Diet/Supplements?

[Tigergal]

My husband was just dxed last week and I am trying to figure out what changes we need to make in addition to the Copaxone he will start next week.

Any advice on what he should eat or what supplements he should take to help him?

[Redwings]

There are several diet regimens recommended for MS. One of them is the Best Bet Diet for MS. Go to [url]www.direct-ms.org[/url] and, from the menu at the top of the page, select Nutrition and then Recommendations (for diet) and Supplements (for supplements).

[Mamabug]

There are a variety of diets that people with MS choose to follow.
A..Some people recommend a gluten-free diet. Although, I eat fairly low-gluten and limit simple carbs, such as white flour, pasta, bread and starchy vegetables, I am not gluten-free.
B. Swank Diet www.swankmsdiet.org/ It's a low-fat diet that allows no red meat for the first year, and only 3 oz per week after that.
C. Best Bet Diet www.direct-ms.org/bestbet.html

I have not followed any of them, as they all seem too restrictive for the lifestyle that I wish to live.

D. A "diet" that seems less restrictive, and has roots in the concept of inflammation (since MS flares are all about inflammation in the brain, and I'd like to keep that reduced) is an anti-inflammation kind of diet.
A fairly simple way to find out about it is through Dr. Andrew Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/PAG00361...d-pyramid.html (Be sure to click on the full pyramid.)

For more information, I have purchased the book: The Anti-Inflmmation Diet Plan. The book includes the IF Rating information, and I try to eat incorporate more foods with an anti-inflammation factor into my diet. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...9XX57DF3M17FPB

Using a combination of some of Weil's concepts/and the book and SOUTH BEACH diet concepts, and some of my own ideas (for example, I avoid pasta even though Weil recommends it, because of the white flour; I don't eat a lot of soy because I've heard mixed opinions about it's risks and benefits; I probably eat more meat than Weil recommends, I also do some "calorie cycling", etc), I've lost 54 pounds in 43 weeks.

Since losing the weight, my fatigue seems less, and my balance is considerably improved. Those improvements may be more from the weight loss than the specific "diets". But, it's all related, because the weight loss is also related to my dieting strategies.

Regarding supplements, for anti-inflammation, I take:
1. Fish Oil (with just Omega 3, not Omega 6, because our diets already have too much Omega 6 in them, from the processed foods that we eat.) Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory; too much Omega 6 can promote inflammation:
... "Study showed that an out-of-balance diet that’s high in omega-6 fatty acids disrupts the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory agents in the body, promoting chronic inflammation and elevating the risk of health problem such as asthma, allergies, diabetes and arthritis." theconsciouslife.com/anti-inflammatory-diet-how-to-balance-omega-3-omega-6-fats.htm

2. Tumeric
3. Evening Primose Oil

4. I also take Vitamin D3, and, calcium at the same time, because it helps the body to absorb the Vitamin D.

~ Faith

foods he enjoys, not much into the ms diets, if they worked we wouldnt be here......i say eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may be dead

[Shashi]

If he has problems with fatigue, he might want to try acetyl L-carnitine (1,000 to 2,000 mg daily) and alpha lipoic acid (200 to 400 mg daily.) University studies and a lot of folks here, including me, have found that they help tremendously with the fatigue of MS, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, aging, etc.

It can take up to a month to see the full effects, and he has to take them every morning on an empty stomach.

Also, if he is taking any thyroid or diabetes meds, have him check with his doctor first, as these supplements can increase the effectiveness of those meds, which may cause the dosages to need adjusting.

[Sequoia]

Excellent post, [B]Faith[/B]!

Just a couple of comments:

Originally Posted by Mamabug

I avoid pasta even though Weil recommends it, because of the white flour

There are many kinds of pasta made from whole wheat, brown rice, and a variety of other whole grains. There's no white flour involved in their production.

Originally Posted by Mamabug

I also take Vitamin D3, and, calcium at the same time, because it helps the body to absorb the Vitamin D.

It's the other way around: Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium.

[Temagami]

My understanding is that you either go gluten free or not- no such thing as a little bit of gluten. If I´m understanding correctly, any gluten will set off the immune response that goes haywire and attacks the myelin.

I sort of think about it like this: your immune system is the alarm system in a house and the gluten is a burglar. It doesn´t matter if there´s one burglar or 100, the alarm will go off. So, if you´re not going to go 100% gluten free, don´t bother. Please set me straight if I´ve got this wrong.

I read that you need to also take magnesium with the calcium.

[Twenty Miles]

Temagami,
That is a good analogy. With gluten it is all or nothing. IMHO I would put legumes in that category.

[Mamabug]

Originally Posted by Sequoia

Excellent post, Faith!

Just a couple of comments:

There are many kinds of pasta made from whole wheat, brown rice, and a variety of other whole grains. There's no white flour involved in their production.

It's the other way around: Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium.

Sequoia -

I don't avoid pastas just because of the white flour; it's more because of the carbs, in general. Yeah; you're right. There are other pastas available out there. And, although I eat some "complex" carbs, I also tend to eat a lot of protein and vegetable meals.

Oh; got mixed up about the Vitamin D and the calcium and which did which. But, yeah. I do take them together.

~ Faith

Originally Posted by Temagami

My understanding is that you either go gluten free or not- no such thing as a little bit of gluten. If I´m understanding correctly, any gluten will set off the immune response that goes haywire and attacks the myelin.

I sort of think about it like this: your immune system is the alarm system in a house and the gluten is a burglar. It doesn´t matter if there´s one burglar or 100, the alarm will go off. So, if you´re not going to go 100% gluten free, don´t bother. Please set me straight if I´ve got this wrong.

I read that you need to also take magnesium with the calcium.

Tem -

I also don't eat low gluten because I'm attempting to approach something close to a gluten-free diet. It just tends to be low-gluten, because I don't eat a lot of carbs. I do think that you're right, about gluten-free needing to be all-or-nothing. And, I know that Tara recommends it. I just don't tend to see any problems that I have with gluten, so I'm guess I'm a "nothing", not an "all".

And, the calcium that I take is a magnesium/calcium supplement. I just didn't mention it because I don't take magnesium specifically for inflammation, like the other supplements that I mentioned. I take it for a urinary frequency problem. But, I guess that's a symptom that is likely caused by my MS, so, thanks for mentioning it.

~ Faith

[heidelee]

They said Omega 3 Fish Oil is a great one supp. But if you looking for a specific supp. for your husband, might check the website from Maxalife. Maybe you can find a supp. there that will fit on your husband or the one suggested by Redwings.

[Sequoia]

Originally Posted by heidelee

They said Omega 3 Fish Oil is a great one supp. But if you looking for a specific supp. for your husband, might check the website from Maxalife. Maybe you can find a supp. there that will fit on your husband or the one suggested by Redwings.

Who are the "they" you mention, [B]heidelee[/B]?

As for Maxalife, it's just one of many brands of fish oil capsules. There are other online vitamin/supplement websites that offer a choice of brands at substantially reduced prices. I get my own vitamins/supplements from iHerb and have been very satisfied with their service.

[nutritiontara]

Originally Posted by Tigergal

My husband was just dxed last week and I am trying to figure out what changes we need to make in addition to the Copaxone he will start next week.

Any advice on what he should eat or what supplements he should take to help him?

Supplements won't really matter unless he can absorb them.
A gluten free diet is the best way to ensure this.

Basic starting supplements: Omega 3 oils, whole food B complex, calcium and magnesium, vit D3, and antioxidants such as green tea, CoQ10, OPCs, or DHLA.....