Treating Multiple Sclerosis with Ayurveda

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is “a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another,” according to the National MS Society.

There are approximately 400,000 people suffering from MS in the United States, according to the National MS Society. The cause of MS is still unknown, but most researchers think that MS results from an abnormal response by the body's immune system.

The treatment for MS is relatively new (founded only in the 90’s) and includes multiple steroidal injections accompanied by mild to severe side-effects. These steroids only suppress the immune system, however, and so far no permanent cure has been found for this condition.

Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine (TAM), an ancient healing practice originating in India, has successful treatment outcomes for MS that help the patient heal naturally. There are specially formulated treatment options that go beyond treating the symptoms of the disease to restoring balance in the body’s immune response.

Marcia E. West (62) of Colorado shares her miraculous true story of battling MS successfully with TAM here:

"Normally, each nerve is protected with a covering called myelin, but with MS that myelin shield is destroyed, disrupting the connection from the brain to the affected area of the body. It’s very similar to a short circuit in a lamp. The lamp seems okay, but somewhere the connection is interrupted—and you may not be able to find it, except for the blinking and inconsistency in the light, and until it is diagnosed by a professional, you really don’t know what is happening, or why. However, unlike the lamp wire, which in many circumstances can be fixed, MS has no such solution.

I call it a sneaky thief. Without warning it takes away precious motor functions in the strong and the weak. My first symptom appeared 17 years before I was diagnosed. It’s called Optic Neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve, and within one day the sight in my left eye was almost totally gone. With the help of a good Ophthalmologist and a new treatment (steroid injections into the eye socket to reduce the nerve inflammation) my eye recovered with only a small amount of scar tissue as a reminder of what had occurred. The Dr. did tell me there was a connection with MS and optic neuritis, but I discounted the input until my second exacerbation, another totally unexpected, and I might add, uninvited setback. Did I say, sneaky?

My husband and I used to take long walks or ride bikes whenever we had the chance. After one long ride, I noticed my left leg was dragging a little as I walked my bike home. Again, I thought it was due to the length of our outing. But when I finally returned home all I could do was sit….and sit. It was as if my energy had been sucked from my being. I didn’t recover for two hours. Those patterns continued until multiple MRIs determined there were lesions on the brain affecting my left leg movement. By then there were other, smaller symptoms showing up—slow finger movements, enormous fatigue even though I was rested. Getting too hot or cold added to my increasing lack of energy and movement capability. I didn’t know what to expect, or what to do about it. Even when a neurologist actually diagnosed me with Relapsing/Remitting MS in 1995 I denied it for another year, allowing more exacerbations and their resultant damage. When I finally admitted I did indeed have MS, I thought my world was over. In some ways it was; in others it was the beginning of a new life, one where I lived with MS but stubbornly did not allow it to be my entire focus.

Unfortunately, there is no prevention or cure for MS, not yet, anyway, but there are numerous medications offered to help slow the progression of the disease and others which offer relief from the many other turns this disease can take. My treatment for 10 years was AVONEX, a weekly intramuscular injection, which I was able to give to myself. I no longer use this form of therapy, but I believe it did help slow the progression of my disease, as it was intended.

A friend told me about Soukya, a holistic health treatment center outside of Bangalore, India, and their use of Ayurvedic medicine to treat MS. After looking through their website (www.Soukya.com), my husband and I decided to see if their therapies could/would impact my MS symptoms. The good news is they did.

I went to India not really understanding Ayurvedic medicine, but I went with an open mind and a great deal of acceptance. I had used other types of alternative therapies in the past with good results for the conditions being addressed, so this step did not seem so far fetched. Why not try something new?

Soukya is Internationally acclaimed. Treatments range from wellness packages to intervention for medical conditions. I was the perfect candidate—my disease had progressed minimally over the ten years and unless you knew me before, there would not have been any noticeable pointers that I even had MS. After 12 hours of evaluations by their team of doctors, it was determined they could “cure” my MS if I stayed for six weeks of intensive, specially formulated treatments. We stayed.

The facility itself is a totally self contained enclave dedicated to mind, body and spirit connections. I thought of it as a Shangri-La, and for six weeks I was immersed in Indian cuisine (organic foods designed for one’s individual needs, most of which was grown there), natural treatments, some formulated especially for the program as designed for me by the doctors, daily acupuncture, hot oil massages, which grew more intense as time progressed, and so much more. I was first detoxified and when the detoxification was nearly over, new Ayurvedic medicines and massages were introduced to replace the old with the new. Never before had I been so well-cared for, and I fell in love with Indian culture, the people, as well as a form of medicine thousands of years old.

Every day, I was scheduled for at least five different treatments, some more intense than others. Specially trained, Indian therapists—women-- caringly put me through my paces. Some spoke a little English, others, not at all. It was better that way. The treatments were becoming more and more intense and took my mind and heart places I thought were no longer a part of my life. Sometimes I’d be in tears, for no known reason. Other times I felt so exposed, as if I was a filleted fish. None of the treatments hurt physically. For the most part, they were delightful. But it was the unexpected emotional times that hurt. What I now know is the emotional ups and downs are a natural part of the detoxification process. When you are treated so specifically, by people who genuinely care about your well-being, you have to let go of pre-conceived ideas. In letting go one can take the next step forward. I took many.

All in all, my body responded well to the mind-body-spirit connections they enabled with their treatments. At my last meeting with the Director of Soukya, Dr. Issac Mathai, I asked about continuing with the AVONEX therapy. He sat back in his chair with arms folded over his chest, and told me, “I don’t think you will ever need it again.” I have not. For three years I have not used any type of therapy for what MS symptoms remain. Nor have I experienced any new exacerbations. I don’t expect to.

No, I am not “cured” of MS. But I can do things now I previously was physically unable to do. And although I can’t say I’ve changed my lifestyle since Soukya, I can say quite gratefully, Soukya changed my life. I will no doubt always have remnants of MS (those nerves that are damaged remain so), but MS is a dimmed flame since my adventure in India. I will return this year to make sure my progress continues.

Not everyone will have the opportunity I had. However, anyone interested can study and learn about alternative treatments and where they are offered. For those who do, I wish you great success. For everyone suffering to whatever degree with this sneaky disease, I wish you great understanding and hope for your futures."