While this symptom could have other causes, if your next action is an attempt to stand up, but you actually fall flat on your face instead due to loss of strength or muscle use in one or both of your legs (arms could also be involved), it is very possible the vision issue is optic neuritis, a common early sign of MS. Time to find out what is going on, and fast!!!

Multiple Sclerosis is an affliction of individuality, but nothing happens purely by accident. For every effect, there is a preceding cause even though the cause may be difficult to see at first. What this means is the specific cause (or causes) which trigger it in one individual are not necessarily the same specific causes triggering MS in other individuals. This is, in part, why conventional means struggle to find a cure for it; there is not simply a single cause. In fact, reading about conventional treatments for MS is very depressing if we were to believe these were our only options, but luckily, they are not! Unconventional therapies have been used for centuries and are quite advanced in comparison to their conventional counterparts. Working to cure ourselves of MS then requires some creativity, investigation, experimentation, and education on our parts. Fortunately, there are some guidelines we can follow to get ourselves started.

Education: What happens when you have multiple sclerosis -
I have never liked the stigma our society applies to many of our "diseases" -- that being a perception of, "once we have a 'chronic disease', we always have that 'chronic disease', and it cannot be cured." It is rather like saying, "once you have brown eyes, you always have brown eyes. You cannot be cured of them." This disease, or the propensity toward it, is a genetic component of us. It isn't so much about curing then as it is about removing negative behavior that caused our bodies to lash out in this reactive fashion.

So, the first thing in understanding MS lies in recognizing it is a part of who we are -- it is part of our uniqueness just as our eye and hair colors, the shapes of our mouths, and so on are all part of what make us special and unique. And all of this craziness we have gone though is actually a good thing -- a very good thing -- because it gives us a chance to learn more about ourselves and grow powerful as individuals as we learn that the control over our health is, for the most part, up to us!!!

Now, how do we get multiple sclerosis? A likely scenario on what causes us to develop it is that we build toxins in our bodies from at least two different sources, primarily: 1) the digestion of foods that are really not proper foods for us, and 2) the digestion of harmful additives found in what we eat. These toxins get deposited somewhere in the locale of the myelin sheaths because, for those of us with MS, this is where our bodies think they should dump the excess toxins that are accumulating faster than the levels our normal channels can handle to eliminate them. These toxins, now attached to our nerves, correctly appear to the immune system as antigens, and the immune system sets to work attacking them. Unfortunately, the zealousness of the immune system damages the dielectric material (myelin) in the nerves causing some major problems in our bodies.

Can this be what really what happens with MS? The complexity of the human body makes it a real challenge to fully grasp the true details, but it does seem plausible, and we can test this concept too by eliminating things we should not be eating and watching our nerve-related activity improve once we hit on the correct eliminations.

Since it is different in all of us, this is no simple task, but the process can be made as easy as possible by testing a simple type of fasting. Nearly everything but the most benign of foods would be temporarily eliminated (it is only for a little while to start), and the process would be continued until the MS starts vanishing. Once that happens, we know something(s) we were eating is the primary trigger in us. The process is continued until the multiple sclerosis signs are completely gone, and then foods are gradually added back in to test the results.

As these are normally harmless to everyone, the foods recommended to eat initially are:

• proteins: cod, sardines, walnuts (omit for known allergies to tree nuts)
• fats: olive oil
• greens: beet greens, broccoli, collard greens¹, kale¹ (raw is important, but mix raw and cooked)
• fruits: blueberries, cherries, figs, pineapple, plums (raw is important, but mix raw and cooked)
• spices: ginger root, fresh or dried parsley, onions (raw is optimal)
• drinks: water (pure and filtered, spring water preferred)

Herbs and Alternatives -
After narrowing the diet down to the above list for a period of time, hopefully relief is found. At this point, there are some things that can be added in, one at a time, to see if they have an added positive and, perhaps, healing effect. Keep in mind that while many medicinal herbs are safe and side-effect free, not everyone can safely take all herbs. Some herbs may not be right for your body, some herbs can be very potent and potentially dangerous, and if you are pregnant or nursing, you should ask a medical doctor if you have any questions. The following may be helpful and should be tested individually to mark the reaction:

• Beta carotene: (from carrots, pumpkin, beets) is an antioxidant which helps reduce cancer risk (except in current smokers where lung cancer risk is actually increased). It also improves vision characteristics when it converts to vitamin A which is stored in the eye in large quantities
• Bilberry: may help improve vision (as reported by RAF pilots in World War II) -- especially night vision, and may help reduce macular inflammation
• Chamomile: seems to have a calming, and possibly rebuilding, effect on the nerves. In fact, I have witnessed improved nerve function in aging dogs given chamomile and juniper
• Cod liver oil: has wonderful anti-inflammatory effects on the body but does contain significant amounts of Vitamins A and D
• Fish oil: has some incredible anti-inflammatory effects on the body
• Gingko biloba: helps the body improve blood flow
• Juniper berries: seems to have a rebuilding effect on the nerves. In fact, I have witnessed improved nerve function in aging dogs given juniper berries and chamomile. Juniper berries should be temporarily discontinued after four weeks as they can damage the kidneys and possibly contribute to seizures with prolonged, continuous use. Juniper berries also seem to lower blood sugar
• Korean ginseng: is an antioxidant and stimulant that helps to lower blood sugar, increase sexual function, enhance the immune system, boost the mood, and improve energy
• Leutine: (from spinach, egg yokes, zucchini) seems to play an important part in keeping the eye healthy and even preventing macular degeneration
• Siberian Eleuthero: is an adaptogenic antioxidant which has delicate anti-inflammatory properties, and it tends to help combat fatigue
• Turmeric: is a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory root
• Vitamin C: the eye stores massive quantities of vitamin C in both the vitreous humor and in the retina. Having the right levels is important to eyesight

What if I don't eat those foods or don't know how to eat those foods? -
Given that what you have been doing up to this point is not working out for you, it seems change is in order. There are plenty of recipes available with an easy search online, and they can help you learn how to prepare new foods.

Um... that's a pretty short list. I can't limit myself to only this list, can I? -
Ask yourself, "do I want to live???" Remember, this is your health we're talking about -- your life! It's well worth doing everything you can to get on top of it! And, it is only for a short time at first.

Can changing my diet and lifestyle really improve my health and make me feel better? -
Absolutely!
If our bodies cannot tolerate a so-called "food" on the inside, then it is a poison to us, and a poison is a poison no matter how small the quantity. When we stop poisoning ourselves, we start feeling better. I have seen the difference in my life, and countless others have seen the differences in their lives, but don't just take someone's word; try it yourself -- really try it!

Shouldn't I just follow the standard scientific approach to healing? -
You may if you wish; it is an option; however, you should also be aware of the pitfalls with this approach toward health and healing, and the number one pitfall is how it takes the "innocent until proven guilty" viewpoint in saying, "there's no proof." This is great for the legal system, but it's not so great when ignorance is traded for potentially vast damage to the body. A prime example of this is smoking of tobacco which, despite being linked to cancer by German scientists as far back as the late 1920's, was not proven in popular culture and the medical and legal communities to be detrimental to health until the last decade or so. Yet, it was still causing ill effects to health the entire time.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is another example. In the 1980's protocol to help prevent SIDS was to place babies to sleep on their backs. By the '90's, the science world had realized the error of its ways and now proclamied babies should sleep on their stomachs. But in the new millenium, the "safest" method was again to place them to sleep on their backs. Such capriciousness is a clear indication of a lack of understanding how to handle the problem.

A final point though is, why re-invent the wheel? In many ways, we already have what we need. A myriad of herbs and various plants along with other techniques that have evolved over the centuries are often already sufficient to solve today's health problems.

Another woman I know has kept her symptoms at bay for several years by losing weight and keeping her diet a fairly strict, high percentage vegetarian diet.

The late Dr. Roy Swank (who lived to be 99 1/2, by the way) conducted a thirty-four year study including one hundred forty-four (144) patients by having them follow a very low fat diet. At the conclusion of his study, he noted that those who followed his diet were essentially no worse off than at the beginning while those who didn't follow his diet were significantly deteriorated from where they began.

Fatigue - this is a significant factor in cases of MS; however, several herbs may be of benefit. Both ginger and turmeric are recommended because of their anti-inflammatory effects as well as their ability to improve alertness. Gingko biloba and ginseng can also help improve energy levels since gingko dilates blood vessels and ginsing has a distinct stimulating effect.

1. relieving ongoing side-effects
2. partially crippling the immune system to alter the course of the disease and/or reducing inflammation
3. treating the attack symptoms.

In version one, relieving ongoing side-effects, variations of physical therapy and muscle relaxants are used to help ease pain and strengthen the functioning muscles so that they carry the extra load of the non-functioning muscles. Other drugs are also given to help combat pain, fatigue, bowel or bladder dysfunction, and depression.

Version two either uses artificial drugs to reduce the effectiveness of the immune system or uses beta interferons to try to reduce associated inflammation. When version two is implemented, it is done because current conventional thinking offers a perception that MS is caused by an immune system run amuck. This approach is extremely dangerous to our bodies since a strong immune system is essential to our survival (AIDS patients, for example, have a weakened immune system). What is more, drugs used to reduce immune effectiveness or reduce inflammation can rapidly damage the liver (an organ also essential to our survival), cause leukemia-like blood cancers, raise blood pressure, and/or allow our bodies to easily aquire a fatal brain infection called multifocal leukoencephalopathy!

The third option is to simply treat the attacks which is usually carried out by IV or injected steroids or by filtering off much of your blood plasma and replacing it with fresh plasma.

No one of these approaches is very good because no one of them solves the underlying problem -- that of a powerful immune system correctly attacking by-product toxins in the body resulting from improper habits and diet and located in places toxins should not be located -- somewhere in the brain or in the myelin sheathes of the nerves.

¹ For those taking anticoagulants such as coumadin or warfarin, caution must be exercised. Although salicylates, vitamin A, and vitamin E block the uptake of vitamin K, it is possible the vitamin K present in asparagus, brussel sprouts, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, swiss chard, and turnip greens may interfere with anticoagulants. Vitamin K assists the liver in the process of producing coagulating proteins.