I take the name "relapse" from the most common form of the disease, "relapsing, remitting", which means the person will suffer the symptoms and then, usually, recover. As for treatments, Interferon beta 1-a, has shown, in clinical studies, and actual use to prevent or reduce the number and frequencies of "relapses". One of it's more common names is "Rebif". I have said, repeatedly, there is NO CURE for MS, there are some treatments however. In fact there is a promising new study that takes a look at the actual cause of MS, which, states, unlike previously thought, that MS is not an autoimmune disease at all. The study is in the early stages, so they aren't saying what does cause it, but they have been examening patients that died during or shortly after an attack. Their mylien sheaths lack the macrophages typically found in an autoimmune attack. So, yes, I actually do know a little about the disease Brad and Karma, my twelve year old nephew has it, and I hope that he lives long enough for them to find a real cure, but with the Interferons he's been without an attack for over a year.
Karma, I'm a lawyer, I know how people get on disability, I've even defended companies that were being sued by people who didn't meet the requirements. I know how bad and corrupt the disability system is. My posts have never defended disability payments, EVER. But, I would like people such as yourself to recognize that disability payments do not come out of your taxes, as some of the rants I've seen imply or outright state.
Brad, from your response, I may have been too, to borrow your phrase, "knee-jerk"ing about my response, I apologize. It seems that perhaps our views on social welfare are not too different, just varying on how the funding should come about and not on how it should be used.
If anyone has been offended by my comments on MS, I invite them to tell me, I have not meant to blithely cast the disease aside, as I find it very terrible, both to the affected and their family. I have repeatedly said there are NO CURES for MS, but there are some treatments which seem to offer hope.
Cheers