Multiple Sclerosis, the French Paradox.

MS, France, European Court ruling, and what it means for you.

The recrudescence of autoimmune conditions has led groups of scientists to raise questions to understand what could be the causes, pathways and how to reverse them. 

Many studies have identified some of the causes. When, it appears that the pharmaceutical industry may be involved, it takes years or decades to make the case stronger to have this multi-billion pounds (dollars) machinery, to accept that it may be true. 

This is exactly what is happening in France today, and the news has yet to spread outside of its borders. 
It all began in the 90s.
In 1992, following a recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO). A national campaign almost immediately began, and young children were vaccinated "en masse" against Hepatitis B (I had to be vaccinated myself: the vaccination is compulsory to anyone working in the food industry and in the health sector).
This has led over 20 million people to be vaccinated in under 4 years (1994–1997). 
Over two decades ago, French scientists have tried to pull the alarm but little has been done. 
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"MS cases in some vaccinated adults were rapidly notified to the French national pharmacovigilance system (ANSM), triggering investigation by this agency. This inquiry, started in 1994, was therefore already underway when French media revealed possible occurrence of post-immunization MS in 1998. This year [2014], French health authorities abruptly terminated routine school-based vaccination of preteens, and adult HB vaccination began to be less widespread." writes Dominique Le Houézec, in the Immunologic Research  (Le Houézec, D. 2014. p. 220)
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He adds: "Several epidemiological studies have been evaluating the correlation between HB vaccination and MS in adults for a decade. Most of these publications found the absence of a link or a slightly increased risk, but not sufficiently significant on the statistical level. However, different opinions have also been formulated. A study aiming at quantifying underreporting in Fourrier’s article was conducted by D. Costagliola on request of the French pharmacovigilance. This unpublished study showed by the ‘‘capture–recapture’’ method that the real number of MS cases linked to HB vaccine was 2–2.5 higher than the officially registered number."

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Would these findings surprise you?

Who/what organisation/corporation sponsored/backed up previous studies? What was their gain, or their possible loss arising from the discovery of a possible link?

Just two simple questions that make us question the system in which we have been "forced" to believe in. Pasteur, on his death-bed, recognised he had been wrong and that antibiotics – suppressing symptoms – were not the answer, but it was too late, a money-making industry was born. 

Lobbying governments means that our health may be at risk, thus putting our lives at the mercy of the very powerful Pharmaceutical industry. 

Just a quick note out of this article but which I think is pertinent: Chemotherapy has a very questionable and somewhat frightening 2.1% successful rate – as it causes more damage than good – (Morgan, G. et al. 2004) and yet a dose could cost about $5.00 to produce, but can be billed at up to $30,000.00, with $7.000.00 a pop (Mauney, M. 2017).
This is an undeniable correlation between "treatment" and the accumulation of billions of Pounds (dollars) in the pockets of Pharmaceutical companies.


"On June 3 [2014], the Portuguese researchers published their work under the title "Myofasciite macrophages and vaccination: Consequence or coincidence?". Their conclusion after studying a Portuguese cohort of 16 cases: "Based on the accumulated data, this immune-mediated disorder can be triggered by exposure to vaccines containing aluminium in patients with specific genetic background." expose Catherine Gaches and Didier Lambert (2014) on the Agoravox website, for REVAHB, an associations representing victims of adverse events in the aftermath of a vaccination against hepatitis B

Personally, I would agree that a study conducted on a very small number of participants (e.g. 16) may not be enough to create a momentum, but I believe it is a start and it must instigate further and thorough research.  

Aluminium used in vaccine has been the subject of many controversies, since it is proven to be a neurotoxin. "In spite of this, the notion that aluminium in vaccines is safe appears to be widely accepted. Experimental research, however, clearly shows that aluminium adjuvants have a potential to induce serious immunological disorders in humans. In particular, aluminium in adjuvant form carries a risk for autoimmunity, long-term brain inflammation and associated neurological complications and may thus have profound and widespread adverse health consequences. In our opinion, the possibility that vaccine benefits may have been overrated and the risk of potential adverse effects underestimated, has not been rigorously evaluated in the medical and scientific community." write Lucija Tomljenovic and Christopher Shaw in the Current Medicinal Chemistry (2011. p. 2630)

I hope this is enough to make a point and help you make up your mind, and for you to use your better judgement when it comes to trusting and not questioning the Status Quo. 

The point of this article was that the the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled on June 21th, 2017 (despite the apparent lack of conclusive evidences, due to research not being executed properly or prevented from being published) that a large array of grave indications, precise, and consistent, could suffice to prove the link causality between a vaccine and the onset of disease in the absence of a scientific consensus.
This, in any way, confirms a link but it gives an individual the right to bring their story to court and claim compensation but it is at the individual (or "victim") to bring the element of evidence. e.g. The excellent state of health of the victim preceding the vaccination, the absence of family history related to this disease and the time between the vaccination and the onset of the disease are enough indications and proof for compensation. (Kastler, F. 2017. p. 120)

The WHO recognises that, in 2015, 900,000 people have died from side-effects of Hepatitis B and 257 Millions suffer from chronic infections worldwide.
As a measure of precaution, vaccination is recommended for infants (11 months) until 15 years of age, but mortality has been established at 2.6 for 100.000 vaccination, 2.5% more in Males than females. Datas are from 2004-2005 (https://www.mesvaccins.net/web/diseases/6-hepatite-b). These are over a decade old, and numbers today are far from being that low and, proper and current, data collection must be done. 

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurological condition: it affects the nerves of the brain and spinal cord. It is caused when the immune system is not working properly and attack the body itself. The coating that protects the nerves, also called the Myelin sheath is damaged and this can generate a range of symptoms. 

The MS society estimates that there are 107,000 people with MS in the UK and that each year 5,000 people people are newly diagnosed with the condition (approximately, 14 people every day): This equals to 1 in every 600 people in the UK.

What happens in MS?

To understand MS we need to understand the Nervous System, especially the Central Nervous System (CNS). The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is not involved. 

"[...]To endowing the axons to conduct trains of impulses at a high speed, myelination and node formation results in a remarkable saving of space and energy. This is particularly important in the CNS, where space is restricted. Unlike the PNS, most CNS axons are myelinated, and several axons may be myelinated by a single cell. This adds further economy of space and energy. On the other hand the high level of complexity of the CNS white matter makes it vulnerable. There are several different kinds of disease affecting myelinated fibre tracts, particularly with respect to CNS white matter." explain Hildebrand, C. et al. (1993. p. 319)
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Special cells cover the axon (nerve), thus protecting it and facilitating the nerve impulse travel: the message can, therefore, travel quickly and smoothly between the brain (CNS) and the rest of the body (PNF). 

In MS, cells of the immune system, which helps fighting off infections, enter the brain and/or spinal cord and mistake the myelin for a foreign body and attacks it. This generates damage to the myelin sheath and strips the nerve fibre bare, in part or completely, leaving scars known as lesions or plaques. 
The nerve impulse is, therefore, affected as the damage to the myelin sheath disrupts messages travelling along nerve fibres, which may become distorted or not sent through at all. 

Damage to the nerve fibre itself can also occur and cause disability over time. 
Read more: www.nhs.uk/conditions/multiple-sclerosis/causes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4609887

Usually, an autoimmune condition occurs following an infection and the immune system has generated special memory cells to be activated as soon as the microbe is found to enter the body again. This generate a swift and mounts a much bigger response whenever this occurs.   

It has been established that there is a link between the HBV (Epstein-Barr virus) virus and MS. A study conducted this year (august 2017),declared that their finding  "points to a strong biological link between EBV infection and MS risk." demonstrate Langer-Gould, A. et al. (2017. p. 1330), in the Neurologic Journal. 

This does not mean that the EBV virus will generate MS, but that it is a risk cause, the memory cells of the immune system having collected informations, such as antigens, a molecule, that can match molecules of the Myelin sheath. 

The biggest problem people with MS face is the wide array of symptoms arising from the destruction of the myelin sheath. It is usually when they become extreme that an individual will seek medical advice, or it could be that symptoms were treated without looking at a correlation with MS.  
Specific symptoms depends on what part of the CNS is damaged, how badly an axon is damaged, and what job that damaged nerve was entrusted with.   

Symptoms often include vision problems, balance problems, dizziness, fatigue, stiffness and/or spasms, tremors, difficulties swallowing, bladder and bowel problems. 
MS may also have an impact on memory, concentration, thinking, and emotions as a whole, and in various degrees. 
Now, you can understand why MS is not detected in the earlier stage. 

 

References:

Gaches, C. Lambert, D. (2014). A new study links between hepatitis b vaccine and multiple sclerosis. Available at:
http://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/sante/article/une-nouvelle-etude-fait-le-lien-160174. Last accessed 4th December 2017.
​(click translate at top of browser window).

Hildebrand, C. et al. (1993). Myelinated nerve fibres in the CNS. Progress in neurobiology. 40 (3), pp. 319–84.

Kastler, F. (2017). Hépatite B, incertitude scientifique et causalité juridique. Les Tribunes de la santé. 56 (3), pp. 11–18.

Langer-Gould, A. et al. (2017). Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and multiple sclerosis susceptibility A multiethnic study. Neurology. 89 (13), pp. 1330–1337.

​Le Houézec, D. (2014). Evolution of multiple sclerosis in France since the beginning of hepatitis B vaccination. Immunologic Research. 60 (2–3), pp. 219–225.
Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266455/pdf/12026_2014_Article_8574.pdf. Last accessed: 4th December2017.

Mauney, M. (2017). Cost of Mesothelioma Treatment. Available: https://www.asbestos.com/treatment/expenses. Last accessed 4th December 2017.

Morgan, G. Ward, R. Barton, M. (2004). The contribution of cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adult malignancies. Clinical oncology : a journal of the Royal College of Radiologists. 16 (8), pp. 549–60.

Tomljenovic, L. Shaw, CA. (2011). Aluminum vaccine adjuvants: are they safe? Current medicinal chemistry. 18 (17), pp. 2630–2637.