[tomfakes]

Off the original topic, but I read something in the last week for MS treatment that seems to cure it completely. This is done by taking the patient's own bone marrow, and transplanting it back after killing off the existing bone marrow.

Somehow, this has shown to be a cure, but the doctors that came up with it don't yet know why - the treatment is ahead of the knowledge in this case.

Edit: Here's the story I read: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Ottawa+doctors+behind+br...

[andrewcooke]

yeah, there are lots of new things coming through. but also, these things often are much riskier (or the risks are simply unknown because they are so new and, with chronic illness, you may be taking the drug for years). i think just this month something was approved (in the usa) that, for some people, apparently "cures" ms with just a few injections over two years. one of the options i face now (far down the list, thankfully) is only safe for 2 years - after that you hope something else has come along...

[didn't want to hijack the thread; posted initially because i think articles like this can lead to attacks on doctors, when often they are aware of the possibility that they are wrong, and are simply doing the best they can with limited data]