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ADDRESS TO AN MS SUPPORT
GROUP
by Lynn Hinderliter CN, LDN |
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I would like, first of all, to define what I will, and will not, be
speaking about. I will not be addressing the diagnosis of MS, nor
its development, nor even its manifestations in the body, because I
am sure that whatever there is to know along those lines, you
already know. Additionally, I am not a Doctor: my area of expertise
is the effect of diet on the functioning of the human body.
I hope you will humor me while I develop a
metaphor that will carry us through much of what I have to say this
evening! I would like you to imagine that when we are born into this
world, we are handed a redemption slip for a house: one person, one
house. No favoritism, no choosing.
We get the house our ticket entitles us to: it
may be a castle, it may be a shack: it may be sturdily constructed,
it may have hidden defects within the walls: it may be built to last
a lifetime, it may be shoddily constructed, and begin to fall apart
in just a few years. Whatever the case, this is what we will have to
live in all our lives.
Now let us suppose that things begin to go wrong
in our own personal house: perhaps the wiring in the walls is
shorting out, perhaps the roof is leaking, the paint is peeling
.Perhaps we have been holding wild parties in our house and broken
the windows, or been smoking heavily and stained the ceilings .
Whatever the cause, suddenly all is not well in our private world.
Probably, if we are not fix-it-up people, it takes us quite a while
to find out precisely what IS wrong - and then we are told we need
the proper expert to fix it. Some of us won't be able to afford the
proper expert: some of us don't want to deal with the mess that the
repairs will cause: - we may even decide we can live with the
inconvenience for a while, which of course usually means that by the
time we get round to taking care of it. it will be much harder to
fix! Some of us may have a tree fall on our roof and have to take
care of the devastation immediately, or a flood may undermine the
foundations.
Let us now take this metaphor a step further, and
say that the house-fixing experts out there have a very mixed
success record. You have personally spoken to people who have had
their roof fixed, only to have the walls fall in on them: or when
the ceiling was replaced, the wiring in the walls caught fire. You
don't know what to do. Then you begin to hear from people who say
they have had some success re-building their houses themselves. They
say "it will never be a castle, but at least the roof no longer
leaks, and the windows are fixed - it should last me for years, and
I feel good about it"
You think "I could never do that". But this is
not true: my message this evening is that EVERYONE can make their
house a better place to live in! It doesn't make sense to let it
fall down around you when on all sides others are saying "this is
what I did, and it helped" - and they are also telling you that it
DID NO HARM.
Do you remember when the American Heart
Association said that diet could not have anything to do with heart
disease? Do you know what they say now? Do you remember when the
Cancer Foundation said there was no connection between diet and
Cancer? Do you know how long the FDA spent refusing to accept the
connection between Folic Acid and birth defects? Nearly 10 years!
It
is my personal opinion that nearly every degenerative condition of
our physical 'house' is diet-connected, and can be improved by diet.
Those fortunate people who have been issued sturdy houses may only
need to perform a little preventative maintenance every now and
again, but those of us who have shakier structures have a more
intensive programme to follow.
To digress from houses for a
moment, let me take a few moments here to lay out for you my
personal understanding of the state of nutritional research and MS
at the moment.
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It seems to
be generally agreed that at the root of this problem is disturbed
metabolism of Fatty Acids.
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Possibly there is a genetic factor at
work,
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Possibly a geographic
factor: women in Northern latitudes are at higher risk for
MS, leading to a theory that Vitamin D deficiency may
be causative.
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Possibly even there is a link to breast-feeding since MS has
increased greatly in the years when breast-feeding declined.( a six
fold increase between the years 1920 and 1980). Interestingly, ADHD
has also increased during that time, and the link to Essential Fatty
Acids is present there too.
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Certainly there is an allergic factor
(nearly always a food - often milk) at work,
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and also an
auto-immune involvement.
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Then there is the interesting research
suggesting that the incomplete breakdown of formaldehyde causes
damage to the CNS.
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Most recently, Australian
research suggests that rather than auto-immune attacks on
the myelin, the first stage is apoptosis, or cell death,
caused perhaps by a virus. (see
RESOURCES for more info)
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in 2006, a link between
exposure to aluminum, low silica levels and MS was
discovered
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This is a very complicated and
difficult situation to address nutritionally, comparable almost to
the total collapse of your house, where every system has to be
assessed and repaired to make it safe to live in again.
From a nutritional point of view, it is hard to
make order out of all these things: so many things have to be
addressed: allergies, faulty absorption, stress, immune dysfunction,
inflammation, toxic metals - this is one of the reasons why MS sufferers looking
at a nutritional approach are so often daunted :"Do we have to take
so MANY things?" To go back to the house, when the entire structure
has collapsed, its not going to help just to fix the plumbing: what
is needed is a complete programme that addresses all the identified
problems in order - that way, you will end up with a home that fills
your needs!
Here is my program, and those who follow it do
not get "cured", but they do feel significantly better.
1) Try to identify stress factors and
either eliminate or neutralize them. This means following the wise
old adage - if you can change things that worry you, do it! If you
can't change them, don't worry about them! This is easier to say
than to do, I know: but IT CAN BE DONE! External stresses of this
nature affect your body by stimulating, among other things,
adrenal response. This in turn compromises your immune system.
Both of these situations increase nutritional requirements meaning
that if your are already consuming an inadequate diet you are more
likely to become sicker, and if you are eating well and
supplementing, you are going to need more. A point of interest
here is that a Doctor Reder M.D. of Chicago autopsied ten MS
patients and compared their adrenal glands to those of three
patients who died of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) He found
that in all cases the adrenals of the MS patients were one third
larger in size and weight. It seems that MS patients are highly
reactive to stress.
2) Allergy identification. The two most
serious allergies for MS patients appear to be milk & dairy
generally, and gluten. Definitely you should test to see whether
these are a factor for you , and if they are (if you had ear
infections as a child, be pretty positive they are!) consider them poison,
and eliminate them totally. Other substances may also be a problem for
you -an effective way you yourself can check to see what
intolerances you have is to try the
Coca Pulse Test or the
Rotation Diet.
3) Exercise. There can be not doubt that
loss of muscle control and range of movement can at least be
minimized by performing Yoga exercises. These are gentle movements
designed with purpose, that can help you at any stage. There are
good books and videos that you can purchase to guide you. Very
often contractures and reduction in mobility come about from not
taking steps immediately to counter-act them - use it or lose it,
the saying goes, and it is very applicable here! It's worth
remembering, too ( and repeating to oneself over and over when the
flow of energy is low) that exercise ENERGIZES you!
4) Proper diet.
Absolutely essential for MS sufferers is a diet high in fresh
fruits and vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables.
Avoid sugars. The other important factor is AVOIDING ALL
SATURATED AND TRANS FATS, and concentrating instead on
polyunsaturated oils . Fish oil is very beneficial, corn oil is
pro-inflammatory and should be replaced in your kitchen with
olive oil. Be sure that you are avoiding
foods to which you are allergic or intolerant.
5) Supplementation. This is a long list
- don't be alarmed! But believe me when I say that this program
works with many people to help MS. It seems to be most
successful with people who have been recently diagnosed, but even
those with long-standing problems frequently experience
improvement.
A high potency multi- vitamin.
Rationale: MS means high nutritional
requirements: this is insurance that you are getting all the
nutrients, even if you are restricting your diet. Make sure that the
brand you buy is hypo-allergenic, or you may do yourself more harm
than good - and if it has colorings or preservatives, look for
another brand!
Extra folic acid and B12, extra B6 -
There
is much evidence that the absorption of B 12 is impaired with MS
patients: Dr. Reynolds of King's College hospital in England was
surprised to discover this deficiency among humans, but when two of
the patients he treated with B12 had been followed for more than a
year, and their conditions had not deteriorated. Dr. Reynolds
measured B12 and folic acid levels in 29 cases of Ms, and discovered
low B12 in all of them - 9 had also low levels of Folate. We suggest
the sub-lingual B 12, as it is hard to absorb. In fact, I feel it
would be of benefit to MS patients to have the acidity of their
stomach secretions measured, as hypochlorhydria is associated
with low B12, and a host of health problems.
Many of the enzymes needed for protein formation,
and energy, are dependent on B6. It is also involved in the
metabolic pathways of fatty acid conversion.
Vitamin D (I recommend Cod
Liver Oil or Vitamin D3)
The Role of Vitamin D in
Multiple Sclerosis, Brown SJ, Ann Pharmacother, 2006 May 9 [Epub
ahead of print]. (Address: Drug Information Service, Skaggs
School of Pharmacy, College of Health Professions and Biomedical
Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr. Skaggs, Bldg 217,
Missoula, MT 59812-1522, USA. Fax 406-243-4353. E-mail:
sherrill.brown@umontana.edu ).
Summary: In a review of
studies related to the role of vitamin D in the prevention and
treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), it was concluded
that supplementation with vitamin D may help to prevent the
development of MS and may help to decrease the exacerbation of MS
symptoms in persons already diagnosed with MS. After searching
Medline (1966 through April 2006), International Pharmaceutical
Abstracts (1970 through April 2006), and additional references found
from identified articles, several studies involving vitamin D and MS
were identified. Supplementation with vitamin D was associated with
a 40% reduced risk of developing MS according to the results of a
large, prospective, cohort study. Supplementation with vitamin D was
found to decrease the exacerbation of MS symptoms, according to four
smaller, uncontrolled studies. Finally, in a study involving mice,
supplementation with vitamin D was found to prevent the development
and progression of an animal model of MS. The author points out that
in general, the studies to date have been carried out in small
populations, and the results may be confounded by variables such as
additional vitamin and mineral supplementation. Despite these
limitations, the results of this review suggest that vitamin D may
indeed have an important role to play in the prevention of MS and as
a therapeutic agent in the treatment of patients with MS.
Vitamin E - This is
very important for MS patients, because of the danger of oxidation
of the fatty acids. Make sure that the E you are buying is d alpha
tocopherol, and labeled so there can be no doubt. Synthetic Vit. E
has only one third of the biological activity of the natural. Aim
for between 1200and 2000 i.u a day, working up gradually -
particularly if you have high blood pressure. Vitamin E is essential
for oxygen transport in the body, and protects cell membranes from
oxidation.
Vitamin C, with bioflavonoids and rutin. I
also suggest taking Pycnogenol, because of the research
connecting it to micro-circulation, of extreme importance to the CNS. It is a bioflavonoid. Vitamin C is an immune
system supporter, and an antioxidant. It also mediates in the
conversion of fatty acids to prostaglandins, which are (among other
things) inhibitors of inflammation. At least 1000 mg p.d.
Multiple mineral. Mostly
for rounding out your protection. It is unfortunate that the Calcium
orotate researched by Dr. Nieper in Germany, and used so
successfully in MS cases, is still not available in this country due
to the actions of the FDA. I hear, though, that it may be again
soon. In a multiple mineral you will find zinc and manganese, which
are very important to the immune system, and to several enzyme
systems.
Silica - I recommend
orthosilicic acid, which has research to support the link to
lowering aluminum in the body.
Phosphatidyl Choline - One of the constituents of myelin - essential for
proper nerve function. This can be taken in concentrated capsule
form, or as lecithin granules, or in both forms. 2 tblsps of the
granules, or 3 capsules of the concentrated form is usually
recommended.
Evening Primrose oil - source of EFAs Of all the supplements, this is the one that has
perhaps generated the most excitement because of the
incontrovertible benefits. One group reported by 65% that they saw
an improvement in general health, and of these 43% said their
condition had stabilized. Depending on the strength of the capsules,
from 3 to 9 a day are recommended.
Fish liver oils .There
is an interesting body of thought that suggests one of the factors
in MS which accounts for its prevalence in more northerly climates,
is that in previous times when diets were more specific to the
region in which you lived, there were sources of Omega 3 fatty acids
available to those living further North which are ignored nowadays:
this is why fish from cold waters, and plants that grow in colder
climates such as canola and flax, are richer in Omega 3s. These oils
are essential for the brain and nervous system - MaxEpa supplements
are a good source - aim for approximately 1000mg p.d.
Adrenal, and pantothenic acid . The reason for this is the observed problems MS
people have with their adrenals, plus the stress involved in the
entire MS situation. Adrenal extracts support the system, and
pantothenic acid helps adrenal function.
Octacosanol This oil comes from wheat
germ, and helps with the fatigue and exhaustion - it increases
energy and endurance, and also is a source of a waxy alcohol thought
to be a component of myelin. Aim for app. 30 minims p.d, or 2000 mg.
Proteolytic enzymes
This
is some very exciting new research carried out by Dr. Christine
Neuhofer, M.D., herself an MS sufferer. She and her colleagues have
treated more than 350 patients with enzyme therapy. In one study,
out of 107 patients they found that 45 improved markedly, and 26
remained stable. 24 dropped out for financial reasons, and only in
12 cases did deterioration continue. ( Those patients had all been
treated with azathioprine, which destroys the immune system). The
protocol for taking these enzymes is complicated, and set on a case
by case basis, but using the enzymes at one's own pace is not
harmful, and could be very helpful.. I recommend either Renewlife's
Repair, or Inflazyme by American Biologics or Wobenzyme.
Sphingolin - a myelin basic protein.
This is based on some interesting research that
theorized ( and results seem to bear it out) that introducing into the digestive system a substance
similar to the body's own myelin sheath would cause the foreign
substance to be attacked instead.
Alpha Lipoic Acid - Reactive
oxygen species are required for the phagocytosis of myelin by
macrophages.
van der Goes A, Brouwer J, Hoekstra K, Roos D, van den Berg TK,
Dijkstra CD.
Department of Cell Biology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine,
Vrije Universiteit, BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
a.van_der_goes.cell@med.vu.nl
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to be involved in the
pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental allergic
encephalomyelitis (EAE). In this study we showed that the
phagocytosis of myelin by macrophages triggers the production of ROS.
We also demonstrated that ROS play a crucial role in the myelin
phagocytosis. Blocking the ROS production with NADPH oxidase
inhibitors (100 microM DPI or 10 mM Apocynin) essentially prevented
the phagocytosis of myelin. Furthermore, scavenging of ROS with
catalase (H2O2) or mannitol (OH-) decreased the phagocytosis of
myelin by macrophages, whereas superoxide dismutase (O2-) did not
show this effect. In addition, Lipoic acid (LA), a non-specific
scavenger of ROS, also decreased the phagocytosis of myelin by
macrophages. In our results, we demonstrate for the first time that
ROS appear to play a regulatory role in the phagocytosis of myelin.
PMID: 9916881 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
CoQ 10 - Some studies have suggested a
deficiency of this nutrient in MS patients; it plays an important
role in oxygen transport and use in the body, and therefore is
implicated in energy loss, and a faulty immune system. I suggest
between 30 and 100 mg p.d. for general benefits.
I would like to add a few thoughts here. There
are those who feel that MS is often accompanied by
Candida overgrowth: this is a
whole other subject, one with which I deal on a daily basis, believe
me. If any of you feel that this is a factor with you, please feel
free to contact me and we will go in to what needs to be done for
that problem.
Another condition that is sometimes believed to
be a factor is hypoglycemia. Again, this is a subject that would
require another entire monograph! If you feel that blood sugar is a
factor in your case, just get in touch with me and we will address
it.
Tryptophan - Research in November 2005 at Stanford
University suggests that L-Tryptophan can beneficially influence
immune response in MS sufferers. The research at this point is
only on mice, but the resulting effect of fewer relapses, and less
severe disease modalities, was very encouraging. See RESOURCES at
right for link to study. (Science (2005;310:850-855)
Nov 2005) It has
even been suggested that immune-system-induced inflammation was
reduced in the mice to the point where some neurological
function was regained.
Inosine - Some interesting research is
currently being done on the relationship between Uric Acid levels in
the body, and MS. See RESOURCES at
right.
The supplement they are using is a rather
abstruse substance called Inosine, which was previously only known
by body builders when for a brief period it was recommended for
muscle growth. Perhaps they were on to something after all! The
theory is that low levels of Uric Acid contribute to the progression
of the disease, Inosine raises uric Acid levels, and therefore may
be beneficial in stopping the progression of MS.
6) Attitude. This is my final entry - and
we're back to the houses again! You remember the experts? The ones
that say you can't repair your own house? There are hundreds of
people out there who have done just that: they have set about it
with their own tools, and they have in most cases repaired some of
the damage to their dwelling, and in some cases nearly all of it. It
hasn't been easy - perhaps some of them can't use all their rooms
any more. Perhaps their favorite pictures have been destroyed. But
they are living lives of hope and determination, making the best of
what life has to offer. They are heroes under imcredible odds. I find them all the time on the Internet
exchanging tips and ideas, victories and defeats: and I have a
tremendous admiration for them! They have not only repaired the
damaged and failing structures we call our bodies through their own
efforts, they have surrounded them with beautiful and delightful
gardens of the soul, and I salute them. Staying positive, and being
prepared to take part in your own destiny, researching the
possibilities, staying open to their potential - never losing hope.
Never give up - look around your house and feel you can say - I
propped up the foundations - I shored up the walls. When the lights
went out, I found a way - and this pleasant paint, these fresh
curtains - I did it myself. I did my best, and I NEVER GAVE UP!
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Links of interest
These are NOT sponsored/paid links,
but provided for you as being relevant to your search.
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Some links have a finite
life - if you find one that is no longer applicable -try a
Google search for the keywords.
I would also appreciate it if
you would let me know!
Questions /
comments for me?
vitaminlady@vitaminlady.com
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The MS Resource Center in the UK - interesting research into a
serum
from goats
More information about the role of gluten in
inflammatory disorders
The role of Histamine in MS - possible Allergy connection
Tryptophan and MS
Details of a study on the use of INOSINE in
MS
HHV6 and MS - a Study
Another study on MS and
the Herpes Virus
Research connecting Viral
effects rather than Immune effects to MS.
A book by one
lady who rebuilt her house
Reversing Multiple
Sclerosis:
9 Effective Steps to Recover Your
Health
by Celeste Pepe, Lisa
Hammond
Yoga and Pilates
for every size and all body types
Related articles you may find
interesting:
For more articles by
The
Vitamin Lady®
click here.
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