You need vitamin B12 to help maintain your nerves' myelin sheath. If you are deficient in vitamin B12 you can get symptoms that are similar to some of the symptoms of MS, such as fatigue, weakness, numbness or tingling and problems with memory.
A 2018 brochure from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) recommends taking B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 (cobalamin).
Vitamins that seem of particular interest to people with MS include vitamin D, the antioxidant vitamins, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. Vitamin D Vitamin D is a hormone, or chemical messenger, in the body.
High doses of other vitamins can antagonize your immune-modulating, immunosuppressive therapies used to manage MS. Supplements that stimulate the immune system should be avoided in high doses. Those include selenium, zinc, B1, B2, folic acid, B6, vitamin A, biotin, magnesium, copper, and manganese.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) triggers that worsen symptoms or cause a relapse can include stress, heart disease and smoking. While some are easier to avoid than others, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall health and wellness can have outsized benefits for MS patients.
It isn't completely clear how supplements may affect MS, but they are thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect, a restorative effect on myelin, or both. The three with the most scientific support for this use are biotin, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
B Vitamins and Methylation
A number of different B vitamins can increase myelin and help your body regenerate myelin. Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the generation and function of myelin. Researchers have found that low vitamin B12 levels are significantly associated with myelin degeneration (66, 68).
Making sure you get proper rest scheduled into your day, as well as learning to prioritise tasks, can make fatigue easier to manage. Combining sensible exercise with a balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight and get the energy you need. Some drug treatments can also help fatigue.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency and the Nervous System
It's easy to see, then, why a deficiency of B12 can cause MS-like symptoms such as: Muscle weakness. Difficulty walking. Cognitive dysfunction.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) deficiency can result in some clinical and paraclinical characteristics similar to what is seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
One study noted young people with MS who took a calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium supplement had a reduced number of relapses. The study authors theorized that magnesium could play a role in the growth and stability of myelin.
These data suggested that vitamin B12 increased the level of MBP, which plays vital roles in the myelination process and the appropriate formation of myelin thickness and compactness. Meanwhile, LFB staining showed that vitamin B12 restored myelin by reducing the vacuolar changes in the myelin sheath after TBI.
Altogether, vitamin B1 (thiamine) plays a pivotal role in the process of nerve regeneration: in nerve cells, it facilitates the usage of carbohydrates for energy production and protects them against oxidative stress, resulting in normalized pain sensation and reduced hyperexcitability.
Myelin is repaired or replaced by special cells in the brain called oligodendrocytes. These cells are made from a type of stem cell found in the brain, called oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). And then the damage can be repaired.
It's fast-acting, efficient, and leads to improvement in patient recovery within just a couple of sessions. The required doses of Vitamin B12 for neuropathy in adults are: 1000mcg daily over five days. 1000mcg weekly over five weeks.
The myelin sheath is mostly made of fat, but certain fats work better as building materials. Healthy fats can help grease the gears. Unsaturated fats found in foods like nuts, seeds, salmon, tuna, avocado, and vegetable oils help nerve cells communicate more quickly.
The most common treatment regimen is a three or five-day course of intravenous (Solu-Medrol® - methylprednisolone) or oral (Deltasone® - prednisone) corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are not believed to have any long-term benefit on the disease.
Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) kills certain B cells in your blood. It's approved in the United States for all forms of MS. But it's the first drug used specifically to treat the primary progressive type of MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society calls ocrelizumab a "game changer." You get it in an IV every 6 months.
People with multiple sclerosis can incorporate natural therapies into their health protocol in order to reduce inflammatory chemicals and reduce blood-brain-barrier disruption. Some of the most potent natural therapies to achieve these goals include resveratrol, vitamin D, fish oil, and a healthy diet.