Fw: [MSViews_Multiple_Sclerosis] CRAB effectiveness

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message ----- From: Snead

MSViews_Multiple_Sclerosis

Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 2:09 PM

Subject: [MSViews_Multiple_Sclerosis] CRAB effectiveness

Here's something I'd like to share that is pertinent to some ongoing group discussions. I've tried to keep this as short and as easy to read as possible. I hope I've succeeded.A couple of months before my diagnosis of RRMS, my sister did a ton of investigation into MS for me. I thank God that she did because none of my doctors, neuros, etc. gave me even the remotest indication that there were any options to fighting the progression of MS besides the CRABs. I always knew that I really didn't want to do any of the CRABs but reading the research convinced me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I do not ever want to take any of the drugs. Personally, I've chosen to follow Dr. Swank's diet (with over 30 years of documentation), but that's not the point of this post.One of the websites that really opened my eyes to the CRABs is this: http://www.themcfox.com/index.htmlThis site includes easy to read and understand effectiveness charts for the drugs.What really made me sit up and take notice was my sister's explanation of how to accurately read the statistics because they are not as 'wonderful'(?) as they would first appear. You HAVE to compare the drug results to the placebo results. Take for example, Avonex:I'll use the second chart to explain. http://www.themcfox.com/multiple-sclerosis/ms-drugs/avonex/avonex-effectiveness.htm This chart compares the number of exacerbations between those who took the drug for 2 years and those who took a placebo for 2 years. Those who experienced zero exacerbations during the 2 years were 26% on placebo and 38% on Avonex. At first glance you'd think that the drug was effective in 38% of the people, but you'd be wrong (sorry). Since 26% of the placebo people had zero exacerbations, the drug actually has only a 12% effectiveness rate (the difference between the 26% and 38%). So the rest of the chart shows that the drug has only 1%-12% effectiveness with exacerbation rates.When I realized that the drugs had considerably less than the 30+% effectiveness that I had been told they have, and read about the many potential side effects and then added in the cost of the drugs, I just wasn't willing to give any of the CRABs a try. Don't forget to add in the fact that these drugs have no long-term documentation because they just haven't been on the market all that long.Please don't take any of this as bashing any of the CRABs. All I'm doing here is presenting the accurate way to understand the true effectiveness of these drugs. I leave everyone to arrive at their own conclusions--I just wanted to share how I arrived at my personal decisions on how to fight my own MS. The wonderful news is that there are healthy ways to slow the progression of this disease (which is all the drugs are attempting to do) that are good for you and your family and won't break the bank. There are several MS diets out there to check out and I hope that others on this board will post their websites. The Swank website is: http://swankmsdiet.com/Blessings,Link for chat: MSViews_Multiple_Sclerosis/chat Photos:http://photos./group/MSViews_Multiple_Sclerosis/lstGroup Home: MSViews_Multiple_SclerosisMyMSViews Home: http://www.mymsviews.org Home: MSViews_Multiple_SclerosisMyMSViews Home: http://www.mymsviews.org