Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. There is a protective myelin sheath around all of the nerves in your body, which protect the nerve and also help with nerve impulses that pass along the nerves. In multiple sclerosis, the myelin sheath is gradually destroyed, which means nerve impulses cannot pass down the nerve cell. There has been very little hope for patients suffering from this disease, but recently Dr. Terry Wahls described how she reversed her own multiple sclerosis by switching to a raw food diet that is rich in nutrients required for optimal nerve health. The diet is called the Paleo diet.
Dr. Wahls was wheelchair bound, but as you can see in the video, she now has full use of her body thanks to the diet.
Important points on the video
- Mitochondria health is a vital part of the puzzle. If they don’t work well, the brain shrinks. Fish oil, creatine and coenzyme Q were used in her first experiments. It slowed the course of her disease but did not stop it.
- Vitamins B1, B9, B12, omega 3 fatty acids and iodine are essential for healthy myelin sheaths around the nerves.
- Between nerves there are junctions called synapses that require sulfur and vitamin B6 to make the neurotransmitters.
- Mitochondria manages energy supplies of the cell. They are essential for multicellular organisms. Mitochondria need sulfur, B vitamins and antioxidants for good health.
- Dr. Wahls decided to get the growing list of nutrients from the foods she ate. She designed a food plan specifically for her brain and her mitochondria.
- She started with a hunter-gatherer diet and modified it for brain and mitochondria. It includes 3 cups of green leaves, 3 cups of sulfur-rich vegetables, 3 cups of bright colors, grass fed meat and seaweed.
- 3 cups is a dinner plate piled high.
- Kale is an excellent green vegetable as it is nutrient rich with vitamins and minerals. Parsley is also great.
- Sulfur-rich veg includes things like the cabbage family (cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, turnips, radishes, collards, kale), onion family (onions, garlic, chives, leeks).
- Colors are flavonoids and polyphenols that support retina, mitochondria, brain cells.
- Wild fish are great sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Salmon, herring. Grass fed meat is also great.
- Organ meats are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and mitochondria. Great for mitochondria and brain cells.
- Seaweed is a rich source of iodine and selenium. Iodine removes toxins from the body (reduces the risks of cancer) and is needed for myelin sheaths.
- A diet rich in fruit and vegetables can dramatically reduce all kinds of allergies and diseases.