Multiple Sclerosis
A guide for patients and carers
Other sorts of treatment which have been tried in the past
Many different forms of treatment have been tried in the past. None of these has worked particularly well, but you may hear about some of the following:
Diet
Some doctors believe that a diet which avoids saturated fats may be helpful. In other words, avoiding butter and animal fats and moving instead to margarines, which are high in polyunsaturates, and sunflower or olive oil for cooking. In many ways this is simply a healthy diet and it would be a good idea for most people to follow a diet like this anyway.
Hyperbaric oxygen
Over the years, some specialists have suggested that using a high pressure oxygen tank can be beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis. Although some people, particularly those who have troublesome bladder symptoms, feel that this sort of therapy is helpful, where scientists have performed careful trials there was no definite evidence of any benefits.
The Cari Loder diet
During the past few years there has been some interest in a combination treatment which includes three things: First, a low dose of an anti-depressant tablet, secondly, injections of Vitamin B12 and thirdly, a tablet containing a naturally occurring chemical called L-phenylalanine. This combination treatment was devised by a woman called Cari Loder, who is herself affected by multiple sclerosis. Some people with multiple sclerosis feel better with this combination of treatment, but other patients have been disappointed. At present there is no scientific evidence to show that this treatment has any benefit.
Magnetism and ‘super-resonant waves’
Inevitably with a disease which does not have a very satisfactory medical treatment, people will look to other forms of therapy which they feel may help, of which magnetism is just one example. Many have been tried and none have any proven long-term benefit. There are even stories of people with multiple sclerosis who have paid a great deal of money to people who advertise some sort of ‘wonder treatment’ and then are both disappointed and lose a great deal of money in the process.
Contents
- Introduction
- What is multiple sclerosis?
- What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?
- How do doctors make the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis?
- How does the disease progress?
- What is the treatment for multiple sclerosis?
- Other sorts of treatment which have been tried in the past
- Questions and answers
- Other organisations that may be able to help