Multiple Sclerosis Information
Please take less than 5 minutes to sign the petition today.

Some of you may know of someone with multiple sclerosis, a relative, friend, a friend of a
friend, associate etc.  You may have even seen or heard that someone has the illness, but
either or, alert yourselves that it is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed.  Remind
yourselves that because multiple sclerosis does not discriminate, it could affect you or a
loved one.  While browsing through countless websites, checking email, talking on the
telephone etc, please take the time to help make a difference by informing congress to
increase funding for such a debilitating disease.  Again, it may or it may not affect you
[personally], but funding will benefit all who thrive to live productive lives.  

Please take less than 5 minutes to sign the petition today.

And as a friendly reminder, I can not tell you how important it is to purchase disability
insurance, as no one knows what the future might bring.  Check with your employer and
additionally, keep informed of the  FMLA  laws.
Click the box below to help inform your legislators to increase funding for Multiple Sclerosis
research.  It only takes less than FIVE MINUTES to complete the petition.
SCIENTIST HAVE MADE THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS:

 In the United States, there are estimated to be 400,000 people with MS. Although more people are being diagnosed
with MS today than in the past, the reasons for this are not clear.
 Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although it can occur in young children and
significantly older adults.
 Worldwide, MS occurs with much greater frequency in higher latitudes (above 40° latitude) away from the equator,
than in lower latitudes, closer to the equator. Even within one geographic area, however, where latitude and climate
are fairly consistent, prevalence rates may differ significantly. These differences demonstrate that geographical
factors are not the only ones involved.
 MS is more common among Caucasians (particularly those of northern European ancestry) than other ethnic
groups, and is almost unheard of in some populations, such as Inuit, Yakutes, Hutterites, Hungarian Romani,
Norwegian Lapps, Australian Aborigines, New Zealand Maoris. Thus, ethnicity and geography seem to interact in
some complex way to impact prevalence figures in different parts of the world.
 Scientists have long been searching for an infectious agent that might trigger MS. While many different viruses
have been suggested, including rabies, herpes simplex virus, measles, corona virus, canine distemper virus, HTLV-1,
Epstein-Barr virus, among others, none has yet been confirmed. Although no trigger has yet been identified, most MS
experts believe that some infectious agent is involved in initiating the disease process.
 Migration from one geographic area to another seems to alter a person's risk of developing MS. Studies indicate
that immigrants and their descendents tend to take on the risk level—either higher or lower—of the area to which they
move. The change in risk, however, may not appear immediately. Those who move before the age of 15 tend to take
on the new risk themselves. For those who move after the age of 15, the change in risk level may not appear until the
next generation.
 MS is approximately two to three times more common in women than in men, suggesting that hormones may also
play a significant role in determining susceptibility to MS.
 Genetic factors are thought to play a significant role in determining who develops MS. The average person in the
United States has about one chance in 750 of developing MS. But close (first-degree) relatives of people with MS,
such as children, siblings or non-identical twins, have a higher chance—ranging from one in 100 to one in 40.
 Certain outbreaks or "clusters" of MS have been identified, but the cause and significance of these outbreaks are
not known.
 Clearly, many unanswered questions remain. While it may be tempting to try and find short-cuts to the answers, or
to tell ourselves that we know more than we actually do about who gets MS and why, we need to recognize the
complexities involved and look to future epidemiological studies to help unravel the facts.
SIGN THE PETITION TO FUND MS RESEARCH
Chelsae Heiner is the creator of this video