Last Updated on November 16, 2023 by Cathy
Chronic inflammation is the main cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). This is good, it gives you the opportunity to do something about it. There is no cure but, you can manage your MS and reverse your symptoms by following these tips.
Inflammation is not a bad thing, it’s part of the body’s defense mechanism. It helps your body’s process of healing itself from infections, injuries, and toxins.
When it lasts for years it becomes chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation leaves your body in a continuing state of alert. Removing whatever is causing your chronic inflammation will allow your body to heal.
Get a free “Sources Of Vitamin D” at the bottom of this article.
There are many things that can increase inflammation leading to MS. You will need to figure out what your trigger is and correct it.
Possible triggers of chronic inflammation:
- Diet (processed foods, refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, food allergies, etc.)
- Infections (bacterial, parasites, viruses, and yeast overgrowth)
- Environmental Toxins (chemicals, 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)
Although genetics plays a small role. Researchers discovered this when they studied identical twins and only one had MS. If it was mostly due to genetics both identical twins would have MS.
The main cause of MS is due to environmental factors. Such as infectious agents, smoking, and vitamin deficiencies.
The Importance of Vitamin D for MS
Researchers have known for decades that vitamin D deficiency plays a role in MS. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes mostly from the sun. That’s why it’s known as the sunshine vitamin.
Vitamin D has many vital functions in the body including:
- Builds bones
- Decreasing the risk of a heart attack
- Fights off the flu
- Lowers your risk of some cancers like breast, colon, and prostate cancer
- Reduces depression
- Reducing the risk of MS and reducing flares
- Supports immune health
Ask your doctor to get tested immediately. Do not expect a “normal” result, get the actual number. An optimal number should be between 60-80 ng/mL. Doctors recommend 400 IU each day but this is too low. Talk to your doctor about what is right for you.
To learn more about vitamin D read Multiple Sclerosis And Vitamin D
How to Get a Vitamin D Blood Test
The first time my doctor tested my vitamin D level she told me my number was normal. When I asked for the number it was at 30.5, this is way too low! See the image below:
I get tested every February since this is when my vitamin D blood level would be at its lowest. This is due to the cloudy winter months and my staying indoors more often. I also stopped going to my doctor because my insurance won’t pay for it since I had a “normal” result.
They should test all MS patients yearly as part of their wellness checkups.
Instead, I use Walk-In Lab. This is an online lab you pay and order from the convenience of your home. I found it to be more affordable than going through my doctor and insurance. You order the blood work online and choose a local lab for the blood draw. Then you wait for the results in your email.
Yearly blood work I get from Walk-In Lab:
- A1C – tests for the average blood sugar level from the past three months
C-Reactive Protein (CRP) – checks the level of inflammation - Homocysteine – if it’s high it is a signal you have a deficiency in vitamins B6, B12, and folate
- Vitamin D – increases the risk of MS flares
As inflammation increases, CRP in your blood also increases. Making a CRP blood test a good indicator of whether inflammation is subsiding or not. It’s a good idea to get a base test and then check it yearly to make sure it is going down.
Best Diet for MS
What you eat plays a huge role when it comes to chronic inflammation. Eating a poor diet increases inflammation. The standard American diet is a diet that promotes inflammation. That is why chronic diseases are so common in the U.S.
Chronic diseases include:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Depression
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Obesity
- Stroke
Until recently doctors started believing a healthy diet is important for MS patients. But eating a healthy diet to manage MS is not new. Dr. Roy Swank began studying this in the late 1940s. In the 1950s Roger MacDougall, a famous playwright, reversed his MS. He ate a healthy hunter-gather diet.
Other people who reversed their MS by eating and living a clean lifestyle:
- Ann Boroch, author of Healing Multiple Sclerosis
- Mathew Embry, filmmaker and MS advocate, see his film about MS Living Proof on Amazon
- Palmer Kippola, author of Beat Autoimmune
- Pam Bartha, author of Become a Wellness Champion
Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet
Eating an anti-inflammatory diet will lower your inflammation. Include lots of vegetables since this is where you get most of your nutrients. Dr. Terry Wahls, the author of The Wahls Protocol, reversed her MS by eating a paleo-based diet.
Dr. Wahls recommends eating 3 cups of each:
- Leafy greens
- Colorful all the way through
- Sulfur such as asparagus, broccoli, and cabbage
Include a wide variety of different foods to get the most nutrients. Remove any food item you may have a sensitivity to.
Foods that fight inflammation:
- Vegetables except for corn (it’s a grain)
- Fruit (low-sugar fruit is best)
- Herbs and spices
- Healthy fats
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Wild-caught fish
- Pasture-raised poultry
- Grass-fed and finished meats and organ meats
You may need to try an elimination diet to find these foods. I struggled for years trying to figure out what was causing the rash on my face. I finally had a food sensitivity test and discovered I was sensitive to many food items. Such as arugula, avocado, chocolate, coconut, and more. – The arugula I would have never guessed.
If you are struggling to find the culprit ask your doctor for a food sensitivity test. This is different than a food allergy test. Or you can buy a food sensitivity test such as Everlywell or 5Strands on Amazon.
Tips to Reverse Multiple Sclerosis
Stopping the progression of MS takes a lot of work. Diet is not the only factor for stopping the progression of MS. You also have to change your lifestyle to a healthy one. Life is unfair sometimes but you can’t feel self-pity. This is a negative emotion and it will hold you back.
Lifestyle factors to change:
- Avoid negative people
- Balance your hormones
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
- Exercise, I like to use OptimalBody Personal Fitness
- Fix your gut
- Get plenty of sleep
- Keep moving
- Lower your stress
- Quit drinking excessively
- Remove any foods that cause a bad reaction such as acne or headache
- Remove infections
- Stay positive
- Stop smoking
- Take several deep breaths throughout the day
You can find more tips to reverse multiple sclerosis next week by reading How to Unlock Your Healing Power with MS.
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Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay and Ella Olsson on Unsplash
Tips to Reverse Multiple Sclerosis
