Hello everyone,
Has anyone here tried any natural remedies in addition to their medication or alone without medication? There are a lot of people in my family that don't believe in doctors or the medicine that they prescribe and they're suggesting everything but prescribed medicine. My brother recently bought me a bottle of Black Seed Oil, it's an anti-inflammatory.
@Taylorsmom, You might want to take a look at this book - "Complementary & Alternative Medicine & MS" by Allen C. Bowling. He is very knowledgeable and the book is very well researched.
Thank you BillD999 , I will check it out.
I know the medical community does not have all the answers, but do be very cautious in going the "natural" route. Anything we put in our bodies which causes a change is a drug, with some things being poorly researched, if at all. We tend to look at the so-called "natural" remedies as being safer, but many of them can have undesirable side effects and interactions, or simply provide nothing more than a temporary placebo effect. Forgive me for sounding pretty negative about those types of things, but I've witnessed so many terrible situations regarding many natural remedies. I've watched people spend huge sums of money of things, which was only wasted. But the real tragedy was that while pursuing these worthless cures, their health deteriorated before they finally accepted actual medical help.
I'm all for using whatever does the most good while doing the least damage. It just breaks my heart watching folks waste valuable time and money, and more especially harm their health.
I'll step down from my little soap box and just encourage you to do serious homework on researching everything, including traditional medicine, before deciding on treatment. You're too valuable not to! I'm with you, whatever you choose, and pray that you find the best treatment, whatever that is.
I totally agree that we need to be cautious about pursuing alternative remedies, even those of us who have every reason to be tempted to go that route because conventional medicine has not helped very much. One reason I endorse the Bowling book is because some of the so called alternative remedies have been researched and he covers that research.
Like everything connected with MS, what works for one person might not work for another, and I would be especially cautious about anything that claims to be a "cure." But it may be that some alternative remedies could bring symptom relief to some, which is all many medications do anyway.
greaterexp , I could not have said it any better! My cousin saw a Chinese herbalist for her ovarian cancer until it grew into the size of a softball. It was too late when she finally went to the Cancer Treatment Center of America.
Thank you greaterexp ! I've done research on this black seed oil and just like anything taken, it does have its side effects but nothing major. Since I'm in limbo right now with my prescription, I just wanted to see if this would be beneficial to me to take while I wait. I didn't plan on taking it when I started my prescription. I'm not like my family, I believe in going to see a doctor. Unfortunately, my mother was one of those people you mentioned, it was too late for her by the time she began to see a doctor.
Green tea pill I have been taken them for5 year now and I am still walking good luck
heidilegs Wow. I didn't realize, but should have guessed that a green tea pill exists. I read on the Mayo Clinic website that green tea helps to increase lymphocytes, which go very low on Gilenya. Thanks.
I think many of us have had similar experiences with family. Here is what I say, if these natural remedies worked the whole world would be rid of MS.
Why not decide how YOU feel about natural vs medical? Put aside how everyone else feels. This is your body and you have to be at peace with how you treat your disease.
Hi Taylorsmom
Well said
Hi Karen-x ! You are right, it all makes me nervous to be honest, natural and medical. I do want to do what's best for me so I've done research on the black seed oil. I began using it on Friday because my prescription for Tecfidera is going through its appeal process which means a longer time for me without prescribed medicine. I wanted to see if it would be helpful to my current symptoms, it hasn't so far but I just started. It does say that it's not to be taken long term. I'm going to give it a couple of weeks but if I do see any benefit then I'll just stop.
Always ask your doctor before taking any natural remedies or over the counter drugs to make sure of their effect on your prescription medicines.
Many of our pharmaceuticals actually are from nature, such as digitalis (the heart medicine) was made from the foxglove plant. The thing is, unless you know what part of the plant to use, how to prepare it and/or the amount of the chemical, that helps the heart, in your foxglove plant, you do not want to take it for your heart or you may cause yourself harm.
When I was taking chemotherapy my doctor said to not take black cohosh, which many over the counter, natural meds for menopause symptoms have in them because it would increase the strength of the medicines that I was taking. One of the medicines could damage the heart in higher dosages than they were using so we did not want it enhanced.
Grapefruit should not be eaten, nor grapefruit juice drunk, with many medicines ( to many to list here) due to how it increases the effects, or other reactions.
So please check with your doctor first.
Coming from the medical community Morllyn
Most of us don't know enough about natural remedies
I made an effort to try to know but still not something that was taught in school
Maybe pharmacists should be taught more about natural remedies or there should be certified herbalists (something like that) that are taught to help us use what nature provides us in a safe manor.
It worries me when I see people grabbing onto everything they hear about from friends or on the internet. We are scared and want to believe there is a cure somewhere out there.
A neurologist, that I know, once said at an MS meeting, that many things have anti inflammatory effects but the quantity that you would have to take of them to do what we need them to do would be difficult to do.
So, I tried every remedy possibly trying to combat my progressively worse problems over the last few years. I should have been harassing my doctors, not off on my tangent of trying different supplements and diets. I am very "natural" but some of these supplements can interact with your medications or cause harm. Especially if over used. At this point, when I hear someone say, you know what worked for my cousin, bee propolis, it's a miracle cure, it just makes me angry. Yeah, if ONLY!!!!
When my husbands father was dying of cancer, people came out of the woodwork. We got so many emails and calls about "miracle cures". You what know works well for cancer, chemotherapy!
Ok, rant over. Just please talk to your doctor about ALL your supplements and ask their opinion (and follow what they say).
You are absolutely right cheshcat , everyone comes out of the woodwork with a natural remedy or knows someone who knows someone, lol. Everyone tends to be so aggressive too when it comes to their "suggestion" of natural over my doctor. I don't have a problem with consulting my doctor but I think that I'm just going to stop with this Black Seed Oil and wait it out for my Tecfidera. I've been doing fine all of this time without this oil, I will continue to do well!
Yes!!! I don't think they realize how offesnsive their "remedies" are to the sick. It's an undermining, I think, of being truly sick, saying "well if only you took this black seed oil you wouldn't be this sick". It's basically saying you didn't do things "right" and got yourself sick. And invalidates illness.
As you can see I am so sick of hearing "miracle cures" and hearing of someone's cousins cousin who was cured with green algae or being gluten free or dairy free or whatever free and no longer has MS or cancer or lupus or RA.
Much of it is a placebo effect. You'll feel better for a little while taking sugar pills, even something like RA but it can't be sustained. Because it's not a "cure" at all.
I am curious what you will find out. I was brought up in a household where the MD was the ultimate power! (My mother was an RN that went though training during WWII.) I am also curious about alternative things (remedies and diets), but I keep hearing her voice in the back of my head "The MDs. know best! Those others need to know their place!". It is interesting how our family influences us, even from the grave!
There are many good herbal/natural medicines out there, you just need to be careful. My cancer doctor was very good about not knocking them, he just said to let him know so he could research any of them. I did my own research of course.
And only look for answers on reputable web sites, Mayo Clinic, National Department of Health, Johns Hopkins, etc.
Sorry, I really hate seeing people trying stuff that is not good for them or the ailment they are taking them for.
Hi Taylorsmom, like you been told before that MS effects everybody different and I think that also includes how medicine works in the body. I do think we all are over prescribed and I personally don't like putting man made chemicals in my body but I do take Tysabri, now I do watch my diet which includes non inflammatory foods (no sugar, flour, dairy etc), I don't smoke, drink only wine (grapes), and watch my weight and exercise almost every day. I take a good Multi-vitamin and Vit D. I try to do what I can to prevent inflammation in my body and it seems to help in preventing other symptoms from MS.
Do what's best for you and what you feel confident and comfortable doing. While our family love us and mean well, we are the one living with MS. Good luck on whatever you do.
starlight5 good suggestion. Pharmacist often are able to look for interactions on a computer database
Thank you to the both of you erash starlight5 ! I wasn't aware that a pharmacist could do that.
Taylorsmom I cannot stress enough that taking herbal vitamins or anything like that, you need to talk to your neuro and your PCP! They all need to be on the same page, some of those vitamins could interact with what you're taking now. So please please please check with your doctors first!
Jes🌠
Hi Jesmcd2 . I'm not taking anything right now. My insurance denied my prescription for Tecfidera so while it's going through the appeal process, I recently started taking the black seed oil. I'm going to stop because it starting to make me feel weird, spaced out a bit and jittery.
Are you feeling better now that you stopped taking the black seed oil Taylorsmom ?
Jes🌠
Hi Jesmcd2 , I am actually. Black Seed Oil is not for me.
Love the Provigil
Got my mavenclad today 
New to MS group 
