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Tag: MS - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Tag: MS - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid If You Have MS

If you have MS, it is long past time for you to choose to eat the healthiest possible diet. Let’s face it, your immune system is in free fall. It is so confused, it is attacking the myelin sheath that coats your nerves and possibly your nerves as well. You know how serious this is. You know the devastation this disease can do to your body. Are you willing to do all you can do to heal your immune system? If the answer is yes, your diet is key.

The healthiest diet is a plant-based diet consisting of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruits.

Avoid These Foods If You Have MS

  • Any “food” that contains the following:
  • Artificial flavoring
  • Artificial color
  • Preservatives
  • MSG
  • Trans Fats
  • Sugar
  • High fructose corn syrup
  • Gluten (Which means no wheat including kamut, faro, spelt, durum, bulgur, or semolina and no barley, rye, or triticale. Oats may be a problem, too.)
  • Dairy
  • Caffeine
  • Canola
  • Soy
  • GMOs
  • Any foods you have had an allergic reaction to

In other words, cut out all processed foods. Choose whole foods, organic foods filled with nutrients.

Be Sure To Eat The Following Foods

  • A wide variety of healthy fats (be sure you get enough omega3 fatty acids)
  • A wide variety of produce (make salads with 15 or more veggies!)
  • Foods that continually detox the body like garlic, onions, cilantro, ginger, and turmeric
  • Lots of pure water

Consider the Following Supplements

  • B Complex vitamins high in B-12
  • Vitamin D
  • Coenzyme Q10
  • Multi-vitamins and minerals

If you are willing to do the work, you can get healthy. It all starts with giving the body the nutrients it needs to heal itself. If you have MS, you have a sick gut. This diet will help you heal the gut. You can’t do it part way. You need to learn all you can about true health and you need to practice what you learn. Yes, this means you will overhaul your diet, but you will feel so much better, so fast.

Further Reading:



Naturally Treat Multiple Sclerosis – Therapies, Diet, Pain Management, Alternative Medicine

One day you stumble when you’re walking down the street. The curb seems a bit higher than it used to be. Maybe your first symptom is blurred or double vision. Or perhaps it’s the sudden onset of weakness, fatigue, or physical sensations like pins and needles.

Multiple sclerosis, commonly referred to as MS, is an autoimmune disease with a range of symptoms. It may present with a sudden onset or its course may be slow or intermittent. Symptoms may appear, disappear, and return years later. There is no specific progression with definite symptoms. Episodes can last for days, weeks, or months and alternate with periods of reduced or no symptoms. Because of the nature of the disease and how it attacks the central nervous system, it can affect many parts of the body, including the bowel, the bladder, or the eyes, and it can interfere with speech and swallowing.

Multiple sclerosis affects approximately 70,000 people in the UK and around 400,000 in the United States. The disease is usually diagnosed in young adults. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with MS than men.

Contents

Symptoms of MS

Symptoms of MS may include one or a combination of the following:

  • Abnormal vision – blurred vision, double vision, loss of color perception, and loss of depth perception. Can present as loss of vision, usually in one eye. Eye movement is painful.
  • Numbness or Weakness – typically occurs on one side of the body or in the legs and trunk. Loss of dexterity. Difficulty lifting or holding items. Difficulty swallowing.
  • Clumsiness, tremor –loss of balance, lack of coordination may result in tripping and dropping things, walking as if intoxicated, slurred speech.
  • Brain fog – difficulty concentrating, remembering, processing information, even speaking. During an MS flare, some people pause between words when speaking.
  • Dizziness – could feel like motion sickness.
  • Tingling or pain could be experienced as pins and needles, pain, or electric shock sensations that occur with neck movements.
  • Fatigue
  • Bladder and bowel problems.
  • Psychiatric symptoms – depression, unstable mood, anxiety.
  • Dysesthesia – burning, aching, or “girdling” around the body
  • Trigeminal neuralgia – a stabbing pain in the face that can be brought on by random facial movements, like chewing, yawning, sneezing, etc.
  • Joint Pain – MS does not affect joints directly like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or fibromyalgia. However, joint pain, typically in the knees and hips, is very common in people with MS.

But this is only a partial list. There are many more symptoms, which is one of the reasons diagnosing multiple sclerosis is difficult. Here are a few more reasons a diagnosis is hard to reach:

  • Many MS symptoms are the same or very similar to symptoms that occur with other diseases.
  • There is no blood test for MS.
  • Symptoms usually come and go, and this cycle can go on for very long periods of time with little progression of the disease.
  • More than 50 symptoms are linked to MS, and each person develops symptoms differently.
  • MS symptoms include fatigue, sexual dysfunction, depression, cognitive difficulties, and other similar symptoms that are typically attributed to stress and often not taken seriously by health car practitioners.

Like many other autoimmune diseases, a definitive MS diagnosis may not be reached for years.

“…39% of people with MS wait more than a year for a correct diagnosis, during which time we are often dismissed, accused of malingering, told that we have suffered strokes, or are depressed and anxious.”Penny Anderson

What is MS?

MS is both an autoimmune disease and a chronic neurological disorder. In the case of MS, the immune system attacks the central nervous system – the brain, the spinal cord, and the optic nerves. MS attacks the fatty myelin sheaths which insulate the nerve axons in the brain and the spinal cord, as well as the nerve fibers themselves, resulting in interference with the transmission of signals along the neuropathways. This leads to the production of hard scars or scleroses (aka plaques or lesions) in the central nervous system.

Relapsing – Remitting MS

The most common form of MS is relapsing-remitting. Symptoms occur and remain for days or weeks followed by a partial or complete remission that lasts for months or years.

Secondary – Progressive MS

Secondary – progressive MS involves a steady progression of worsening symptoms, with or without periods of remission. Around 60-70% of those with relapsing – remitting MS develop secondary – progressive MS.

Primary – Progressive MS

A minority of people with MS (10-20%) fall into the category primary progressive MS with a gradual onset of symptoms that steadily progresses without relapses.

Progressive – Relapsing MS

Progressive – relapsing MS is the least common type. With this type of MS the neurological decline is steady though there are signs of attacks as well.

What Is Known About MS?

Little is known about this disease. According to conventional medicine, there is no accepted cause and no known cure. Although MS is thought to affect 2.3 million people worldwide, this number is merely an educated guess due to difficulties faced in the study of the disease and the fact that mandated reporting is not required. However, gender, genetics, age, geography, and ethnic background all suggest possible factors that may influence susceptibility.

Although MS is generally diagnosed in adults age 20-50, it is also found in young children and in the elderly. Women are twice as likely to develop MS as men, except in the elderly. Elderly men and women are equally affected.

MS is more common in Caucasians of Northern European ancestry, though it does occur in most ethnic groups. Geography is an interesting aspect. The farther away from the equator, the greater the risk of developing MS, which suggests vitamin D deficiency may play an important part in the development of this disease.

“In general, MS is more common in areas farthest from the equator. However, prevalence rates may differ significantly among groups living in the same geographic area regardless of distance from the equator. For example, in spite of the latitude at which they live, MS is almost unheard of in some populations, including the Inuit, Yakutes, Hutterites, Hungarian Romani, Norwegian Lapps, Australian Aborigines and New Zealanders — indicating that ethnicity and geography interact in some complex way to impact prevalence figures in different parts of the world.

Migration from one geographic area to another seems to alter a person’s risk of developing MS. Studies indicate that immigrants and their descendants 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 in early childhood tend to take on the new risk themselves. For those who move later in life, the change in risk level may not appear until the next generation. While underlining the complex relationship between environmental and genetic factors in determining who develops MS, these studies have also provided support for the opinion that MS is caused by early exposure to some environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals.” – The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Genetics

Genetic factors seem to play a big role in determining who develops multiple sclerosis.

  • In the United States the likelihood of a developing MS is a little more than 0.1%.
  • For those with relatives who suffer from MS, the risk increases. For first-degree relatives such as children, siblings, or non-identical twins, the risk rises to approximately 2.5-5%.
  • The identical twin of someone with MS (who shares all the same genes) has a 25% chance of developing the disease.

(Note: If genes were solely responsible for this disease, that last statistic would be 100%.)

Potential Causes and Contributing Factors of Multiple Sclerosis

Like most health conditions, illnesses, or diseases; it appears that many factors combine to produce this disease, rather than one factor alone. People with multiple sclerosis have been found to have a variety of abnormalities in their neurotransmitters, including increased levels of noradrenaline, glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, glycine, and asparagine. There also seems to be a correlation between these imbalances and the severity of their neurological symptoms and progression of the disease.

Professionals speculate many different causes for MS, and often a combination of causes including infection (viral, bacterial, parasitic, or fungal), leaky gut, food allergies, and nutrient decencies.

Parasites Could Be Behind MS

Steven Fry has discovered a previously unknown protozoa in the blood of patients suffering with autoimmune disorders such as lupus, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and others. In his research, Dr. Fry found 75 medical papers dating back to the 1880s that discuss finding a malaria-like organism in the blood of those diagnosed with MS. Dr. Fry identified a malaria-like protozoa that may be transmitted by mosquitos or ticks.

Dr. Fry is not the only researcher to suggest that multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions might be caused by a parasitic infection.

Lyme Disease or Other Bacterial or Viral Infections May Cause or Contribute to MS

It’s not uncommon for Lyme disease to be misdiagnosed as MS and for MS to be misdiagnosed as Lyme disease. Some doctors and researchers go so far as to say it’s the same thing or that the Lyme bacterium causes MS.

Our research didn’t come up with credible evidence that any one specific type of bacteria, including Lyme, causes MS over any other major factor, but it does seem likely to be a contributing factor. Treatment should address the probability that anyone suffering from Multiple Sclerosis is dealing with an underlying infection. Considering how weakened the immune system is and how much more prevalent infection is within the body than most doctors realize, it behooves anyone with multiple sclerosis to take the right nutrition to help the immune system fight and kill bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections while keeping gut flora balanced and healthy.

Candida, or Other Fungal Infection

When Candida and other fungi overtake the body, they release a variety of toxins that result in many of the same symptoms that are listed for MS. Many fungal proteins are similar to certain grains and some proteins within our own body. Many speculate that fungal infections in the body turn on an autoimmune response by overwhelming and confusing the immune system. The theory is that the immune system responds to similar proteins that are not the infection. The immune system may be attempting to fight Candida, but ends up attacking itself in the process.

Leaky Gut

Our gut flora is only as healthy as our immune system. Anyone with a damaged immune system has a damaged gut. Eventually, when the gut is damaged from poor diet or other factors, it becomes more permeable, or “leaky.” Anyone who is dealing with a chronic infection or an autoimmune disease (which is also likely involving a chronic infection) should assume they have a “leaky” gut.

Where there is systemic Candida, there is a leaky gut. There are many theories on the cause of autoimmune diseases, but we know the immune system is “tricked” into attacking healthy tissue. In the case of MS, the immune system seems to consider the myelin sheathing in the central immune system as a foreign invader, an infection, and it tries to get rid of it.

A virus may trigger the process in susceptible people (with the right genetics). A parasite, a bacteria, and Candida may do this, too. The body becomes much more sensitive to food, especially food with proteins that are similar to the proteins casing the problem, and these proteins will leak into the bloodstream, undigested, from a leaky gut.

Gluten, Celiac Disease

Research has indicated strong links between multiple sclerosis and celiac disease. Researchers in Spain analyzed the prevalence of celiac disease in people with confirmed multiple sclerosis and in their first-degree relatives. The researchers included 72 MS patients, 126 of their first-degree relatives, and 123 healthy control subjects. The study found the following:

  • 1% of MS patients had celiac disease compared to 2.4% of control subjects
  • 32% of 1st degree relatives of MS patients had celiac disease

If the body’s intestinal tract is not healthy, as in, the gut is leaking, then gluten molecules are getting into the bloodstream undigested and causing serious problems in the body.

Many studies have shown improvement in MS patients when gluten is eliminated from the diet. This can also be said for eliminating gluten from the diet of those afflicted with many other autoimmune diseases. It all makes sense when you connect the dots with gut flora (and specifically how Candida causes a permeable gut), gluten (and how it can cause and exacerbate a leaky gut), and how our immune system works.

Deficiency

Many studies have shown that people with multiple sclerosis have lower levels of vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin B9, magnesium, vitamin E, and other key nutrients as well (including many more antioxidants). Many professionals also speculate that a lack of healthy fats may play a role.

Acidity

Many professionals believe that acidity plays a clear role in the disease’s onset and progression. The myelin sheath is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons in the central nervous system. The body is electrical, and the central nervous system runs on electricity. The myelin sheath is kind of like the rubber coating on a power cord that keeps the electricity contained, controlling the body’s electrical signals.

Hypothyroidism

The process of myelination (the process of forming a myelin sheath around a nerve) is dependent on the thyroid hormone.  Many have been initially diagnosed with thyroid disorders only to find out that they have MS. Many of the symptoms are the same, and anyone with multiple sclerosis should pretty much count on having a slow thyroid as well. If the central nervous system is not working right, this will disrupt thyroid function. If the thyroid is not working right, this will disrupt the central nervous system. If the immune system is not working correctly, neither will the thyroid or the central nervous system and visa versa.

Neck pain, hip pain, and many of the previously mentioned MS symptoms are also symptoms for serious thyroid problems.

Oral Infection

Dr. Hal Huggins, a Colorado dentist, has treated thousands of people with multiple sclerosis with a cure rate of approximately 85% by safely removing mercury fillings and properly treating infections.

Cavitations are infections of the jawbone caused by lingering or perpetual infections of anaerobic bacteria from root canals and incomplete or incorrectly performed extractions and fillings. These ongoing infections have been linked to multiple health issues including heart disease, breast cancer, and MS.

Mercury and Other Heavy Metals

Mercury is not only highly neurophilic (meaning it is attracted to and binds tightly to nerve tissue) and highly lipophilic (attracted to and binds tightly to nerve tissue), which is bad news for the nervous system. Mercury is attracted to the neurons themselves, as well as the fats that make up the myelin sheaths.

Mercury exposure can come from many different sources including seafood, food grown in toxic soil (food from China and many parts of the U.S.), and dental mercury amalgams.

Other Heavy Metals

It is believed by many experts that autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, and Alzheimer’s may be due at least in part to toxic metals such as mercury, aluminum, and lead.

Heavy metal toxins cross the blood/brain barrier, resulting in a wide variety of symptoms including all of the symptoms mentioned for MS. Heavy metals produce free radicals and damage the myelin sheaths (remember, the body is electric), and disrupts the CMS signals, degrading the body’s nervous system, disrupting the body’s ability to communicate with itself. The immune system recognizes myelin sheath tissue damaged by the free radicals as foreign proteins, which results in an autoimmune process. Anyone with multiple sclerosis would do well to consider heavy metal toxicity as one of the primary contributors.

Vaccines

Vaccines contribute to heavy metal toxicity and more. Vaccines include aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, GMOs, and many other toxic substances that are directly injected into the bloodstream or inhaled. There has been considerable suspicion about a link between hepatitis B vaccination and the development of multiple sclerosis.

A recent study examined data regarding a mass vaccination in the mid 90s. Twenty million French adults were vaccinated between 1994 and 1997 thanks to the World Health Organization’s recommendation in 1992 to mass vaccinate for hepatitis B to eradicate the virus. The result was a sudden increase in multiple sclerosis. In 1998, the French media exposed the phenomenon (apparently the media is not controlled by Big Pharma over there). Vaccination numbers fell. A firm link between the rise in vaccinations and a corresponding rise in the number of MS cases was established.

Environmental Toxins

Any toxic load amplifies free radicals, and free radicals are linked to MS. Limiting toxic exposure is imperative for those suffering from an autoimmune disease. Studies have shown that exposure to organic solvents or other toxic chemicals increases the risk of developing MS. It’s well known that those who live or work within toxic environments are much more likely to develop autoimmune diseases. Some get so sick that the mere smell of mattresses, books, car interiors, particle board furniture, and other everyday items are simply too toxic and overwhelming for the body.

Therapies, Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients for Multiple Sclerosis

Sick people have an imbalance of vitamins, minerals, fats, and PH, along with an abundance of toxins. The modern lifestyle most of us live causes these imbalances, but also, once the person is sick, the disease exacerbates the imbalances. A sick body uses lot of nutrition and maintains acidity, toxicity, and other imbalances. In other words, even if you always got plenty of a certain nutrient growing up and well into the onset of MS, you may still benefit from said nutrient.

Vitamin D

Study after study shows that when people are chronically ill they are or were vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is a hormone produced when we get sunlight. We can also get vitamin D from foods like fatty fish, mushrooms, beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Vitamin D is stored in fat and released as needed, but this does not work right for particularly toxic people or overweight people. On top of this, most of us in the modern world do not get nearly enough vitamin D in the summer regardless of our ability to store it, and most of us do not get enough in our diet to make up for our lack of outdoor life. People with MS or any other autoimmune disease will likely feel an immediate improvement by supplementing with a low to medium dose of vitamin D. Very high doses of vitamin D for long periods of time can be problematic.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Many studies have shown those with MS and other autoimmune diseases respond well to healthy fats. You can find many studies specifically on just omega 3s or DHA or linoleic acid or coconut oil, etc. for autoimmune disease treatments, but the key to getting well is to get a wide range of beneficial fats. Different fats play different roles in our health.

Antioxidants

Studies have shown that those with MS need more antioxidants. Selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, Lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine, and lycopene supplementation have all shown positive results in studies for those with MS.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant and it’s essential to healthy mitochondrial function and energy production. A lack of CoQ10 is associated with many disease states including heart disease, hypothyroidism, cancer, and many neurodegenerative diseases. Several clinical trials with CoQ10 have yielded positive results for those who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Alzheimer’s. CoQ10 can also regenerate the antioxidant capacity of vitamin E in the body.

Vitamin B12

Those who have MS have low levels of vitamin B12 in their cerebrospinal fluid, blood serum, or both. A vitamin B12 deficiency is often mistaken as MS. Studies have shown patients with MS given vitamin B12 supplements have experienced clinical improvements with symptoms. Those with MS are also likely to be low in other B vitamins, and should consider a B vitamin complex with extra B12. Taking just one B vitamin for long periods causes problems.

Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for a wide variety of functions. Some research indicates that magnesium deficiencies may be associated with some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and a number of other chronic and progressive ailments.

Ginkgo Biloba

It is believed that Ginkgo biloba improves blood flow and can influence neural activity and improve cognitive performance. Ginkgo leaf has shown in studies to improve brain function for those with Lyme disease, depression, dementia, and many more diseases including MS.

Curcumin (Turmeric)

Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, is anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic and is a powerful antioxidant that boosts the immune system and much more. Curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Countless resent research with many different health issues has shown that curcumin can significantly reduce symptom severity and in some cases reverse disease. From studies on cancer to lupus to fibromyalgia to MS, studies have shown that turmeric spice should be a staple in everyone’s pantry.

Ginger

Ginger is a powerful herb that reduces pain, inflammation, and nausea. Ginger has a warming effect as it stimulates blood circulation. It boosts the immune system, inhibits the common cold, Salmonella, stomach ulcers, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Ginger can help reduce many symptoms of MS, and it also plays a substantial role in guarding against brain oxidative stress and neurological degeneration.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another amazing herb that should be in everyone’s kitchen. Researchers are just starting to get excited about cinnamon, and more and more research is being done. In regards to MS there’s limited research, but one study with mice was very interesting. True cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum) powder was fed to mice with the animal equivalent of multiple sclerosis. The cinnamon altered the abnormal immune response we see in those with MS. The spice preserved regulatory T cells, inhibited damaging immune cells known as Th17), and blocked inflammatory cells from invading the spinal cord. Cinnamon also promotes remyelination of damaged myelin. Mice had an overall significant reduction of symptoms.

Echinacea

For MS patients, Echinacea research generally supports the plant’s ability to promote immune cell health and its anti-inflammatory potential for the central nervous system.

Chelation Therapy

Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) therapy is a treatment for removing heavy metals from the blood. With conventional medicine, chelation therapy involves injections of a chelating agent called ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) into the bloodstream. EDTA binds to heavy metals and minerals in the blood, which are then excreted in the urine.

Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, pain around the injection site, headache, hypotension, and hypoglycemia as well as serious and potentially fatal effects including hypocalcemia (a drop in calcium levels so low it can affect the heart and brain), damage to the kidneys that may result in kidney failure and the need for a transplant or lifelong dependency on dialysis, and bone marrow depression.

Alternative medicine uses supplements and foods to chelate heavy metals from the body. In fact, a proper diet with a wide range of produce and herbs constantly removes heavy metals from the whole body without disrupting its mineral balance. Garlic, cilantro, amino acids, onions, activated charcoal, and chlorella are excellent at removing heavy metals.

Marijuana

Many report relief from pain and muscle spasms from marijuana, but ingesting or smoking marijuana is hard on the thyroid and the entire endocrine system as well as the immune system. Frequent use of marijuana may accelerate MS.

Other Therapies That May Improve MS Symptoms

Oxygen therapy, acupuncture, magnets, chiropractic, essential oils, various message therapies like reflexology, pressure point messaging, and other treatment modalities have been shown to slow progression of MS. These treatments do not focus on the root cause of MS, but they can help accelerate healing and potentially help reverse the disease when a proper diet is followed.

How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Naturally – Step by Step Protocol

When people are sick they tend to look for the easiest solution – the absolute minimum they can do to feel better. Never really healing all the way, they find themselves chasing health, believing it to be elusive, an impossible condition to attain or maintain. When someone is so sick that they have multiple sclerosis, a complete, holistic, and long-term approach is critical. Some treatments may improve symptoms in the short run, but to truly get better and to ensure that the body does not relapse, a new lifestyle needs to be adapted.

Daily Journal

It’s easy to forget how sick we were. This tendency to minimize can seriously impede getting well and accepting what needs to be done in order to stay well. Keep a journal. Write down what you ate and how you felt with specific symptoms and severity. This will have many benefits, including the ability to identify trigger foods without relying on memory, and a better understanding of how your body responds to foods and new activities. It also makes it much harder to forget how damaging one night of drinking, or one cheeseburger can be when you’re trying to repair the body.

Diet

A healthy diet is a diet consisting exclusively of a wide variety of produce and other whole foods. Ingredients should be bought separately in most cases, and as unadulterated as possible. A full 80% of the diet would be raw produce, with more vegetables than fruit.

Put your juicer to good use daily but sweet juices (most of the fruits, carrots, and beets) should be restricted or eliminated due to their high sugar content until the gut flora is balanced and the gut lining is healed.

Include ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon in your foods, and check out this golden milk tea recipe. Eat salads, like this one, with lots of garlic and other foods that balance the gut and chelate heavy metals every day.

The Intestinal Tract

Anyone suffering from a disease of this magnitude has an impaired digestive tract. Fixing the immune system means fixing the gut. The immune system is only as healthy as the gut, and a damaged gut overworks the immune system. Your body will continue to be inundated with infectious flora and undigested protein molecules, which the immune system perceives as foreign proteins, foreign invaders it must attack, as long as the intestinal tract is damaged.

No one can properly digest gluten, MSG, refined sugars, chemical additives, GMOs, or other toxic ingredients when the gut is damaged. The sicker one is, the sicker one’s gut is. The sicker one’s gut is, the greater the negative effect of toxic foods and other poor lifestyle habits.

Candida

In our toxic, antibacterial, chemically laden world, fungi is able to flourish in our guts. Candida, in particular, is an incredibly resilient and opportunistic creature that resides in anybody’s body in abundance when they suffer from MS. Testing for an overabundance of Candida does not yield accurate results unless the person is at the time of the blood test so overwhelmed with Candida that it shows up in the blood work. Anyone who has too much Candida, and consequently has Candida infecting his or her body (which can happen the same way viruses, bacteria, and parasites can infect anywhere in the body), has moments when the blood is overrun with Candida, but this is not the typical norm. If you’re sick enough to have MS, or any other autoimmune disease, assume you are dealing with an overgrowth of Candida and other fungi.

Undecylenic acid (SF722) is very good at killing Candida and other fungal infections. Wormwood is one of the best for killing parasites, and probiotics should be utilized as well to ensure the non-beneficial flora gets replaced by the good guys.

Addressing Imbalances

Many of the vitamins and minerals needed for optimum health are hard to come by in food alone thanks to our current farming practices. Whenever possible, buy whole organic produce grown by small farmers who take organic standards, nutrition, environmental issues, and food quality very seriously. If the budget is tight, before spending money on a slew of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, etc., get your diet right and get your gut flora balanced. Then consider what vitamins, minerals, fats, etc. you need.

Anyone with MS should benefit by supplementing with vitamin D, vitamin E, COQ10, selenium, magnesium, healthy fats, and B12, but minerals should be taken with other minerals and B vitamins should be taken with other B vitamins.

Supplements that address the immune system are a good idea considering the chance of an underlying infection. But don’t forget, even if it is an infection causing all these problems, an infection is still a symptom. Heal the immune system with the right diet, and then supplement that foundation with herbs that help the immune system. Echinacea, oil of oregano, and vitamin C will go a long way to boosting the immune system, and providing other benefits as well. In fact, oil of oregano and vitamin C are also powerful antioxidants, which is something anyone with MS needs a lot of.

Heavy metal chelation without injections can be done with supplements including food grade charcoal, food grade clays, and concentrated foods with chelation properties. I am yet to meet anyone with MS who wasn’t vaccinated or who doesn’t have a history of oral infections with metal fillings. (Usually both).

Conclusion

If you think you may have MS, or if you know you have it, it’s time to be strict. If you want to get well, to actually be well, or to at the very least, radically slow the progression of the disease, you need to completely eliminate toxic foods from your diet for a very long time. This includes gluten, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, soy, artificial sweeteners, MSG, GMOs, any chemicals that don’t belong in food, and alcohol. It’s also time to do a lot more reading. See the further reading list below and read all of the articles. Find out everything you can, not just about MS, but about how the body works. Keep refining and perfecting a holistic approach, not a here-and-there approach. If money is very tight, skip supplements and put every extra penny you have towards the healthiest, freshest food you can find. Most of all, don’t accept conventional medicine’s sentence. You do have a choice. You can choose to heal your body.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
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Being Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis and Refusing To Live With It

I thought I was healthy; I was forty-one years old and in the prime of my life. I worked out regularly, often with my new husband and at times with a trainer. On the weekend, my husband and I would ride 30-40 miles through the vineyards of Germany on our bicycles. I would have classified myself as healthy, maybe even very healthy.

I ate relatively well most of the time, at least compared to other people. I was always conscious of what I ate and usually chose the low sugar, low-fat option if there was one. I didn’t drink regular soda and only drank diet soda when water wasn’t available. As I said, I thought I was healthy.

The first sign that something was wrong came when my husband and I were on vacation in Greece on Valentines Day, 2014. As we walked back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing, I noticed a slight limp on my right side. I also kept tripping on the sidewalk, and it was hard for me to keep up with my husband. The fourth time I tripped, my husband looked at me and said, “What is wrong with you?” I shrugged my shoulders and laughed. I chalked it up to the uneven sidewalks in Athens and maybe the wine.

I thought I was healthy…

That next week I noticed that with each day my limp got noticeably worse. I thought it must be the long-standing hip problem I’d had since my high school cheerleading days. I saw two different orthopedic doctors and got an MRI of my hip. They told me that eventually I would need a right hip replacement, but I needed to wait longer because I was too young. One orthopedic surgeon even watched as I walked down the hall and commented, “You do have a limp, don’t you?” but he didn’t offer any suggestions or advice.

About a week after the last orthopedic appointment, I realized that my worsening limp was not due to my bad hips. I was getting up an hour earlier than usual because I had become so slow at getting ready for work. I tried to dry my hair, something I’ve done a million times before, but the brush was so heavy in my right hand, I literally couldn’t keep it above my head. When I held the brush up, it would drop onto my head.

That same day, I was trying to sign documents at work. Again, it was something I’ve done a million times, but when my brain told my hand to sign, my hand wasn’t responding. I watched my hand move in slow motion.

If I tried to pick up something with my right hand, it would fall

During that same week, I started bumping into walls. I lost all sense of where my body was in space. I lost my balance while walking around a corner or while walking down the sidewalk. I would have to reach out and grab something to stabilize myself or use my forearms against the wall to prevent myself from falling. I also had to hold onto a dresser or nightstand to brace myself when I got out of bed and when I put my clothes on, or I would fall. By the end of the week, I had bruises up and down my forearms. I worked as a Domestic Violence Victim Advocate, and I was covered with bruises. I kept getting strange looks, and a few people even questioned me about the bruises.

Once I realized that my hand was involved, I immediately suspected MS. Ten years earlier, I was diagnosed with optic neuritis, inflammation of the optic nerve, which is often a precursor to MS. One morning, ten years ago, I noticed the lower left quadrant of my left eye was completely black. I saw a couple doctors and was diagnosed with optic neuritis. After three days of IV steroids, it went away. I followed up with a neurologist who gave me an MRI and told me that I did have brain lesions, but they were small and were not in the right location of the brain to justify an MS diagnosis. He didn’t seem to be worried about it. He told me to watch it. I followed up with him for a few years, and then I stopped. I had actually forgotten about it, until now.

I am right handed but, because of my progressively worsening paralysis, I found myself compensating with my left. This was only three weeks after the first symptoms. I would try to pick up something with my right hand; it would fall. Soon I was brushing my teeth, maneuvering the mouse, and even signing my name with my left hand. My handwriting looked like a third grader’s, no matter which hand I used.

It took me twice as long to do anything: to shower, get dressed, walk to the bathroom, walk to the car. Every time I would lie down, my legs would go into action. Relentless leg spasticity disturbed my sleep all night long. About every 30 seconds my right leg, and sometimes my left as well, would contract intensely, then release. I was exhausted before I even got out of bed in the morning. I didn’t want to go on. I didn’t know who I was anymore. My body had betrayed me.

Immediately after I suspected MS, I went to see my doctor and begged for a neurology consult. I knew that what I was experiencing was neurological, and I was pretty confident it was MS due to my history. I asked for IV steroids immediately. My doctor laughed at me. She didn’t believe me. She said no one was going to give me IV steroids. She called me hysterical and gave me a prescription for Valium, which I willingly took at the time. I responded to this by doing what I had started doing so often; I burst into tears. Finally, I was referred to a neurologist: my appointment was scheduled two weeks from that day.

During the fifth week, I continued to research conventional treatment for MS.  I felt scared and hopeless as I became more and more disabled. I couldn’t walk up or down stairs without using a cane and holding onto the rail. I had already fallen three times. I couldn’t raise my toes on my right foot. This made driving difficult and frankly dangerous. I had to lift my whole foot and put it on the pedals. I was rapidly losing control over my body.

I couldn’t wait two weeks for the appointment. I walked into the neurologist’s office a week before my scheduled appointment, and surprisingly, the doctor agreed to see me. I just couldn’t take it anymore –not knowing what my body was doing, getting worse each day. I was a mess. Through my tears, I explained my history to doctor number four. I pressed for IV steroids because I knew in my heart that this was MS. He scheduled me for two MRI’s for the following week, one of the brain and one of the spine, both with contrast.

During this first appointment with the neurologist, I mentioned that I had been researching MS on the Internet and that I kept seeing stories of women who’s MS symptoms had improved simply by making dietary changes. I asked him what he thought about cutting out meat, processed food, sugar, dairy, and gluten. My doctor told me that there was no evidence that diet had any impact on the course of the disease or the severity of symptoms.

During the next week, I got the two MRI’s and kept the initial appointment with my neurologist, which was now our followup appointment. I was officially diagnosed with MS on March 20, 2014. This was six weeks after the onset of symptoms. MS had hit me fast and hard. I was still working, but I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t write. It was hard to type. I could barely walk. Some co-workers were questioning whether I should continue to work. My future was bleak.

When I read about natural remedies for MS I started to regain hope.

I had training for work that had been pre-planned six months previously, and I was scheduled to go to the States in two days. My neurologist told me that we would talk about preventative medication when I returned from my trip in two weeks. I received 1000 mg of IV prednisone that day, 2000 mg the next morning, and oral prednisone to take with me on my trip.

My head was spinning. I didn’t know how I was going to make it through a 12-hour flight let alone concentrate on spouse abuse training. During my trip, an airline escort had to meet me at the gate with a wheelchair and wheel me to the connecting flight. All I could think of was how I was going to continue to deteriorate, and I wondered what my future would look like. I spent the majority of the next two weeks reading about MS.

I returned to Germany two weeks later and started taking Tecfidera, a preventative MS medication, twice daily. I was also taking a muscle relaxer, an anti-anxiety medication, and a pain killer for the severe leg cramps. In addition, I had been taking a twice-daily steroid inhalant for asthma for more than ten years, and I kept a rescue inhaler with me at all times to use as needed. I also suffered from severe migraines since childhood, and I took Imitrex for this as needed.

In my research of conventional treatment for MS, all I read about was how the disease was “incurable” and about how I would need to set up a plan for “progressive disability” and “wheelchairs, home health aides, and Social Security Disability.” For about three days, I was consumed with dark thoughts. I didn’t want my new husband to have to care for me like that. For those three days, I wanted to die. Then I continued my research.

When I read about natural remedies for MS, I started to regain hope. I realized that the conventional medical community didn’t know what caused MS and didn’t believe there was a cure. I kept finding examples of how diet changes not only improved MS symptoms, but also cured it. As I read, I started to believe that I could get healthy, truly healthy. I also started to take action. I maintained the diet changes I had started and learned more about real health every day. I chose to continue to improve my diet; because it was the one thing I had control over in this whole situation.

I then remembered my old friend, Michael Edwards, had a real interest in alternative health care. He asked me to read several articles in his magazine, Organic Lifestyle Magazine. I began to learn more and more about health, real health, and how it is intimately connected to what we put in our mouth. Together Michael and I developed a nutritional and detoxification plan for me.

I noticed improvements right away. Just as I had declined a little bit every day, I noticed that I got a little bit stronger and more stable every day. I soon noticed that my other health ailments were improving, too. I no longer wheezed or suffered from migraines. I learned how to heal my gut from 20 years of Tylenol and Advil abuse. I learned how to feed my body nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods that would aid in my healing. Many people looked at my salads and smoothies and said “You are so disciplined!” I typically replied, “My mobility is a good motivator.”

I stayed on Tecfidera from April until November 2014 and then made the decision to stop it. At first I was scared to make this decision. I had to get past the brainwashing; the belief that I had to take what the doctor prescribed. I had been able to wean myself off all of the other pharmaceuticals I had been taking, including the asthma medicine and migraine pills, which I had taken for more than 30 years. I was able to do this simply by adding organic, raw produce-more vegetables than fruit- to my diet.

I got confirmation that this was what was helping me whenever I would veer off the diet in any way. Once, about 45 days into eating only raw produce (organic when possible) I went to a going away luncheon for a close friend. The menu was abbreviated, so there wasn’t anything on it I could eat. I chose to eat a cheese pizza with whatever raw veggies they could put on top. Even though I only ate the top of the pizza (cheese, onion, and mushrooms), before I left the restaurant my forehead was pounding. I had an immediate, physical reaction to either the  dairy or the gluten.

More recently, I ate couscous for several days, not knowing that it was wheat. This time I didn’t get a headache; I had a full relapse of my MS symptoms. I noticed that my right foot had dropped, and I was tripping. I also had to stabilize myself when I rounded corners like before. I noticed a significant decrease in my energy and decreased ability to go up or down stairs. When I mentioned this to Michael, the first thing he said was, “Tell me exactly what you’ve eaten for the last four days.” When I stopped and thought about it, I realized couscous had been the only change in my diet.

There was another time, right after I finished the first two phases of my detox program (about 30 days of eating raw, organic produce) that I went out to eat with some girlfriends. I did this every Friday, so I knew how to stick to my program at a restaurant. On that day, however, we got to talking about how well I was doing. I shared with them how I was able to get off all of the medications simply by changing what I ate. I told them I was better – walking better, feeling better, and having more energy. I thought, “I’ve been good. I’ve stuck to my program so well I deserve some baklava.” It was delicious, but I couldn’t sleep that night because my stomach was turning in knots, and my legs, which had been peaceful for three weeks,started to spasm again. I told myself, “Baklava doesn’t taste this good. Nothing does.”

The radiologist looked at me and said, “You’re better!”

Four months after being diagnosed, it was time for a repeat MRI. My neurologist had said that the most I could hope for was no new lesions on my brain. Not only were there no new lesions, it showed no evidence of inflammation and the lesions I had previously were significantly reduced. The radiologist looked at me and said, “You’re better!”

Recently, I had a blood test that confirmed that the two indicators that show inflammation in the body were completely normal. These indicators were extremely elevated in March but normal in November. I have no doubt that it is due to the lifestyle changes I’ve made that have contributed to my healing.

It’s now been ten months since my initial diagnosis, and for the first time in my life, I am no longer an asthmatic. I don’t take asthma or migraine medicine or any pharmaceuticals for that matter. I only take natural supplements when needed to supplement my diet.

I use a good, whole food, nutrition supplement (Total Nutrition Formula) in my smoothie every morning and munch on a big salad all throughout the day and into the evening. My salad is full of 10 or more different organic vegetables and 3-4 different types of leafy greens with lots of garlic, onions, and turmeric. After all of that, if I am still hungry (and often I’m not) I’ll have some cooked quinoa mixed with raw garlic and any other raw vegetables. I drink a gallon of pure, living water every day (I also make this cranberry lemonade). To my water, I add either organic apple cider vinegar and organic strap molasses or organic lemon and cranberry juice sweetened with stevia and spiced with cayenne pepper.

As I continue on this healing journey, I continue to learn and make improved health choices. I learned that couscous is wheat, and it will imitate an MS flare up. I learned that nothing is as good as true health, not even baklava.

Note: I owe so much of my success in healing to the following article in Organic Lifestyle Magazine and the following supplements from Green Lifestyle Market. Much love to Michael Edwards, Chief Editor. Thank you!

Further Reading:
Recommended Supplements: