What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?

In order to manage multiple sclerosis we need to understand and — if possible — remove the underlying causes and risk factors. We need to ask: "What else is going on inside the body that might allow multiple sclerosis symptoms to develop?"

Diagnose your symptoms now!

understand what's happening to your body
check your overall health status
have a doctor review your case (optional)

Accurate diagnosis of the factors behind multiple sclerosis consists of three steps:

Step 1: List the Possible Causative Factors

Identify all disease conditions, lifestyle choices and environmental risk factors that can lead to multiple sclerosis symptoms. Here are eight possibilities:

Cigarette Smoke Damage
Mercury Toxicity
Hypercoagulation
EFA 3 Need
Vasectomy Side-Effects
Increased Intestinal Permeability
Autoimmune Tendency
Lyme Disease*

* symptoms can be very similar

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

Identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

abnormal taste in mouth

poorly-removed amalgams

indoor allergies

having asthma

unexplained fevers that hit hard

very angry/hostile disposition

fatigue after slight exertion

loss of appetite

back-of-neck lymph node problems

recurring depression

severe vision disturbances

high omega-6 oil intake

... and more than 60 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of multiple sclerosis symptoms:

Cause	Probability	Status
Mercury Toxicity	93%	Confirm
Lyme Disease**	30%	Unlikely
Cigarette Smoke Damage	29%	Unlikely
Autoimmune Tendency	0%	Ruled out
EFA 3 Need	0%	Ruled out
Vasectomy Side-Effects	0%	Ruled out
Increased Intestinal Permeability	0%	Ruled out
Hypercoagulation	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

** Symptoms can be very similar

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Immune System Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about multiple sclerosis:

Multiple Sclerosis? Have you ever been diagnosed with this condition?

Possible responses:

→ Never had it / don't know
→ Probably had it/minor episode now in remission
→ Significant problem in remission for some time
→ Current problem
→ Current major problem

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either multiple sclerosis in remission or multiple sclerosis, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Autoimmune Tendency

Consequences of Vasectomy

EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Type 3 Requirement

Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid deficiency may contribute to depressive symptoms in alcoholism, multiple sclerosis and postpartum depression.

It is interesting to note that the incidence of MS is quite low in Japan, where consumption of marine foods, seeds, and fruit oil is quite high. These foods contain abundant polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the omega-3 oils (alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexanoic acids). Deficiencies of the omega-3 oils are thought to interfere with lipid elongation and permanently impair formation of normal myelin.

Hypercoagulation (Thickened Blood)

Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease has been called "The New Great Imitator", a replacement for that old "great imitator" neurosyphilis. The two diseases share so many symptoms that Lyme disease should be ruled out if multiple sclerosis diagnosis is in question.

Cigarette Smoke Damage

A study at the University of Bergen in Norway, reported October 28th, 2003 in the journal Neurology, found that smoking can more than double a person's chances of developing multiple sclerosis. The risk was higher even if people had given up cigarettes. The authors, Dr. Trond Riise and colleagues, examined 22,312 people aged between 40 and 47. Of those, 87 had MS. The smokers were 1.81 times more likely to get MS than the non-smokers and men had a higher (2.75 times more likely) risk than women (1.61) who had smoked.

Increased Intestinal Permeability / Leaky Gut

The leakage of toxic waste from the gut into the bloodstream is believed to be a primary cause of Multiple Sclerosis.

Mercury Toxicity (Amalgam Illness)

A 1987 study showed that the levels of mercury in the spinal fluid of MS patients was 8 times higher than normal. [Silberod, R: A comparison of mental health of multiple sclerosis patients with silver/mercury dental fillings; Psychological Reports 70: pp.1139-51, 1992]. Mercury has long been linked to autoimmune diseases such as MS because of its affinity to attach to collagen tissue, which is the most common protein in the body. Polluted by mercury infiltration, the collagen is seen by the immune system as 'not self.'

... and also rule out issues such as:

Gout / Hyperuricemia

It has been reported that MS (possibly associated with low uric acid) and gout (associated with high uric acid) are mutually exclusive. A study of 20 million Medicare and Medicaid records found no overlap between MS and gout.

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™