We went 90% gluten free 10 months after my hubby's dx in Oct 2005. He dropped 15 lbs, lost the dark circles under his eyes, went 1 mph faster for a mile longer with dramatically less foot drop within about 7 weeks! He was relapsing every 3 to 3.5 months before the changes. He went 5.5 years without a relapse after the changes.

So yeah I would definitely recommend it. ( : Also those with MS have too much glutamate in their brains (effects mitochondria function) so talk to your doc about reducing gluten, glutamate, reduce sugar (fermented sugar aka alcohol & simple carbs) and dairy. Get tested for allergies and avoid anything you may have become allergic to (what you are allergic to changes over your life so get rechecked if it has been a decade or two since your last test. Ask for them to check both acute IgE and chronic IgG and gut related IgA antibodies. Many places only check the IgE so you would have to ask specifically to look at these other antibodies.

Best wishes to you,
EP

I first heard about gluten and the possible ill effects on MS back in the early 90's. Back then, it was practically impossible to find gluten free food items. Today, however, it is much easier, yet I would like to hear from anyone who can reduce their gluten intake....which products, what foods, etc. I purchase items in the organic section of my supermarket and Whole Foods. I would love to restrict it even more however. Please drop me a line if you have advice.

My husband has really noticed good changes since we cut out gluten, dairy and sugar. I could not say it has helped the pain or even his symptoms that much. His pain has increased, but in and overall way his body does feel better. More than anything, though it has helped him mentally and emotionally.
We don't buy a lot of mixes or packaged food, they almost always contain sugar. We don't eat bread anymore. I hope some day to come up with a good recipe I can make.
I do make cornbread and biscuits at least once per week. We eat beans and rice and corn tortillas or chips. Soups, salads, homemade granola and energy nuggets. I make some cookies, pancakes and muffins too.
A huge bonus is that Jim is eating way more vegetables and fruit than he ever did.

Gluten free very important, check out a book called the "Swank diet",
written my an MD many years ago.

Gluten gums up arteries & veins, not good for any condition.

Especially now that it is known that many PWMS have CCSVI, which is narrowed veins. Many online sites about CCSVI., check them out.

After I was dxed, I went gluten, dairy, egg, legume, soy, sugar, artificial sweetner and red meat free and have been doing pretty good. I don't know if it is sloley the lack of gluten, but I think that is a big part of how well I am feeling. Recently, my otherwise-healthy 17 year old daughter has been having some stomach problems, and has had a lack of energy. She decided to go gluten free and her stomach problems cleared up and she now seems to have a lot more energy. I think there is not much good in gluten, and, with an autoimmune disease like MS, a lot of reason to avoid it if possible. Just my 2 cents.

I used to have horrible irritable bowel problems which went away after I stopped eating gluten and other food I tested allergic to.
For a couple of years I was almost gluten free and felt pretty good, but would have an occasional pastry etc. After eating gluten I have more stiffness and bone type pain on top of stomach problems.
It has been about a year since I ate any gluten and this makes my MS more bearable.
All the best to you.

Hello,i have just lost some weight by cutting out sugary stuff and bread, now i just eat pitta bread and my tummy is much more comfortable, my IBS is alot better too.

Ditto on every one that posted! They could have been talking about me. It is hard at times to go Gluten free, but so well worth it.

A year ago -- on 1 March -- I got fed up with getting bigger and bigger since I have been in a wheelchair full time, so I went back to the Atkins diet, which always works for me. As usual, I lost ten or 15 pounds right away, but then I got worried about all the talk about a high-fat diet causing heart disease so began to research it. What I discovered was it is the sugar, not the fat, that makes us fat. I went from being an Atkins adherent to more of a low carber. I read book after book on this way of eating and learned that bread is worse than sugar in that it turns to glucose faster in the stomach, so about six months ago I totally gave up wheat products.

I did all this never suspecting it would have any effect on my ms beyond the idea that losing weight would make it easier for my caregiver to help me. I am already taking LDN, which has improved my urinary frequency and temperature fluctuations, particularly at night. After many months without sugar and wheat, I realized I was going five or six hours between trips to the bathroom, better than the three or four I was used to after ldn. My problems with burning up at night have gotten even better too.

And then -- about a month ago -- I realized I was wiggling my little toe. The movement has spread to all my toes now and I am even able to move my feet back and forth from the ankle. This is no placebo effect because I did not expect this diet to have any impact on my steadily worsening disease. Now I am very hopeful that I may regain former movement and be able to do more for myself.

Because I am so strictly on no sugar or starch, I have always used cream, cheese, and lots of eggs. I do not think these are having a bad effect on me, but I do know that having them in my diet keeps me loving my way of eating. I eat plenty of all kinds of fat for the first time in thirty or forty years and am satisfied. In fact, I am rarely hungry and usually eat only two meals a day. You might wonder what I do eat: all kinds of meat but not loads of it, eggs, cheese, cream, sour cream, green vegetables, a few low-carb fruits, all kinds of nuts, and chocolate sweetened with sugar alcohol.

After a year I have only lost 30 pounds, but it is a slow and steady loss. I have learned to be patient, am not ever going to quit eating this way, and feel some hope for the future. All

WOW!!!! Thank you guys!!! i am inspired ;)

a waste of money????
http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10437409-gluten-free-diet-may-be-a-waste-of-money-for-some-new-research-suggests

The URL Lchoppel added (thank you Lynne) says in part " For people with the autoimmune condition celiac disease, foods that contain gluten trigger the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine. The only treatment is a lifelong, gluten-free diet. "

I would say for people with autoimmune disease who already have their immune systems attacking their body they would not want anything else triggering MORE un-healthy immune response.
However that is just me and you may have a differing opinion.

-EP

I can't wait for the hate mail. ;) After dx, I went 10 plus years (closer to 15+) drinking beer, lotsa coffee, donuts,pizza, pork steaks, McDonalds, etc.

Yeah I had a lowsy diet, but was it that lowsy diet what kept me walking straight for 15 years?

Statistically only observing myself, I would have to come to that conclusion.

STEVP

You make me smile ( :
Hey what works for you is what works for you, no knocking that. However, even my husband sees how much his symptoms worsen after a night of drinking (only does it 2-3 times a year with his buddys). His walking gets worse, very frequent urination and ...other things. He has noticed that plain sugar (vs fermented sugar in alcohol) also doesn't sit well with him. Gluten and too much sugar ..I don't want to say upsets his stomach but he says he doesn't like how it feels afterward(with his hand over his stomach).

** Actually, I don't know if you guys have this problem, but about an hour after he eats in general his symptoms are worse. Then after an hour he walks MUCH better. Do you guys have that issue??

So for him he has found great improvement to his health with these diet changes, see my first reply on page 1 for details. You should try the diet for 2 months under docs supervision. If it does nothing for you that is fine. You are not out anything and you'll know, for you, it doesn't help. If it does,,,well then it is a way to help yourself with out the shots all the time and flu like symptoms that go with it.

Best wishes to all and THANK you STEVP for your honesty,
EP

PS We are only 90% gluten free. We do have pizzas now and again and my hubby has coffee most days of the week. We also have pork steak too. It is just a LOW gluten, dairy & sugar diet we are on.

lol- hate mail!! lol- i think we are different- everything works diff- i ate what i should all my life- maybe it helped me in the long run- maybe it didnt- gosh why cant they figgure it out!!