Natural Treatment For MS Patients

By Jerri Perry


One of the most potentially debilitating central nervous system diseases is multiple sclerosis (MS). Characterized by structures known as plaques in the brain and spinal cord, visible on an MRI scan, are diagnostic of the disease. Symptoms include numbness and tingling of the extremeties, blurred vision and weakness. As the disease progresses, urinary problems come into play. While the condition remains incurable, a number of natural treatment for MS can control symptoms and hold back relapses.

Multiple Sclerosis is one of a group of diseases called autoimmune disorders. In this case, cells of the immune system known as T-cells are believed to attack the myelin sheaths that line nerve cells to facilitate nerve conduction. The incidence and prevalence of the condition vary with geological region; cases tend to cluster with increasing distance from the equator.

Once believed to affect only the white matter of the brain, it has become clear that the grey matter of the brain is also involved. This would explain such diffuse symptoms as cognitive dysfunction. Epidemiologists are trying to figure out what is so special about the regions where the disease is prevalent. It has been noted that people who are born in a region with low levels of MS migrate to a region where levels are high, they take on the phenotype of their new habitat.

George Jelinek, a professor of Emergency Medicine in Australia, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 45. He keeps his condition under control using a few simple lifestyle rules and runs a 5-day retreat at the Gawler Foundation in Australia for patients with multiple sclerosis. He also runs retreats in New Zealand.

Jelinek has five simple rules: Learn how to meditate, exercise regularly, take high doses of vitamin D and completely avoid trans fats, apart from those that occur naturally in vegetables. Conventional medications are permitted. In fact, Professor Jelinek himself takes glatiramer, an immunomodulator.

Ann Romney, married to the 2012 Republican candidate for president, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after she reported the disturbing brain fog. Diagnosed in 1998, she finds that riding horses helps to fight off her symptoms. She may well observe some of Jelinek's other rules. It is unclear whether she has been to one of his retreats. When a television news reader scoffed at her for making this public, Neil Cavuto, a senior executive at Fox News, tore the anchor a new one for making fun of Mrs Romney. It turns out that he, too, has multiple sclerosis.

Jack Osbourne, son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, has also been stricken with the disease. He was diagnosed in 2012 after suffering from impaired vision. He had just turned 26 and had also just become a father for the first time. His symptoms are responding to healthy diet and lifestyle changes. Other celebrities affected by multiple sclerosis include country singer Donna Fargo, Annette Funicello, a former mousketeer and star of 60s beach movies, and two of the Osmonds, Alan and David.

Another promising natural treatment for MS is a tincture of two cannabinoids manufactured in the United Kingdom. Formulated as an oral spray, it helps to control the spasticity that is associated with multiple sclerosis. The preparation has been approved for use in several European countries.




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