Steps to Repair the Myelin Sheath and
Protect Your Nervous System

Degeneration of the Myelin Sheath is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune process of the central nervous system that affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.

In this process, the immune system attacks the covering of the nerves, called the myelin sheath. Consequently, the sheaths are damaged, and the damaged areas develop scarring that leads to either distorted communication or lack of communication between the nerve endings.

Symptoms of Myelin Sheath Degeneration

Symptoms of myelin sheath degeneration depend on what part of the nerves have experienced demyelination. The most common symptoms include:

• Episodes of dizziness
• Loss of balance and coordination
• Increased reflexes
• Eye problems such as blurred or double vision
• Feelings of tingling or numbness, especially in the extremities
• Extreme fatigue
• Loss of arm, hand or leg strength
• Difficulty speaking and slurred speech
• Muscle tremors
• Muscle stiffness
• Paralysis
• Problems with thinking, concentration, memory and judgment

Most people experience a pattern of periodic flare-ups, called exacerbations, followed by periods in which symptoms diminish or even disappear, called remissions.

1. Read 'The Better Brain Book'
   
   
2. Protect and Rebuild the Myelin Sheath
   
   
3. Use Glutathione Therapy to Preserve BrainTissue
   
   
4. Increase Cellular Energy
   
   
5. Reduce the Toxic Load of Heavy Metals & Chemicals on Your Body
   
   
6. Remove Heavy Metals and Other Contaminants from Your Body
   
   
7. Add Essential Fatty Acids to Your Diet
   
   
8. Eliminate Candida Yeast and Bacterial Infections
   
   
9. Use Antioxidants to Combat Free Radical Damage
   
   
10. Support Nerve Cell Function and Cellular Regeneration

Also, be sure to take advantage of our Detoxification Support Pak and our Myelin Support Pack and save 10% off the retail value.

The Better Brain Book, written by David Perlmutter, M.D., is written in layman's terms, making it easy to understand for those of us who are less scientific.Dr. Perlmutter addresses all the factors that can influence brain health and gives you detailed recommendations for dealing with them. 

This book is excellent for helping you understand risk factors associated with specific neurological disorders, and for tailoring a diet, lifestyle and supplementary program just for you.

Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin”, and researchers have demonstrated that on average, people with myelin sheath degeneration are severely vitamin D deficient.

This may explain why myelin sheath damage is more prevalent in northern latitudes, or away from the equator where people get less sun exposure.

As well, myelin sheath degeneration is are lower in those populations who eat cold water fish, even in northern latitudes – cold water fish is a rich source of vitamin D.

Dr. William E. Code firmly believes that Vitamin D supplementation is one of the key pieces in his” recovery puzzle”. As well, Dr. Perlmutter describes that vitamin D has been shown to completely prevent the development of a multiple sclerosis-like disease in mice.

When choosing a vitamin D supplement, be sure that it is vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol, which is the natural form of vitamin D (unlike vitamin D2 which is a synthetic and has 1000 IU of vitamin D.

We carry an excellent Liquid Vitamin D3 by Trace Minerals that has 5000 IU per serving and is fast absorbing..

Use Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is involved in the formation of the myelin sheath, and profound deficiencies of vitamin B12 have been found in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with demyelination. Vitamin B12 has a very important role in the formation and function of myelin. According to Dr. Perlmutter, vitamin B12 deficiency not only enhances the destruction of myelin during an exacerbation of symptoms, but it also compromises the ability of the body to repair the damaged myelin after the attack.

There can be a functional deficiency of vitamin B12 even though your blood tests show normal levels. A more accurate way to measure B12 levels is to test for the chemical homocysteine. If homocysteine is elevated, then B12 is considered to be functionally deficient, even if the blood levels show otherwise.

Vitamin B12 is one of the key therapies recommended by both Dr. Perlmutter and Dr. Balch. Injections are often recommended since it is difficult to achieve normal levels through oral supplements.

However, there is a new way to administer B12 that is as effective as injections called the B12 Patch™. The B12 Patch™ is a small patch that you place behind your ear for
24 hours.

Glutathione is a vital brain chemical that is one of the most important brain antioxidants. That is, glutathione helps to preserve brain tissue by preventing damage by free radicals.

According to William E. Code, MD and Multiple Sclerosis survivor, glutathione levels in the body are an indicator of health and how long a person will live. By the time you have a serious chronic disease such as a neurodegenerative disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome or even cancer, your glutathione levels are seriously depleted.

Glutathione has been found to be substantially reduced in almost all patients with neurological disorders. According to Dr. Code, by the time you've been officially diagnosed with a neurological disorder, the body’s cellular glutathione is only 5% of what it should be. Supplementing glutathione either intravenously, with liposomal glutatione or with glutathione precursors such as non-denatured whey protein powder can have remarkable effects.

In his book “Who’s in Control of Your Multiple Sclerosis – Pieces of the MS Recovery Puzzle”, Dr. Code stresses that optimizing glutathione levels is a very significant piece of the puzzle for the person with multiple sclerosis. In his words, “I feel that raising my glutathione levels is one of the biggest pieces – 30% - of my own MS recovery puzzle. It could have a similar benefit in your MS journey."

Glutathione is a supplement that is extremely difficult to absorb. Most oral supplements are worthless, because the digestive tract destroys the nutrient before it can be absorbed. Supplements such as NAC can help your body make more glutathione, but the effect is mild. This is why intravenous therapy was once considered to be the only therapy that really works.

However, there is a brand new liposomal glutathione product on the market called Lipoceutical™ Glutathione. According to Dr. Marcel Laux, an alternative physician, it’s the first oral glutathione supplement that your body can truly absorb.

It survives the trip through your intestines because the glutathione is contained in microscopic little pouches called liposomes. Thus, the glutathione enters your bloodstream intact.According to Dr. Laux, liposomes were recently tested in rigorous scientific studies, and were found to have an amazing 90% absorption rate.

That’s comparable to intravenous glutathione therapy, for a fraction of the cost.

Dr. Laux says: “I’ve been using (liposomal glutathione) myself to treat a close relative. I can personally attest the effects are miraculous."

This is nothing like yesterdays ineffective glutathione supplement. Lipoceutical™ Glutathione is brand new and clinical trials are ongoing but not complete.

Another excellent supplement that helps to raise intracellular glutathione levels is non-denatured whey protein powder. ImmunoPro® Rx protein powder contains NAC in its natural form as well as glutamine, both which are glutathione precursors.

This means that ImmunoPro® helps the body produce its own glutathione, and have been proven to raise intracellular glutathione levels. This protein powder is an extremely easy, effective, safe and nutritious way of giving the body the nutritional building blocks to promote glutathione production.

Each and every cell has its own energy-producing factories. These factories are called mitochondria.

Carnitine helps mitochondria in several different ways. Most importantly, it transports fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are burned to produce energy. This provides energy to all your cells and, at the same time, helps you to lose excess fat or maintain an ideal body weight.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine is a special form of carnitine that has the ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier (a shield that protects the brain from many substances found in the bloodstream).

Once inside the brain, it nourishes the brain cells’ mitochondria. It is oxidized and converted into ATP (chemical energy for the cell). The NOW Acetyl-L-Carnitine is the highest grade available. 50 caps - 500 mg

Myelin sheath degeneration is widely believed to be an autoimmune process in which the white blood cells attack the myelin sheaths as if they were a foreign substance. Stress and malnutrition (poor diet) often precede the onset of symptoms. There is also a hereditary factor involved.

It is currently thought that exposure to a virus or to chemicals or toxic metals may be launching the autoimmune process in susceptible individuals. The levels of mercury in people with MS has been found to be an average of 7 times higher than those in healthy people.

Mercury has been shown to bind to the DNA of cells and cell membranes, causing cellular distortion and inhibited cell function. Many experts suspect that mercury poisoning is behind many types of neurological disorders. Some people react to amalgam dental fillings (the chief source of mercury exposure for most people in the United States) with symptoms that are indistinguishable from those of Multiple Sclerosis.

As well, fascinating new research points to a definitive link between food additives such as aspartame and MSG and the development of lesions on the myelin sheath. According to Russell Blaylock, M.D., a Board certified neurosurgeon and author of the book “Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills”:

“Recently, much controversy has surrounded a claim that aspartame may produce an MS-like syndrome… Aspartame contains the excitotoxin aspartate as 40% of its molecular structure. Numerous studies have shown that consuming aspartame can significantly elevate the excitotoxin level in the blood... When aspartate (as aspartame) is combined in the diet with monosodium glutamate (MSG) blood levels are several fold higher than normal.

With the blood/brain barrier damaged, as is the case with neurological disorders, these excitotoxins can freely enter the site of injury, greatly magnifying the damage. So, we see that dietary excitotoxins, such as aspartame and MSG, can greatly magnify the damage produced in the myelin sheath. Likewise, excitotoxins have been shown to break down the blood/brain barrier as well.”

As you can see from the above, reducing the load of toxins on your body from both heavy metals and food chemicals is imperative for people with neurological disorders. This means eliminating preservatives, additives, food colorings, artificial sweeteners, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and artificial flavorings.

It also means reducing exposure to airborne chemicals, such as perfumes and tobacco smoke, household chemicals, and pesticides and insecticides. Drink only filtered water, and prepare and store food in inert containers only (not plastics). Avoid toxic metals such as mercury and aluminum.

According to Dr. Thomas Nissen, an expert in Environmental Medicine, detoxifying the body of metals and chemicals is the first priority for anyone with a neurological disorder. As we have seen, toxins may play a major role in myelin sheath degeneration and other neurological disorders, so neutralizing these toxins is highly important.

Two very easy, inexpensive and effective ways to do this are with EBN® Detoxifying Bentonite Clay and Bio-Chelat™ Heavy Metal Chelator.

EBN® Detoxifying Bentonite Clay is
the simplest, most effective and least expensive way to remove metals and chemicals from the body – and it’s as simple as taking a tub or footbath.
Each 5 lb jar is good for 7 – 14 baths.

EBN® bentonite clay is edible (only pharmaceutical grade is safe to eat) and can therefore be used as an internal clay for cleansing. Eating our clay is an excellent way to absorb toxins from within the body and help in the overall detoxification process.

Suggested Use: For adults is 1-2 teaspoons (mixed in 6-8 oz purified water) daily for as long as needed (Children can take 1/2 teaspoon daily). Please allow the clay to sit in the water for 10 minutes, then stir before drinking. Follow the clay water with another 6-8 oz glass of water and eat plenty of fiber to ensure easy passage of the clay through your gastro-intestinal tract.

In addition to being an excellent internal detoxifying agent, our clay can be very helpful for acute upset stomach, indigestion and diarrhea. We do not recommend taking clay internally on a long term basis.

Our clay was used in Malawi by a non-profit group based out of Missouri to inhibit the incidence of diarrhea in infants and children in that country.

Several scientists suspect that the North American diet, which is high in cholesterol, alcohol and saturated fats and low in essential fatty acids, leads to a production of prostaglandin 2, which promotes an inflammatory response and worsens symptoms of myelin sheath damage.

This may explain why myelin sheath damage is more common in the United States and Northern Europe and almost unheard of in some other countries such as Japan, Korea and China. People in Asian countries consume much less fat than people in North America and northern Europe. Their diets are much richer in marine foods, olive and fruit oils and seeds, which are a rich source of essential fatty acids, and which have an inhibiting effect on the inflammatory response.

Researchers in Scandinavia have long used essential fatty acid supplementation to support myelin sheath repair and to reduce the frequency of flare-ups. About 75% of myelin is composed of fat, with a substantial amount coming from essential fatty acids. According to Dr. Perlmutter: “Creating the most advantageous environment for repair and regeneration of myelin requires an adequate supply of EFA’s.” An excellent source of essential fatty acids is Omega-3D™ Fish Oil by Nordic Naturals.

Nordic Naturals' Omega-3D™ Fish Oil is molecularly distilled and is guaranteed free of mercury and other heavy metals, PCBs and other toxins. It is flushed with nitrogen to remove the oxygen, which means there is no opportunity for oxidation to occur. This means that it is completely fresh and pure and has no fishy taste or odor.

Omega-3D™ Fish Oil comes in a delicious natural lemon flavor. The 8 oz. glass bottle has 48 tsp or 48 servings.

A popular theory among scientists is that neurological disorders are caused by a virus or some other latent infection. Dr. Perlmutter states that at least 16 infectious agents have been identified as possibly causing myelin sheath degeneration, with the organism chlamydia pneumoniae topping the list. Possibly, myelin sheath degeneration is caused by a combination of factors, with the infectious agent somehow causing the formation of antibodies that attack the myelin.

The overgrowth of candida albicans, a fungus found in our bodies, is also suspected in playing a role in myelin disorders. Recent studies point to a possible link between neurological disorders and candida infection. Treatments to reduce candida have been found to significantly reduce symptoms experienced by many people with myelin sheath degeneration.

There are many excellent supplements to reduce candida infections, including Silver Biotics above, and our personal favorite, Nutribiotic® Grapefruit Seed Extract.

Grapefruit seed extract comes from, you guessed it, the seeds of grapefruits.

GSE is such an inexpensive and powerful antifungal that it is used by citrus farmers in Florida to effectively kill mold on their farming implements.

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Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant, and is necessary when essential fatty acids are used to keep these delicate oils from becoming oxidized.

Vitamin E also supports other brain antioxidants like vitamin C and glutathione. Use a mixed complex such as Unique E® which includes the entire vitamin E complex.

Unique E® provides the synergistic benefits of the complete natural vitamin E complex (d-alpha, d-beta, d-gamma and d-delta tocopherols) in addition to the HIGHEST biological activity of a concentrate formula.

Unique E® provides maximum antioxidant function to neutralize free radicals, and is devoid of additives, allergens or oil fillers that will turn rancid.

According to Dr. Perlmutter, alpha lipoic acid is emerging as one of the most powerful brain antioxidants available, and he states that alpha lipoic acid is a key nutrient in myelin sheath support since it crosses the blood/brain barrier.

There are two forms of alpha-lipoic acid, an S-form and an R-form. Researchers believe that R-Form may be "up to 12 times more effective" than regular alpha lipoic acid which contains a synthetic by-product.

We offer Bio-Enhanced® R-Lipoic Acid, which is heat and shelf stable, highly soluble and has proven to be the most bioavailable oral form of lipoic acid on the market.

Bio-Enhanced® RLA is significantly more bio-available than the 'free-acid' form of R-Lipoic Acid (RLA). In a preliminary human pharmocokinetic trial, the maximum plasma concentration was 40 times higher than that of unstabilized RLA products.

Calcium AEP

In 1941, a unique form of calcium, Calcium 2-amino ethyl phosphoric acid (Ca-AEP or Ca-2AEP) was discovered by the biochemist Erwin Chargaff. Chargaff found that Ca-AEP was a vital component in the structure of cell membranes.

Calcium EAP (Ethanol Phosphate) / Calcium AEP (Amino Ethanol Phosphate) are nutritional therapies which contain both a mineral (calcium) and a chemical, Ethanol Phosphate (a chemical found in the protective covering around nerve cells). The idea of combining Ethanol Phosphate with calcium originated with Hans Nieper, MD of Germany in 1964, who began experimenting with mineral compounds to help heart patients.

Dr. Nieper believed that nutrients are only useful when they are readily available at the cellular level. His theory was that positive mineral ions such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium may have more difficulty becoming "bioavailable" (available for the body's use) because they have such difficulty passing through cell membranes.

We carry a Calcium AEP that is 10% calcium bound to 90% amino ethanol phosphate. This product is an essential factor for cell membrane integrity and cell sensitivity. It binds fatty acids and electrolytes to the cell membrane structure that generates the cell’s electrical charge.

Calcium AEP is also a neurotransmitter which plays an important therapeutic role in assisting people with autoimmune responses by screening against antibodies, toxins, viruses and peroxide radicals.

Studies over the past 30 years have shown that Calcium AEP is essential for nerve impulse generation and muscular contractions. Calcium AEP is one of a number of colamine phosphates - vitamin-like metabolites. It is a unique form of calcium. It has bben shown to be effective in supporting numerous autoimmune conditions, in particular multiple sclerosis.

Note: We have added this product to our Myelin Support Pak below.