Bardhyll t1_je7fdtd wrote on March 29, 2023 at 11:18 PM

Reply to comment by give_me_yr_coffee in Gut Bacteria Toxin Linked to Onset and Relapse of Multiple Sclerosis – Study suggests the onset and relapse of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be initiated by epsilon toxin from gut bacteria Clostridium perfringens. by swhelan_tn

I’ve personally seen surprising improvement using the opposite approach - the addition of a low grade antibiotic (doxycycline) course. It’s been the only change to her treatment in the last several years. It’s astounding to see someone with relapsing remitting MS go from barely able to lift her hand to feed herself to almost standing on her own and doing a couple laps around the living room with a walker.

Edit: to add this is obviously an n of 1 anecdote, but it gives me an insight to investigate further.

give_me_yr_coffee t1_je7jfme wrote on March 29, 2023 at 11:48 PM

Interesting. Is the theory that MS is caused by whatever the doxycycline kills off?

Bardhyll t1_je87jsc wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:52 AM

With a disease like MS very little is known definitively about the direct cause. The broad theory is that something triggers the immune system to attack the nerve cells causing severe scaring (sclerosis) which degrades or eventually completely blocks neuron function. The biggest puzzle has been what causes the blood brain barrier breach in this autoimmune reaction. However, given how much we are now uncovering regarding the gut microbiome link with brain function and mental health, it’s plausible that a Clostridium infection in the gut could open such a pathway.

After posting my comment above I went back to the literature and confirmed that doxycycline does indeed cover clostridium perfringens. I would be very interested to see a patient trial, but I don’t expect many pharmaceutical companies are lining up to discover a new disease treatment for a drug that has been in commercial use for more than 50 years.