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.