MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, or MS, is a chronic, slowly progressing disease of the brain, the spinal cord, and the optic nerves. About 250,000 Americans are diagnosed with MS annually, with women being affected slightly more often than men. In about two thirds of patients, the disease begins between the ages of twenty and forty. The most common initial symptom is the sudden loss of vision in one eye and/or a tingling or feeling of numbness in an arm or leg. Weakness in the limb can cause fumbling or an unsteady gait. Other symptoms include mental changes, slurred speech, and difficulties with bladder control.

Typically, the first symptoms disappear in a few weeks or months. Some people go for years-five, ten, or even more-before having another attack. A few people never have a second attack. The fact that MS can be so erratic in its development is one reason that discovery of a cure has been elusive: If a certain approach works is it because it’s really effective or because the patient went into remission? The diagnosis of the disease is usually made after a series of attacks give a high probability of MS. An examination of the spinal fluid helps give a conclusive diagnosis. It’s important to remember that not everyone is crippled by the disease. Many people have mild symptoms and lead an essentially normal life.

Anyone who suffers form MS should, of course, be under the care or a neurologist. There is, as yet, no cure, but there are drugs that can help relieve symptoms. There are also natural treatments that are primarily of help in retarding the progression of the disease. No matter what treatment or drug is used in fighting the disease, it is very important for MS patients to adopt a generally healthy lifestyle with an adequate diet, good stress control, and sufficient sleep.

The cause of MS remains a mystery. We know what happens-the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerves is destroyed-but we don’t know precisely why. Interestingly, people from higher latitudes are at higher risk for developing the disease: High-risk areas include the northern United States, Canada, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, New Zealand, and Tasmania. The intriguing exception to this geographic distribution is Japan, where MS is rare. The peculiar geographic spread of the disease has led researchers to study environmental factors as contributing to MS. There does also seem to be evidence that diet plays a part. Studies point to a high correlation between a high animal-fat diet and development of the disease.

Viruses have long been studied for their relation to MS. Recent research in Norway proposed a connection between exposure to a virus such as Epstein-Barr at a critical age-between thirteen and twenty-and the development of the disease, the speculation being not that the Epstein-Barr virus causes the disease but that it acts as a trigger. The measles virus has also been implicated in this way.

Lately a great deal of scrutiny has been placed on MS as an autoimmune disease, that is, a disease in which the body does not recognize its own cells and sends out antibodies against them. In MS the speculation is that the antibodies are attacking the myelin that covers the nerve fibers. A recent and exciting discovery seems to confirm the autoimmune connection: Researchers have identified two types of white blood cells that are thought to cause MS by attacking the nerve tissue. Earlier studies with animals demonstrated that a peptide made specifically to react to the white blood cells could block them from attacking the nerve tissue. Studies are under way to determine whether the same process will be effective with humans,

In the meantime, we are left with some natural means that have proven helpful in retarding the progress of the disease. I should mention that all of the suggestions I am about to make have been found to be most effective when started early on in the development of the disease. Someone who has suffered from MS for a long time and is severely symptomatic will probably have less success with natural methods than someone newly diagnosed.

One of the most comprehensive treatments devised for patients with MS was created by Dr. Roy Swank in 1948. Dr. Swank believes that a diet that is low in animal fat can “arrest the disease in a high proportion of cases,” as he says. And he has had great success over the years in working with patients on his program. His basic recommendations include:

• Saturated fat intake of no more than 10 g. (about a half ounce) daily.
• A daily intake of 40 to 50 g. of polyunsaturated oils (margarine, shortening, and hydrogenated oils are forbidden).
• A supplement of one teaspoon of cod liver oil daily.
• Normal protein intake of 6 to 10 ounces daily.
• Consumption of fish three or four times weekly

In addition, Dr. Swank recommends avoiding physical, emotional, and mental strain and fatigue as well as getting plenty of rest. For sixteen years 146 patients followed his program; their attacks were reduced by 95 percent. Dr. Swank points to longer, more fruitful lives for people with MS who follow his program, and he also says that when the treatment is started early, “Ninety to ninety-five percent of the cases remained unchanged or actually improved during the following twenty years.” For detailed information on his program, you can refer to his book The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book (Doubleday, 1977). As to why the diet is effective, it seems that three factors come into play. The diet promotes less platelet aggregation, it reduces the autoimmune response, and it normalizes the decreased essential fatty acid levels found in the serum, red blood cells, platelets, and, probably most important, in the spinal fluid in patients with MS.

Some researchers have found a connection between MS and allergies. Dr. Herman Weinreb at New York University Medical Center, who noticed that the changes in the nervous system of patients with MS resembled the changes caused by allergies, worked to eliminate all allergens in an effort to reduce MS attacks. His treatment had positive results, with bedridden patients becoming wheelchair-bound, wheelchair patients becoming ambulatory, and some patients becoming symptom-free. While food allergies are not a cause of MS, if we accept that it is an autoimmune disease it follows that eliminating any allergens, which also stimulate an autoimmune response, would be very helpful. I believe it is useful to review the potential for allergic reactions and to eliminate as much as is possible any allergen sources.

The connection between MS and allergies may be the reason that the MacDougall treatment is effective for some people. Roger MacDougall was severely affected by MS. Confined to a wheelchair and almost blind, he created a diet and, over the course of years, became virtually free of symptoms. His diet forbids all gluten-containing cereals such as wheat, oats, rye, and barley. Like Swank, MacDougall recommends severely limiting saturated fats and strictly forbids dairy products including butter, cream, and cheeses. In addition he recommends taking vitamins and minerals including the B complex vitamins as well as vitamins C and E, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

It appears that treatment with high levels of antioxidants can be helpful. The antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. These antioxidants should be taken every day for the rest of your life.

There have been reports, beginning in the early 1970s, and particularly by Dr. Harold Millar in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that diets high in linoleic acid can be helpful for MS patients. Patients who supplemented their diet with linoleic acid had longer remissions and reduced the severity of their attacks. The best sources for linoleic acid in supplement form include black currant seed oil and borage oil, both available at health food stores. Sunflower seed oil is also rich in linoleic acid and can be used in cooking. Boosting the linoleic content of the diet is most effective when it’s done in conjunction with a diet that severely limits the intake of saturated or animal fats.

There is a great deal of evidence that certain trace minerals including calcium, magnesium, selenium (mentioned above as an antioxidant), and zinc can be helpful for MS patients. No one knows why calcium, for example, is helpful for MS patients, but studies have shown that daily supplements of calcium can help relieve symptoms.

NATURAL PRESCRIPTION FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

• Patients with MS should be under the care and follow the recommendations of a neurologist.
• Reduce the amount of saturated fat in the diet. This includes severely limiting all dairy foods, including whole milk, eggs, and cheese, and meats high in fat such as red meats.
• Increase intake of polyunsaturated oil including vegetable oils, safflower oils, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, and wheat germ oil.
• Make every effort to eliminate any allergens from your diet and environment.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DALLY SUPPLEMENTS, TAKE:

• Vitamin C: 1,000 mg. daily.
• V4temln E: 400 I.U. daily.
• Vitamin B12: one 1,000-mg. tablet dissolved under the tongue daily.
• Beta-carotene: 10,000 I.U. daily,
• Selenium: 100 mcg. daily.
• Zinc: 22.5 mg. daily,
• Calcium: 1,200 mg. daily.
• Magnesium: 400 mg. daily.
• One teaspoon of cod liver oil daily.
• Supplement with linoleic acid. Sources include black currant seed oil and borage oil. Take one 1,000-mg. capsule three times daily.

IN ADDITION: Because we are still uncertain of the precise cause of MS, new theories and treatments are constantly proposed. Though I don’t specialize in MS, I have investigated some of these new treatments on behalf of my patients and here are several I think have merit:
Dr. Hans Neiper in Germany has been working with MS patients for years and has had some remarkable success with his treatment regime that includes supplements such as magnesium, potassium, and special forms of calcium. You can get more information on Dr. Neiper’s treatments by contacting HansA Referral, P.O. Box 32, Viroqua, WI 54665 (608) 637-3030.
There is evidence that injections of colchicine (an anti-inflammatory compound extracted from a common herb, meadow saffron) can be effective in relieving symptoms and in promoting general stamina. Oral colchicine can also be used. In a preliminary clinical trial, 75 percent of MS patients who took colchicine improved or stabilized; my patients with MS have had comparable results. While there are side effects including gastrointestinal symptoms, they can usually be managed by altering the dose. As existing drugs for MS can be quite toxic, the use of colchicine is a promising alternative, and patients should be able to take it safely throughout their lives.
Bx2 injections have been found to be helpful to patients with MS.
A preliminary study has indicated that injections of myelin protein, extracted from the brains of cows, may be a promising treatment for MS.
There is a new beta-interferon drug, Betaseron, which is about to be approved by the FDA. While not a cure, it seems to reduce symptoms among some patients.