When one is contemplating treatment options for Multiple sclerosis, alternative medicine is worth serious consideration. Keeping in mind that there are different variants of MS, alternative medicine of various types can easily prove effective.
MS has been associated with a variety of nutritional deficiencies and other nutritional anomalies over the years. These include vitamin B12 deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency, magnesium deficiency, essential fatty acid deficiency and excessive levels of uric acid. As a result, a number of specialists who employ alternative medicine for multiple sclerosis treatment emphasize nutrition therapy. They employ broad dietary changes and nutritional supplements as a form of alternative medicine, and multiple sclerosis symptoms are consequently resolved.
Based on data gathered from various studies, Vitamin D can be an effective form of alternative medicine. Multiple sclerosis patients who, for whatever reason, do not get enough sunlight and dietary sources of vitamin D start to experience slower progression of the disease once they have taken steps to treat the nutritional deficiency. The fact that MS is much less prevalent in warm equatorial regions than in higher latitude regions (which are subject to reduced sunshine during winter months) confirms the importance of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of MS.
Magnesium deficiency has been shown to play an important role in some cases of multiple sclerosis, and alternative medicine in the form of magnesium supplements has proved helpful in such cases. Spasticity, which entails unusually stiff or rigid muscles, is one of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Alternative medicine can be used in its treatment. When the form of alternative medicine employed is a magnesium supplement, the spasticity can be significantly decreased. The successful use of magnesium supplement in this way might one day eliminate the need for conventional anti-spasticity drugs like Baclofen in some patients. This is especially important as conventional drugs can sometimes have detrimental side effects.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis
It is important to recognize the distinction between the terms “complementary medicine” and “alternative medicine”, often adopted in the discussion of non-conventional therapy for multiple sclerosis. The categories seem identical on the surface as they include the same range of procedures: nutritional supplements, acupuncture, exercise, diet change and other forms of non-conventional medicine. Their distinction lies in the context of their use. Complementary medicine is the term given when non-conventional medicine is used together with conventional forms of treatment for MS. Alternative medicine is the term employed when they are used instead of conventional medical treatments for MS. Note that alternative and complementary medicine should be used under the supervision of a qualified medical professional.
