Treatments
Read our Physician Blog on Platform Therapy
http://www.healthcarejourney.com/4/post/2013/11/platform-therapy-for-ms-5-essential-steps.html |
Medications
Read our Physician Blog about how to decide on a disease-modifying therapy (click on the link below)
http://www.healthcarejourney.com/4/post/2013/12/how-do-you-decide-on-a-disease-modifying-therapy-for-multiple-sclerosis.html |
Diet and Exercise
Questions from MS patients:
Q. "Is exercise really that important for MS, and why? I hate exercising, and when I feel tired and crampy I feel more like resting than torturing my body even more." Find out the answer to this by clicking on the link below.
Q. "Is exercise really that important for MS, and why? I hate exercising, and when I feel tired and crampy I feel more like resting than torturing my body even more." Find out the answer to this by clicking on the link below.
Q. "I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of a supplement called Protandim which supposedly reduces oxidative stress and if anyone is using this for MS as a stand alone therapy or in conjunction with a traditional MS drug - I was asked about this recently and I do not have enough info to answer this correctly - thoughts? Thanks."
Answer: Protandim is a mixture of 5 herbal ingredients, which are strong activators of the Nrf2 anti-oxidant pathway. The company that makes this product has been promoting it heavily for MS since one of the potential effects of Tecfidera (dimethylfumarate), a recently approved treatment for MS, is activation of the Nrf2 pathway. It should be mentioned that there are many naturally occuring activators of the Nrf2 pathway and there is no good evidence that this is the main mechanism of action of Tecfidera. Unfortunately, there are no controlled clinical studies to support the claims of efficacy for protandim in MS and these studies are not even required by the FDA since the product is an herbal supplement. MS patients interested in supplementing their current therapeutic approach to MS may want to consider supplementation with tumeric, milk thistle and green tea, the main ingredients of Protandim. This would be a rationale, low cost approach to supplementation.
TIPS FROM PEOPLE WITH MS:
Tip: I have found that tai chi and chi gung (energy practices underlying tai chi) to be enormously valuable. They are most popularly known to help with balance, but I found this to be only one of the many benefits. They have helped me with spasticity, energy/vitality, walking, back pain, sleep concentration,and mood.
Tip: I have found that tai chi and chi gung (energy practices underlying tai chi) to be enormously valuable. They are most popularly known to help with balance, but I found this to be only one of the many benefits. They have helped me with spasticity, energy/vitality, walking, back pain, sleep concentration,and mood.
Tip: A study using two multiple sclerosis (MS) models published in The American Journal of Pathology has found that resveratrol actually worsened MS-like neuropathology and inflammation and had no neuroprotective effects. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol compound produced by the skin of red grapes and peanuts, and found in red wine, has been touted as a beneficial supplement due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Click on the link below to read the abstract. NOTE: It should be pointed out that there is no evidence that Resveratrol is actually harmful in MS patients.