What you need to know about Multiple Sclerosis

This disabling nerve disorder can cause fatigue, impair vision and hamper mobility in previously healthy people. Conventional drugs are only partially successful against it, prompting interest in supplements that may help to slow down the progress of the disease.

What It Is
Multiple sclerosis, a progressive and degenerative nerve disorder that strikes young adults, follows a highly variable course. In some people, damage to the optic nerve or nerves in the brain and spinal cord may lead to difficulty in seeing or walking, slurred speech, loss of bowel or bladder function, clouded thinking and paralysis. But many others with multiple sclerosis experience remissions lasting years and suffer minimal disability.

What Causes It
Many experts believe multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's immune system attacks the myelin sheaths that protect the nerves. What triggers this reaction is unknown. It may be a virus - perhaps even a common one, such as measles or herpes simplex - that's been dormant in the system for years.

Symptoms

• Early signs mimic those of many other conditions. They include blurred or double vision; tingling in the arms or legs; clumsiness or unsteadiness; and other motor, visual and sensory problems.
• The course of the disease varies greatly. Depending on its severity, a person with multiple sclerosis may experience severe fatigue; muscle stiffness and tremors; poor coordination; impaired speech; and incontinence. Symptoms often come and go.

When to Call a Doctor

• If vision or motor skills become impaired with no known cause -your doctor can rule out other neurological conditions, such as a brain tumor.
• If you suffer an acute attack.
• Reminder: If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before taking supplements.

How Supplements Can Help
Supplement therapy should start as soon as possible. It has several goals: to enhance antioxidant activity and protect nerve cells from the highly reactive chemicals called free radicals; to boost the production of fatty acids and other substances that build up the myelin sheath; and to decrease inflammation. All the supplements can be taken together and with conventional prescription drugs. It may take several months to notice benefits.
Vitamins C and E are valuable in treating multiple sclerosis because of their antioxidant properties. Vitamin B complex, plus extra vitamin B12 and folic acid, are important as well because they play a role in maintaining nerve structure and function. Some studies show that multiple sclerosis patients have low levels of vitamin B12 or have problems processing it.

Another supplement that may help is the ammo acid-like substance NAC (N-acetylcysteine), an antioxidant that may protect nerve cells; every other day, alternate NAC with a combination of zinc and copper to help reduce inflammation. It's also important to get extra essential fatty acids, such as flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil which reduce inflammation and, over time, help build healthy nerves. Finally, the herb ginkgo biloba may be beneficial because it acts as an antioxidant and improves blood flow to the nervous system.

What Else You Can Do

• Avoid overheating. Sunbathing, heavy exertion and very hot baths can all make symptoms worse.
• Ask your doctor about nutritional therapies. Some special diets have been developed that may slow the progress of multiple sclerosis.
• Exercise gently to improve muscle strength and flexibility - but not during an attack.
• Find out more about working from home or part-time work if a full-time job becomes physically difficult.

Facts and Tips

• Counseling may be beneficial for people and family members who are coping with the illness. Physical and occupational therapy may also help.
• In some countries, some people with multiple sclerosis swear by bee venom and regularly arrange to be stung by bees to relieve their symptoms. This therapy should be tried only with the supervision of a doctor experienced in its use - and those with a bee allergy should certainly avoid it.

Latest Findings

• Too much stress is not good for anyone; it's especially harmful if you have multiple sclerosis. A study of people with multiple sclerosis found a connection between increased levels of stress (both simple hassles and major life events) and new nerve damage in the brain.
• A recent study discovered a previously unknown facet of multiple sclerosis: it kills brain cells in a fashion similar to that seen in Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Experts are looking into applying therapies that have shown promise in treating those conditions to multiple sclerosis patients.
• Animal research has uncovered a potential link between high vitamin D levels and immunity to multiple sclerosis. This theory may partially explain why multiple sclerosis is so rare in the tropics (where the sun boosts vitamin D levels) and in coastal Norway (where fish rich in vitamin D is a diet staple). But don't start popping extra vitamin D: it can be toxic, and more study is needed.