Resources and Self Help for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune condition that attacks the central nervous system.

The attack of the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibers (pictured) results in the sclerotic plaques that cause nervous system dysfunction.

Without this sheath functioning properly the nervous system is not able to quickly send the electrical impulses that control bodily functions.

Resources for MS:

• Multiple Sclerosis defined

• Multiple Sclerosis at WebMD

• National MS Society

• Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre: UK

Self help ideas to discuss with your physician:

• Vitamin D and B12: Ask your doctor if you can start using these vitamins as they have good research showing benefit for those with MS.

• Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune condition that is exacerbated by inflammation. Most prescription medications work to temper the immune system.

• Allergy Elimination Diet: Consider the possibility that certain food allergies or intolerances may be exacerbating your symptoms. Especially if you have the “relapsing and remitting” form of MS. Try “Dr. Nicole’s Salmon Recipe”.

• Eliminate all “McInflammation”: Eating fast food and refined foods is like throwing gasoline on the inflammatory fire.

• Add Omega 3 Oils: For MS I would go straight for the fish oil, as it is the more potent anti-inflammatory of the two. These oils are needed to repair the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers that is destroyed by the immune system. The nervous system then has to create connective tissue to “repair” the damage and thus we end up with the “sclerotic plaques” that show up on MRI’s.

• Reduce Stress: Stress exacerbates all chronic disease, try deep breathing and reduction of activities and demands until your symptoms are under better control.

• Quit Smoking! The most important thing on this list to reduce the inflammatory burden on the system. Smoking causes cancer because it causes reactive oxygen species known as “free radicals” to attack healthy tissues and destroy them.

• Join a support group: You can join the MS community over at Daily Strength to find other people challenged by this disease.

Although I have suggested some diet and lifestyle self help ideas, any chronic disease diagnosis should have an alternative medicine expert such as a licensed naturopathic physician on your team. Please don’t try to do it all alone.

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any additional questions by adding them in a comment to this article.

~Dr. Nicole Sundene

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Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamins D, B12, and Fish Oil

What vitamins are best for my multiple sclerosis?

Currently the research is showing great promise for vitamin D and multiple sclerosis (MS).

With the rising use of sunscreen for skin cancer prevention, vitamin D deficiency is at an all time high.

We have consequently seen an interesting rise in autoimmune conditions that may thus result from lack of adequate vitamin D levels in the system. Aside from the vitamin D our skin creates from UV light, the only decent dietary sources are fish, yeast, fungus, and fortified milk.

For most people a dose of vitamin D at 1000 IU is therapeutic. Please work with a naturopathic physician if you choose to increase that dose, as the life threatening condition hypercalcemia can potentially occur.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that stores in our body, and may play a role in the multiple sclerosis phenomena, as prevalence of MS increases the further people live from the equator. Also, traditional diets in northern European regions typically heavily rely on cold water fish, a natural source of vitamin D.

Research shows that vitamin D helps prevent falls in the elderly. For wheelchair bound patients with MS unable to engage in weight bearing exercise, vitamin D also serves to prevent osteoporosis. This vitamin, that is now considered a “pro-hormone” importantly plays a role in “cell differentiation” which results in healthier cells and tissues in our body. Normally formed and functioning cells are imperative to a healthy immune system.

Another way to receive vitamin D is in cod liver oil. Preliminary studies on the efficacy of the anti-inflammatory components in fish oil look promising for MS. For most patients I would recommend 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil twice daily with food. A study listed below utilized four tablespoons daily, however, if one is monitored by their physician for potential bleeding complications or drug interactions an increased dose may also be implemented.

Please ALWAYS check with your physician for drug interactions before adding any nutritional therapies in to your regimen as many vitamins have drug interactions. Fish oil for instance should not be consumed by those that are pregnant, have bleeding disorders, or are on anti-coagulant medications.

Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalmin) may also be helpful for MS patients as this vitamin helps form the myelin sheath of neurons, the component of the nervous system that is attacked and destroyed by the immune system in MS.

A small study of patients receiving an injection of 1000mcg of Vitamin B12 showed mild improvement in symptoms. Because vitamin B12 is water soluble, toxicity is not of much concern and this therapeutic that is as dirt cheap as vitamin D is well worth trying. Supplementation of B12 is absolutely necessary for those with MS that are on a vegan diet to reduce inflammation. Oral administration of B-12 is typically just as efficacious, and one can take B12 at 1000 mcg daily.

Diet is extremely important for MS. I have seen dramatic improvement in patients that have followed an Allergy Elimination Diet as well as the Anti-Inflammatory Diet. Cleaning up the diet, managing stress, quitting smoking, reducing animal fats in the diet, gentle pool water aerobics, and ensuring good sleep at night are important foundations to a natural healing program for MS.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table to ask the question. If you have any additional questions on this you can leave them in the comments section.

Research:

PMID: 8755567; 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 reversibly blocks the progression of relapsing encephalomyelitis, a model of multiple sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Jul 23;93(15):7861-4.
PMID: 15054436; Multiple sclerosis and vitamin D: an update. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;58(8):1095-109.
PMID: 12185153; A randomized placebo controlled exploratory study of vitamin B-12, lofepramine, and L-phenylalanine (the “Cari Loder regime”) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002 Sep;73(3):246-9.
PMID: 10987373; Effect of dietary advice and n-3 supplementation in newly diagnosed MS patients. Acta Neurol Scand. 2000 Sep;102(3):143-9. (good review of the research done before)
PMID: 2540285; A double-blind controlled trial of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1989 Jan;52(1):18-22.

~Dr. Nicole

Naturopathic Physician

www.KitchenTableMedicine.com

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Rosemary Salmon Recipe

If I can make this recipe, then ANYONE can make this recipe. Combining the simple whole foods ingredients of salmon with rosemary is not only great for the cardiovascular system, but memory and concentration as well.

The omega-3 oils combine nicely with the anti-oxidant and circulatory properties of the rosemary to give your brain a much needed mental boost! This is brain food at it’s finest people! Try eating this salmon for lunch to have a productive afternoon. This is the perfect recipe for someone with ADHD.

Dr. Nicole’s Rosemary Remembrance Salmon Read more

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McInflammation: Are You Really “Loving It”?

Recently a friend reported over dinner that his inflammatory problem (and let’s just say almost all medical problems are caused by inflammation) was not much better.

He said he was diligently taking everything I had recommended, and had only noted minor improvement.

Although natural remedies take time, I was curious how the dietary recommendations were going….you know, the most important part of his prescription? To no surprise, he was struggling to make the necessary changes.

As I climbed in to his car to head to our next destination I noted the eight bags of fast food littering his car floor.

“Well here is the source of McInflammation in your diet right here!” Read more

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Fish Oil vs Flax Oil? The Great Debate

One of the greatest flaws in the Standard American Diet (SAD) is a lack of omega-3 fatty acids.

Repleting this deficiency typically improves memory and mental functioning as well as corrects a gamut of other annoying health problems.

The reason for this is that these essential oils are necessary for proper brain functioning, immune function, hormonal balance and skin integrity as they are the necessary building blocks for the cellular membrane of every single cell in our body. Wow just ONE thing for all SIXTY TRILLION cells in your body!

This must be pretty important then… Read more

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