Therapy for multiple sclerosis

The therapy of multiple sclerosis should in most cases be carried out with medication. However, the therapy of multiple sclerosis is not designed to cure the disease but rather to minimize the patient’s discomfort.Especially during an acute relapse, the therapy of multiple sclerosis consists of minimizing the relapse and thus also keeping the effects as small as possible. During an acute episode, therapy with corticosteroids may be considered.

These are drugs that suppress the immune system and the inflammation and thus also minimize the symptoms. In addition, plasmapheresis can also be performed as a therapy for multiple sclerosis in an acute episode. In this procedure the liquid components of the blood (plasma) are exchanged and replaced by the plasma of a donor.

In addition to the acute therapy of multiple sclerosis, the disease should also be treated permanently and preventively to minimize relapses and reduce the severity of the disease. As a therapy for multiple sclerosis, an interferon-beta preparation is often used, which ensures that the immune system does not react excessively to the disease. Glatiramer acetate, dimetyhlfumarate (Tecfidera®) and Teriflunomid are now also used as so-called basic therapy for multiple sclerosis, especially when therapy with interferon-beta is not an option.

According to recent studies, fumaric acid (Tecfidera®) in particular has proven to be particularly effective in reducing relapse. In this case, the physician may suggest a so-called second-line therapy for multiple sclerosis. Here, drugs are used which also serve as a basic therapy.

These include the drugs: In addition to the actual therapy of multiple sclerosis, it is always important to treat the accompanying symptoms. Some patients suffer from severe pain during a relapse, while other patients become depressed by the disease. It is important to respond to the individual needs of each patient and to adapt the therapy of multiple sclerosis to the patient.

This may mean that in addition to the drug therapy, pain therapy, physiotherapy or psychotherapy may be required. Therapy for multiple sclerosis Here, the use of muscle relaxants can also reduce the symptoms.

Natalizumab
Fingolimod
Alemtuzumab
Mitoxantrone and
Cyclophosphamide.

Whether the nutrition can positively affect the multiple Sklerose, is discussed in expert circles of the medicine very controversially.

Nevertheless, nutrition can help to positively influence the course of multiple sclerosis. Since multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the nervous system, a balanced diet can be helpful to reduce the so-called oxidative stress caused by the inflammation and thus improve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis through diet. What is most important, however, is the fact that multiple sclerosis causes many different symptoms, which can be influenced very positively by a balanced diet.

Therefore, the diet may not help directly in multiple sclerosis, but it can be an important support to alleviate the accompanying symptoms and to enable the patient to live as free of symptoms as possible. For example, many patients suffer from severe fatigue. A balanced, low-calorie diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and fiber can reduce fatigue because the body does not have to constantly deal with the intake of fatty substances.

In general, it is important to be very careful with the intake of fats. This is because the diet can actually worsen or improve multiple sclerosis. Inflammatory products are formed from a substance that is absorbed from fats in food, namely arachidonic acid.

Egg yolk, meat, offal, fish, butter and skin contain a large amount of arachidonic acid and can thus promote the inflammation that occurs in multiple sclerosis. However, if a patient avoids these substances, the inflammation can also be minimized. Therefore, nutrition is of great importance in multiple sclerosis, even if only a minor one.

Furthermore, patients can make sure that they consume sufficient omega-3 fatty acids, which are contained in fish or fish oil capsules, for example. These have an inhibitory effect on inflammation and thus promote a mild course of the disease.Altogether also different parliamentary allowance, particularly for the multiple Sklerose, was sketched, for example the parliamentary allowance after Dr. Fratzer. These are based on the fact that patients with multiple sclerosis should closely monitor their diet and avoid the above-mentioned fat suppliers as far as possible. Nevertheless, a balanced diet with healthy fats is usually sufficient and no special diet is needed to reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.