Sept. 3, 1999

For those that can't get to the Procarin website, for whatever reasons, I'm entering Elaine Delack's hypothesis here. Doctors move over!! 

ELAINE DELACK'S HYPOTHESIS OF MS

Due to the overwhelming requests from patients asking for my hypothesis which Procarin is based on, I have decided to attempt to explain my hypothesis and yet maintain the confidentiality of the actual components. My hypothesis is based on numerous medical research studies from such journals as Journal of Neuroscience Research; Archives of Neurology; Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior; Journal Laboratory and Clinical Medicine; Annals of Neurology; Journal of Neurochemistry to name a few.

Research studies show that MS patients have a deficiency in a very important neurotransmitter. The cell bodies that produce this neurotransmitter (NT) may be destroyed by an infectious agent such as a virus as indicated by the fact that MS patients have an abnormally high level of measles virus antibodies in their cerebral spinal fluid. This NT is the most potent stimulator in our body to produce a component that is necessary for the maintenance of the myelin in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

Studies show that the oligodendrocytes, which are the myelin producing cells of the central nervous system, self degenerate in the absence of this component, but become active myelin producing cells again when given back this component. Our body needs this component every minute and the primary avenue of making this component is by this NT. If this primary avenue is defunct, then our body breaks down its energy molecule (ATP) to produce this component. This accounts for the overwhelming fatigue.

Furthermore, this NT is the heat stress regulator for the body. Thus the more heat a person is exposed to, the more this NT is required to be produced. There are many demyelinating diseases, but a classic stressor for MS patients is heat. Heat worsens the MS symptoms. In fact, MS used to be diagnosed by putting a patient in a hot tub and if their symptoms got worse then they were diagnosed as having MS.

This NT is also a very important stress modulator for the body. Again, the more stress a person experiences, whether it be emotional, physical, or environmental, the more of this NT is required. This is why stress triggers an exacerbation in MS patients.

Studies show that MS patients have undigested protein and fat in their  stools. This NT stimulates the secretion of gastric enzymes that digest these foods. Thus if you are lacking this NT, you will not be able to completely digest these items. This NT also stimulates the secretion of the intrinsic factor, which is necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12 from the intestines.

Studies show that MS patients often have macrocytosis, enlarged red blood cells due to a vitamin B12 deficiency. Also MS patients have an abnormally low level of vitamin B12 in the cerebral spinal fluid. The reason for this may be because vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin and thus cannot cross the blood brain barrier that protects and houses the brain and spinal cord unless it is hooked to a protein carrier. The binding of vitamin B12 to a carrier molecule occurs in the liver and this NT is necessary for this process. Also this NT increases the permeability of the blood brain barrier as well as maintains the integrity of the blood brain barrier. Recent research shows that the integrity and permeability of the blood brain barrier in MS patients is abnormal perhaps due to the lack of this NT.

This NT also stimulates the production of melatonin and serotonin. Research studies show that deficient levels of these components result in striated muscle (skeletal or voluntary) paralysis such as during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep which occurs when melatonin is at its lowest level. This sleep atonia or paralysis is a normal symptom of REM sleep and this NT plays an important role in the circadian rhythm (the wake / sleep cycle) by stimulating the secretion of melatonin and thus the sleep paralysis is resolved upon awaking. MS patients have an abnormally low level of melatonin due to the lack of this NT and thus many MS patients experience sleep atonia or paralysis into the waking states.

Based on these medical research facts, my hypothesis is the following I believe that MS is a result of an infectious agent, very possible a provirus, that attacks this NT producing cell bodies in the central nervous system. A virus unlike bacteria is unable to reproduce itself, so it has to trick the cell into reproducing it. Proviruses, or slow viruses, sit dormant in a cell until a stressor causes it to become active and it begins to trick the cell into reproducing it.

The NT producing cells become busy making the virus rather than this important NT and a person starts to experience symptoms of MS due to the lack of this NT being produced. Eventually the NT producing cell body becomes so full of the virus that it explodes dumping the virus and the cell contents, which we call enzymes that the cell normally is intended to make, into the blood and cerebral spinal fluid. This results in an increased level of the NT, which in turn stimulates the making  of the component that maintains the myelin. This results in a decrease of MS symptoms and a person goes into a remission.

But many of the dumped viruses from the damaged NT producing cells are able to invade more NT producing cells. The virus in these newly invaded cells remains dormant until once again a stressor triggers the virus to become active and the above cycle is repeated. This is what I believe is happening during the Remissive ñ Relapsive stage of MS.

Once the NT producing cells have been depleted to the point that the body can no longer produce enough of this NT to maintain the myelin as well as the many other functions that it is involved in, the MS symptoms begin to worsen steadily. This I believe is the stage that is called Secondary Progressive MS.

I believe that Chronic Progressive MS happens when a person experiences a severe attack on these NT producing cells and because of the number of NT producing cells being destroyed, the person experiences a rapid steady decline with no remissions all due to the deficient level of the NT. I believe this is why the Interferons, which are also known as antivirals, show more effectiveness in Remissive Relapsive MS than in Secondary Progressive and no effectiveness in Chronic Progressive MS. This is because the NT producing cells are depleted to the point that not enough NT can be produced to maintain the myelin as well as perform the other functions involving NT, the MS symptoms will progress and the myelin will continue to self degenerate no matter how much antiviral or Interferon is given.

The immune system is hyped in MS patients because the immune system is trying to keep the virus or infectious agent in check. Also cells have what are called mast cell mediators which are like warning flags for the immune system when there is cell destruction.

The myelin cells which self degenerate in the absence of the component that is produced as a result of the NT, release these mast cell mediators to signal the immune system that there is a problem and to come clean up the debris. Macrophages and phagocytes are very large white blood cells that are first to the seen of any cell destruction. I believe the increased immune cell activity at the site of the myelin cell destruction is the macrophages and phagocytes that are there to clean up the cell debris of the self-degenerating myelin cells. There have never been any antibodies to the myelin identified. In fact, studies show that MS patients during an exacerbation have an abnormally low T cell count (T cells are the immune cells that make antibodies). This contradicts the autoimmune theory that the body is attacking the myelin, because a primary immune attack response is to make antibodies to target foreign particles, and seek out to destroy these targets if encountered in the future.

One component in Procarin mimics the NT that the body is lacking in MS patients. Another component in Procarin blocks the breakdown of the component that is necessary for the regeneration and maintenance of the myelin. I believe this is why many MS patients who are using the Procarin patch are reporting to us an improvement in symptoms.

Predominately the first symptom reported to improve is the fatigue. I believe the reason for this, is that the body ís ATP energy molecule is no longer being used up to produce the component so vitally needed to maintain and regenerate the myelin as well as needed in almost all cellular functions, because the NT which is the primary avenue of producing this component has been provided and the levels of this component have been maintained longer by the components in Procarin. Many of the people using Procarin report a steady slow subtle improvement.

People must remember that the nerve pathways atrophy just as do the muscles with lack of use. It takes time to rebuild and strengthen these pathways.

Research has shown that the nerve dendrites grow in children and adults as they learn new things and utilize these active nerve pathways repeatedly. During the 3 months of summer vacation, studies have shown that these dendrites actually shrink and atrophy due to lack of constant use and that it takes a month or so of repeated use to rebuild the dendrites back to where they were prior to summer vacation. Now just think how long it may take to rebuild these nerve pathways if you are an MS patient and you have not utilized many of these nerve pathways for years.

One must be patient and perform exercises daily to strengthen and rebuild these nerve pathways.

This is only a hypothesis. It will take more studies to prove this hypothesis and until then I plan to continue my quest to find the cure for MS.

Sincerely,

Elaine DeLack