Supplements with Benefits

After reading my last post, you might be thinking there aren't any supplements that an MS person can take since we need to avoid immune boosters, but there are plenty of supplements that may help your body's fight against MS without interfering with the work of your prescription injections.

Suggestions given here are NOT to be substituted for the advice of a knowledgeable, and qualified health practitioner. If you know of any reason why these supplements would not be good for you, err on the side of caution. Having said all this, I also advise that you use common sense with the use of any dietary supplement and discontinue use if you have negative reactions. I purposely choose widely-used supplements that have the most comprehensive tonic benefits with little to no known toxicity or risk, but every human is unique in their chemistry.

Since inflammation is linked to MS, and is thought to be the first stage of many diseases (cellular inflammation), from arthritis to kidney disease, I look for food-sourced supplements that benefit the body by keeping the inflammatory response in check. One of my favorites is Bromelain, an enzyme from pineapple that breaks down the proteins that cause inflammation when it is taken on an empty stomach (if you take Bromelain with meals it will be used to digest proteins in your stomach-which is good for you too).

Another favorite is Turmeric, and its main constituent curcumin, which are known for giving curry a distinct color and flavor. Turmeric is known in the natural health world as a cellular healer and protector. It is a truly superb herb.

Never forget Ginger, in all its glory, which is so beneficial for numerous common bugs and annoyances, like motion sickness, digestive discomfort, sinus congestion, and achy joints. Ginger is also a revered herb due to its ability to assist the body's natural inflammatory control mechanism. Lastly, Ginger has a synergistic benefit, since it helps make other herbs work faster and more efficiently in the body. My final thumbs up goes to Ginger because it so cheap and easy to find at your local commercial grocery store, and in many many forms at your local health food stores.

If you suffer from sinus troubles and/or allergies you may have heard of Quercetin, which is my third top choice for balancing inflammatory response. Quercetin can be extracted from the white pith of citrus fruits, or from eucalyptus (do not consume the essential oil). It is a bioflavanoid that exists alongside vitamin C in nature, and compliments vitamin C in absorption in the body. Source Naturals makes a supplement called Activated Quercetin that is a combo of quercetin, vitamin C, and bromelain, which is great. Quercetin may also benefit bruising, vein issues and even skin inflammation in some people. All the while, it is supporting the body's natural healing processes.

Next... more on Good Supplements... and recommendations on brands.

**Remember to check with a knowledgeable physician about your choices, and do not substitute supportive tonic herbs for the advice your physician gives you, use them as a tonic addendum to your regular prescribed treatments.

Supplements to Avoid for MS

Since I work as a retail supplement specilaist, I get a lot of questions about what supplements are the best for specific conditions. Since I've been diagnosed with MS, I've received lots of advice from well-meaning but misinformed or naive sources about what I should do to benefit the disease.

"Since your immune system is weakened, you should take immune boosters," or "My friend has MS and started Tai Chi and was able to reduce his medication," and so forth, are the kind of responses I've been getting. It occurs to me that I happen to be blessed with a better understanding of the disease than most and perhaps I can share it with others to help arm them against misinformation.

There are dietary supplements that can help support your body's fight against MS and may even help prevent the onset of the disease or exacerbations of the disease. It is really important to note that none of these regimens can replace or substitute for the medications that we know will likely reduce the exacerbations, such as interferons, or the drugs that slow an existing exacerbation, like steroids.

I'm going to start with supplements that I think might work against the body's fight against MS. These supplements should be avoided unless they've been recommended by a MS-knowledgeable physician who is aware of your medical history:

immune boosters of any sort
IP6, cellforte
echinacea
cat's claw, saventaro*
oregon grape root
mushrooms like shiitake, maitake, lion's mane**, reishi
oregano oil
goldenseal root & herb
MGN-3
Pau d'arco

*Saventaro-TM is the only form of Cat's claw that I ever recommend to customers, since it is a PA-Free form of the herb. Please note that Saventaro is an extremely effective tool in the fight against Lyme disease, but might work contrary to the fight against MS so I would avoid it unless you can get specific scientific substantiation of the benefit. If you are not sure yet if you might have Lyme disease, it may be worth a try. (I took Saventaro heavily in the weeks I was waiting for clinical determination of MS vs Lyme, and I do not believe in my case that it worsened my condition at all).

**This mushroom has been studied for helping the body repair damaged neurons in the brain associated with Alzheimer's. This could be interesting for MS people, but because mushrooms might strengthen the immune system's activity, I think we should avoid all mushrooms until the benefit vs. risk ratio can be adequately determined. I will update if more study info becomes available. (I also took this mushroom heavily during my wait for clinical diagnosis and I do not believe it worsened my condition at that time.)

In general, herbs and supplements that are formulated to increase immune activity should be avoided. Please note, the FDA laws governed by the DSHEA laws of 1994 actually limit the claims a supplement company can make on the labels of their product to avoid false claims to the public, and as a bizarre twist of fate, this means the consumer who is trying to avoid certain activity in their supplements may have a hard time determining what will supply that unwanted activity. In other words, supplements won't say "immune booster" on the label, but will say "immune-balancing", or "supports a healthy immune system," or "immune modulator", even though they contain actual immune-boosting ingredients. Please be aware!

Next: herbs and supplements that may help benefit your body's fight against MS, and supplements that can be used for specific conditions unrelated to MS that won't interfere with your body's fight against MS (like cold & flu, cough, yeast issues, etc).