Lifestyle changes that may be helpful
While some studies dispute it, there is preliminary evidence that exposure to organic solvents, insecticides, and X-rays may cause or aggravate MS. This may explain why clusters of multiple sclerosis cases occasionally occur in certain geographical areas or even in work sites.
Swiss researchers found that nicotine temporarily impairs arm movement in people with MS. In one study, when people with MS smoked cigarettes, movement capacity was diminished for 10 minutes in 76% of them. Although this evidence is preliminary, there are many other adverse health effects of smoking. Smokers with MS should quit smoking.
While the outcome of some research disputes the connection between MS and mercury exposure, other investigations have reported an association between dental amalgams and this disease. One study found that mercury levels in the hair of people with MS are higher than in the hair of healthy people. This same report found that people with MS who had their amalgam fillings removed experienced one-third fewer relapses than people who kept their fillings. Another preliminary study found that people having a large number of fillings that had been in place for a long time appeared to be at increased risk for MS compared with those having fewer fillings. Preliminary evidence has also identified an association between tooth decay—as opposed to fillings—and MS. The importance of the reported links between mercury, tooth decay, and risk of MS has not been clearly established.
Vitamins that may be helpful
Some drugs that are used to treat MS appear to deplete carnitine. In a preliminary trial, supplementation with 3 to 6 grams of L-carnitine per day significantly improved fatigue in 63% of drug-treated MS patients.
Although some doctors recommend fish oil capsules for people with MS, few investigations have explored the effects of this supplement. In one small trial, people with MS were given approximately 20 grams of fish oil in capsules per day. After one to four months, 42% of these people received slight but significant benefits, including reduced urinary incontinence and improved eyesight. However, a longer double-blind trial involving over 300 people with MS found that half this amount of fish oil given per day did not help. A preliminary, two-year intervention trial tested the effects of fish oil supplements (5 ml of fish oil per day, providing 400 mg of EPA and 500 mg of DHA) combined with other dietary supplements and dietary changes in people with newly diagnosed, relapsing-remitting MS. The other supplements included 3,333 IU of vitamin A per day, 400 IU of vitamin D per day, and approximately 5.5 IU of vitamin E per day. The dietary recommendations included reducing intake of sugar, coffee, tea, saturated fat from meat and dairy products, and alcohol, while increasing intake of fish, fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain bread. Sixty-nine percent of those following the regimen improved, 25% remained the same, and 6% (one person) deteriorated.
The many interventions used in this trial make it impossible to determine what was responsible for the positive outcomes. Given the lack of other effective treatments for MS, though, this approach is worth trying while awaiting further evidence. In another trial, combining fish oil supplementation (6 grams per day) with a low-fat diet (15% of total calories) appeared to reduce the relapse rate in people with the relapsing-remitting form of MS.
In a small preliminary trial, people with MS were given 20 grams of cod liver oil, as well as approximately 680 mg of magnesium and 1,100 mg of calcium per day in the form of dolomite tablets. After one year, the average number of MS attacks decreased significantly for each person. Unlike fish oil capsules, the cod liver oil in this trial contained not only eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but 5,000 IU of vitamin D. Therefore, it is not known whether the vitamin D or fatty acids were responsible for the cod liver oil’s effects. (One preliminary study found that giving vitamin D-like drugs to animals with MS was helpful.) It is also possible that the magnesium and/or calcium given to these people reduced MS attacks. Magnesium29 and calcium levels have been reported to be lower in the nerve tissue of people with MS compared with healthy people.
