Factors That Cause MS

Last Updated on November 16, 2023 by Cathy

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. One day you’re fine the next day you’re disabled. MS does not happen out of the blue. It happened due to chronic inflammation.

When first diagnosed with MS doctors don’t normally talk about your diet or lifestyle. They usually say “Nothing you did caused your MS.” But, this isn’t true. What you eat and how you live plays a huge role in whether you develop MS or not.

It’s not only your diet, it also includes your environment. You may have a genetic predisposition for MS but it’s your lifestyle that triggered it. Something you did caused the onset of your MS. 

Known environmental risk factors include exposure to infectious agents, vitamin deficiencies, and smoking. These factors along with stress trigger a cascade of events in the immune system which lead to MS. 

The decision to lead a healthier and more sustainable life has never been more crucial. In order to stop the destructive progression of MS, you need to make drastic changes. Unfortunately, we live in a world that makes life convenient. But those options are making people sick.

There are more chronic diseases today, including MS than ever before. In the 1970s there were around 300,000 adults in the U.S. diagnosed with MS. That doesn’t include children under the age of 18. Today that number is early 1 million, that’s more than triple the amount. 

What happened? Why are there so many more people living with MS today?

Environmental Factors Cause MS

The exact cause of MS is unknown. Researchers do know that environmental factors are the main cause of MS. People eat more junk food, live in a more polluted world, and are more stressed. We hear how the world is very overburdened with pollution and global warming. Our bodies are too with stress and toxins.

“The ultimate cause of disease is stress.” – Jeffery Thompson 

Think back to your first MS symptom, before your diagnosis. How were you living your life? Did you:

• Avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary
• Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
• Eat lots of vegetables including fermented vegetables
• Exercise at least 3 times a week
• Get a good night’s sleep most of the time
• Live stress-free as much as possible
• Smoke or drink heavily
• Take a vitamin D supplement
• Thought good thoughts about yourself

Fortunately, it’s easier to start eating and living a healthy lifestyle than you may think. 

Possible triggers to MS:

• Poor Diet 
• Infections (bacteria, parasites, viruses, and yeast overgrowth)
• Environmental toxins (heavy metals, mold, pesticides, etc.)
• Chronic stress 
• Hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, etc.)

Eat a Healthy Diet

There are many diets for MS but not one is perfect. Your best option is to choose an anti-inflammatory diet and adjust it to fit your needs. Remove any food that causes a bad reaction. Such as acne, bloating, headache, gut pain, rash, etc. Try an elimination diet to find foods you may be sensitive to. This is how I found out I was sensitive to sweet peppers and tomatoes. 

If you are still struggling to find the culprit ask your doctor for a food sensitivity test. You could also buy an at-home test such as Everlywell or 5Strands.

Avoid:

• Dairy
• Gluten/grains
• Legumes
• Junk food and fast-food restaurants 
• Processed foods
• Soda
• Refined sugar and carbohydrates such as bakery items

Fill two-thirds of your plate with vegetables. Including leafy greens, colorful, and sulfur veggies. One-third should be a healthy protein. Such as:

• Wild-caught fish
• Pasture-raised poultry 
• Grass-fed meats

Quality Matters 

If you eat conventionally-raised animals or farm-raised fish you are eating what they eat. That includes GMO corn and soy. Livestock feeds on grass, not grains and soy. Tuna and salmon need to feed on other fish to be healthy. 

Not to mention the chemicals they are injected with. Including antibiotics, disinfectants, growth hormones, and pesticides. Farmers pump the animals and fish with chemicals to control disease and parasites. 

Antibiotics are becoming less effective. Not because of human use but because of the animals that we eat. Over 70% of the antibodies produced around the world are now given to livestock. 

Farmed fish are susceptible to lice so they get washed in a chemical solution to get rid of lice. Plus, they are not pink like wild salmon. So the farmers add a coloring chemical to their feed to turn them pink.

Also, the pesticides used in farmed fish end up in the ocean killing the wild fish. We are killing our planet and destroying our health. That’s why what you eat matters.

Not only is eating healthier making you better, but it’s also making our environment better. Unfortunately, eating better quality food costs more. But, there are tricks you can use to keep the cost down.

To learn more read: How To Save On Organic Groceries

Americans eat way too much meat. Research shows both processed meats and red meat increase inflammation. That’s why Dr. Roy Swank recommended his MS patients avoid red meat for one year. 

It is a known fact that dairy is a risk factor for MS. Studies found women who drank more cow’s milk had more flares. Countries that consumed more dairy had higher rates of MS. In MS patients, the immune system gets confused thinking it’s attacking casein, a milk protein. But, it’s actually attacking myelin which has a similar protein.

Plant-based Diet

You don’t have to become a vegetarian but you should eat mostly vegetables. Vegetables are where you will receive your antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These are the foods that are going to heal your body. Not that quarter-pound burger or that slice of pizza – it’s vegetables. 

A diet rich in vegetables helps your body remove chronic inflammation. It also improves your gut health, improves your fiber, lowers blood sugar, and benefits your brain. What you eat impacts your immune system for the better.

It’s best to eat organic to avoid pesticides but if you can’t afford it don’t let that stop you.

Eating non-organic vegetables is better than eating zero vegetables. If you can, buy organic whenever it shows up on the Dirty Dozen list. This is a list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides.

Factors That Cause MS

Stopping the progression of MS is not an easy process. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline. The central nervous system is one of the slowest systems in the body to heal so it will take time. 

Don’t get discouraged. 

I lived with severe heat intolerance for about 20 years and was able to reverse it. I can now stay outside even on 100° F days and my body does not shut down like it used to. 

Sometimes you may feel like giving up but that is not a good option. You do not want MS to ravage your body it only leads to severe disabilities. Stay positive and believe you will heal!

Steps to heal your body:

• Eat and live a healthy lifestyle 
• Fix your gut – bacteria, leaky gut, yeast overgrowth, etc.
• Exercise often, if you stop moving your muscles will atrophy and become weak
• Avoid putting chemicals on your body
• Balance your hormones
• Remove infections such as Candida, EBV, Lyme disease, and mycotoxins 
• Learn to relax so your body can heal and repair
• Stop talking negatively – toxic thoughts produce toxic chemicals

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve had MS or the severity of your symptoms you can stop the progression. You can even reverse some or all of your symptoms. 

You can do this!

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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, cottonbro at pexels.com and Michael Bußmann from Pixabay.

Factors That Cause MS