My sister, aunt, and friend have MS. Here's a really interesting link on a DR that recently cured her symptoms using a specific diet. She talks a bout it in a TED Talk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc


Christy Przystawik
Holistic Health Coach.
www.coachchristymarie.com
@ChristyMarieHHC

10 years ago, a Harvard MD told me "Welcome to the world of MS." Some of the literature I read at that time said things like "Half of all people diagnosed with MS will be in a wheelchair within 10 years." I was devastated, since I have always been very active and spend a lot of time outdoors.

I had many of the classic symptoms as well as some of the weird ones, including Lhermitte's sign (electric shock-like sensations down the spine when you move your head down), urinary urgency, double vision, even itchy feet. These lasted for weeks. They found one lesion on an MRI, which disappeared within 3 months. Repeat MRIs every 6 months and then yearly for a couple years found nothing.

I've never had symptoms again, although I worried about it constantly for years. I've heard of this happening to a few other people. Uncommon, but it is possible...it's known as benign MS.

My DH was dx'd almost 30 years ago and has been mostly asymptomatic. He has been having some symptoms in the last five years, but they are not debilitating and he is carrying on with work and family without too much trouble. He cannot however do the kinds of things we did ten years ago that require a lot of stamina, e.g. long hikes or bike rides. But he can walk for up to about a half-hour comfortably, and more if he has the opportunity to rest.

DH sees an MS specialist and is on a high dose of Vitamin D every day. Our kids are also on 2,000 IUs/day of Vitamin D as according to the specialist, if we keep their levels at 50+, it will cut their chances of developing MS in half. We expose them to as much sunlight as we can.

There is a theory that MS is related to a Vitamin D deficiency and indeed, it is virtually unknown in temperate climates. Scotland, a very cloudy, damp country, has the highest rate of MS in the world. The Scottish government launched a Vitamin D campaign awhile back in an effort to help reduce the rate of MS:

http://shineonscotland.org.uk/

The likelihood of MS is higher for a child born in the spring than for one born in the fall - the theory being that the mother's exposure to sunlight during pregnancy reduces the risk. So, if there is MS in your family (or even if not), take Vitamin D during pregnancy and make sure your kids have adequate levels of D.

More interesting facts (from http://www.themcfox.com/multiple-sclerosis/ms-facts/multiple-sclerosis-facts.htm):

Scotland has the highest incidence of Multiple Sclerosis per head of population in the world
In Scotland, over 10,500 people have Multiple Sclerosis
No virus has ever been isolated as the cause of Multiple Sclerosis
Average age of clinical onset is 30 – 33 years of age
The average age of diagnosis is 37 years of age
The average time between clinical onset of MS and diagnosis by physicians is 4 - 5 years
10% of cases are diagnosed after the age of fifty
In 1936, only 8% of patients were reported to survive beyond 20 years after onset of illness
In 1961, over 80% of Multiple Sclerosis patients were reported surviving to 20 years after onset of illness
2002 – A patient with Multiple Sclerosis can expect to live to average population life-expectancy minus seven years (mean life expectancy - 7 years)
Multiple Sclerosis is five times more prevalent in temperate climates than in tropical climates
Multiple Sclerosis affects women much more frequently than men. Approx. 1.7 – 2:1 in the US and approx 3:2 in the UK
The ratio of white to non-white is approx 2:1
Gypsies and Inuit's do get Multiple Sclerosis although the incidence rate is much lower than other populations at approx 19 per 100,000
Native Indians of North and South America, the Japanese and other Asian peoples have a very low incidence rate of Multiple Sclerosis
In identical twins where one twin develops the disease, the likelihood of the second twin developing Multiple Sclerosis is approx 30%
The incidence rate for non-identical twins, where one contracts Multiple Sclerosis, is approx 4%
The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if a first-degree relative (father, mother, sibling) has the disease, is approx 1% - 3% overall
The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if your father has the disease is approx 1 in 100
The risk of contracting Multiple Sclerosis if your mother has the disease is approx 1 in 50
The risk among the general population of contracting Multiple Sclerosis is approx 1 in 800

My friend was diagnosed with MS around 10 years ago. She is still working full time and doing all of her normal activities. It does not always a quickly progressing disease. I am sure most of the people she works with don't even know she has a diagnosis.

Tough diagnosis, but not the end of the world.

Lots of info and support here.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx

What do you know about MS (multiple sclerosis)? I would appreciate hearing about any experiences with this. A family member was just identified as possible having this-
TIA