Can You Heal From Multiple Sclerosis?

Last Updated on December 5, 2023 by Cathy

Can you heal from multiple sclerosis (MS)? Heal is a strong word but it all starts from the inside. You can put it into remission but if you went back to your old habits MS would more than likely return. Find the root cause and get your body back into balance.

I’ve been using food as my medicine for many years to control my MS. It was a huge lifestyle change but it has also been the best choice since I haven’t had an MS attack in almost fifteen years. A year later I stopped all MS drugs even though my neurologist told me “diet doesn’t work” yet I’m still walking today.

Researchers are discovering people with MS have different gut bacteria compared to healthy people. There are ongoing studies to see if probiotics may one day be a treatment option. Unfortunately, studies last for years, who wants to wait for results when you can start today?

Which Diet Is Right for MS?

There are many diets for MS and I’ve followed many of them. Each time I change is because I’m not seeing the full results I’m looking for. I don’t believe there is one diet that fits everyone’s needs. However, there is one thing they all have in common and that’s removing foods that cause inflammation.

I follow a combination of Paleo and Candida diets. It’s very strict, there are many “healthy” foods I avoid like fermented foods. But it’s benefiting and it’s helping to reverse my symptoms. Even symptoms I’ve had for over fifteen years like my heat intolerance or the numbness in the back of my mouth. When I started my first healthy diet for MS it was very hard and I didn’t know how to cook meals without dairy or grains. Plus, I rarely ate vegetables besides white potatoes and corn.

Now cooking from scratch comes second nature to me. I’ve adapted old recipes to avoid processed and inflammatory foods. I love eating all kinds of vegetables, okay maybe not Brussels sprouts. I’ve learned substitutes for old favorites such as spaghetti squash instead of pasta, sweet potato salad, or chicken “zoodle” soup.

You need to do the same and adjust the diet to fit your needs. Remove foods you may be sensitive to, like nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, etc.). Keep it simple by using five or fewer ingredients for each recipe. I like making meals using one pan to make it easier. Look at that beautiful picture below of those colorful vegetables for our dinner!

A Health Nut

I started doing more research into reversing MS symptoms. I’ve read and bought many books, and I’ve taken classes on different health subjects. I’ve tried different procedures including CCSVI. People are always asking me health questions and what diet I’m on. I love helping people that’s why I started this blog. I even looked into becoming a health coach but they wanted too much money. My son informed me that I was a health nut, at first I wasn’t sure how to react but he was right. 😊

Here’s a picture of some health books I’ve bought over the years (not including many ebooks and cookbooks):

More than Diet

Removing inflammation is more than just food, it also includes removing environmental toxins. The chemicals you put in your body or breathe every day. Smoking, household chemicals, pesticides, and chronic stress are toxins you could remove immediately. Everyone is different so the route to remove inflammation will be different such as mold or amalgam fillings.

Look into your past, go further back than when you were first diagnosed. MS begins before your first symptom. Were you given lots of antibiotics as a child? Did you have a stressful event that lasted a long time? Did you know many people who were in the military were later diagnosed with MS?

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, plastics, etc.)
• Chronic Stress (especially emotional stress)
• Hormones (vitamin D, insulin, cortisol)
• Genetics (you can’t change your genes but you can change your gene expression by living a healthy lifestyle)

An MS risk could even be hiding in your genes. I’m the first person in my family to have MS or any autoimmune disease. My functional medical doctor suggested I get my DNA tested through**** 23andMe. It showed I had a three times higher risk of MS. Having a risk factor in your DNA doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the disease. It’s the environmental factors that trigger the disease.

Infections

Infections are another trigger towards MS. Researchers linked different viral and bacterial infections. Including Epstein Barr Virus and fungal infections. More than 90% of MS patients have higher levels of IgG in their brain and cerebrospinal fluid. IgG is an antibody that protects against bacterial and viral infections.

A high level of IgG indicates allergies, autoimmune disease, chronic infections, or cancer. Viruses cause inflammation and MS flares. Any infection that weakens the immune system can cause a flare.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Recently, I’ve been looking into high doses of vitamin D. It’s a known fact, that people with a vitamin D deficiency have a higher risk for MS. Studies found people with MS who have higher levels of vitamin D have less disability. Vitamin D is actually a hormone, it has an important role in immune cells. Vitamin D deficiency creates an increased risk of infections. Before antibiotics, vitamin D was used as a treatment for tuberculosis.

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in people with an autoimmune disease. Since we started slathering on sunscreen the autoimmune disease rates have gone up. Is there a connection? Supplementing with vitamin D at a higher dose, up to 10,000 IU, is very beneficial. It slows the disease progression down and stops flares. You should also take a vitamin K2 supplement in the form of MK-7 to deposit calcium in appropriate locations.

“Since the common influenza virus changes every season, so do the vaccines but the vaccines are of marginable effectiveness.”

– Vitamin D Council

The Vitamin D Council recommends a high dose of vitamin D at 50,000 IU/day for five days to fight off the flu. You can safely take 10,000 IUs each day as a maintenance dose. It’s like getting 20-30 minutes of midday sunshine. Don’t go over this dosage without consulting a doctor who specializes in high doses. Vitamin D is not toxic but it could raise calcium levels that can become toxic and damage your kidneys. If you’re taking other medications please consult your doctor first.

Can you heal from multiple sclerosis?

If you’re anything like me, you’re researching as much as you can about MS. Take an active role in your health, only you know what benefits you the most. If you’re struggling I highly recommend visiting a functional medicine practitioner to help you get to the root cause.

Can You Heal From Multiple Sclerosis?