By Ed Lash
In her book, Multiple Sclerosis, a Self-help Guide to Its Management, Judy Graham tells the story of Rita Greer whose husband, Alan, had a particularly severe case of multiple sclerosis (MS). They tried everything and everyone to fi nd him a cure until their money was exhausted. Their poverty was such that they no longer could afford meat, after which it was noticed that Alan slowly began to improve. Rita deduced that their new austere diet must be the key, and through trial and error discovered that Alan didn’t do as well when eating meat and certain other foods. She kept him on his new diet during which time he made improvements to the point where he could run and climb ladders.
I don’t mean to imply that all of us stop eating meat or some of the other foods that some claim may be the cause of their MS. As Judy Graham points out, many people with MS who have been on the same diet have noticed no difference in their condition. In addition, it should be noted that neither Rita nor Alan Greer put this miraculous improvement entirely down to diet alone; the diet was actually used alongside other therapies, particularly exercise and stress reduction.
In my own case, I also have MS and can climb ladders and run, although I prefer brisk walking for my daily exercise. Yet, I did not need an elimination diet to bring about remission. In my case, it was a different kind of stress I needed to work on. This indicates that we are all different. But with people who have allergies, many of them have learned that it may worsen their MS.
During our support groups, peer counseling sessions, and friendly visiting, a number of people with MS mentioned their experiences with allergies. I’d like to share some those stories with you. John, for example, is sensitive to MSG. If he eats food containing this food-enhancer, his MS-caused speech difficulty will become absolute.
All his muscles become flaccid and he seems to lose all muscle tone so he can no longer sit up and will slide out of his wheelchair. As a result, his wife related to me that he must then be put to bed and will sleep for 10-12 hours as if in a comatose state, after which he will be as he was before the meal. Because of this allergy, his wife must also avoid frozen and packaged food unless thoroughly checked out.
Judy works in a doctor’s office and often assists with patients. She’s good at it and loves her work. However, if the patient is wearing strong perfume, Judy may get an immediate flare-up of previous MS symptoms, such as weakness and instability in her legs, forcing her to leave the room to seek fresh air, after which she usually returns to normal in a matter of a minute or two. The soap and perfume sections in supermarkets and department stores may also elicit the same response to her. And anyone entering their house is forbidden to wear perfume. Judy says her husband’s normal morning routine is to shave, give Judy a kiss goodbye, then apply after-shave lotion just before leaving the house. Judy also told us that she wasn’t aware of being allergic before her diagnosis of MS.
Barbara found that standing in front of her refrigerator would evoke a weakening of her legs to a point that one day they wouldn’t support her and she fell, being lucky enough not to have broken any bones. Barbara knew that she was sensitive to mold and had learned that it could affect her MS but did not realize that her refrigerator had a drip tray underneath which may develop mold if not cleaned regularly; it has been kept quite clean since.
These anecdotal case-histories appear to be genuine allergic reactions that have triggered, not a true MS exacerbation, but what is defined as a pseudo-exacerbation, or worsening of previous symptoms due to sensitivity to allergy, stress, heat, or another substance or situation.
NOTE: More information on the subject of allergy and MS will be in the next edition of ACTION.
Note: Self-help is not intended to replace medical treatment. It should be used together with the help of appropriate professionals in a team effort.
Ed Lash is a United Spinal member who lives in Trumbull, Connecticut. He can be contacted by e-mail at edlash.ms.selfhelp@juno.com, or by phone at 203-445-0118.
