Hi All, I have only just joined this website. My joining has been prompted by an upcoming change in medication and I am seriously considering a more natural alternative. I have remitting relapsing MS. I am hoping that somebody may be able to give me a little more insight / information / opinion in this regard.
Lisa H
Hello Lisa
I would never advise anyone to stop taking prescribed medication. I’m a qualified nurse and it goes against what I believe. Perhaps you should discuss this with the doc/neuro. You don’t have to take the meds but be aware of all the facts before making the decision.
Allthough I don’t take supplements myself, there are lots of people with ms who do and I can see no harm with that…as long as its not to excess.
There is some good research regards taking vitamin D… even I’m looking at that myself
I am supposed to take methotrexate, which is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug…I take it for Psoriatic arthritis. I’ve been taking it for years but worry about the side effects. I decided to have a break from taking it, after discussing it with my rheumatologist…I like to keep him on side lol
Good luck
hi lisa
its a tricky to answr this. (th lttr btwn d and f is sticking on my kyboard)
i tak supplmnts and also hav copaxon injctions.
hav you trid hypbarric oxygn thrapy?
rflxology is also supposd to b good.
carol x
Hi Lisa!
I’m all for steering clear of prescribed medication, when appropriate; after all, I consider my body a temple. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any ‘natural alternative’ that has been scientifically proven to be effective in treating RRMS. If there was something, I think there would be a helluva long queue.
I too have RRMS. In my case, It’s aggressive and so Alemtuzumab (Campath) was the most suitable treatment available to me when I was officially diagnosed in June 2013, following my first major relapse. That said, unbeknown to me, I’ve actually had MS since 1995 and that was made evident to me from an old MRI scan that was taken of my brain in 1995, which I kept and showed to my Consultant Neurologist in June 2013.
In addition, I have always had a very good vegetarian diet, take a number of supplements and exercise vigorously on an almost daily basis. I’ve lived this way all of my life. Thanks to this combined regime , I am still doing all my sports and running long distances. But then, I’m one of the lucky ones! There are others much less fortunate.
Just remember, being asymptomatic does not necessarily reflect what is still going on inside the brain and spinal chord. Symptoms can develop and progress and I am doing all I can to prevent that from happening.
Personally, I have no suitable alternatives. I’m just playing things very sensibly.
Good luck
Tracyann xx
Hi
Diet can make a big difference. There are a few MS-specific diets you can follow. Some people swear by them, others don’t notice any change. The diets usually involve cutting out gluten, meat & dairy. I’ve not gone that extreme, but I have noticed that wheat & fatty red meats (pork & lamb) can leave me feeling rubbish. If you don’t want to striclty follow a diet, it might be worth keeping a food diary and seeing how you feel after meals.
I’d recommend doing Pilates too. It’s all about improving core body strength, so is very good for helping walking & standing ability.
Good luck!
Dan
hi,
re: diet, i’ve found that my eating/drinking citrus in anything but very small quantities causes a really noticeable increase in neuro pain, anything but small amounts of alcohol too, more’s the pity. in the early days, before i was put on a pain relief regimen that worked for me, i found acupuncture gave me day or so of substantial pain relief, i was surprised by how effective it was. i hope you find something that helps you, but i agree that caution and medical advice is essential when pursuing different options.
wendy x
Hi Lisa,
Please understand I am NOT trying to cause an argument it’s just the plain fact that since Charcot discovered MS in 1861 it’s only in the last 10 years medical science have been making any sort of headway into finding what MS is let alone a cure.
No wonder; especially long standing (not meant as a pun) members of the MS fraternity have sort so called alternative treatments. I know and have proved to myself many times my alternative treatment; Snake Venom; has not only saved my life but given me a quality.
I’m nowhere near the longest person with MS; diagnosed 1973; or the oldest with it 64 but I see no reason I can’t go on to get a telegram from The King.
It must be understood MS is not a disease; it is the result of a reaction to a substance put in your body; a reaction to a virus; a fault in your Genes; some could be auto-immune. Probable lots more ways to get MS but just as we all have differing symptoms the way we end up getting it differs.
Stem Cells will prove in the end after extensive research but I for one did not have the time to wait.
I don’t know if you remember my old mucker Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces. Yes he; Viv Neeves and I attempted HBO; they loved it I lasted two dives. I’m not decrying HBO; far from it; what I am saying if something does not put you in the poor house try it; because if you don’t try you will never know. Never worry about what you do; only worry about what you do not do.
No one can be put on the venom now; I’ve just received 4 years supply cost £100 so I don’t think I’m being ripped off.
George
George!! Have you been drinking lol Who’s Viv Neeves? And whats HBO 
Sorry, Hic!
Your too young to remember Viv but she was the first nude model in the Times Newspaper.
HBO is HyperBaric Oxygen where a person goes in a deep sea Oxygen chamber when they have the Benz from comming up too quickley. People report good results with MS from this treatment by breathing Oxygen under pressure; this is called a dive.
Gxx
I’m 57 George…I’ve obviously lived a sheltered life in comparison to yours lol
I looked up Viv Neeves George. She was a beautiful woman…she certainly knew how to enjoy life.
Very sad that her husband left her to cope with the ms and what came of her life after.
I had heard of Ronnie Lane and the small faces but didn’t know he’d had ms as well. Also his mum and two brothers…I think??
I’ll pass on trying the Snake venom though George
Hi George,
l also an oldie - or a very experienced MS’er. Now 66 - so certainly remember Ronnie Lane. And l am sure l remember you [sounding like Frank lfield now] on the old board. My brother used to be a professional diver - so l did ask his opinion of HBOT - hyperbaric oxygen therapy - and he said that it would make everyone feel better - for just a short while. He is retired now - high blood pressure - which lost him his diving license. Occupational hazard.
l like to call these therapies complimentary - as they do no harm - and if they make you feel better then they are brilliant. Unlike some of the ‘prescribed drugs’ that so often produce more problems then the MS symptoms.
Last Year, l went to see Chris Farlowe/Mike Berry live at our local theatre. Both guys in their 70’s - both still with a good head of hair - and more importantly l thought their voices even better. The audience, all of an age, but remembering the words, did have trouble standing up for the ovation!!! Came home feeling as if l was a teenager again.
Good to hear from you.
I told Viv that to do HBOT you had to take all your cloths off; but she called me a liar!
Ronnie was a good laff.
Gxx
I think you are a bit an old rogue…and a cheeky one at that george
We all need to take our clothes off George to get as much vitamin d3 as possible. Perhaps not to-day!!! l will take the pills instead. On 20,000ius a day now the weather is so bad.