Acupuncture and Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, auto-immune disease that destroys the myelin sheath around nerve cells, primarily attacking cells of the brain and spinal cord. Statistics indicate that this debilitating disease is on the rise, but it is possible that the higher numbers reflect an increased ability to diagnose MS, rather than an actual higher disease rate.

Although more cases of MS are being diagnosed, early signs such as double vision, fatigue and muscle weakness are vague, and could be symptoms of a number of diseases. Unfortunately, even when MS is diagnosed, there is no cure for it. A number of drugs are being used to control or minimize symptoms, but most are not consistently effective. While conventional Western medicine continues to search for ways to diagnose and treat MS, Chinese medicine can be extremely useful as an alternative method for managing symptoms. In my experience, traditional Chinese medicine can effectively reduce flare-ups, reduce disease progression, and improve quality of life for MS sufferers.

Scientists generally see MS as an auto-immune process, but the triggering mechanisms are unclear. Since MS tends to run in families, it seems there is either a genetic tendency to develop the disease, or a genetic predisposition to be susceptible to the triggering mechanisms that result in the development of MS. People in northern latitudes of Europe and North America are more often affected than those in southern areas, and the disease is almost unheard of in the tropics. Multiple sclerosis is twice as common in women as men, and it has been suggested that hormonal factors predispose women to develop MS.
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