Insights on Multiple Sclerosis

Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 01 2009 | 134,363 views



Visit the Mercola Video Library

The usual prescription for MS is a cartload of highly toxic medications. But a number of natural methods can produce a profound effect on this debilitating disease.

Vitamin D Dose Recommendations
Age	Dosage
Below 5	35 units per pound per day
Age 5 - 10	2500 units
Age 18 - 30	5000 units
Pregnant Women	5000 units
WARNING: There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need 4-5 times the amount recommended above. Ideally your blood level of 25 OH D should be 60ng/ml. Dr. Mercola's Comments:   Before I delve into the topic at hand, I want to remind you that the information imparted here are my personal findings and recommendations – the result of seeing some 20,000 patients or more, and doing my own research within the field of natural medicine. It’s by no means a comprehensive or decisive review. I urge you to add your own comments in the forum below, called Vital Votes. Many of you have knowledge and insights into disorders like multiple sclerosis that I do not, and it’s only by sharing our knowledge that we, as a community, can create a body of effective solutions for those who struggle with these types of diseases. If you’re not already registered, take a moment to join the community now – it’s free. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a very serious illness, and I used to dread when people came to my office with MS because there really wasn’t much I could do for them. Since that time, and in researching a vast array of natural health therapies, I realized there are a number of different strategies available, some of which I’ll share with you here. What is Multiple Sclerosis? MS is a chronic, degenerative disease of the nerves in your brain and spinal column, caused through a demyelization process. Myelin is the insulating, waxy substance around the nerves in your central nervous system, and when the myelin is damaged by an autoimmune disease or self-destructive process in your body, then the function of those nerves deteriorate over time, resulting in a number of symptoms, including: Muscle weakness Imbalance, or loss of coordination Astigmatism Tremors If you go the conventional route, you should know that neurologists (the specialists who typically monitor these types of diseases) routinely prescribe a variety of very toxic and dangerous medications to their MS patients that in no way shape or form address the underlying cause of the disease. It is my strong recommendation to not accept these drugs, and if you’re already on them, to wean yourself off, as they are some of the most toxic drugs used in the field of medicine. These drugs include: Prednisone, a steroid hormone that can significantly impair your immune system, and cause diseases like osteoporosis and cataracts Interferon. This drug is quite deceptive, because even though it’s a natural substance, it’s typically given in a dose that shuts down your body’s natural feedback loop. As a result, it tends to do more harm than good Fortunately, there are many alternatives to these toxic treatment methods offered by conventional medicine. How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Without Dangerous Drugs Many of the recommended strategies for MS are identical to the principles I’ve been teaching on my site for years, but a few stand out as being specifically applicable to the treatment of an autoimmune disease such as MS. Optimize your vitamin D levels – As with virtually all other autoimmune diseases, optimizing your vitamin D levels is an essential step. Ideally, your level should be somewhere between 70-90 ng/ml, which is done through a simple blood test. I recommend using LabCorp for this if you’re in the U.S. Ideally you’ll want to raise (and maintain) your vitamin D levels by regularly exposing large amounts of your skin to sunshine, or by using a safe tanning bed. If for any reason neither is available to you, you can use an oral supplement of vitamin D3. Doses for an oral supplement could be as high as 10,000 IU’s a day depending on your current level, so it’s very important to monitor your levels regularly. Personally, I believe it’s medical malpractice to treat someone with an autoimmune disease and not address and monitor their vitamin D levels. Optimize your essential fat intake – Secondly, you need to make sure you’re getting a good supply of essential fats, such as omega-3s. Part of optimizing your essential fats includes avoiding damaged, processed fats found in most all processed foods. Especially damaging are the omega-6 fats found in soy-, canola-, and corn oil. These are usually highly oxidized and also contain trans fats and cyclic fats that imbed themselves into your cell membranes, distorting the cellular functions. You’ll also want to increase your intake of healthy omega-3 fats. My favorite is an animal-based source such as krill oil, or fish oil. But plant-based fats high in ALA are very beneficial as well. Good sources include flax seed and chia seeds. Eliminate sugar – Another crucial element is to eliminate as much sugar as possible from your diet. Cutting out processed foods will go a long way to reduce excess sugar, in addition to eliminating the majority of damaging fats in your diet. Eat raw food – This is an important principle for optimal health that I normally recommend for everyone. However, I’ve found that for people with severe autoimmune disease, it’s even more important. Some of the most dramatic improvements we’ve seen in patients using nutritional changes have come about as the result of eating their food raw instead of cooked. That includes eggs and high-quality, organic meats as well. Supplements and Other Helpful Strategies There are a number of supplements that can be helpful as well, including: Low-dose Naltrexone and alpha lipoic acid – One of the newer ones is low dose Naltrexone (LDN), along with alpha lipoic acid. Naltrexone (generic name) is a pharmacologically active opioid antagonist, conventionally used to treat drug- and alcohol addiction – normally at doses of 50mg to 300mg. As such, it’s been an FDA approved drug for over two decades. However, researchers have found that at very low dosages (3 to 4.5 mg), naltrexone has immunomodulating properties that may be able to successfully treat cancer malignancies and a wide range of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s disease, just to name a few. As explained on the informative website www.lowdosenaltrexone.org, when you take LDN at bedtime -- which blocks   your opioid receptors for a few hours in the middle of the night -- it is believed to up-regulate vital elements of your immune system by increasing your body’s production of metenkephalin and endorphins (your natural opioids), hence improving immune function. Dr. Bert Berkson is an expert on this regimen. For more information about his findings and successes using this combination, please review this previous article. If you’re a member of my Inner Circle, you will have already received the full interview with Dr. Berkson on this topic. Mercury detox – Mercury is clearly a neurotoxic poison that should be avoided, so avoiding eating fish and refusing or removing mercury dental amalgams are also important aspects. Many still do not realize that the majority of a “silver” filling is in fact mercury, and despite its obvious risks mercury fillings are still used in the field of dentistry. We are making strong efforts to have mercury eliminated from dental practices in the U.S. and will hopefully succeed in that mission within the next few years. Until then, however, it’s up to you to choose a dentist that has the good sense not to use it. Additionally, there are now a few new supplements to help eliminate mercury from your system. One in particular that appears to be very effective, developed by Dr. Boyd Haley, is called Oxidative Stress Reliever, or OSR for short. Very Important to Address All Early Childhood Emotional Traumas I also want to emphasize the emotional component of autoimmune disease. Just as vitamin D deficiency seems to be present in most cases of autoimmune disease, there is also typically an emotional element involved. More often than not, some form of hidden emotional wound can be found in patients suffering with autoimmune diseases like MS. Typically, this wounding occurred at a very young age, almost always before the age of seven; typically before the age of five. At that age your consciousness is not yet well formed, and it’s easy to incur a serious emotional insult that would not have been nearly as devastating if you’d been a few years older. Frequently, these emotional injuries result in physical damage decades later, and we’ve found that without effective intervention to address these underlying emotional injuries, you may not be able to get significantly better. Strategies like meditation, prayer, and energy psychology techniques are particularly effective and need to be part of your overall treatment strategy in order to truly address the root of your illness. By applying these principles and others available on this site, we’ve seen phenomenal results, and I'm confident that if you suffer from MS and apply them, you too will notice a dramatic improvement in your condition. Related Links: Amazing Recovery From Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis Radically Improves With Simple Diet Changes with the Help of Nutritional Typing The Sunny Solution That Slashes Your Multiple Sclerosis Risks     www.mercola.com