Help for Multiple Sclerosis

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society notes that about 400,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and worldwide, the disease affects about 2.5 million people. rnThe majority of people experience the disease as a series of attacks where they'll have some difficulty with sensation or coordination or vision or balance, and then they’ll heal. There may be weeks or months before another attack.rnBelow are common symptoms of MS in particular. A diagnosis is made by ruling out other conditions.rnVisual rnDouble vision or vision loss rnUncontrollable rapid eye movementsrnFlashing lights before the eyesrnBlurred vision and color blindnessrnMotorrnMuscle atrophy or spasms (especially in the legs)rnParalysis or foot drags the floor when walkingrnSlurred speechrnTics, jerking and twitching musclesrnSexual dysfunctionrnSensoryrnNumbness, tingling sensationsrnPain in the arms and legs and or facernBurning, itching or electric shock-like sensationsrnCoordinationrnDecreased ability to control small movementsrnLoss of coordinationrnDizziness and Loss of balancernStutteringrnVertigornBowel and BladderrnUrinary leakage, frequency, urgency or hesitancyrnConstipation or Bowel urgencyrnCognitivernDecreased attention span and memoryrnDecreased judgmentrnAnxietyrnDementiarnOtherrnFatiguernAcid refluxrnImpaired taste and smellrnSwallowing problemsrnSleeping disorders, depressionrnHearing loss Typically, the first symptoms to appear are blurred vision, fatigue, tingling sensations, muscle weakness, electrical shock-like sensations, and bladder problems. What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?rnThe exact cause is not known, but MS is believed to result from damage to the myelin sheath, the protective material that surrounds nerve cells. Scars (scleroses) form on the nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. These scars result from lesions that destroy the myelin sheath, a process known as demyelination.rnInflammation occurs when the bodies own immune cells attack the nervous system. The inflammation destroys the myelin, leaving multiple areas of scar tissue (sclerosis) – thus the name Multiple Sclerosis.rnSymptoms of Autoimmune DiseasesrnMultiple Sclerosis shares much in common with other autoimmune diseases.rnEven though someone may look perfectly healthy, if they have an autoimmune disease, they are truly ill. Sometimes the symptoms are “invisible” and a definite diagnosis is difficult to come by.rnThe following symptoms are common in many autoimmune diseases. All of them are common in Multiple Sclerosis. FatiguernShort Term Memory LossrnDepressionrnLow Thyroid FunctionrnGastrointestinal ProblemsrnSwollen Glands, Chemical Sensitivity, HeadachesrnCandida Yeast InfectionsrnOverdoingrnFluttering heart, panic attacks, rapid heartbeat, mitral valve prolapsernWhy Does The Immune System Malfunction?rnWhen you have a disorder such as Multiple Sclerosis, these symptoms occur because your immune system attacks itself. Here is how it works:rnYour immune system has two different modes. Th-1 or T helper-1 cells fight pathogens like viruses, mycoplasma and bacteria that are inside the cells. Th-2 or T helper-2 cells fight pathogens outside the cells. rnWhen the immune system is healthy, these two modes function together, supporting each other in keeping the body healthy. But if they get out of balance, if the Th-1 side becomes weak and the Th-2 side is over activated and the Th-1 side is not able to control this over activation and serious problems develop. It needs to be modulated back into balance.rnSeveral things may cause Th-2 cell over activation:rnStress produces cortisol and cortisol stimulates the production of Th-2 cells. For this reason autoimmune diseases may manifest after a stressful event. rnOverexposure to toxins wear out the immune system and thus may cause Th-2 cell over activation. rnWhen Th-2 cells are activated and Th-1 cells are worn out, your bodies only defense against pathogens ends up being Th-2 side RNase L activity.rnRNase L cannot kill pathogens. It can only stop them from reproducing. What is supposed to happen when a healthy person encounters a virus or mycoplasma? The regular form of RNase L inhibits replication and then the immune system steps in and wipes them out. After that everything down-regulates, and they recover.rnIn an autoimmune situation, the RNase L activity shifts to a more destructive lower weight form, and does not shut off. It stays activated much longer, resulting in pronounced cellular metabolic dysfunction. Over activation of RNase L also affects the liver. Liver function declines because the enzymes used by the liver to detoxify toxins are being used up by the activity of the aberrant RNase L.rnWhen this happens, a person become susceptible to toxins. The result is high levels of toxicity that cause major problems in the body.rnSteroids and the Immune ResponsernWhen a doctor gives a person suffering from an autoimmune disease prednisone or another steroid, they are trying to turn off the immune system. Unfortunately, the success rate is low because they are using a poor tool.rnSteroids don’t just turn down the Th-2 side - they also wipe out the Th-1 side. This side needs to be boosted, not depressed. Because unless it is brought up to normal, it will allow the Th-2 side to over activate. Both sides need to balance. If one is too low, the other will naturally be too high. rnFollowing are some thoughts on helping to turn around the situation:rnLack Of Oxygen Is Common In Autoimmune ConditionsrnThe lack of Oxygen at the cellular level may cause problems associated with autoimmune diseases. Decreased oxygen to the left side of the brain can result in the short-term memory loss. It may also be a factor in the long term malfunctioning of glandular and hormonal systems in the brain. Oxygen is also needed to oxidize and remove toxins. When cells don’t have enough oxygen, they are not able to detoxify themselves adequately plus, they won’t be able to produce adequate amounts of energy, which can be a major cause of fatigue.rnOxygen kills anaerobic bacteria, mycoplasma and viruses. It works so well it is used to purify water in many cities. (Ozonation.)rnIf you want to fight mycoplasmas and viruses with oxygen, you need to produce oxygen inside the cells. Some good quality oxygen supplements are able to do this (see link at the end of this article).rnEnergy Production and ProteinrnOne of the common characteristics of a body in distress is that the energy required to release the needed building blocks from food is not available.rnThus, an all natural essential protein food supplement that comes - fully absorbable AS IS can be especially helpful. Products with a high hydrolysed amino acid content and Fulvic acid for example, are valuable. Among its manifold benefits, Fulvic acid intensifies the metabolism of proteins.  It also increases DNA content in cells and increases the rate of RNA synthesis.rnCollagen is an example of a complex structural protein which, when hydrolyzed into amino acids, provides the major building material for growth, repair and maintenance of skin, ligaments, bones, nails and hair. (Many Doctors consider hydrolysed collagen and vitamin C as the two most essential supplements for rebuilding health and strength).rnOnce your body has a supply of high quality amino acids from collagen AND the assistance of Fulvic acid, it can go to work on the repair and regeneration process - producing cells that follow the correct DNA blueprint and assisting overall health.rnDetoxification and Free Radical Damage in Autoimmune DiseasesrnThe problems in autoimmune conditions run much deeper than a messed up immune system, wiped out enzymes, oxygen depleted cells and depleted protein synthesis. When your liver can’t effectively detoxify your body because its enzymes have been wiped out, toxins build up in your cells. This is especially true if mycoplasma are also producing toxic build up in them. This toxic buildup causes much damage - damage that can persist even if the autoimmune response is turned off.rnGlutathione (the bodies most effective detoxifier) deficiency has been found to be virtually universal in autoimmune diseases and due to this deficiency, people slowly become toxic, storing away poisons in fatty tissue, muscles, organs and the brain. rnBecause glutathione is a potent antiviral and anti-microbial weapon, glutathione deficiency compromises antiviral and anti-microbial defenses leaving viral replication unchecked. Raising glutathione levels inside the cells can stop the replication of almost any pathogen.rnThere has been a good deal of research that show how important glutathione is. Here are several sources:rnImmunology 61: 503-508 1987. (Bounous et al., 1991). (Droege et al., 1997) and in the maintenance of T-lymphocytes (Gutman, 1998).rnJournal of Clinical Epidemiology 47: 1021-28 1994rnBiochemical Pharmacology 47:2113-2123 1994rnThe Lancet 344: 796-798 1994rnAnnual Review of Biochemistry 52 : 711-780 1983. (Lamestro, 1995) Researchers now believe that the damage caused by Multiple Sclerosis may occur early in its progression. The earlier you begin to address the condition, the more likely you are to decrease the injury to the nervous system.rnFor more information on heavy metal detoxifiers, hydrolysed collagen, fulvic acid, oxygen supplements, glutathione, probiotics, immune system modulators and other helpful products, click on the following link:http://www.health-reports.com/Multiple-Sclerosis.html