Last Updated on November 25, 2023 by Cathy
Inflammation is a normal and healthy process in the body. When it becomes chronic inflammation it can lead to diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Fortunately, you have the power to lower your inflammation and treat MS naturally to stop the progression.
There are many medical conditions linked to chronic inflammation including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
Instead of getting to the root cause, most people reach for an anti-inflammatory. Anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin or ibuprofen only mask the symptoms they don’t treat the root cause. Poor diet, lack of exercise, loss of sleep, and stress also increase inflammation. Fortunately, you have the ability to lower your inflammation. What you eat and how you behave have a huge impact on your health.
Doctors are excellent at suppressing inflammation with medications. But, they aren’t trained to treat the underlying causes of diseases such as:
- Allergens
- Microbes
- Nutrition
- Stress
- Toxins
Diseases such as MS happen due to multifactorial factors. Including genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as infectious agents and smoking.
I’m not putting conventional doctors down, they saved my son’s life when he was 2-1/2 years old. I will be forever grateful for them. But, when it comes to MS conventional therapies are not able to stop the destruction of nerve tissue.
Become a Detective
You need to become a detective and find out why you ended up with MS. Ask yourself about possible triggers including your diet; and your digestive and elimination patterns. Improve your sleep, stress levels, and lifestyle choices such as smoking, and exercise.
Possible triggers to MS:
- Diet (processed foods, refined sugar, refined carbs, food allergies, etc.)
- Infections (bacterial overgrowth, parasites, viruses, and yeast overgrowth)
- Environmental Toxins (heavy metals, mold, pesticides, etc.)
- Chronic Stress (especially emotional stress)
- Hormones (cortisol, insulin, vitamin D – yes, it’s a hormone)
- Genetics (you can’t change your genes but you can change your gene expression by living a healthy lifestyle)
People are individuals, you can’t treat every patient the same because of the name of a disease. You need to treat each patient individually. What caused my MS may not be what caused my MS. For example, Dr. Terry Wahls believes her MS was due to living on a farm with pesticides. For me, it was too many rounds of antibiotics and eating processed foods full of sugar – poor gut health.
Brain Health
Your brain and gut react together, that’s why your stomach gets upset when you’re stressed. Your gut not only lets you know when you’re hungry or when you feel full. It’s also involved with:
- Detoxification
- How you utilize carbohydrates and fat
- Immunity
- Inflammation
- Neurotransmitter (the body’s chemical messengers)
- Nutrient absorption
- Vitamin production
Poor gut health also causes depression and how you look at life. Are you a negative person or a happy person? Everything about your health, both physically and emotionally, depends on your microbiome.
According to Dr. David Perlmutter, author of Brain Maker:
“No other system in the body is more sensitive to changes in gut bacteria than the central nervous system.”
– Dr. David Perlmutter
The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord. But when your gut is unhealthy it leads to inflammation and a leaky gut. A leaky gut can cross the blood-brain barrier known as a “leaky” brain.
Once this happens it allows bacteria and viruses to get inside the brain where they don’t belong. How you protect yourself and your brain depends on what you eat. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet lowers inflammation and improves your gut bacteria.
It doesn’t take a long time to notice small improvements. You may feel more energy, less brain fog, or clearer skin. Since everyone is different it will depend on your current state of health. The longer you’ve had MS or the more damage you’ve had it could take longer.
Don’t get discouraged! I had severe heat intolerance for about 20 years and I was able to reverse it. Think positive, you can do this!!!
Use These 6 Tips to Lower Inflammation and Treat MS Naturally:
1. Eat Lots of Vegetables and Some Fruit
A diet high in vegetables and some fruit is excellent for decreasing inflammation. The more servings you eat, the better. Dr. Wahls recommends 9 cups each day. 3 cups of each: leafy greens, colorful all the way through, and sulfur vegetables. 1 cup of fruit, especially berries, to keep your blood sugar level.
2. Avoid Unhealthy Fats
Trans-fats and fats that are high in omega-6 fatty acids cause inflammation. These fats are in many seed oils such as canola, sunflower, or soybean oil. Instead use healthy fats such as avocado, coconut, grass-fed animal fat, nut, olive, or sesame oil. Omega-3 fats are especially good for MS patients for reducing inflammation. Plus, omega-3 fats help repair the brain and nerve damage.
3. Eat Fiber
Diets high in fiber not only reduce inflammation but also feed the good bacteria in the gut. Plus, fiber keeps you regulated which is a common complaint from MS patients. Constipation is a sign that you aren’t eating enough fiber.
Most people don’t eat enough fiber each day to have healthy bowel movements. If you aren’t having 1-2 healthy bowel movements each day toxins get reabsorbed back into your body. This causes problems with your digestion, heart, hormones, immunity, skin, and brain.
Women should aim for 25 grams of fiber each day, men should aim for 38 grams each day. A simple way to add more fiber is by adding 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds or ground flaxseeds to your food. If you aren’t used to eating a lot of fiber make sure to Start Slow.
4. Eat Fewer Carbohydrates
Keeping your blood sugar level balanced also keeps your gut bacteria balanced. Diets high in sugar and low in fiber invite inflammation. It’s not fats that cause health problems it’s a high-carb/sugar diet that leads to health issues.
5. Drink Filtered Water
Make sure you are drinking plenty of filtered water. Tap water contains chemicals like chlorine that can disrupt your microbiome. Many people with MS don’t drink enough due to bladder issues. You don’t need an expensive water filtration system, I use a countertop water filter.
Don’t let bladder issues be an excuse for not drinking enough water. Drink more water in the morning to keep from waking up all night to go to the bathroom. As you increase your water intake you may notice your body is getting used to it.
Practice Kegal exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. To start, try it for three seconds at a time, then relax for a count of three. Work up to at least three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions each day. Set the alarm on your phone as a daily reminder.
6. Fill Your Plate with Nutrient-Dense Foods
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is not healthy. It’s high in sugar, highly processed, low in fiber, and nutrient-poor. It has led to a country that is overweight, undernourished, and vitamin deficient. Instead, you should eat a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet.
Eating real, whole foods that you cook at home is the best medicine to prevent, manage, and reverse MS.
When I was younger I rarely ate vegetables and when I did it usually came out of a can. Today, it’s the opposite. I love eating and growing a wide variety of fresh organic vegetables. I rarely go to a restaurant but when I do, I order a salad and think my salads taste much better.
When preparing a meal fill two-thirds of your plate with mostly vegetables. Aim for ones that grow above the ground. Vegetables that grow in the ground such as beets are higher in carbohydrates. You don’t need to avoid these, you just need to limit them to keep your blood sugar from constantly spiking.
Eat about 3 to 4 ounces of protein such as:
- Grass-fed and finished meat and organ meat
- Pasture-raised poultry
- Wild-caught fish
Besides lowering your inflammation, work on healing your leaky gut. Check out LEAKY GUT to learn how. Omega-3 fats from salmon, sardines, walnuts, and flaxseeds are healing for your gut.
Quick Links To Information In This Post:
Tips To Heal Your Leaky Gut
Foods That Are Highest In Fiber
Easy Anti-Inflammatory Diet Guidelines
Treat MS Naturally
I was told decades ago that an MS cure was right around the corner. And pharmaceutical companies keep promising hope with new drugs. But, these treatments don’t stop the destruction of nerve tissue.
People with MS don’t have time to wait for a “cure.” But you can slow and stop the progression by what you eat and how you live your life. Make the smart choice and start today!
You can do this!
Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid
Subscribe for free and I’ll send you the password to my secret library filled with many printables including the Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241505/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/kegel-exercises/art-20045283
6 Tips to Treat MS Naturally
Noorjan says
Hi cathy
I as diagnosed with ms in 1994. I’ve done pretty well thus far , watching what I eat . My walking is however now becoming a challenge, with a few falls. I’m trying to change my diet completely, but find the information out there sooo confusing. Some say heat lentils and legumes others not ….
Some say no gluten no eggs ….
pls help I’m desperate to get well and feel human again.
Love and regards
Noorjan
Cathy says
Hi Noorjan,
Avoid dairy, legumes, and gluten/grains altogether and see if that helps.
If not, try an elimination diet by cutting out common food sensitivities for at least one month.
https://www.mswellnessroute.com/elimination-diet/
If you are feeling better reintroduce one food item at a time such as egg whites (no yolks). If you feel fine after a few days reintroduce egg yolks. If your body reacts such as bloating, headache or a rash stop eating it until your body is healed.