Natural remedies include any non-pharmaceutical treatment or technique. People use them for treating simple illnesses, such as the common cold, and for treating more serious conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
These remedies are sometimes called alternative therapies when people use them in place of disease-modifying treatments. When people use them along with conventional drugs, they’re called complementary therapies or treatments.
According to the National Institutes of Health, these therapies include:
- natural products, such as herbs, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals
- mind and body practices or manipulations, such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture, tai chi, hypnotherapy, and chiropractic and osteopathic manipulations
- traditional healing, such as Chinese medicine and Ayurveda
Can natural remedies help treat multiple sclerosis?
Natural remedies may help relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, and improve overall health. Because of this, many people with MS find that natural remedies are an important part of their treatment plan.
Despite the potential benefits of some natural remedies, disease-modifying drugs are the only way to change the course of MS. As with disease-modifying therapies, natural remedies don’t cure MS.
The American Academy of Neurology provides guidelines based on the scientific evidence regarding complementary and alternative therapies.
Here are some of the natural remedies you may consider to treat MS:
Dietary supplements
Vitamins, herbs, and mineral supplements are some of the more common natural remedies that people use to treat MS.
You should always consult your doctor before using supplements for these reasons:
- Supplements can have complex and poorly understood interactions with your immune system.
- They can also interact with your MS medication or have serious side effects.
- Unlike prescription drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t evaluate supplements for effectiveness or safety.
- Little scientific evidence for the value of supplements in treating MS exists.
Lifestyle changes
Positive lifestyle habitats are a natural, low-risk way to improve your overall health. They can also improve your MS symptoms.
Exercise
The fatigue, weakness, and loss of coordination that affects many people with MS may discourage you from exercising. While those symptoms may make the benefits seem counterintuitive, exercise is a natural, healthy, and potentially inexpensive way to manage your MS symptoms. While more research regarding exercise’s impact on MS is necessary, some findings suggest it can improve a range of symptoms.
Diet
Diet is a controversial aspect of managing MS. Some evidence supports a diet high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Otherwise, researchers haven’t conducted controlled studies on the specialized diets promoted for MS. The National MS Society recommends following the same balanced, low-fat, high-fiber diet recommended for the general population. Drinking alcohol can make you feel even more fatigued, so it’s best to avoid it when possible. Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist before making major dietary changes.
Sleep
For people with MS, getting enough sleep can be an extra challenge. A 2015 study in Frontiers in Neurology found that sleep disturbance explained fatigue in 24 percent of the participants. Depression explained fatigue in 10 percent. For people with MS, difficulty sleeping could be linked to a variety of factors, including:
- medications
- alcohol or caffeine consumption
- depression
- sleep apnea
- stress
- spasticity
- frequent bathroom visits
- a lack of exercise
- pain
- poor sleep habits
If you’re having trouble getting enough sleep, you should talk to your doctor to find the cause. You may need to visit a sleep specialist.
Stress management and relaxation techniques
A wide variety of mind and body practices or manipulations can help you manage stress and anxiety, improve your mental well-being, and reduce your MS symptoms. These include:
- yoga
- mindfulness practice or meditation
- massage
- bodywork
- acupuncture
Takeaway
It’s easy to assume that natural therapies are healthy and risk-free. But unlike conventional treatments that are FDA-regulated and rigorously tested during clinical trials, natural therapies aren’t FDA-approved. Researchers haven’t performed much testing to determine if they’re beneficial or safe.
Certain natural remedies are important complements to disease-modifying treatments. Others may be worth trying despite the lack of evidence to support their use. Some could cause dangerous side effects or interactions if you use them with your current treatment. Since conflicting or misleading information about natural remedies exists, it’s important to talk to your doctor before trying a new treatment.
While natural remedies may help ease some of your MS symptoms and improve your quality of life, the only treatments proven in clinical trials to reduce relapses and slow the progression of disability are the disease-modifying drugs the FDA has approved.
