Lifestyle Choices Matter with MS

Last Updated on March 27, 2024 by Cathy

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects more than 2.3 people worldwide. In the United States, nearly one million live with MS, which is more than twice the previous estimate of 400,000. Two to three more women have MS compared with men. It’s not just MS, women get more autoimmune diseases than men – period.

Common types of autoimmune diseases:

• Celiac disease
• Graves disease
• Lupus
• Multiple sclerosis 
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Type 1 diabetes 

Why do women get more autoimmune diseases? 

Is it due to female hormones? Maybe it has something to do with the Y chromosome protecting men. Or maybe because women spend less time outdoors and engage in less physical activity. Researchers don’t know.

What researchers do know is when it comes to MS, lifestyle choices matter. 

“…the cause of MS is multifactorial and include genetic predisposition together with environmental factors.” – PubMed

However, if you are genetically predisposed to MS it does not mean you will get MS. It’s how a person lives their life that matters. Researchers studied this using identical twins since they have identical genes. They found when one identical twin has MS the odds the other twin will get MS is only a 30% chance. This means there’s a 70% chance the other twin won’t get MS. 

This proves lifestyle choices matter more than genes. 

Not that our genes have nothing to do with it. It’s how genes get expressed through our lifestyle choices – called epigenetics.

“Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work.” – Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

How you live your life will determine whether those genes get expressed.

Environmental Factors You Can Control

There are many different types of environmental factors. Studies show EBV, vitamin D deficiency, and smoking are at an increased risk for MS. 

Unfortunately, conventional medicine hasn’t quite caught up. My neurologist once told me “Diet doesn’t matter.” That was a long time ago and hopefully, he has changed his mind by now (I no longer see him). But what you eat, drink, and live your life does impact MS. Not only by increasing your risk but also by how the disease progresses. Stress plays a huge role, it can trigger the onset of MS and cause flares.

Environmental factors such as:

• Chronic stress/trauma 
• Diet
• Exposure to toxic chemicals
• Gut health
• Hormone imbalance (cortisol, insulin, sex hormones, vitamin D, etc.)
• Infections
• Lifestyle

Exercise and sleep are also important factors when trying to improve your health. Exercise lowers inflammation, increases energy, and boosts your spirits. Many years ago, doctors used to tell MS patients not to exercise. But it’s so important for people with MS to keep moving.

As the saying goes, “Use it or lose it.”

Sleep is as important, this is the time when our bodies heal. It improves concentration, mood, and immune function. Even a small amount of sleep loss can impair how you function. Haven’t you noticed when you’re lacking sleep your whole body feels drained?

Leaky Gut

Having MS means you have a leaky gut. A leaky gut is where the gut lining separates, allowing larger food particles and toxins to pass. They then enter the bloodstream which flows throughout the entire body. Once this happens the immune system goes on attack unable to distinguish the body’s own tissue. 

For me, it started with my genes, then I was on many rounds of antibiotics that killed my good bacteria. This allowed bad bacteria and yeast overgrowth creating a leaky gut, on top of lots of stress. Then at the age of fifteen, I had my first MS symptom – optic neuritis.

Genetics + Environmental Factors + Leaky Gut + Stress = MS

Reversing Multiple Sclerosis 

Fortunately, there is something you can do. For some, it will come easy for others, like me, it’s going to take a while. It depends on how long you’ve had MS and the severity of your symptoms. Like I said earlier, I’ve been living with MS for most of my life. However, by changing my diet and lifestyle habits I was able to reverse many of my symptoms. Such as severe dry mouth, pins-and-needles sensation in my feet, and my heat intolerance.

How to Reverse Multiple Sclerosis 

In functional medicine, they have four key steps to reversing autoimmune diseases. It’s called the 4 R’s, remove, replace, repair, and re-inoculate. – This is the protocol I followed.

1. Remove

Step one is to remove your triggers including gluten and dairy. Everyone is different so you need to become a detective. Stop eating processed foods, refined sugar, and any food that causes a bad reaction. Try an elimination diet to find hidden food triggers. This is how I discovered I was sensitive to tomatoes and peppers.

Get tested for infections. Such as EBV, heavy metals, mold, vitamin deficiencies, and yeast overgrowth. It’s best to visit a functional medicine provider. If you can’t afford one you can still do this although it may take longer. 

First, get your vitamin D tested, don’t except a “normal” result. Get the actual number, it should be between 60-80 ng/mL or 150-200 nmol/l. To learn more read: Multiple Sclerosis And Vitamin D.

ng/mL x 2.5 = nmol/l

2. Replace

Replace the bad with the good. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet that’s mostly vegetables. Organic is the best to avoid pesticides. Eat grass-fed meats, pasture-raised poultry, and wild-caught fish. Eat fish at least 3 times each week. 

If possible avoid conventionally raised farm animals. They’re given antibiotics and eat GMO corn and soy to fatten them up. Whatever is in their system gets passed onto you. To find a local rancher/farmer in your area check eatWILD.

3. Repair

Researchers discovered the gut microbiome is very important for people with MS. Studies show they have more bad bacteria than good compared to healthy people.

It’s hard to say “Start taking a probiotic” because everyone’s microbiome is different. But, doctors have narrowed it down to certain factors. Such as age, breastfed, antibiotic use, where you live, stress, and diet.

Now is the time to work on healing your leaky gut by eating an anti-inflammatory diet. Plus, eat more fiber, drink bone broth, eat fermented foods, and manage stress. Avoid taking unnecessary antibiotics. If you need to take an antibiotic take a probiotic at the opposite time of day. 

4. Re-inoculate

Adding foods that provide and feed good bacteria is very important. Load up on foods high in fiber, they feed the good bacteria such as asparagus, artichokes, bananas, and onions. Eat a wide range of foods to get more healthy bacteria, vitamins, and minerals. Eat a rainbow of colors each day including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. 

Lifestyle Choices Matter

We live in a world that expects instant results. However, the central nervous system is one of the slowest systems to heal. It’s like peeling an onion, there are many layers to healing. Remember, your body can heal when you give it the right conditions. 

Healing from MS isn’t easy but don’t get discouraged, it can happen.

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Lifestyle Choices Matter with MS