The True Cause of Multiple Sclerosis

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Last Updated on November 21, 2023 by Cathy

Wheelchair on beach overlooking ocean with overlay: The True Cause of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It’s also an inflammatory neurological disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Damage to the myelin sheath causes a loss of communication between the brain and the rest of the body. This can lead to numbness, vision loss, brain fog, bladder issues, and severe disability.

When one twin has MS the odds that the other twin will develop MS is only 30% chance. This means there’s a 70% chance the other twin won’t have MS. This led researchers to believe environmental factors played an important role. This is good news. – Why?

Because YOU can control your environment and your behavior.

What is the true cause of Multiple Sclerosis?

In 2022 a 20-year study was released stating Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the main cause of MS. However, 95% of all adults worldwide have EBV and only a small percentage have MS. This proves something else involved.

Quick Links To Information In This Post:

Epstein-Barr Virus Is The Leading Cause Of MS

Epstein-Barr Virus Triggers MS

This means MS is multifactorial. Some other environmental factors are triggering the onset of MS. Whether that is another virus, bacteria, or heavy metals you need to live a clean lifestyle to clean up your internal environment.

Triggers to MS:

Diet
Infections
Environmental Toxins
Chronic Stress
Hormones
Genetics

MS is mostly caused by environmental exposures. Meaning something you did or exposure to something caused it. Not that I’m blaming you, no one would intentionally cause MS. But, whether it was food, chemicals, vitamin deficiencies, or stress it all adds up. – It all adds up.

“Genes Load The Gun but Lifestyle Pulls the Trigger” – Mehmet Oz

Common risk factors associated with MS include:

Exposure to Epstein-Barr virus
Female
Genetics
Living further away from the equator
Low vitamin D level
Smoking

Listen to Your Body

You need to become a detective to find your triggers. Listen to your body, it’s giving you clues and look into your health history. – Did you take many rounds of antibiotics? Did something stressful happen in your life just before your diagnosis?

For me, I have the HLA gene that puts me at a higher risk for MS. Plus, it makes me more susceptible to fungal infections. In the image below you can see my DNA with the HLA gene showing I have a three times higher risk for MS:

It was environmental factors that triggered the onset of MS. Factors such as too many rounds of antibiotics, poor diet, mold, and stress. Antibiotics killed the good bacteria in my gut allowing yeast to overgrow. I was also exposed to mold (mycotoxins) and stress was the final tipping point. – Mycotoxins are a byproduct of Candida.

Once you find the cause, work on removing the issue. If you need help ask a functional medicine doctor. They will get to the root cause and not treat just the symptoms. Many doctors are seeing patients through internet connections. Call and ask, to find a functional medicine doctor check their website at: ifm.org

Multiple Sclerosis and the Gut Microbiome

In the past several years there have been many studies linking MS with bad bacteria. Researchers found people with MS have more bad bacteria in their gut than healthy people. They aren’t exactly sure why but it’s caused by some kind of environmental factor.

This leads to a leaky gut, meaning the gut lining begins to separate. It allows food particles, parasites, and toxins to pass where they don’t belong. A leaky gut is a major factor in all autoimmune diseases.

You may also enjoy reading Tips To Heal Your Leaky Gut

When these pass the intestinal wall they get into your bloodstream and every part of your body. They can even cross the blood-brain barrier causing major issues. Such as anxiety, depression, and trouble with brain function which is the case in people with MS.

The intestinal barrier, gut microbiome, and immune system talk to each other. Gut microbes produce neurotransmitters found in the brain, known as the gut-brain axis. This is why your stomach can get upset when you’re nervous.

Correcting the gut microbiome isn’t as easy as taking a probiotic. The problem is probiotics don’t continuously stabilize the microbiome. Studies are currently looking into probiotics as a possible treatment for MS.

The Steps You Need To Take Now

MS isn’t going to wait around for studies, you need to take action NOW. Starting with what you’re eating. Stop eating processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and refined sugar that promote diseases. Instead, eat an anti-inflammatory diet that fights diseases.

Avoid gluten, grains, dairy, and legumes. Eat organic as much as possible to avoid pesticides and GMOs. Don’t consume corn or soy since they are mostly GMOs. Eat clean meats to avoid antibiotics and growth hormones such as:

Grass-fed and finished meats
Pasture-raised poultry
Wild-caught fish

You may also enjoy reading What Are Nightshades?

Eat lots of plant-based foods, especially vegetables. Include dark leafy greens, colorful, and sulfur each day. A leaky gut causes a nutrient deficiency so you need to eat a wide variety of healthy food.

Drinking a green smoothie is an easy way to get lots of vegetables into your body. If you don’t like green smoothies start with more fruit and slowly replace it with more vegetables.

Work on healing your gut. It took me about six months before I started noticing an improvement. Each morning I started with a cup of bone broth. Then my first meal was vegetable soup with a different protein (beef, chicken, fish, organ meat). I only ate cooked vegetables, not raw, so it was easier on my gut.

Each night I fasted for 14-16 hours to give my gut a break and allow it to heal. I also added collagen powder to my smoothies and soups to help heal my leaky gut.

Foods to eat:

Vegetables
Fruits
Herbs
Healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and salmon
Nuts
Seeds
Wild-caught fish
Pasture-raised chicken
Pasture-raised, grass-fed, and finished meat and organ meats (offal)

Lifestyle Habits

Besides food, you need to clean up your environment. Women put more chemicals on their bodies than men. Start using clean body care products such as makeup, lotions, soap, and sunscreens.

Replace your highly toxic cleaning products that cause respiratory issues and cancer. Change out your laundry detergent and volatile dryer sheets for safer products. Instead use “green” cleaning products like baking soda, Castile soap, and white vinegar.

Use the Environmental Working Group ‘Skin Deep‘ to find clean body care products. They also have an app called EWG Healthy Living.

Help your body detox by drinking lots of filtered water and using an air filter. Go for a walk outdoors whenever the weather permits for fresh air and sunshine. Most people with MS have a vitamin D deficiency (the sunshine vitamin).

Get plenty of sleep, this is when your body heals. If you have trouble falling asleep, just before going to bed avoid all electronics, dim the lights, read, or play soft music. Some people like the sound of a hum such as a fan running. There are also apps that can help like Headspace or Noisli.

Make exercise a priority, exercise is an anti-inflammatory and it releases feel-good hormones. Plus, when you move your body you’re improving your circulation and lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system only moves when you move. You don’t need intense exercising, you just need to keep moving. The best exercises are walking, swimming, stretching, tai chi, tension bands, and yoga.

Stress

It’s impossible to remove all stress but you can learn to manage your stress. Avoid the news, social media, and negative people, and leave early in case there’s a traffic jam. Take several deep breaths throughout the day, it’s calming and it releases toxins.

Almost all diseases are due to genetic predisposition and external factors. Such as diet, environmental exposures, emotional well-being, exercise, smoking, and stress. It’s your job to change these habits by living a clean and healthy lifestyle.