Today I will talk about just three of the numerous vitamins I take and why I believe taking them helps me live a life MS symptom free. As I like to make clear before speaking about medical issues and supplements, I am not a medical professional but after years of research on different supplements and speaking with my own doctor I am confident these vitamins are a large part of why I am living a healthy life with MS.
Why does anyone take vitamins in the first place whether they have MS or not? A lot of times our diets are missing some of the important nutrients that are essential to keeping our body in its best shape. Taking daily vitamins and supplements make up for the holes left in our diets.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 has been shown to reduce the relapse rate for MS patients. This vitamin also regulates the immune system which is important for anyone, but especially MS patients. With calcium being an important supplement, but too much calcium being harmful, D3 controls calcium in the body and metabolizes it appropriately. Vitamin D3 is naturally available in fish as well as when our body is exposed to sunlight. Of course there is a risk of sunburn in sunlight, so a happy medium should be arranged. The most astounding benefit of this vitamin is the fact that studies have shown that taking high doses of Vitamin D3 decreases the chance of having a relapse by 41%. Combined with the lack of side effects, this is a great vitamin that can help MS patients’ daily lives.
Vitamin B6
A lack of B6 can cause muscle weakness, dermatitis, and neuropathy. B6 is similar to D3 as it helps absorb certain nutrients. D3 assists calcium absorption, whereas B6 helps a variety of vitamins and nutrients get processed correctly by the body. This makes it very influential to the body’s overall health. High doses of B6 have been shown to help the nervous and immune systems. Within helping these systems, B6 has also been proven to increase healthy red blood cell counts as well as increase energy.
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency can cause worse than normal MS symptoms. Taking magnesium can help regulate electrical and nerve impulses throughout the body. There have also been signs of less severe symptoms and having symptoms less often when taking magnesium. Magnesium is a wonderful supplement that can help live a healthier and happier life with its multitude of health benefits.
As I previously mentioned, these are only a select few of the vitamins and supplements I take daily. For a full list of vitamins and their benefits, be sure to check out my book, MS – Living Symptom Free.