High Rate of MS is Colorado?! (buy, living in, moving to)

[Jonna]

Does this concern anyone or know why MS is so prevalent in Colorado?

I have 2 friends who have it now and had some co-workers who came down with it.

[.gif]

maybe it's because of the fumes generated by all the meth labs. or maybe it's just coincidence.

[Jonna]

Originally Posted by .gif

maybe it's because of the fumes generated by all the meth labs. or maybe it's just coincidence.

unlikely...

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Jonna

Does this concern anyone or know why MS is so prevalent in Colorado?

I have 2 friends who have it now and had some co-workers who came down with it.

"Environment also appears to make a difference. High altitude areas, both the northern and southern hemispheres, seem to have the highest frequency of MS patients. There were 50 to 100 cases per 100,000 in the higher latitudes and only 5 to 10 cases per 100,000 in the tropics. Agranoff, et al. "Diet and the Geographical Distribution of Multiple Sclerosis." Lancet. V.2. (1974) p.1061-1066."


From

Multiple Sclerosis: Facts, Disease Prevention and Treatment Strategies

[BlueWillowPlate]

The Colorado connection is real, and it's sad, and I kind of worry about my family.
MS strikes women twice as often as men and Caucasians more frequently than other ethnic groups. One in every 800 Coloradans has MS, making MS ten times more common in Colorado than in southern states. The lifetime economic losses of Colorado's MS population are estimated in the billions of dollars.
link
I have three different friends who came down with it, two women and one man, and have heard of several others who have it as well.

[yukon]

IUCCA Upper Cervical Chiropractic works by correcting irritation to the central nervous system, the fundamental cause of MS. Misalignments in the vertebrae of the upper cervical spine (upper neck) cause irritation to the nerves traveling between the brain and spinal cord resulting in central nervous system malfunction. Causes of upper neck misalignments include traumas to the head, neck, or spine, such as concussion, auto accidents, whiplash, sports injuries, bike and ski falls, and poor posture.

Wonder if the active outdoor lifestyle prevalent in Colorado has anything to do with it, rather than the altitude?

[jazzlover]

I, too, have several acquaintances and friends (all Colorado natives) who have contracted MS. I have read various theories about the correlation of altitude and latitude that seem to indicate an increased incidence in places like Colorado. Though I don't necessarily buy into this next theory, an MS specialist who treated one friend of mine theorizes that one causal factor may be that Colorado (along with New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah) were downwind of the numerous above-ground nuclear tests conducted in Nevada in the 1950's. His theory was that the airborne radiation from those tests tended to settle more readily in the higher altitude areas of the Rocky Mountains. Of course, that would affect people who were actually around during that period. An interesting theory: one of my friends with MS lived for a lengthy period in high mountain locales in Colorado, another in higher altitude areas of Utah. Both were living in those areas during the above-ground nuclear testing era.

[Market Mama]

There's also a statistically significant connection between blood levels of Vitamin D and MS, which correlates to the fact that in general people who live far enough north to experience winter have a lot less exposure to sunlight (which stimulates the skin to manufacture Vitamin D). You can Goggle a fair amount of published research on this correlation. I've heard that Washington state (further north and cloudier) has an even higher rate of MS that Colorado.

In addition, people who actually develop MS often have a family history of auto-immune diseases. MS is an auto-immune disease, and while it's possible it may be set off by head injuries, I haven't seen any research connecting poor posture etc. with MS. Yukon, I'd appreciate it if you would please cite the published research behind your statement (actual studies, not single doctor/single patient clinicals). Thanks.

[HappyMontrose]

Thanks Mama ...and others good info.

HM

[OutOfSoCal]

intersting thread,
oddly enough the wife MS is one of the main motivations for us moving to CO. Its just too hot in So Cal and it makes it much worse with the extreme heat. The summers just wipe her out completely, she can barely get through the day at work. Her MS isn't that bad, I have seen and read about alot worse. There is a significant link to genetics apparently.

National MS Society : Research Bulletin: International Collaborators Identify New Genetic Risk Factors for MS