As soon as I wrote the blog about how to handle high prescription costs for specialty drugs, my inbox got flooded with emails about natural cures for Multiple Sclerosis. When I was first diagnosed with MS, it seemed that everyone I knew had some sort of Homeopathic cure. One of my friends even told me that drinking Pedialite would regenerate spinal fluid after my spinal tap. While friends and family may give you some good advice, there is also a lot of information published on this topic.

Everyone has told me that I need to take supplements to help manage my MS. There is a lot of evidence to support natural remedies that can help a person living with MS. Dr. Andrew Weil wrote back in 2002 about experimenting with diet and taking supplements like Vitamin D, CoQ10, multivitamin and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, walnuts, or flax and hemp seeds. A simple blood test will tell whether or not you are deficient in areas that supplements can improve.

Diet is another factor that can make a huge difference that we as patients can control. A doctor named Terry Walhs used The Caveman Diet, based heavily on rooted vegetables and grass-fed meats and wild caught fish. One of the things a Cavemen -esque diet does is it reduces is the amount of sodium in your diet. According to a Radiology article, a buildup of sodium can be detected in MRI studies as a marker for neuro-degeneration. The Caveman Diet also cuts out the sugars and the trans-fats all of which contribute to inflammation that can lead to more complications like MS over time.

The problem with MS is that there is no one right answer. MS is a difficult diagnosis to arrive at because it presents uniquely in each patient. While all patients may have experienced similar symptoms, those symptoms may have developed for completely different reasons. Similarly, the treatment program for MS patients varies greatly. What works for one person may not have any effect on another. Worse yet, you could potentially harm yourself by taking the wrong supplements. This is why I always suggest talking to a doctor before taking supplements or making any kind of changes in diet.