I've seen it said that gluten-free and dairy-free diets are good for people effected. I've read posts and whatnot from people saying some doctors recommend not eating these things. Is there any truth to this? There are other diets that say this is nonsense. And I've searched a little in google, on their "scholar" engine, and found that some state there's not much use for cutting it out either. Although, some MS patients feel that the Swank Diet has helped them, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that diets affect MS in any way.
Diet-studies have never been done on statistically big enough groups and control groups, plus MS is a very unpredictable disease, where a person can be confined to a wheelchair one month and be running about the next, regardless of treatment. This is probably also the reason why, so many alternative "cures" exsist for MS.
Some of the common MS alternative treatments suggested can actually be harmful to MS patients, so patients should always run through the different diets and treatments with their doctor and neurologist first. If they both give the all clear, then there is nothing wrong with trying out the diet/treatment. It could certainly be worth a try, since some MS patients have had positive experiences with them.
For myself, I eat healthily, but also allow myself to splurge out once in a while with junkfood and sweets. My philosophy is that MS is already affecting my quality of life, so why let affect it further by going on strict diets or trying cures that have no conclusive evidence to their effectiveness. My bloodwork is excellent btw., way above average and with near perfect values, even rarely seen in healthy people. The reason they suggest gluten-free and dairy free diets is to try and eliminate anything that may cause an inflammatory reaction in your system, as people with ms tend to have that problem all ready. Gluten and dairy are both common allergens. I've tried the "best bet diet" which is an ms diet that avoids all allergens but it was way to strict and not a good life style switch. Another popular one to google would be the SWANK diet. I've heard mixed reviews. It's hard to get evidence about diet, between people cheating and how do you do a blind or placebo controlled diet? Overall some people say the diets work. Good for them. I say just be healthy all around. Hi DenimCap
Elimating dairy and red meats will help anyone heal quickly with any issue.
Here are some answers on the issue and how to start the healing process.
Quick Action Plan for Miltiple Sclerosis
1. A healthy diet is essential for dealing successfully with MS. Emphasize a diet that is low in saturated fats and abundant in essential fatty acids. Eat plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, oily fish, free-range poultry, and olive, flaxseed, safflower, and sunflower oils. Organic nuts and seeds, millet, mung beans, and mung bean sprouts are also recommended.
2. Avoid alcohol, chocolate, dairy products, eggs, fast and commercially prepared foods, fermented foods, hydrogenated oils and solid fats, margarine, red meats, salt, shellfish, sugar, and yeast, as well as hydrolyzed vegetable proteins and food additives and preservatives.
3. For additional benefit, supplement with four to ten teaspoons of unsaturated oils each day.
4. Recommended nutritional supplements for MS include B complex vitamins, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, beta carotene and other carotenoids, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium AEP, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.
5. Other useful supplements include alpha lipoic acid, CoQ10, DMSO, MSM, and the amino acids carnitine, choline, cysteine, glutathione, and methionine.
6. Test for and eliminate all foods and environmental factors that can cause allergies and sensitivities.
7. To reduce the burden of toxins in your body, consider a program of detoxification therapy, ideally under the supervision of your physician.
8. If you have mercury-containing dental amalgam fillings, have them removed and replaced with new fillings made from materials with which you are biocompatible.
9. Avoid exposure to unhealthy electromagnetic fields (EMFs) caused by electricity flowing through the coils of electrical wires and common home and office appliances and equipment, as well as cell phones and many types of motors. To protect yourself from unhealthy EMFs, consider wearing a Teslar watch and receiving weak pulsed magnet therapy.
10. Be sure to minimize your stress levels using mind/body medicine techniques such as biofeedback, guided imagery and visualization, hypnosis, meditation, and relaxation exercises such as deep breathing.
11. A restful nap each day can also help reduce your MS symptoms.
12. Regularly engage in an exercise program of gentle aerobics or walking to keep your muscles toned and supple.
13. To increase oxygenation of tissues and to stimulate the repair of myelin, consider hyperbaric
14. Learn about detoxifying the blood with colon, candidias, and liver cleanses. The key is to move the excess waste and toxins out of the body. Get nutrition and lots of water (I drink a gallon a day) in your system to heal the issue.
Causes of Multiple Sclerosis
Although conventional medicine claims that multiple sclerosis is caused by demyelination (the breakdown of the myelin sheath caused by the buildup of plaques), holistic health practitioners maintain that there are many other potential causes, as well. This view is strengthened by the fact that major symptoms of MS can be present even when there is little myelin damage; and, in some cases, major dymelination only produces minor symptoms. What follows is an overview of the other most common potential causes of MS.
Candidiasis: Candidiasis, also known as candida, is caused by systemic overgrowth of a type of yeast, Candidiasis albicans, beyond its normal location in the lower intestinal tract.
Dental Amalgam Fillings: Dental amalgam fillings contain mercury, a highly toxic substance that can be leeched out from fillings in the form of mercury vapors that settle in the body`s tissues and organs.
Electromagnetic Fields: Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are generated when electric currents flow through wire coils.
Poor Diet: Since 1950, when Roy Swank, MD, of Oregon Health Sciences University, first discovered that MS patients had higher than normal concentrations of saturated fat intake from the foods they ate.
Environmental Toxins: Environmental toxins can cause or exacerbate MS in a variety of ways, including impairing and interrupting the body's metabolic processes.
Food Allergies and Sensitivities: People with multiple sclerosis often suffer from food allergies or sensitivities, which can greatly exacerbate their MS symptoms. The most common foods that trigger food allergies and sensitivities include coffee and caffeine products, corn, dairy products, food additives and preservatives, fungi such as mushrooms, gluten (a food ingredient in barley, oats, rye, spelt, and wheat), ketchup, milk, sugar, vinegar, wheat, and wine. However, any food can potentially act as an allergy trigger.
Genetic Predisposition: MS is not considered a hereditary disease.
Infections: Infection can greatly exacerbate MS symptoms
"Leaky Gut" Syndrome: "leaky gut" syndrome is caused by food allergies and/or candidiasis causing a breach in the intestinal wall, allowing toxins to flood into the bloodstream.
Nutritional Deficiencies: Even when MS patients follow a healthy, balanced diet, they can often be deficient in vital nutrients because they have difficulty assimilating them. The most common nutrient deficiencies in MS patients are vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, folic acid, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc, along with various amino acids and essential fatty acids.
Best of health to you
**** Multiple Sclerosis. This use of bee venom is poorly understood, and needs to be studied further. Recently, the MS Associat ion of America awarded a grant to an immunologist, Dr. John Santilli, to prepare the venom in extract form to study its effect on MS patients. Hundreds of patients with MS currently seek out bee venom therapists and beekeepers. The treatment is prol ongued and not for the squeamish, but the common responses are increased stability, less fatigue, and less spasm Hi, I have MS and found that the best thing to do is to eat a balanced diet, to exercise regularly and to get sufficient sleep. There is no scientific evidence that any of those special diets work. Some of my friends at my MS group have tried those diets, and they also found that they don't work. While self professed health counselors are quick to recommend vitamin supplements, hyperbolic oxygen chambers and a load of other stuff, those all have no scientific basis either. |
