Are Omega 6 & Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids (E.F.A) Important?
E.F.A’s are essential and present in every cell in the body. The body cannot make them so they come from the food we eat. Research has shown that white matter in the brains of people with MS are deficient in E.F.A’s. Other studies show E.F.A.’s are low in the myelin sheath around the nerves, red and white blood cells, platelets and blood plasma.
E.F.A’s go through several stages of conversion before they can be utilized by different parts of the body. It is believed that for people with MS something has gone wrong in this process at the stage where linoleic acid converts to gamma-linoleic acid. Research at the Nuffield Laboratories in London showed that gamma-linoleic acid given as evening primrose oil capsules was capable of altering abnormal cell membranes, including those in myelin returning them to normal.
The recommended dose is 6x 500mg capsules per day either 2 three times a day or 3 twice a day.
Why is Vitamin D considered important?
Vitamin D helps prevent cells from becoming diseased. Incidences of MS are higher in countries with increasing latitude where there is less sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet rays on the skin make Vitamin D – a few hours exposure a week is sufficient. This is stored in our liver and body fat for 20 days or more. When needed it is converted into ‘supercharged Vitamin D’ (1,25D). This is 1,000 times more active than stored Vitamin D and lasts for only 6-8 hours, hence the need for continual replacement. Limited exposure to sunlight means that Vitamin D blood levels could be low. ‘Supercharged vitamin D’ levels are reduced by animal protein that increases blood acidity interfering with the production of 1,25D. Animal protein and too much calcium reduce blood levels of 1,25D.
Vitamin D is also available in some foods, e.g. oily fish, and often as an additive in breakfast cereals and fortified milk. Some supplements contain Vitamin D but it is not absorbed so well. Supercharged Vitamin D is too powerful and too dangerous to make as a supplement. Dr Campbell advises that if Vitamin D is needed the lowest possible dose should be taken.
It is worth having your Vitamin D levels checked. The best test is a blood test called 25(OH)D. Marc Sorenson and Dr William Grant consider a level of 33-100 ng/ml sufficient. Practitioners at ‘The Sanctuary’ in Blackburn, England have found that a minimum of 100ng/ml is required for people with MS.
Why could Vitamin B12 be important?
B12 is needed for the formation of haemoglobin that carries oxygen through the body. It is important in energy production, healthy cell metabolism and is essential for the brain and nervous system. It is mostly found in animal products and in micro-organisms in the soil. Deficiency may be due to a vegetarian/vegan diet or an inability to absorb it properly which can be hereditary. Sterile soil and over-clean vegetables do not help.
Some Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms resemble those of MS e.g. fatigue, dizziness, tingling and numbness. It is worth getting your B12 levels checked as some people with MS have had considerable improvement in energy and a variety of symptoms, including walking, when having regular B12 injections.
Taken from Multiple Sclerosis Q / A June A Skeggs www.yoga-health-eduction.org.uk updated Oct. 2011
