Most of the myths swirling around multiple sclerosis aren’t true. Here, we separate fact from fiction.

The science of multiple sclerosis is changing so rapidly that perhaps people with multiple sclerosis, their families, and even their doctors can be forgiven for holding on to some outdated multiple sclerosis myths and misconceptions. With more knowledge of the condition, people with multiple sclerosis can live more healthy, high quality lives. Here are some of the most common, outdated multiple sclerosis myths. Read More Here at: http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/multiple-sclerosis-myths/?xid=aol_eh-ms_3_20140317_&aolcat=AJA&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl32%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D455323

Beating MS With a Natural Diet - By Ashley Welch, Everyday Health Staff Writer

After being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2000, Terry Wahls, MD, expected to lose mobility within 10 years. A former runner and taekwondo competitor, Dr. Wahls was strong, but the disease soon began to take its toll. By 2003, Wahls, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, had transitioned to secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis and underwent chemotherapy in an attempt to slow the disease. Extreme fatigue and back pain set in, and Wahls began using a tilt-recline wheelchair. It became clear she could eventually become bedridden. Wahls and her family first hit the national spotlight in January 2011, when her son, Zach, an engineering student at the University of Iowa, testified before the Iowa State House of Representatives opposing a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. A video of his moving speech, in which Zach spoke of being raised by a lesbian couple — Wahls and her spouse, Jackie Reger — and about the difficulty of having a mother living with multiple sclerosis, went viral, receiving 1.5 million views within two weeks. Vitamins and Supplements for MS Just was Zach advocated for gay marriage, Wahls works to make a difference for people like herself who are living with MS. Facing the possibility of serious disability, the fifth-generation Iowan decided to do everything in her power to slow the progress of her MS. She began searching the Internet for the latest multiple sclerosis research, and relearned biochemistry, cellular physiology, and neuroimmunology, so she could understand the studies. Unfortunately, she found, many involved tests on drugs or other treatments that were years away from FDA approval. Then it occurred to Wahls that maybe her diet could play a role in improving her MS symptoms. She searched for vitamins and supplements that had been found to help any kind of progressive brain disorder, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Lou Gehrig's disease, and made a list of those she thought she should include in her diet. After six months of taking omega 3s, B vitamins, and amino acid supplements, Wahls decided to give up on her new supplement routine. But the very next day, she says, she noticed a sharp decline in her well-being. "I felt exhausted and just couldn't get out of bed," she recalls. "It convinced me that maybe the vitamins and supplements weren't making me better, but they certainly seemed to be slowing down the speed of my decline." Will the Paleo Diet Work Against MS? In the summer of 2007, Wahls discovered the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) in Washington, an organization devoted to helping doctors and health providers use the latest scientific research to take better care of patients with complex disease. With the institution's help, she came up with a longer list of vitamins and supplements that are good for the brain. Then she had an epiphany: What if she redesigned her diet so that she was getting those important nutrients from food rather than from supplements? It was then she decided to create the Wahls Diet, a nutritional plan based on the Paleo, or hunter-gatherer, diet, and everything she learned from the IFM and her own research. Wahls changed her diet because she believed that "food is the most important thing we can do to restore our health, or to destroy it, more so than any other choices we make." The results of her nutrition plan astounded Wahls, her physician, and her family. Within a year, she was able to walk through the hospital without a cane and even complete an 18-mile bicycle tour. The Wahls Diet, along with a program of progressive exercise, electrical stimulation, and daily meditation is currently in clinical trials at the University of Iowa to see if it can have the same impact on others as it did on Wahls. The Role of MS Remission As a physician, Wahls knows that until the clinical trial is completed, it's unclear whether her diet plan actually helped her MS symptoms. Ellen Mowry, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the John Hopkins Medicine Institute and an MS expert, notes that multiple sclerosis differs greatly from person to person, and that remission — rather than diet and exercise — could be responsible for any alleviation of Wahls' symptoms. "The time between one relapse and the next is really variable between one person and the next," says Dr. Mowry. "Sometimes a patient may have one relapse and even without treatment, never have one again. Others may go 10 years before the next relapse, and still others may have relapses every couple of months." Mowry also says that more scientific research needs to be done on the role diet might play in treating MS, but switching to a more nutritious diet will usually help patients’ well-being. "Most Americans don’t eat a healthy diet," she says, "so when they switch to a healthier one, they tend to feel better. But it’s hard to know if the diet is actually helping the MS per se, or if it’s helping because it’s adding to the patient’s overall well-being." For Wahls, an important part of her recovery has been her family — wife Jackie, son Zach, and daughter Zebby. "Living with MS is far easier when you have a loving, committed family by your side," says Wahls. Jackie helped Wahls figure out how to structure her diet, while her children helped with housework as she became more disabled. Speaking of Zach's testimony before the Iowa legislature, says Wahls, "Jackie and I both watched the speech with tears in our eyes. It’s clear that he touched on something that has really resonated with many, many Americans. We are very proud of what he’s doing and the choices he’s making." Zach is the author of the book My Two Moms, which was published in April 2012. Wahls has written a book as well, called Minding My Mitochondria. She gives lectures and webinars locally and across the country to spread the word about her success with her diet. http://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-sclerosis/beating-ms-with-natural-diet.aspx?xid=aol_eh-ms_5_20131202_&aolcat=AJA&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl11%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D414863

Author JK Rowling Contributes to the MS Cause

The question of how much – if anything – any of us living with multiple sclerosis is obligated to do for the cause is one of personal willingness.  When famous people get MS, many of us change our tune and simply expect that they will give of their time, money and talent for the cause.  I’ve always said that such a gift would be great but it’s none of my business.

Now we take someone who is one – albeit a small ‘one’ – degree of separation from the disease, I’d say that any expectation of requirement or obligation is just chucked out the window.

That’s why I think that the new Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh, conceived and funded by Harry Potter author, JK Rowling – daughter of Anne, whodied from complications of MS at age 45 – is noteworthy.

When her £10,000,000 donation turned into a royally attended opening (in the quite Royal sense of the word as Ann, HRH The Princess Royal), Ms. Rowling didn’t give a flowery speech or make it about her in any way.  She applauded the unveiling, she was thanked by a number of dignitaries and researchers and, well there was a PRINCESS at the thing!

Her simple statement that was given to press said that she was “elated to see the clinic formally open.” And that had “watched the clinic from the planning stages to being fully built and now ready to open” and how very proud she was of it, and to see her mother’s name on the clinic.

Some in the MS community grumbled when Rowling wasn’t living up to their hopes when word first reached us that the author had a connection to MS.  As sales of the Potter books reached as high as a hippogriff can fly, more people began to assert that it was her “responsibility” to do more, say more and to be more for our cause.  I think those voices can now be silenced.

The Anne Rowling Clinic is slated to delve deeply into the cause of progression and the ways to slow this disease.  Prof Siddharthan Chandran, professor of neurology and co-director of the clinic, may have said it best in his opening remarks; “Only by better understanding the biological processes behind these devastating diseases can we identify new targets for potential therapies and take them into clinical trials.”

Knowledge is power and, as the character of Arthur Weasley, in Rowling’s books once said, “Truth will out!”

I say, ‘thank you’ once again to JK Rowling for doing more than her fair share and doing so in grand, yet humble fashion.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers

Trevis

Don’t forget to follow me on the Life With MS Facebook page and on Twitter, and subscribe to Life With Multiple Sclerosis.

 http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/trevis-gleason-life-with-multiple-sclerosis/author-jk-rowling-contributes-to-the-ms-cause/?xid=aol_eh-ms_5_20131104_&aolcat=AJA&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl30%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D401335

Possible Links Between Endothelial Health and MS

Possible Links Between Endothelial Health and MS

If you or a loved one suffers from MS, you know how debilitating, painful, and incapacitating that condition can be.  Consequently, every new development and treatment in the field has the potential to bring real change to the lives of those affected with the condition.  Recent studies have been indicating possible links between endothelial health and MS.  Let’s take a look at this possible link, and the implications.

First, you have to start with a basic understanding of endothelial health, as well as how the mechanism of that physical system intersects with the pathology of MS.  We will start with multiple sclerosis; as you are likely already aware, MS itself is a condition in which the coverings of nerve cells are damaged, impacting their ability to communicate properly.

The endothelial system, on the other hand, is the protective system of your body’s circulatory system.  Much how the nerves have ‘coverings’ which are damaged to cause MS in the first place, your circulatory pathways are protected by endothelial cells, which  line the insides of your veins, capillaries, and arteries.

Until fairly recently, endothelial health was not even recognized as something important to a body.  The endothelia were thought of as being relatively inert, simply there to protect the circulatory cells.  This all changed when people began to realize that endothelial health plays an integral role in the circulatory and endocrine systems themselves.  Within a circulatory context, endothelial health is responsible for regulating your blood pressure, coagulation, and several other incredible important functions.  Within the context of hormones, the 60,000 cumulative miles of endothelial cells within your body are extremely important for the secretion of enzymes, hormones, and other chemical compounds.

So how do the two systems tie together?

Usually, it will start with a person causing damage to their endothelial health.  This can either be due to genetic factors or lifestyle choices (stress, eating bad fat, sleep deprivation, and more all can cause endothelial damage).  Once damaged, this leads to an imbalance in your nitric oxide levels, which then can impact the endothelial signaling inside your body.  At that point, it then disrupts the circulatory and endocrine systems, and it is these larger systemic disruptions that can aggravate MS.

Taking care of your endothelial health can offer many benefits; not only will you reduce the risk of developing numerous medical conditions such as MS, but you will also make reduce the risk of heart disease and blood pressure issues at the same time.