Selma Blair shares the picture of treatment with IVIG® Plasma & # 39; on Instagram

An Instagram publication at a time, Selma Blair sheds light on the various treatments, struggles and therapies that she is experimenting with in the management of multiple sclerosis.

In her last message Thursday, Selma shared a picture of herself sitting in a comfortable mask, "relaxing" and "taking a plasma," she said, adding the hashtag "#ivig."

"So moved when I realized that it takes from 1 to 15,000 donors for a single dose," she continued. "It's an incredible gift that I receive and has helped me a lot." "Well installed here too." Warm blankets.

Wait a minute – what kind of treatment does Selma receive?

"Selma receives intravenous immunoglobulins or intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg)," said Amit Sachdev, M.D., M.S., badistant medical director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine at Michigan State University.

The IVIG is a drug made from donated blood fluids and used to strengthen the immune system, according to the University of Michigan Health System.

IVIG requires the number of donors mentioned by Selma in his message (between 1,000 and 15,000) because blood donations are purified to create a dose of immunoglobulin, explains Sachdev.

According to the University of Michigan Health System, IVIg can improve function and lengthen delay before relapse in people with relapsing-remitting MS (when symptoms occur at random and then return to hospital). improve), but this does not seem to help slow the progression of the disease.

Although the treatment is used in patients with MS, it is not always the preferred drug, according to Sachdev, because "it does not work as directly on the causes of inflammation in the brain as other drugs available" . It's also incredibly expensive, uncommon and considered impractical for the long-term treatment of MS, according to the University of Michigan, which can sometimes be used to treat a severe relapse.

In her position, Selma shared her gratitude for receiving the IVIG treatment. "It's not a sad message," she wrote. "I do not show tubes either, although I find this curious, I'm thankful, thank you to the universe, thank you to the donors, thank you to all my friends and all those who are looking to feel stronger. whatever the form takes, love. "

Selma continues to be a striking example of staying positive in the face of difficulties. Her grace and gratitude manage to shine through all the difficult things that she shares, and we think this makes her quite special.