MS is both a physically and emotionally trying disease. I used to cringe when a new MS patient would come to the office as the tools I had ten years ago were not sufficient to significantly alter the course of the disease. However, since then I have learned that there are a number of very effective natural treatment options for improving MS and, in many cases, eliminating it entirely. With these new tools I welcome MS patients in the practice, as I am confident that the vast majority can be improved. We have many stories like Matt who had dramatic improvement with the regimen. Like most diseases, the earlier in the course of the illness one starts the treatment the higher the likelihood of success.

First of all I recommend avoiding nearly all drugs for MS, as they are only temporary solutions that invariably seem to impair the body's healing response and worsen the course of the illness over the long term. Additionally, most are quite expensive and can cost well over $1000 per month. The following natural treatments offer a practical alternative to drugs:

One of the simplest and essential first steps is to have your vitamin D blood levels checked. Vitamin D levels seem to be low in virtually every autoimmune disease that I see. It is important to receive adequate amounts of vitamin D, as it keeps your cell growth and activity in check. When your body is deficient in this crucial nutrient your cells can go haywire, become overly active or multiply too quickly.

However, especially during the winter months, getting the optimal amount of vitamin D from sunlight may be a difficult, if not impossible task (even in the summer months many people now spend their days indoors and aren't exposed to the sun). A high-quality cod liver oil is an essential part of the treatment program for nearly all MS patients, as it is full of beneficial omega-3 fats and vitamin D, which are both absolutely necessary in the prevention and treatment of MS.

It is vitally important to monitor your vitamin D levels on a monthly basis. Yes, I know it is a hassle, but you really do want you vitamin D level to be about 50, and like Goldilocks, you want it not much above that and not much lower.

Animal omega-3 fats like DHA and EPA are essential to resolving this illness so if you aren't taking cod liver oil because your vitamin D levels are in the ideal range than you will certainly want to take fish oil. MS is one of those conditions where high doses are frequently warranted.

When choosing your cod liver oil, be sure to choose a brand that has been purified of mercury and other toxins, and has the independent laboratory testing to prove it.

You will also want to make certain that it has more than insignificant quantities of vitamin E. Most manufacturers put only enough vitamin E to prevent the omega-3 fats from being oxidized while in the bottle, but once you swallow the liquid you will need about 10 times as many vitamin E as most manufacturers put in their formulas. You could easily compensate for this by taking some extra vitamin E, but Carlson cod liver and fish oils are one of the few brands that put the extra vitamin E in right from the get go. You will likely find Carlson's cod liver oil in your local health food store. They may even have some other good brands to recommend to you. If you are unable to locate a high quality brand locally, for your convenience we do stock Carlson's cod liver oil in our store.

Probably the single most important resource for improving MS is finding a solution for the previous emotional traumas in one's life. In my experience nearly every MS patient has some unresolved emotional trigger that led to the MS. that causes their immune system to become impaired and progress to MS. Clearly, issues related to this event need to be addressed to resolve the disease. There are many effective tools to address this stress, and nearly all of them involve some type of energy psychology. My favorite tool is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), as it is simple, highly effective and easy to use.

However, because MS is such a serious health challenge I would not advise using this tool for MS by yourself, but rather as a supplement to work with a trained EFT practitioner. I suggest taking a look at Gary Craig's list of EFT Practitioner Referrals from the United States and the world. Many of these therapists even offer a free 15-minute phone session in which you can ask them questions to see if you connect.

The study that leads that precedes my comment highlights the significance of hormones in MS. I am absolutely convinced this is also key. It is my experience though that when one applies the above strategies the hormones tend to spontaneously normalize as stress is one of the primary causes of hormone imbalance.

However, there are a number of different highly effective strategies that one can use to optimize female and male hormones. That discussion is beyond the scope of this comment though and we are actually publishing a book later this year by one of the world's leading endocrinologist, Dr. Thierry Hertoghe from Belgium, that will provide all those specific details.

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