This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

General Rules
* No aspartame in diet
* Try to avoid use of statin medications
* Seriously limit
o Sugar (especially soda)
o Hydrogenated oil
* Add nutrients
o Essential fatty acids, especially omega 3
o Magnesium
o B vitamins
o Alpha lipoic acid
* Go SLOW
* The sicker the patient, the slower to go
* These dietary changes induce detoxification
o Rapid change may cause
+ Fever, increased pain, nausea, vomiting (ugly sick)
* Patients may go back to previous diet and will feel better
* Return to the practitioner and say they feel better eating ‘bad food’

How Does Nutrition Impact Neuropathic Pain
* Nutrition has some impact on causation
o Foods may contribute to nervous system damage
* Nutrition has some impact on healing
o Foods may facilitate the healing process
* Nutrition has some impact on treatment
o Foods and supplements may directly treat the nervous system injury

Foods and Medications That Contribute to Nervous System Damage Should Not Be Eaten
* Nutrasweet/Aspartame
* Olestra
* Margarine
* Aspartame (conversion to methanol)

Methanol Is Neurotoxic
* CNS dysfunction
* Brain tumors
* Chronic widespread body pain in some patients

Prepared Food – Shelf Life
* The reason it [hydrogenated oil] was put into food in 1940’s was to increase shelf life
* Essential fatty acids decrease shelf life
* Go rancid when exposed to heat, light, oxygen
* Hydrogenation improves shelf life
* Example: peanut butter can be kept unrefrigerated in the pantry, never growing mold
* And if food won’t grow mold, it won’t grow people i like that one!

Membrane Fatty Acids Are Important
* Cell nutrition
* Inflammation
* Pain

How Are They Important in Inflammation
* Local redness
* Heat
* Pain
* Swelling

Metabolic Pathways [of essential fatty acids]
* Can increase levels of DGLA (Dihomo-Gamma-Linolenic Acid) by ingesting oils rich in GLA (gamma linolenic acid)
o Evening primrose oil
o Borage oil
o Black currant seed oil

Alpha-linolenic Acid (LNA – w3) – From Diet
* Green leafy vegetables
* Soybeans
* Spirulina
* Canola oil
* Flaxseed oil

Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)
* Derivatives from LNA (alpha linolenic)
* Occur naturally in fish, esp. cold water

Fish Oil Supplementation
* Significant improvement in joint tenderness and joint swelling in RA patients after 24 weeks
o Kremer et al. Arth and Rheum 1990;33(6):810-20.

Also mentioned:
lecithin (1200mg each meal);
b100-complex;
Alpha Lipoic Acid (300-600mg/d) - helps with insulin regulation and burning mouth syndrome too

Foods to Increase Nutrients
* Vitamin E
o Vegetable oils, wheat germ, nuts, green leafy vegetables
* Pantothenic acid
o Animal tissues, whole grain cereals, legumes
* Magnesium
o Seeds, nuts, legumes, unmilled grains, chlorophyll of green vegetables
* Potassium
o Nuts, whole grains, meats, fruits
* Vitamin B-6
o Chicken, fish, liver, eggs, unmilled rice, oats, soy beans, walnuts
* Vitamin B-12
o Animal products (produced by bacteria)

Olive Oil
* Antioxidant, able to scavenge free radicals
* Protection against peroxidation
o Decreased LDL, increased HDL
* Improves control of hypertriglyceridemia associated with diabetes
* Modifies production of inflammatory cytokines
* Enhances gall bladder emptying
* Assists in gastric ulcer healing, promotes resistance to NSAID induced ulcerogenesis

andrew there are so many drugs to stop pain there is no reason in this day in age for your mom to be in pain.