While calcium deficiency is not a direct cause of multiple sclerosis, calcium supplements, particularly when combined with vitamin D and magnesium, help to mitigate nerve tissue damage and bone loss associated with the disease. One form of calcium may even reverse some of the damage caused by multiple sclerosis. Consult with your doctor before taking calcium or any other supplements, because there is a risk of adverse interaction with other vitamins, minerals and medications.
Progression of the Disease
Multiple sclerosis is a disorder in which your body’s immune cells attack the protective myelin coating that covers the nerves in your spinal cord and your brain. As a result, messages that travel along these neuropathways become slowed or even blocked, and your ability to use your muscles is degraded. Over time, decreased muscle use can cause you to lose bone mass as well. Corticosteroids, which doctors sometimes use to treat multiple sclerosis, also can contribute to bone loss.
Calcium with Magnesium and Vitamin D
In a study by a research team headed by P. Goldberg and published in the October 1986 issue of “Medical Hypotheses,” researchers found that multiple sclerosis patients between the ages of 22 and 37 experienced fewer episodes of exacerbation of their disease when they took a combination of 16 mg of calcium, 10 mg of magnesium and 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily over a period of two years. Goldberg theorized that people with a genetic predisposition toward multiple sclerosis have a higher requirement for these three nutrients than people without this genetic code. He assessed that inadequate levels of these nutrients results in a faulty myelin coating during the formation of the central nervous system, which increases the tendency for the coating to break down in adulthood. The study proved that supplementing intake of these nutrients could help strengthen the myelin coating to withstand damage from the disease.
Ca-AEP
Calcium 2-amino ethyl phosphoric acid, or Ca-AEP, is a form of calcium that is part of your cell membrane structure. It strengthens cells walls and helps them withstand attacks by viruses, bacteria or the body’s own misdirected immune system. At the same time, Ca-AEP promotes the exchange of electrolytes and helps cells to absorb nutrients, which makes them stronger and helps to combat progressive deterioration. Vital to multiple sclerosis patients, it increases nerve tissue conductivity by binding calcium and other minerals to the cell membranes. These minerals hold electrical charges, which means they increase the ability of the nerves to transmit signals. Ca-AEP not only maintains cell membranes, but also repairs them and restores lost synaptic function. Doctors first used Ca-AEP supplementation for multiple sclerosis treatment in 1967. Two decades later, Dr. George Morrissette reviewed the records of some 300 patients who received Ca-AEP therapy over a period of 24 years and discovered that 82 percent benefited from the treatment. Patients who received the treatment beginning in the early stages of the disease had an even more impressive result: 92 percent experienced a positive impact.
Dosage
Calcium works together with vitamin D and magnesium to strengthen your skeletal system and prevent bone loss. Because of this interaction, it’s important to balance your intake of each. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation recommends 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium in combination with 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Finding the proper dosage of magnesium can be tricky because it competes with calcium for absorption, which can lead to, or exacerbate, calcium deficiency. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements to determine what dosage is right for you.
References
- Medical Hypotheses; Multiple Sclerosis: Decreased Relapse Rate Through Dietary Supplementation with Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D; P. Goldberg et al; October 1986
- Multiple Sclerosis Foundation; The Supplement Maze; Deborah Eck, RD, LD, CNSC; July 2010
- Nutrition Review; Calcium AEP: Membrane Integrity Factor Aids Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, Asthma and Osteoporosis; Ward Dean, MD and Jim English
- Mayo Clinic: Multiple Sclerosis
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Osteoporosis
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Magnesium; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 2009
- Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre; Spasms and MS; Bob Lawrence, M.D.
