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MS Formula Topical Cream
MS Formula Cream is composed of three specific ingredients with demonstrated anti-inflammatory and nutritional properties that may be relevant to the treatment of the autoimmune and inflammatory nerve-damaging disease, multiple sclerosis (MS). In a March 4, 2008, New York Times article entitled “From Multiple Sclerosis, a Multiplicity of Challenges”, it was noted that “...the failure of the medical establishment to solve mysteries like MS also prompts many patients to seek alternative remedies...the goal, then, for those considering alternative treatments is to make them complementary to, not competitive with, therapies that have passed muster in well-designed clinical trials.” MS is a very complicated disease, with highly deferential symptoms in intensity and variety when it comes to each patient. All patients should first discuss any alternative treatments with their doctors, especially when natural “biologics” are included in the alternative treatment. It should be noted that each MS patient’s medical history, including any and all prescribed medications, could possibly interact with any alternative treatment. That said, MS patients who, in consultation with their doctor, actively seek complementary or alternative medical products to help alleviate certain disease symptoms or to slow disease progression may benefit from MS Formula Cream. The bioactive substances present in this product include a vitamin and two plant-derived ingredients: 1) Cholecalciferol, more commonly known as Vitamin D-3 is the form of vitamin D produced in the human body. It is generated by the action of sunlight (specifically, UVB ultraviolet radiation) on a cholesterol-like molecule in the skin. The main function of vitamin D-3 is in contributing to normal bone growth and development by aiding calcium uptake, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties. MS Formula Cream uses vitamin D-3 rather than one of the other major forms of vitamin D because vitamin D-3 is the form made in the human body. 2) Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane (THFM; also known as tetrahydrocurcumin) is a purified natural product that is a chemical analog of curcumin, a substance derived from the turmeric plant, Curcuma longa. (Turmeric, a member of the ginger family, is a key ingredient of curry powder). THFM has anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant and antioxidant properties plus other pharmacological effects. 3) Quercetin is a plant-derived flavonoid, or plant pigment, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as other potential health benefits. It is believed that quercetin is one of the most biologically active flavonoids. A search of the scientific literature reveals a number of studies involving the potential of vitamin D-3, THFM and quercetin to protect against or alleviate symptoms of MS. Among these, vitamin D-3 may be the most well-known with respect to potential protective and therapeutic effects in MS. Vitamin D-3 supplementation may be useful as a means of reducing the likelihood of developing the disease, as well as alleviating MS symptoms and/or limiting disease progression. Regarding MS disease prevention, epidemiological evidence exists that the incidence of MS has been more common in people who live at high latitudes (farther from the equator) than at low latitudes where there is constant sun exposure. In the US, it also appears that the incidence of MS is increasing in the sunny Southern and Western states, possibly because more people are either avoiding sun exposure or using sunscreens that, while preventing skin cancer, also interfere with vitamin D production. It has been speculated that vitamin D deficiency may be an environmental factor in MS, perhaps triggering disease development. It has been hypothesized that abundant vitamin D, achieved either through natural means (i.e., increased sun exposure) or through supplementation could be an important means of preventing MS. This hypothesis received a huge boost recently when a study of seven million individuals suggested that vitamin D reduces the risk of developing MS. The study, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (volume 296, pages 2832-2838, 2006), found that U.S. military personnel of Caucasian heritage (though not persons of color) with high blood levels of vitamin D were 62 percent less likely to develop MS than persons with low levels of the vitamin. The authors suggested that increased vitamin D levels had the potential to prevent MS, despite a lack of direct proof that vitamin D deficiency is a cause of MS. (Important note: MS Formula Cream, with THFM and quercetin in addition to vitamin D-3, was designed primarily for use by MS patients. For individuals specifically interested in topical vitamin D-3 supplementation as a possible means of preventing MS development, it is suggested that HPL’s Vitamin D-3 Topical Cream be used for this purpose. HPL also makes another vitamin D-rich product, Cod Liver Oil Topical Cream). The potential utility of vitamin D-3 as a treatment for MS is largely based on the research of Colleen Hayes and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin. These researchers studied the ability of the hormonal form of vitamin D-3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3, in a mouse model of MS known as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In this autoimmune disease model, which is induced by immunizing mice with myelin basic protein (MBP), the vitamin D-3 analog could both prevent EAE development and prevent its progression, depending on the dosing regimen. Furthermore, the disease could progress if dosing of the vitamin D-3 analog was halted, while a deficiency of the analog led to an increased susceptibility to EAE (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 93:7861-4, 2006). Subsequent research regarding the mechanism(s) of action of vitamin D-3 analogs include a) decreased production of proinflammatory cytokine (biochemical signaling molecule) interleukin-12 (IL-12), b) increased production of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10; decreased accumulation of proinflammatory macrophages, in the central nervous system, c) a decrease in another type of cells related to inflammatory responses known as Th1 cells (for type 1 helper T-cells), and d) the modulation of additional proinflammatory cellular and biochemical signaling activities. Curcuminoid substances such as THFM possess anti-inflammatory properties that may be relevant to the treatment of MS. Vanderbilt University researchers such as J. J. Bright (currently at Methodist Research Institute of Indianapolis) demonstrated curcumin’s effectiveness at inhibiting nerve demyelination (destruction of the outer covering) in a mouse model of EAE. It was further demonstrated that one key mechanism by which curcumin alleviated EAE involved blocking proinflammatory cytokine IL-12, which in turn decreases the induction of T cells associated with the demyelination process (Journal of Immunology 168:6506-13, 2002). Curcumin also can inhibit the activation of nuclear transcription factor kappaB, another biochemical associated with inflammatory diseases such as MS. Furthermore, Dr. Bright has noted a host of additional cytokines and molecules involved in autoimmune and inflammatory processes that can be inhibited by curcumin and related substances (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 595:425-51, 2007). Quercetin, though chemically different from curcumin, appears to act by a similar mechanism of inhibiting inflammatory cytokines. In fact, quercetin was also tested in the mouse EAE model system employed by J. J. Bright at Vanderbilt. Not surprisingly, quercetin, like curcumin and vitamin D-3 analogs, alleviated EAE through the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine IL-12 (Journal of Clinical Immunology 24:542-52, 2004). Recently, researchers at Tufts University found that quercetin inhibited the degranulation of mast cells, another inflammatory process that may be involved in the pathology of MS (Clinical and Experimental Medicine 6:150-6, 2006). There are no specific reports in the literature of topical vitamin D-3, curcumin (or THFM) or quercetin in the treatment of MS. However, topical preparations containing vitamin D-3 or curcumin appear to have utility in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, with skin healing results comparable or superior to that of conventional therapies. Similarly, topically applied curcumin has been used to inhibit chemically induced inflammation. MS Formula Cream thus represents a novel, potentially attractive option for the alleviation of MS symptoms in patients who are actively searching for alternative approaches to the management of their condition. Ingredients: Deionized Water, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Simugel 600, Lecithin, Alcohol, Glycerin, Quercetin, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Sepigel 305, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Cholecalciferol, Corn Oil. 2 ounces For external use only. Store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
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