch
Barry Nunn
Tins and donations
FROM
Amount
Anna Davies
£8.74
John Davies
£16.82
Hansh Food
£16.80
Rose and Crown
£101.10
Queens Head
£29.70
Londis Beavers
£20.02
Ringway Super-
£13.14
Bridget
£13.92
Donation
B.Nunn
£44.60
Thanks go to all you who gave so
generously to our cause.
Henry, wake up now,
The cats got your teeth
A Ladies mouse!
22
Birthdays are:
Vi Oels June 15th.
Lisa Newell
Marlene Nunn July 31st
Brenda Whale August
10th.
A very happy birthday
you on
your special day.
Also to anybody
else who has a
special day we
say,
Best Wishes
go to all of our members who
are suffering from ill health at
the moment.
We wish all of you a full and
speedy recovery.
For those affected by
MS, financial help
may be available.
to assist in the cost of
some therapies.
Please note- retrospective financial
help cannot be made.
Please ring :
Kavita
our support officer who will deal
will all calls the strictest of
confidence.
020 8577 1964.
Speak clearly and slowly.
23
P
oets corner
"Hurrah! For The Life Of A Soldier"
By Rudyard Kipling, 1892
I went into a public- 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls behind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to playThe band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you Mr Atkins," when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian roo, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fighting', Lord! They'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins," when the trooper's on the tideThe troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins," when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to rollThe drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes," when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the windThere's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck 'im out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
24
MS National centre
020 8438 0700
MS Society
Hounslow Branch
82 New Heston Road,
Heston. TW5 0LJ
020 8577 1964 answer ‘phone
or our email address shown below:
[email protected]
Whose who in your branch:
Chair Brenda Whale
Email: [email protected]
Secretary, Newsletter and Web Editor Barry Nunn
Email: [email protected].
Treasurer and Membership Secretary Marlene Nunn
Email: [email protected]
Business Consultant
Mella Worley
Support Officers
Kavita Arora
Brenda Whale
Email [email protected]
Support for newly diagnosed (non visiting)
Committee Member:
Tony Morley
Non executive Web Editor:
Kate Burness
[email protected]
General volunteers
Vacant
Fundraising Officer—Vacant
Coffee mornings held every Monday at the above address
from 10am to 2pm (closed Bank Holidays)
Founder: Sir Richard Cave, KCVO, CB, DL