If you or someone you care about has Multiple Sclerosis, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns. This confusing condition has been the focus of significant study, yet clear answers and a cure is yet to be found. However, due to the work of a couple of committed and innovative physicians, there is very interesting hope on the horizon -- which I detail in this short video. It turns out that your nutrition can be far more powerful than you ever knew! Enjoy…
What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is a very serious autoimmune disorder which can become quite debilitating. It tends to manifest itself during the most productive years of a person’s life, generally appearing between 20 and 50 years old. It generally begins with small symptoms that can mimic other more common disorders. These include general weakness, vision problems, difficulty maintaining balance and some other neurologic symptoms. However, as it unfolds, it becomes clear that a serious disease process is underway.
While multiple sclerosis is not as prevalent as diabetes, nearly half a million Americans have multiple sclerosis. What is important to understand about multiple sclerosis (MS) is that the prognosis is quite poor. Doctors typically advise patients to expect to gradually lose the ability to ambulate and see. It is commonly expected that 15 years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis the patient would already be dependent on a wheelchair and further deterioration will eventually resolve in being confined completely to bed.
Because of the seriousness of the disorder, it has become the subject of many scientific studies which, despite their numbers, has not resulted in any concrete and definitive conclusions with regards to what causes multiple sclerosis. The inability of conventional medicine to provide explanations to patients and their families about why they came down with multiple sclerosis has only contributed more to their agony. Hence, despite the availability of relevant information, conventional medicine has taken the position where people with multiple sclerosis are left to accept that modern medicine has no clues about why they came down with the disorder. In addition to that, modern medicine can only provide a bleak prognosis. This typically revolves around a prediction that within 10 years, more than 50% of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis would either be disabled or dead.
There was a time in the not-too-distant past, that some researchers theorized that multiple sclerosis might be another one of the diseases of affluence, since it affected people in rich countries such as the United States, Canada and northern Europe. However, when researchers looked at the countries where multiple sclerosis was an extremely rare condition, they began to notice some conflicting information. It was seen that while many developing Asian countries had extremely low rates of multiple sclerosis, affluent countries such as Japan and Singapore likewise had similarly low multiple sclerosis cases. This was what prompted the rejection of the theory that multiple sclerosis was a disease of affluence.
However, when researchers and investigators went over the research again, they realized that one factor which correlated very well with the rates of multiple sclerosis was the dietary component. Specifically, the countries which were farther from the equator and where the population had a diet which was high in saturated fat and other rich foods, were those which exhibited the highest rates of multiple sclerosis. It clearly correlated as well with the low rates of multiple sclerosis in a rich nation such as Japan which, despite a largely affluent population, follows diets which were generally low in fat and rich foods (although this is rapidly changing…).
More serious studies are currently being conducted in order to study closely the linkage between diet and multiple sclerosis. It is interesting to note that many doctors who previously rejected the concept of diet as a factor in multiple sclerosis, are now beginning to change their tune and are expressing that perhaps there may be the slightest chance that certain types of diet might cause multiple sclerosis. Pioneers such as Dr. Roy Swank and Dr. John McDougall are spearheading the efforts to treat multiple sclerosis based on the presumption that diet is a major factor. Very encouragingly, their work has consistently shown positive results. As continued validation comes from ongoing research, the day when multiple sclerosis can be reversed and prevented may not be too far off.
