My Approach
Diet
To deal with MS I have adopted a number of dietary strategies. There are many diets that are potentially beneficial for affecting/staving off MS. The Swank Diet, being one of the most well known. There is also the Best Bet Diet, and other diets that are potentially beneficial such as the Alkaline Diet, the Body Ecology Diet, the Paleo-Diet, even Dr. Andrew Weil has given advice on MS and diet, and (to some extent) the Blood-Type Diet may be of interest to people with MS.
I do not follow any one of these diets, but incorporate elements of many of these diets to best suit my needs as my body dictates. For instance, I follow the low fat advice of the Swank Diet; however, I avoid allowed foods such as wheat and dairy products, which Andrew Weil advises to avoid. I also avoid Night Shades, tomatoes seem to be especially troublesome for me, causing a lot of pain. The Swank Diet, while advising eating plenty of vegetables, but from my readings, stops short of insisting on organic produce. I think many aspects of this diet are sound, but feel it does not go far enough.
A more recent addition to the MS diet arena is the Best Bet Diet formulated by Ashton Embry when his son contracted MS. This diet seems to be a link between the Swank diet and the Paleo diet and is updated with more current methods for controlling MS. I have found a lot of information provided on the diet and believe it to be helpful.
Some of the early information I found, beyond what I mentioned about the Swank Diet, emphasized the importance of eating organic foods. This made sense to me, as previous to my diagnosis I had eaten an apricot, that I had washed, and upon swallowing the first half of it noted a heavy chemical taste (I think it was a pesticide). Within minutes I became extremely dizzy, which lasted for several weeks. I now insist on eating only organic foods.
Recently, Doctor Steenblock recommended that I avoid nuts as they are rich in Arginine. Arginine is known to increase the production of Nitric Oxide, which is a factor that contributes to the destruction in MS. For the time being, I am going to give this a try.
When I am able, I have found fasting to be of some benefit. Studies done with the mouse model of MS, who were starved for 48 hours not only had fewer symptoms, but their brains showed fewer signs of the advance of the illness.
I avoid:
Dairy
Wheat/Gluten (to avoid allergic response)
Red Meat/Mammal
Processed Foods
Night Shades (increases inflammation: causing pain and noticeable effects)
Vinegars
Alcohol
Refined Sugars/White
Beans (per BBD)
Nuts and Seeds (per Dr Steenblock's recommendation)
Corn, Soy, Pears (because I am allergic to these)
I Eat:
Only Organic
Most Vegetables
Olive Oil
Cultured Vegetables.
Limit meat Consumption (usually, except after stem cell therapy I was required to increase my protein consumption)
Diets
The Best Bet Diet BBD, Designed by scientist Ashton Embry
The Multiple Sclerosis Research Center is one of my preffered sites for MS information providing a good array of Western and integrative therapies and other information.
More information coming soon: Due to Michael's disc decompression treatments, he has to stay off of computers for the next few weeks to get the most from the treatments. Please check back for additional information in the future. This site is a work in progress and will continued to be updated.
Disclaimer: This is my experience with MS, it is not to intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. I recommend that anyone suffering to do your own research, and find what is best for you. This site is only a documentation of my personal experience.