Multiple Sclerosis is an auto-immune disease that leads to degeneration of the myelin sheath around nerves. Any auto-immune disease requires investigating the possibility of cross-reaction between food proteins and proteins in the body. The development of food allergies is also often associated with increased gastrointestinal problems.
Thus, the list of possible contributors for MS include:
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Food allergies or intolerance – most common foods being wheat, dairy and legumes
- Vitamin DWhat it does: Helps maintain strong and healthy bones by retaining calcium. Deficiency Signs: Joint pain or stiffness, backache, tooth decay, muscle cramps, hair loss…. deficiency
- Essential fatThere are many different types of fats; polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, hydrogenated, saturated and trans fat. The body requires good fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) in order to… and phospholipids deficiency
- Poor methylationMethylation is what occurs when the body takes one substance and turns it into another, so that it can be detoxified and excreted from the… (high homocysteineHomocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood. Elevated levels of homocysteine have been associated with narrowing and hardening of the arteries, an increased…)
Leaky Gut Syndrome and Food IntoleranceFood intolerance is not the same as a food allergy. Food intolerances tend to cause digestive symptoms such as bloating, cramps and diarrhoea, but are…
Increased gastro-intestinal permeability is a common contriboutor to food intolerance. It is easily investigated with a urine test available through nutritional therapists. The gut wall, consisting of rapidly multiplying epithelial cells, can be restored to full integrity by a combination of probiotics and glutamine. Food intolerances can involve different kinds of antibodyAn antibody is a protein produced by the body’s immune system when it detects a harmful substance known as an antigen. Examples of antigens include… reactions, the most common being IgG, IgE and IgA antibodies. Generally it is worth testing for both IgE and IgG antibody reactions with a reliable laboratory using the ELISA immuno-assay method (www.yorktest.com).
Foods particularly associated with MS are wheat and legumes, both containing lectins, and also dairy products. One stream of investigation is the possibility of a cross-reaction between lectins and proteins within the myelin sheath. Lectins are very high in legumes such as soya. For more on this subject read the attached link www.msrc.co.uk. Also www.dadamo.com.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is made in the skin in the presence of sunlight. The further from the Equator you live the lesser is sun exposure. The fact that multiple sclerosis incidence increases with decreasing sunlight exposure led to investigation of the role of vitamin D. Research to date tends to show a) that sufficient vitamin D in pregnancy reduces risk; b) that children with MS tend to have low levels and c) that supplementing high levels of vitamin D reduces relapses. In an unpublished study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology high doses of vitamin D dramatically cut the relapse rate in people with multiple sclerosis. Sixteen percent of 25 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) given an average of 14,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day for a year suffered relapses, says Jodie Burton, MD, a neurologist at the University of Toronto. In contrast, close to 40% of 24 MS patients who took an average of 1,000 IU a day — the amount recommended by many MS specialists — relapsed, she says. Also, people taking high-dose vitamin D suffered 41% fewer relapses than the year before the study began, compared with 17% of those taking typical doses. People taking high doses of vitamin D did not suffer any significant side effects. These doses, however, are very high and should not be taken without supervision. Toxicity has been observed in doses in excess of 50mcg a day for several months,...
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