Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to destroy the nerve's protective sheathing. This leads to neurological problems, such as numbness, blurry vision, tremor, fatigue, dizziness and irreversible nerve damage. The MS Recovery Diet is an eating plan dictated in a book of the same name published in 2007 by Ann Sawyer and Judi Bachrach. Both authors suffer from multiple sclerosis and claim that dietary changes stop and reverse the effects of the disease.
History
Most of the dietary guidelines in the book are based on the findings of Dr. Roy Swank, an emeritus professor of neurology from Oregon Health Science University. Instead of eating a diet high in saturated fats, patients are urged to get their fat from healthy sources, such as vegetable oils, fish and nuts. The theory behind the MS Recovery Diet is that when you eat certain foods, it stimulates an immune system response that brings on the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
Types
The MS Recovery diet asks that you eliminate certain foods from your diet in order to stop symptoms. The foods that are claimed to aggravate symptoms of MS include gluten grains, wheat, diary products, eggs, legumes and foods that contain yeast. You are also instructed by the authors of the diet to limit the amount of saturated fat and sugar in your diet.
Identification
Another part of the diet is discovering if the person has food sensitivities. While fighting MS, eliminate one food item at a time to determine if your symptoms improve once you stop eating the food. If you see no effect, the food can be returned to your normal diet.
Warning
According to a March 2008 article about the diet in "The New York Times", the diet has never been put through a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Therefore, it should not be done in lieu of treatment for multiple sclerosis. Since the eating plan is very strict, you should first speak to your doctor before trying the MS Recovery Diet.
Expert Insight
In a study reported by Dr. Swank in 2003 and featured in "The New York Times," 144 patients were put on the diet 34 years ago when he first recommended it. He reported that two-thirds of the 70 healthy dieters survived, compared to one-fifth of the 74 poor dieters.
