There is a possible connection between food intolerance and
multiple sclerosis. The link was suggested by several people, including the
playwright Roger MacDougall.
Although diagnosed with MS in the 1950's, he was kept in ignorance until he was bedridden. Once he learned of the diagnosis, he did considerable research, and as a result went on a gluten and casein free diet, following which he recovered almost all his lost physical functions. He subsequently wrote of his experience in My Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis (available at http://www.direct-ms.org/roger.html).
It seemed logical to stick to those foods which had been consumed by man since the very beginning. I BASED MY DIET ON THE FOOD CONSUMED BY THE HUNTER-GATHERER, BEFORE MANKIND SETTLED DOWN IN AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES, GREW CEREALS AND TENDED CATTLE.
It was this reasoning which led me to cut out gluten (a protein which surrounds the germ in grains), cow's milk and sugar. These are not foods from whose consumption we have evolved and I believe that fact is in some way connected with our rejection of them. Not enough is known yet but the close connection between diet and illness becomes more and more obvious. When I removed my three principle (sic) allergens, I stopped deteriorating and eventually began to make slow but nonetheless steady improvement.
Roger MacDougall
Several other people have tried this, and similar diets. My ex-wife is an MS sufferer, and she has confirmed that many people on a gluten-free diet do improve.
The theory goes that many people are less able to digest some proteins, such as those in wheat, milk, eggs and yeast. These proteins (the allergens) are somehow leaking into the blood stream in small quantities, where they come under attack by the immune system. There are similarities between some of these proteins and some human proteins, and the T-cells begin to attack these (some of which are in the nerve sheaths). This damages the nervous system and forms the plaques associated with Multiple Sclerosis. More research is being carried out, especially in different ethnic groups and worldwide locations (more detail at: http://www.chetday.com/msresearch.html).