While this is a commonly quoted reference from the book, Eat Right for Your Type, but I am unable to find a reference for this statement in any reputable medical database.  Blood type is not typically considered a factor in MS cause or management.  I do not make it a consideration for patients I see with MS.  (i.e. B blood types are typically told to eat dairy, whereas I think everyone with MS should avoid it.)

-Laurie Mischley, ND

At least 50% of MS patients experience some kind of pain, according to a recent survey of over 7000 MS patients nationally, says Francois Bethoix, MD, director of the rehabilitation center at the Mellon Center for Multiple Sclerosis.

Pains can vary from diffuse pains feeling like a toothache, a burning sensation, or often an intense pressure, like the “bear hug” pressure often felt around the midriff.

MS is a condition which affects the central nervous system. When there has been damage done to the tissues, the CNS sends pain stimulus messages to the area of damage, which triggers the muscle pain or spasticity because of the hyperactive muscle stretch reflexes. The damaged areas of the CNS also may send misfired signals to the tissues, causing the pain or spasticity. The joint pain is likely due to the spastic tissues around the joint spaces, rather than in the joint itself.

-Wendy L. Ellis, ND

Dr. Swank has said that it can take up to a couple years.  I believe this is based on our understanding of the process by which fats get incorporated into cells.

On nerve growth: We know that nerve growth occurs slowly.  It was only a few years back that conventional medicine did not believe nerves to grow at all!  It is important to recognize that there are several mechanisms by which the Swank diet may be effective- i.e. the oils in fats have been shown to decrease inflammation (expect quick response) and changing the fatty acid profile of the body results in improved function of the cells (expect response over the next couple years).

I would encourage you not to think of the Swank diet as black or white, the question is not whether you should be on it or throw in the towel.  Rather, for how long should you count fats?  How long before you can loosen up on some of Dr. Swank’s recommendations?  How long before I should incorporate other therapies into the management of my MS?  These questions reflect an approach that is much more realistic and sustainable.

I would encourage anyone diagnosed with MS to follow the Swank diet for at least 1 year, whether or not they are using other therapies, both conventional and alternative.  Once you understand the principles and have learned how to eat in the recommended manner, I would encourage you eat according to Dr. Swank’s ‘principles’ for the rest of your life, even if you do not adhere to the prescribed diet.  It’s much easier to protect neurons than rebuild them.

-Laurie Mischley, ND

In my practice, bladder dysfunction is quite common in many patients, and is often the biggest complaint due to urgency and bladder incontinence. There are numerous articles which support the conclusion that the pudendal nerve is often affected in MS, as outlined below.

Bladder dysfunction is the presenting symptom in 2% of patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) and may be present in up to 78% of them. Abnormalities of somatosensory evoked potentials of the pudendal nerve (pSEP) have been found by many authors in patients affected by clinically defined MS Spinal Cord (1999) 37, 258 ± 263

-Wendy L. Ellis, ND

You need to become well informed about the risks and benefits of both of these therapies, and make the best decision for you.  Whether or not you should begin pharmacotherapy depends on many factors unique to you- this is a decision best made with a neurologist whom you trust and respect.

The statement “there is no link between diet and MS” is an oversimplification and reflects ignorance regarding the published literature.  A more well-informed and more accurate statement is, “There is no evidence that if you change your diet, you will change the course of your disease.”  We don’t know that it won’t, either.  The research has simply not been done.  We do know that there are more than 270 published articles in the medical literature on “multiple sclerosis and diet”, many of them showing positive associations.

Like any treatment, one must consider the risks and the benefits before deciding to begin.  There are very few risks to increasing one’s consumption of fish and decreasing saturated fats!  Dr. Swank’s original recommendations from 50 years ago have largely been substantiated by the literature- the more pork, beef, and dairy you eat, and the less fish, the more likely you are to develop MS.  There is potentially a lot to gain and little to lose from following these guidelines.

I strongly encourage you keep your decisions about starting pharmaceutical drugs, the Swank diet, and all other therapies separate.  Evaluate them each for their own merits.  That said, many neurologists do recommend waiting to see how the disease progresses during the first year before making a decision about pharmacotherapy (prescription drugs)- an ideal time to make any lifestyle changes you can that have the potential to influence the course of the disease for the better.

-Laurie Mischley, ND

There is a plethora of antidotal evidence indicating that patients do remarkably better with symptoms and progression of MS by avoiding food allergies, which should be tested with IgE and IgG4 antibody serum testing. I see remarkable improvements in patients when they avoid the foods indicated by their testing. Casein, found in dairy products, is one of the greatest inflammatory foods for those with MS. Ashton Embry gives a very good synopsis of what occurs when “offending” foods are eaten, which is described below. As far as the fat free versions, I would avoid these as well, as they still contain casein.

The main disease processes in MS are breaches in the blood-brain barrier and the passage of activated and inactivated immune cells into the CNS. These cells initiate a variety of immune reactions which eventually destroy the myelin wraps on nerve axons. Myelin loss results in various physical disabilities which increase with progressive destruction of myelin.

A diet factor which can result in such disease processes is the ingestion of hypersensitive food. Food hypersensitivities reduce the effectiveness of the blood-brain barrier through Type I (activation of basophils and mast cells) and Type III (deposition of immune complexes) reactions. T-cells are activated against CNS proteins (Type IV reaction) by both molecular mimicry of CNS self proteins by food proteins outside the CNS and by exposure of autoreactive T-cells to previously sequestered CNS proteins following passage of immune elements through a damaged blood-brain barrier.

Abundant anecdotal data indicate that many people have achieved either a permanent remission or a significant slowdown in disease progress through diet revision involving the elimination of hypersensitive food.

The most common foods which result in immune reactions and eventual MS are dairy, cereal grains, eggs, yeast and legumes. These are all foods which have been introduced into the human diet relatively recently and are genetically difficult to tolerate for some individuals. Taken from http://www.direct-ms.org/

-Wendy L. Ellis, ND