Multiple Sclerosis

NatureMed Clinic Denver / Boulder

Multiple Sclerosis Alternative and Complementary Treatment

Multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence is approximately 50% higher than it was 25 years ago. Multiple sclerosis affects 300,000 people in the United States. Although people of all ages and ethnicities can have multiple sclerosis, it is more common in white women. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) leading to demyelination, axonal damage, and progressive neurologic disability. The development of MS is influenced by environmental factors, particularly the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and genetic factors and a predisposition to autoimmunity in general.

Conventional treatment: Immunosuppressive treatments (eg, corticosteroids, cyclosporin A, methotrexate) are currently used to control symptoms. Their effectiveness, however, is limited and year- or decade-long treatments are associated with significant toxicity.

Treatment is individualized each patient. Some of the most important treatments are vitamin D, low-dose Naltrexone, and environmental chemical and heavy metal detoxification. Often intravenous nutrients can be added to a detoxification IV so that additive benefits can be realized. We have good results with our MS patients.

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) given intravenously is one of the most exciting new experimental treatments.  This is known as a nerve rebuilder and is an essential protector of every cell, especially those of the nervous system. PC is also a principal part of choline, an essential building block of neurotransmitters. It has been documented that choline is a nutrient which contributes to the production of myelin, the sheathing which surrounds nerve axons and other brain cells.

A pilot trial of low-dose naltrexone in primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis. 2008 Sep;14(8):1076-83. A study of LDN in the treatment of MS at the University of California, San Francisco, was implemented in early 2007 by neurological researcher Bruce Cree, MD, and colleagues. Some 80 patients with MS were involved in this double-blind, "Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover-Design Study of the Effects of Low Dose Naltrexone on Quality of Life as Measured by the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory.

• Multiple Sclerosis Defined...