John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

The most complex and extraordinary cells in our body are those that make up our nervous system.

No computer on earth can come close to the complexity of our brain and the nerve cells that send and receive communication. When working properly, the seamless operation of thought processes which are then relayed to muscles for bodily operation are nothing short of miraculous. However when these complex systems fail as a result of injury or disease the outcome can be catastrophic. The most common chronic diseases that damage the nervous system are multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's diseases and Alzheimer's disease.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that destroys the myelin sheath which protects and insulates some nerve fibres. This changes functional myelin to useless lesions (scleroses) which cause a number of motor coordination and other problems. Scientists are still debating the causes but there are generally accepted risk factors .These include low levels of vitamin D and some viruses, especially Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). These links were highlighted in research by D. Acheson and C. Hayes (2008). Their paper concluded that low vitamin D and immune system inflammation were important contributors to myelin destruction. Any disease that involves the over-production of immune system generated inflammation could in theory respond to targeted nutritional therapy.

My nutritional strategy starts with vitamin D and then a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral/antioxidant complex. We then add high doses of Omega 3 to get the EPA and DHA Omega 3 fatty acids known to influence inflammation. To this we include a potent mixture of anti-inflammatory compounds and also target energy producing nutrients such as CoQ10, B vitamins and many more. With MS, as with any disease of the nervous system I would rather a bit more than a bit less. Give me a call if you need help. To join my weekly newsletter go to www.johnarts.co.nz and visit www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. To contact John phone (local) 578 9051 or 0800 423 559.