This category of disease includes several conditions where immune dysfunction has an impact on the neurological system of the individual patient. This includes multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS), fibromyalgia and autism. At The Essential Health Clinic we deal with a large number of patients with MS and CFS who respond well to a nutritional approach to treatment.
In these neuro immune disorders the immune system is chronically overactive producing an increase in oxidative stress, inflammation and autoimmunity. Our treatment regime, the Glasgow Solution for neuro immune disease, addresses all three aspects to these diseases.

Oxidative Stress – the immune system uses unstable molecules known as free radicals to destroy invading organisms or abnormal cells in the body. In auto immune disorders the chronic activation of the immune system leads to increased free radical activity in the body and therefore an increase in oxidative stress. Free radicals lack an electron in their outer ring and stabilise themselves by “stealing” an electron from another molecule. This in turn becomes a free radical and in the case of the body’s tissues, this can lead to damage and dysfunction. An anti oxidant is a substance that can stabilise the free radicals and help protect the bodies tissues. Several vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin E act as anti oxidants as do several other natural substances. The body has a number of anti oxidant enzymes which help to protect it from free radical damage. Two of the most important are glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. It is important to ensure that the body has adequate supplies of raw materials to produce these enzymes especially selenium for glutathione peroxidase and copper and zinc for superoxide dismutase. It is vital to reduce the oxidative stress in neuro immune disease as a first stage of nutritional treatment. Fatigue is the classic symptom in CFS and is present in over 80% of MS patients. This fatigue is probably due to free radical damage to the mitochondria in the cells which act as the body’s energy producers. A powerful anti oxidant can reduce this damage, allowing energy production to increase and fatigue to reduce.
We recommend Baseline AM/PM which contains the anti oxidants pine bark extract , co enzyme Q10 as well a full range of vitamins and minerals. In addition we usually recommend additional anti oxidants such as mangosteen juice or alpha lipoic acid. The drug Low Dose Naltrexone ( LDN ) has anti oxidant properties and can be used when required for neuro immune disease.

Inflammation – there is an inflammatory component to the neuro immune diseases of MS and CFS, as a direct result of the oxidative stress produced by the immune overactivity. The omega balance in the body has a direct effect on the inflammation present in the body. Omega 6 fats are used by the body as the building blocks of inflammatory hormones. Omega 3 fats are used to produce anti inflammatory hormones. When these essential fats are in balance, the inflammation in the body is reduced and the symptoms of pain and stiffness improve. We measure the omega balance in the red blood cell membranes and advise the appropriate omega 3 supplementation to correct any imbalance and reduce inflammation.

Autoimmunity – MS is an autoimmune condition and there is evidence that CFS also includes some autoimmunity. Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the UK ( 90% in winter and spring) and this increases the immune dysfunction. A type of white blood cell involved in auto immunity called a T1helper cell is increased when vitamin D is low. Restoring natural healthy levels of vitamin D can significantly reduce the level of T1 helper cells and subsequent auto immune activity. Zinc deficiency is also a cause of auto immunity and this should also be addressed. 
Diet is of great importance in preventing or reducing autoimmunity. Neuro immune disorders are often associated with a leaky gut syndrome where foreign materials can pass across the gut into the bloodstream and are attacked by the immune system. We recommend the specific carbohydrate diet which has been used successfully in the treatment of autistic children. This diet avoids starchy foods which have been shown to increase stress on the gut during digestion. It is also important to ensure there is healthy gut bacteria and supplementing with probiotics and prebiotics is helpful. Prebiotics are food stuffs which feed the healthy bacteria in the gut and so increase the amounts of this type of bacteria.
It is also important to eat in such a way that gives a steady supply of nutrients to the body, small well balanced meals and snacks, five or six per day is ideal. In general we advise eating a balance of protein and carbohydrates at every meal and snack to keep the body’s insulin level low. High insulin will increase inflammation as well as increase blood pressure, cholesterol and fat storage.

The diet would consist of

1. carbohydrates – salad, leafy green veg, non starchy veg and fruit.
2. Protein – meat, fish,chicken, eggs, cheese
3. Fat – olive oil, advocados, nuts
4. Water and some wine (250mls) with a meal.

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) – we have been using LDN for the past three years in the clinic. It is a low dose of a drug used in addiction management to block opiates but in low doses it has been used to treat several neuro immune diseases including MS, CFS and Autism. It has also been used in treatment of cancer, AIDS and Crohns disease. Due to a number of factors, not least because LDN is a cheap drug, there is no drug company interest in developing this sort of treatment. Research into LDN has been very slow to develop without pharmaceutical company backing and only one significant study into Crohns disease has been carried out. We are planning a study into the use of LDN in MS later this year in partnership with the LDN Research Trust a registered charity dedicated to carrying out research with LDN.
We usually only recommend its use after we have balanced the nutrition and advised on dietary change.