Is there a Cure?
There is no cure for MS. A cure would have to repair the damage already done to the nervous system and prevent any further loss of myelin in the future. This is not yet possible. However, many of the symptoms can be effectively controlled. The last few years have also seen the launch of several drugs which are not directly related to individual symptoms, but have a beneficial effect on the frequency and severity of relapses. From time to time headlines crop up in the media about new ‘cures’ for MS and other diseases. These are best treated with a healthy scepticism: magazines and newspapers are notoriously inaccurate in their reporting of medical ‘breakthroughs’. Medical research is a painstaking process that requires an effect to be repeated many times before it can be regarded as reliable. Even after that, a lengthy period of evaluation is needed before a treatment can be approved for use. Many treatments that are seized upon early in their development turn out to be ineffective in wider trials. Nevertheless, there are exciting developments being made in MS research, your doctor or one of the MS charities will be able to give you accurate information.