This survey was sent out as part of MS'ers Newsletter # 52 in June of 1997. We were attempting to answer several questions about the history, attitude and type of treatment that MS patients were using at that time.

First we wanted to get a handle on the gender and ages of our MS Newsletter participants. We wanted to do that while maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of our group members. I developed a web code system which allowed me to keep track of who the members are, yet provides anonymous but accurate detailed information for other MS patients to draw conclusions from.

At the time we listed the following treatments: 1- Do Nothing except hope for the best, 2 - Use the power of prayer to control the disease, 3 - Use only general drug therapy (Corticosteroid or other similar treatment) 4 - Cobra Venom Injections or Bee Sting therapy, 5 - The Swank Lo-fat Diet treatment, 6 - The Dr. Hans Nieper 2-AEP protocols, 7 - Amalgam (Mercury) tooth fillings replaced, 8 - Avonex, 9 - Betaseron, 10 - Copaxone (COP-1), 11 - Chemotherapy drug therapy, 12 - The Myelin Project, 13 - Non Prescription Food Supplements (vitamins, pycnogenol, liquid minerals, colostrum, etc) 14 - Manual manipulation (physical therapy, massage, Chiropractic, etc)

In our current survey we have eliminated many of these as not viable enough for a majority of patients. Some patients do continue to use these treatments and would like to see us continue to gather information. So, if you feel that you would like to fill out this survey we do still have some surveys available. Please send a SASE and request MS Newsletter # 52 including the survey.

Two of the main things we were trying to identify were how much patients felt stress impacted on their symptoms and whether or not being breast fed as a baby had a bearing on the frequency or severity of MS in our group.

In the 126 initial returns (85 females and 41 males), 106 answered the question about stress. 83 definitely related stress (physical, mental or emotional) to stress. 20 did not see any relationship and 3 were unsure.

Of those who knew about their own breast feeding background, 67 were never breast fed (44 female - 23 male). 26 (19 females - 7 males) were breast fed for less than 6 months. 17 (12 females - 5 males) longer than 6 months but less than 1 year. 3 females were breast fed over 1 year but less than 2 years and 1 male was breast fed over 2 years.

The background of the breast feeding is twofold. My wife Barbara was born in a German enclave in Yugoslavia. By tradition, all female children were breast fed for 2 years and all male children for 3 years. To her knowledge there was never a case of MS in the German population of Yugoslavia even though the diet was the typical "beer and butter" diet found in homeland Germany that results in one of the highest per capita MS rates in the world.

The second reason was that in 1995-97 there was a big flurry of activity in the MS community of using a food supplement of colostrum capsules which were being touted as a real help in controlling MS symptoms.

Our little survey turned out to be interesting but inconclusive on breast feeding and the colostrum use has died out with no particular long term benefit that we could identify.