Swank, Wahls, Weston A Price, And Gluten-Free: Can 'Multiple Sclerosis Diets' Really Help?

Multiple Sclerosis can be a truly debilitating condition, and one for which mainstream medicine has neither found a cure nor, often, satisfactory symptom management. If you or someone you know suffers from MS, you may well find yourself looking into dietary solutions. How well do they work?

Multiple Sclerosis: A Brief Overview

In Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, the immune system attacks the myelin — an essential insulating sheath of proteins and phospholipids — that covers nerve fibers. This process can damage the nerves, and lead to a myriad of often life-altering symptoms. Though MS is considered an autoimmune condition, the exact cause is still unknown at this point, and though the progression of the disease can be slowed down with treatment, there is no cure for MS as of yet.

While most MS patients have a relapsing-remitting pattern of symptoms, meaning they can have long periods during which the disease doesn't rule their lives, a majority of them will unfortunately go on to experience a steady progression of symptoms. These vary greatly from patient to patient, depending on the severity of the condition and the nerves that were affected, but symptoms can include localized numbness of some of the limbs, tingling feelings, tremor, vision changes that can progress to complete loss of sight, dizziness, altered speech, chronic fatigue, bladder function difficulties, and loss of coordination. Stiff muscles, muscle spasms, epilepsy, paralysis, depression, and other mood changes are possible complications of Multiple Sclerosis.

Some patients have such mild symptoms that no treatment is necessary, but who do have debilitating symptoms are limited by the fact that there is no cure — management of Multiple Sclerosis focuses on attack recovery, slowing the progression of the condition, and providing symptom relief. Combine this with the fact that some of the main MS treatments, such as beta interferons, come with very unpleasant side effects for many patients, and it's no wonder that many look to the realm of alternative medicine for answers.

Vitamin D supplements, relaxation exercises, acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic are among the techniques MS patients turn to.

Dietary Approaches To MS Management

Dr Roy Laver Swank, an academic neurologist from Oregon University, was an early pioneer of the idea that diet could, as he said, "slow progression of the disease as well as benefit overall health". The diet he proposed, which since became known simply as the Swank diet, is very low in unsaturated fat, even lower in saturated fat, and directs patients to avoid any kinds of processed foods that contain saturated fat as well as going easy on red meats and using only very low-fat dairy. Patients are advised to take dietary supplements, regularly consume foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, and eat as many foods containing wheat, gluten and dairy as they like.

Dr Terry Wahls proposed another MS diet after ending up in a wheelchair within three years of her own diagnosis. After switching to the so-called paleo diet, she became more functional again — even able to bike long distances. She then began sharing her findings with others, writing a book and referring to her diet as a "radical new way to treat all chronic autoimmune conditions". The diet she recommends is now known as the Wahls Protocol.

Multiple Sclerosis patients may also turn to the Weston A Price foundation, so named in honor of the Cleveland dentist who write the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Its nutritional advice includes liberal use of animal fats, unprocessed, and fermented foods, in addition to such things as "think positive thoughts and practice forgiveness".

Finally, some people recommend that MS sufferers try out a gluten-free diet to see whether this could help them improve their symptoms.

Can Special Dietary Approaches Really Help You Improve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms?

The four diets we mentioned above — the Swank diet, the Wahls Protocol, the Weston A Price Foundation approach, and a gluten-free diet — are very different and in some cases directly contradictory. Why is it that the Swank diet doesn't restrict gluten at all, while others say that going gluten-free might help? Why do the paleo diet and the Weston A Price approach focus on so-called healthy fats, while the Swank diet strongly encourages MS sufferers to strictly limit fat intake? How can four diets that are so very different from one another all be recommended as "MS diets" by proponents?

Does the fact that none of these "MS diets" are backed by solid science mean they do not help anyone with MS feel better? Not necessarily: a lack of research doesn't mean that a diet has been proven not to be helpful. Indeed, you will find individual MS patients singing the praises of all these four diets, and when they do, we can only assume that is because these people felt better after starting on a given diet. However, we also have to consider the possibility that the symptom improvement was due to natural remission rather than the diet itself in these cases.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society:

Maintenance of general good health is very important for people with any chronic disorder: a well-balanced and planned diet will help achieve this goal. Although there's no special 'MS diet,' what and how you eat can make a difference in your energy level, bladder and bowel function, and overall health. MS specialists recommend that people with MS adhere to the same low-fat, high-fiber diet recommendations of the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society for the general population.

The MS Society adds that most proposed "MS diets" have little basis in science, and though it mentions that cod liver oil, vitamin D supplement, and biotin may be helpful in managing symptoms, "some special diets may be harmful because they include potentially toxic amounts of certain vitamins, or exclude important nutrients". It goes on to encourage patients to discuss any special nutritional plans with their healthcare provider, something that can only be considered common-sense advice.

When mainstream medicine doesn't offer you the answers you are looking for, seeking solutions within alternative medicine is only logical, and you may find that adjusting your dietary habits really makes a big difference. Do be aware, though, that there is no scientific basis to support the idea that there is such a thing as a diet that specifically helps MS patients, and make sure that the diet you want to try doesn't harm your health by consulting your doctor first.