Multiple Sclerosis

Although conventional medicine claims that multiple sclerosis is caused by demyelination (the breakdown of the myelin sheath caused by the build-up of plaques), holistic health practitioners maintain that there are many other potential causes, as well. This view is strengthened by the fact that major symptoms of MS can be present even when there is little myelin damage; and, in some cases, major dymelination only produces minor symptoms. What follows is an overview of the other most common potential causes of MS.

Candidiasis: Candidiasis, also known as candida, is caused by systemic overgrowth of a type of yeast, Candidiasis albicans, beyond its normal location in the lower intestinal tract. Left unchecked, candidiasis can greatly exacerbate MS symptoms, as was first documented by William G. Crook, M.D., author of The Yeast Connection. According to Dr Crook, cases of MS in which candidiasis is a factor can be greatly improved once the spread of Candida albicans is halted and then reversed.

Dental Amalgam Fillings: Dental amalgam fillings contain mercury, a highly toxic substance that can be leeched out from fillings in the form of mercury vapours that settle in the body`s tissues and organs. Over time, as mercury continues to accumulate in the body, a host of serious health problems can occur, including MS or symptoms that are virtually indistinguishable from it. People with MS have been shown to have mercury levels in their cerebrospinal fluid that are much as 700 per cent greater than healthy people.

The health problems mercury causes are due to its ability to attach itself to the DNA in the body`s cells and cell membranes, distorting them and impairing their ability to properly function. As this cellular distortion occurs, the body`s immune system acts as if the affected cells are foreign invaders and begins attacking them. In the process, myelin can be destroyed. In addition, the mercury vapours can interfere with the body`s enzyme functions and cause the chronic fatigue that is often a symptom of MS. According to Hal Huggins, DDS, a leader in the field of biological (holistic) dentistry, and a renowned expert in mercury toxicity, many cases of MS have been completely reversed once mercury amalgams are properly replaced and the body is detoxified.

Poor Diet: Since 1950, when Roy Swank, MD, of Oregon Health Sciences University, first discovered that MS patients had higher than normal concentrations of saturated fat intake from the foods they ate, holistic health practitioners have pointed to poor diet as a major potential contributing factor for multiple sclerosis. This is particularly so among people who eat a standard Western diet high in dairy products, meats, and commercially processed foods that contain high amounts of unhealthy, saturated fats, but are low in unsaturated fats containing essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs are vital for the optimum health of both the brain and the nervous system, and are found in fresh fruits and vegetables, oily fish, and olive and seed oils, all of which are often lacking in the diets of MS patients. The lack of such foods and the EFAs they contain can set the stage for demyelination.

Electromagnetic Fields: Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are generated when electric currents flow through wire coils. This type of low-level radiation can cause a variety of health problems because of how EMFs can negatively impact the body`s bio-energetic balance and damage enzymes that regulate growth. EMFs can also negatively affect the body`s pineal gland, as well as upset the balance and production of the hormones melatonin and serotonin, both of which are essential for optimum brain and nerve function. Research has shown that MS patients usually exhibit lower than normal levels of both these hormones, as well as calcification of the pineal gland. In addition, EMFs can interfere with the how the body’s cells divide and multiply.
You are exposed to EMFs every time you use an appliance that runs on electricity. These include computers, fluorescent lights, microwave ovens, televisions, and video terminals. Cell phones, electrical poles, and many types of motors also create unhealthy EMF exposure.

Environmental Toxins: Environmental toxins can cause or exacerbate MS in a variety of ways, including impairing and interrupting the body’s metabolic processes. In addition, environmental toxins can act directly to damage the myelin covering that protects nerve fibres. They can also distort cells and cell membranes, triggering an autoimmune response that can cause nerve damage and MS symptoms. Among the offending toxins are chemicals found in commercially processed foods, toxins contained in tap water, carbon monoxide, diesel exhaust, fumes and vapours released from gas water heaters, commercial solvents, aerosol sprays, and chemicals contained in the chipboard and foam used to make furniture and carpets.

Food Allergies and Sensitivities: People with multiple sclerosis often suffer from food allergies or sensitivities, which can greatly exacerbate their MS symptoms. The most common foods that trigger food allergies and sensitivities include coffee and caffeine products, corn, dairy products, food additives and preservatives, fungi such as mushrooms, gluten (a food ingredient in barley, oats, rye, spelt, and wheat), ketchup, milk, sugar, vinegar, wheat, and wine. However, any food can potentially act as an allergy trigger.

Genetic Predisposition: MS is not considered a hereditary disease. Even so, the disease does appear to be related to genetic predisposition. First generation descendants or relatives of people with MS have a 30 to 50 greater risk of developing the disease than people born into families where there is no history of multiple sclerosis. If your relatives have MS, you should be screened as early as possible.

Infections: Infection can greatly exacerbate MS symptoms, and may also play a role in causing it. Researchers, for example, have found that viral infections such as the Epstein Barr Virus, not only reduce the level of essential fatty acids in the brain to levels commonly found in MS patients, but infections can also interfere with the body`s ability to properly utilize essential fatty acids, weakening the immune system and possibly triggering autoimmune reactions that can result in demyelination. Based on such findings, holistic health practitioners warn that people who suffered from viral infections, especially Epstein Barr Virus or mononucleosis (which can be trigged by Epstein Barr) in childhood or adolescence, may be more susceptible to developing MS later on in life.

Other infectious agents known as stealth pathogens may also play a role in the development of MS, as well as exacerbate its symptoms. Stealth pathogens are types of bacteria with cell walls that lack proper structure, giving them the ability to easily transport DNA between the cells of the human body. Stealth pathogens can also fuse together. Both of these outcomes can trigger immune responses that can cause a variety of autoimmune diseases, including MS.

Another type of bacteria that can cause or contribute to MS is Borrelia mylophora. If this bacteria gains a foothold in the body, it can infiltrate the nervous system. In white blood cells` fervent effort to eliminate Borrelia mylophora, the immune system can also destroy surrounding myelin, causing MS. Borrelia mylophora is very similar to Borrelia burgdorferi, one of the causes of Lyme disease, and some researchers speculate that Lyme disease itself is also a cause of MS because of its similar effects on the body’s immune and nervous systems. For more information about the link between MS and Lyme disease, see our Find A Cure – Lyme Disease.

Leaky Gut Syndrome:  Leaky gut syndrome is caused by food allergies and/or candidiasis causing a breach in the intestinal wall, allowing toxins to flood into the bloodstream. As this happens, the immune system attempts to correct the problem by launching an attack on these invaders. In the commotion, however, immune cells and antibodies may also attack healthy cells, including those that comprise myelin. The stress placed on the body by “leaky gut” syndrome can exacerbate the symptoms of people who already have MS, and also make people with MS more susceptible to additional pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and unhealthy yeasts.

Nutritional Deficiencies: Even when MS patients follow a healthy, balanced diet, they can often be deficient in vital nutrients because they have difficulty assimilating them. The most common nutrient deficiencies in MS patients are vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, folic acid, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc, along with various amino acids and essential fatty acids.
According to the late Hans Neiper, MS, a pioneering researcher and holistic physician in Germany, lack of calcium AEP, also known as colamine phosphate, can significantly increase the risk of MS. Calcium AEP is required for the body to produce the electrical charges on the myelin surface and on nerve cell membranes that are necessary for proper function of the central nervous system. Lack of calcium AEP not only interferes with the production of these electrical charges, Dr. Nieper maintained, but it also causes cells membranes to become too porous, allowing toxins and immune cells passage into the body`s nerve cells, creating an autoimmune reaction and the destruction of myelin.

Problems with blood flow:

A new and controversial theory is that some cases of MS may actually be due to problems with the flow of blood inside the body.

The idea is that some people may have narrowing of veins inside their brain and spinal cord and the blood supply from the brain and spine has trouble returning to the heart (known as cerebrospinal venous insufficiency).

This could lead to a build-up of tiny iron deposits inside nerve tissue, which may damage the nerves and /or trigger an immune response.

Some studies have found higher-than-expected levels of cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in people with MS, but others have not.

Further research is on-going looking at larger groups of people and using more sophisticated brain imaging scanning.
Stress and Trauma: Many cases of MS are often initially triggered by prolonged emotional stress or physical trauma. Moreover, the initial symptoms of MS will often first manifest at the part of the body that suffered an injury.

Sunlight and Vitamin D Deficiency

Research into MS around the world has shown it’s more likely to occur in countries far from the equator. For example, MS is relatively common in the UK, North America and Scandinavia, but rare in Malaysia or Ecuador.

It’s possible that people living further from the equator are exposed to less sunlight and, therefore, have less vitamin D in their body. Some studies have found a link between lower levels of vitamin D and incidence of MS.