Anything help your MS?

[SuzE-Q]

If you could give a few tips, even including conventional meds if you want, that you feel helped your MS or its course or symptons in some way, what would they be?

[Howie]

I take no MS drugs 15 years into this. My recommendation? Just live your life, and be the best person you can be.

[SuzE-Q]

Why have you not tried anything, Howie?

Not even supplements or symptomatic therapies? Even Vitamin D? Nothing new age-ish?

Nothing crazy that's been promoted somewhere or another, on the off chance it might help?

I know you haven't had any noticeable relapses since your first year (I think you wrote). If you suddenly began to deteriorate, do you think you might try something then?

[SalpalSally]

LDN!! Not for all, but has worked for me....I think..

[Pegakafarmgirl]

I used acupuncture, and seen good results,,my doctor specialized in MS patients ,, but alas, as I progressed, it stopped working,,

[Parsi]

The interferons. I had no serous exacerbation after taking them. But I stopped when I started feeling overall miserable. Only minor progression since.

But I'm sure that the conventional wisdom of diet, exercise, and rest would help tremendously. It's always a resolution of mine. But I never fulfill it.

[Howie]

SuzE, I never took anything because I saw that none of them is a sure thing. Some drugs helped some people, but short of a cure, I don't care to try it.

I take Vit D, simply because my body doesn't make it without sunshine, and sunshine = heat, and heat is not my friend!

I wouldn't begin anything no matter what the MS does. Because of MS, I've met so many great people like those in this forum, including you, and I never would have met otherwise.

It is what it is, and I accept that.

Hi Sally and Peg and Parsi!!!

See?

[Parsi]

Hi Howie [waving].

[SuzE-Q]

I'm not sure if anything I've done has actually helped my MS. But, generally speaking, I'd say that drinking lots of water throughout my life has helped my overall health, and fish oil supplements have also helped my health.

I've tried lots of different things throughout the years to help my MS, but I can't say that I've seen any direct, obvious impact on my MS like a stabilization, improvement, altered course, etc. from any of it, even conventional treatments. I'd have to say that my MS appears to have taken the "typical" course described in the natural history studies despite all interventions. There's no way to really know whether it would have been worse if I hadn't tried the various things throughout the years. I doubt it.

What I would say though is that if I do little to nothing, I can pretend that I don't have MS because it's only when I'm more active or moving that my symptoms are noticeable. Unfortunately it's not healthy to be a couch potato or a statue even if I can pretend I don't have MS!

Also, I think laughing and social interaction are really good for me, not because they improve my MS, but because, for those periods, I am less aware that I HAVE MS. And that's a nice break!

-hi Howie (waving)

[renee]

Eat properly.
Food, supplements, sleep, exercise and well managed stress levels
are the first weapons against MS.

Have peeps in your life.

[Jeanie Z]

:) I have been on LDN for 15 years. Before LDN I had new symptoms every few months. Since taking a nightly capsule of LDN I have had no new symptoms and no further progression. I do have weaker muscles slightly but that is probably age, I'm 73. I have had MS over 50 years, since I was 18 the neuro thinks.

For info on LDN go to Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register... and click on the MS link. I printed that out and took it to my doctor and he was willing to let me try it since it is such a low dose.

I took Betaseron 5 years and Avonex 2 years and continued to go downhill on both. Jeanie :)

[Cat Dancer]

Im pretty conventional with my ms. I was on the waiting list for betaseron when it first was produced and was on it for at least 20 years. I went off it at a doctors recommendation -- and have battled through two exacerbations and their side effects these last two years, nearly dying. Im on techfidera now. I havent noticed any specific improvements that I could point to that directly tie to the drug, but im not taking any chances and wont stop it again. I avoid alternative and "complementary" meds, and any treatments that dont have the approval of the fda.

[SuzE-Q]

The interferons. I had no serous exacerbation after taking them. But I stopped when I started feeling overall miserable. Only minor progression since.

But I'm sure that the conventional wisdom of diet, exercise, and rest would help tremendously. It's always a resolution of mine. But I never fulfill it.

Along those lines of diet, I just came across an interesting study about dietary factors:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2014 Nov;19(6):659-65.

Several food items and multiple sclerosis: A case-control study in Ahvaz (Iran).

Bagheri M1, Maghsoudi Z2, Fayazi S1, Elahi N1, Tabesh H3, Majdinasab N4.


Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Despite extensive research, its exact cause is unknown. One of the roles of nurses is discovery and prevention of factors related to the disease. This study aimed to investigate several food items concerning the etiology of MS in a population of Ahvaz (Iran).

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
This case-control study was conducted on 113 MS patients and 113 healthy women. Food information was collected through interviews using a standard designed questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by adopting descriptive tests (mean, frequency, standard deviation) and inferential tests (Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, logistic regression, and multivariate conditional logistic regression with a significance level of 0.05 and 95% confidence interval) through SPSS version 19.

RESULTS:
Univariate regression analysis showed a significant association between MS and consumption of solid vegetable oil (P = 0.004), fruits (P = 0.002), vegetables (P = 0.016), dates (P = 0.02), and low-fat dairy (P = 0.009) more than five times a week. According to multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis, consumption of fruits (P = 0.03) and low-fat dairy (P = 0.04) more than five times a week had a protective role and solid vegetable oil consumption was significantly associated with a risk for MS (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggests a protective role of consumption of fruits and low-fat dairy in MS and an increased risk of MS with solid vegetable oil consumption in Ahvaz (Iran).

[SalpalSally]

CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggests a protective role of consumption of fruits and low-fat dairy in MS and an
increased risk of MS with solid vegetable oil consumption in Ahvaz (Iran).

If it had just said something about chocolate, I'd be all set...lol!

[SuzE-Q]

...or wontons!!!