Help! I've fallen again and I can't get up - MS Australia

6
MS RESEARCH
MS is highly variable and unpredictable and spontaneous
changes in disease can be confused for treatment
benefits. So large so-called ‘Phase 3’ clinical trials in MS
must be carefully designed, using sufficient numbers of
people who have been randomly assigned to specific
treatment groups. One group might receive the
experimental therapy and another, the ‘control’ group,
might receive either a standard treatment or an
inactive placebo.
To avoid bias introduced by the physician’s or
participant’s expectations, (‘placebo effect’), most large
trials are ‘blinded’ to reduce the chance that patients
and examining physicians know to which group any
individual is assigned.
A statistically relevant number of participants is
essential, and the study is often conducted at a number
of different sites (‘multicenter’) to ensure that the agent
can be used equivalently in many different settings.
Different agents may have different effects on various
types of MS, so trials must be designed to answer
questions on a specific disease type, and care must be
taken to enroll only participants who have that
type of MS.
Only at the end of a well-designed study, the true
efficacy and safety of the new agent can be determined.
At that time, if an agent seems to be effective and
relatively safe to use, a sponsor (usually a pharmaceutical
company) will approach the relevant authorities (e.g. the
US Food and Drug Administration) for approval to
market the agent for MS.
(With thanks to the National MS Society in the USA
who published this information in Spring 2000.)
Great News
Regarding Insurance
You may have read previously that life insurance is
available to PwMS. Now I have definite proof.
I was contacted by a PwMS who is on Avonex. To my
delight and surprise, she was approved for life insurance
at a much lower premium than even I had expected.
This is magnificent! It proves that insurance companies
are now starting (emphasise starting) to look at MS as
a disease that is manageable and not necessarily life
threatening.
As an aside to this, I also have access to disability
insurance in limited situations. If you are working and
the place of employment has at least five employees,
then we may be able to assist in obtaining disability
cover through superannuation. Conditions do apply, and
you will need to contact my office to understand these
conditions. But at least it is available.
I strongly encourage all PwMS to examine their
insurance situation. Not just their own, but anyone
financially linked to them (such as spouse, partner,
business partner etc). The need for insurance of these
people is vital, especially if you are a PwMS and may find
life financially difficult without that person.
If you feel you need to review your insurance, please
contact me as I can probably assist.
Todd Cameron is a proper authority holder with AMP
Financial Planning, Licensed securities dealer, A.C.N. no.
051 208 327. He can be contacted on 02 9739 8620 or
tcameron@insureinvest.com.au
Annoucing the Book!
It’s a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no
wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be
connected or switched on. It’s so easy to use even a
child can operate it. Just lift its cover. Compact and
portable, it can be used anywhere—even sitting in an
armchair by the fire—yet it is powerful enough to hold
as much information as a CD-ROM.
Here’s how it works: each BOOK is constructed of
sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable),
each capable of holding thousands of bits of
information. These pages are locked together with a
custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the
sheets in their correct sequence. By using both sides of
each sheet, manufacturers are able to cut costs in half.
Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information
directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to
the next sheet. The book may be taken up at any time
and used by merely opening it. The “browse” feature
allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move
forward and backward as you wish. Most come with an
“index” feature, which pinpoints the exact location of
any selected information for instant retrieval.
An optional “BOOKmark” accessory allows you to
open the BOOK to the exact place you left it in a
previous session—even if the BOOK has been closed.
BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus a single
BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various
manufacturers.
Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is the
entertainment wave of the future, an many new titles
are expected soon, due to the surge in popularity of its
programming tool, the Portable Erasable-Nib Cryptic
Intercommunication Language Stylus.
MAGSCENE – INTERCOMMUNICATION FOR PEOPLE WITH MS – NEW SOUTH WALES