Holistic Remedies for Multiple Sclerosis

Q: My sister was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and she’s devastated. Are there any holistic remedies that can help?

A: Multiple sclerosis affects approximately 400,000 Americans, mostly women between the ages of 20 and 40. Though it is considered incurable, its severity can vary a great deal, so I’d encourage anyone with it to explore lifestyle measures and therapies that may provide relief in addition to conventional treatment.

Acupuncture and massage have been shown to help ease symptoms and improve overall well-being, and since MS attacks are marked by inflammation, following an anti-inflammatory diet might help. This means limiting saturated fats, processed and refined foods, and pro-inflammatory cooking oils like vegetable oil, and increasing fruits and vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fatty fish like wild salmon or black cod.

Some experts also recommend limiting alcohol and coffee. In addition to dietary fish, recent studies suggest that supplementing with fish oil may significantly help ease symptoms. Patients should talk to their doctors about this and other potentially helpful supplements.

Learn more:
Boost Your Health and Prevent Disease
The Best Supplements for Your Health, A Complete Guide

Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.

Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Michele W.

2:43AM PST on Jan 26, 2012

Thank you

send a green star

Faith B.

9:44PM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Thank you from this article

Marilyn G.

6:08AM PDT on Aug 31, 2009

After being dx'd in '87, my college roomate asked if I had tried evening primrose oil. When I finally started it, I just knew it was the thing to continue for life. Even with minimal symptoms, I have been in a "healthy denial" all these years. Started LDN 11/06, gluten free diet 8/07...Just wish I had done that 20 years ago as 25 pounds melted off quickly! What a difference! MAG

Nico V.

5:09AM PDT on Aug 26, 2009

Ever heard about LDN? LDN stands for Low Dose Naltrexone.
The dose is indeed very low (1,4mg). Normally Naltrexone comes in 50mg doses and is used in cases of alcohol abuse.
see www.ldn.org.
My sister-in-law suffered from rather heavy depression as result from MS. Now she takes LDN and is much happier.
Nico

Past Member .

4:10AM PDT on Jun 15, 2009

thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

Green Road A.

3:23PM PDT on Aug 24, 2008

There are many things that can help in the natural world.. and I would add fasting to the list.. if done properly and with supervision.

The Inner Physician always knows the way and will do it, if given the tools to work with.

See Nature Provides group on Care2 for more information and assistance.

BP P.

6:04PM PDT on Aug 23, 2008

I find several of these comments inaccurate. First of all, putting an age stipulation on MS is ridiculous. There are cases of pediactric MS and I have seen people diagnosed past the age of 65. I was diagnosed at 51 and found that I am far from alone. Also the statistics about the number of people in the U.S. is absolutely incorrect -- please note that the last census was done in the late '70s!

Regarding coffee, there have been recent studies that indicate that coffee might HELP and even stave off MS. That said, as with almost all things MS, there are contradictory studies.

As far as supplements, look into vitamin D3, curcumin, fish oil and evening primrose oil. I say LOOK INTO because just mentioning supplements by name is not enough though -- there are sometimes important dosing guidelines (as with D3) and things you should look for when taking certain supplements (for example, getting mercury free fish oil). These recommendations should get you started to do research but please not that there are other supplements that may be helpful as well.

Nicole H.

4:56AM PDT on Aug 23, 2008

I'll also add that rather than fish to get the good oils, you can use flax seed oil - it has all the benefits that fish oil does but without the impact to our already over stressed fish population that's on the brink of collapse.

4:53AM PDT on Aug 23, 2008

I was dx'd about 8 yrs ago - two tips for great things for your sister - first, she'll want to take a hard look at her diet - I switched to being vegan to get the meat/fish products out of my system along with all the chemicals. Second - yoga is amazing - both for the mind and body - it helped me like you wouldn't believe.