How to Tame the MS Beast

Last Updated on November 25, 2023 by Cathy

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a horrible disease. When you are living with MS you never know what tomorrow will bring. Instead of letting it continue to progress learn how to tame the MS beast naturally.

Doctors have known for decades how to stop the progression of MS. But, since there haven’t been “enough studies” patients aren’t told. Fortunately, with today’s easy access to the internet, it is much easier. It’s a matter of removing chronic inflammation to regain your health. 

Possible triggers to MS:

• Poor 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
• 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)

Roger MacDougal was a famous playwright who was diagnosed with MS in 1953. He eventually ended up in a wheelchair. Back then there were no medications so he decided to go back to eating a hunter-gatherer diet. – Sound familiar?

He also removed foods his body was sensitive to. Remember, this is back long before there were any treatments for MS. It did take a while to regain his health but he went from being wheelchair-bound to running up and down the stairs.

MS Disease-Modifying Therapies

Many years ago I was on Avonex but it was making me worse, my flares were getting stronger and closer. I was also on Novantrone (chemotherapy for MS).

I changed my diet and one year later I stopped all drugs against my neurologist’s advice. He was rude and I stopped seeing him. (I don’t see a neurologist because they can’t help me, instead, I see a functional medicine doctor.)

DMTs don’t cure MS. “If they work” (as my neurologist said) they only work 33% of the time. 

According to PubMed (health database):

“the cause of MS is multifactorial and include genetic predisposition together with environmental factors such as exposure to infectious agents, vitamin deficiencies, and smoking…

…Conventional therapies for MS are based on the use of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory drugs, but these treatments are not able to stop the destruction of nerve tissue.”

They further say:

“Nutrition intervention studies suggest that diet may be considered as a complementary treatment to control the progression of the disease.”

It is up to YOU if you want to start a DMT. – Do what your heart is telling you. If you are more comfortable on a DMT, then do it.

Stick to your gut instincts. If you don’t want to start MS medications then don’t. – It’s YOUR body.

Find another doctor who will work with you.

If you haven’t seen the movie “Living Proof” by Matt Embry you should. It’s a documentary depicting several people living with MS. If you have Amazon Prime you can watch it for free.

Matt has been living symptom-free for more than 20 years due to his diet. It was thanks to his father, Ashton Embry, that I changed my lifestyle back in 2006.

Live an Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle

Living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle can stop the progression of MS. Work on healing your gut. I have many articles you can read on how to heal your gut:

• Gut Health And Multiple Sclerosis
• 5 Steps To Improve Your Gut Health
• How Long Does It Take To Heal A Leaky Gut?

To heal my gut I ate no raw vegetables. I ate either soups or steamed vegetables. I eliminated nuts, seeds, chocolate, eggs, and nightshades. – Basically an elimination diet.

At first, I thought my only problem was yeast overgrowth known as Candida. I combined The Wahls Protocol and read the book Healing Multiple Sclerosis.

By the end of the third month of my new protocol, I realized my heat intolerance was gone. I was hoping my MS symptoms would reverse but I never dreamed my heat intolerance would be the first to reverse.

I was living with extreme heat intolerance for about 20 years. If this can happen to me it could happen to you!

Mycotoxins and Yeast Overgrowth

My problem was fungi (mycotoxins and yeast overgrowth) so I ate a low-mold and low-carb diet. Recently, I discovered histamine is another problem I have. 

Histamine isn’t only a promoter of seasonal allergies. It also has a “key regulatory role” in MS pathogens. Histamine is a messenger of inflammation and immune responses.

It took about 4 months before I started to notice an improvement in my bowel movements. This meant my gut was healing. Take a look at the Bristol Stool Chart below.

Attribution: Cabot Health, Bristol Stool Chart, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You should be “Type 4” and have a bowel movement 1-2 times each day. If you’re constipated take one or more of these steps:

• Drink more water
• Eat foods high in fiber (apples, avocado, berries, beets, etc.)
• Eat foods high in magnesium (avocado, banana, broccoli, carrots, salmon, spinach)
• Exercise
• MCT oil
• Smooth Move herbal tea

What I use in my daily routine:

• Air filter
• Natural body care products
• “Green” household cleaners
• Resistance bands
• Treadmill
• Water filter

Stress was the hardest for me, it’s what set me back and caused my walking to get worse. Eventually, I learned to not let things bother me. Find ways to manage your stress such as:

• Avoid negative people
• Get your finances under control
• Leave a little earlier to avoid traffic jams
• Listen to relaxing music
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Reading a book
• Relax in a warm tub

Get Your Vitamin D Level Tested

Vitamin D deficiency is common in people with MS, ask your doctor to get tested. You can also use an online lab like Walk-in Lab. Don’t accept a “normal” result, get the actual number. It should be between 60-100 ng/mL.

I take 5,000 IUs of vitamin D during the summer when I’m outdoors more often. Then, 10,000 IUs during the winter months when I don’t see the sun as often.

According to Dr. Coimbra, it’s safe for people with MS to take up to 10,000 IUs daily. Dr. Coimbra is a Brazilian neurologist who specializes in high doses of vitamin D.

Don’t go over 10,000 IUs of vitamin D a day. Unless you visit a doctor who specializes in high doses of vitamin D. Vitamin D is fat-soluble so it stays in your body, high levels can be toxic. 

Besides taking a vitamin D3 supplement you should also take vitamin K2 mk-7. Vitamin K2 mk-7 helps calcium to go into the bone and not into other tissues. Dr. Coimbra also recommends magnesium because vitamin D consumes magnesium chloride.

Magnesium helps regulate neurotransmitters, it sends messages throughout your brain and nervous system. It also helps prevent muscle spasms and constipation.

How to Tame the MS Beast

It is possible to tame the MS beast and stop the progression. MS is caused by chronic inflammation. The more you lower your inflammation the more your body has a chance to heal.

• Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
• Exercise
• Get enough sleep
• Learn to manage your stress
• Stop smoking
• Think positive!

Free Wellness Library!

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Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241505/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28507011/

How to Tame the MS Beast