Multiple Sclerosis—Campbell, Swank & McDougall weigh in.


Not surprisingly, dairy is once again a primary culprit.

This should be required reading for all members of Congress.

A wealth of information on the causes and cures of many chronic diseases

As we have reported many times on this website, we find that our optimal diet of mostly whole plants promotes health and prevents or reverses most of the maladies that plague us. One diet for every problem doesn’t’ sound very exciting, but it is refreshingly simple—but perhaps not very interesting reading.

Dr. Campbell discovered that fact when he was turned down by a number of potential publishers who didn’t think that a simple “one diet fits all” was marketable. A few years later, we learned from the Forks Over Knives movie, that up to 80 percent of our health care dollars are driven by what we eat; and in this blog, we’ve written about many of them.

As for MS—according to Dr. Roy Swank, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and other reputable scientists, it turns out that once again cow’s milk is one of the culprits that promotes this terrible disease. Beginning on page 194 of The China Study, Dr. Campbell presents a wealth of information, beginning with:

Prevalence on the Y axis, cow's milk consumption on the X axis. No mystery here.

Prevalence on the Y axis, cow’s milk consumption on the X axis. No mystery here.

“Even though there is widespread medical and scientific interest in this disease, most authorities claim to know very little about causes or cures. Major multiple sclerosis Internet Web sites all claim that the disease is an enigma. They generally list genetics, viruses and environmental factors as possibly playing roles in the development of this disease but pay almost no heed to a possible role for diet. This is peculiar considering the wealth of intriguing information on the effects of food that is available from reputable research reports. Once again cow’s milk appears to play an important role.”

There are several graphs; among them, one showing the clear correlation between the incidence of MS and the consumption of cow’s milk. Back to The China Study text:

Death rate from MS is clearly associated to diet; with meat and dairy diets having a much higher rate.

Death rate from MS is clearly associated to diet; with meat and dairy diets having a much higher rate.

“This work is remarkable. To follow people for thirty-four years is an exceptional demonstration of perseverance and dedication. Moreover, if this were a study testing a potential drug, these findings would make any pharmaceutical manufacturer jingle the coins in his or her pocket. Swank’s first results were published more than a half century ago, then again, and again, and again  for the next forty years.”

What does Dr. John McDougall have to say about MS? Quite a bit, as a matter of fact. And he says it all in this 67-minute video:  “Diet and Multiple Sclerosis.” This a great, comprehensive video featuring the legendary work of Dr. Roy Swank.

Dr. McDougall is the primary teacher of his great work. You really should take the time to watch this sometime soon.

For more information. The main go-to resource for more information about MS is the Swank MS Foundation. Here is an excerpt from that site:

The rise of MS in recent decades has mirrored the increase of highly saturated animal fats in the Western diet, which caught the attention of Dr. Roy L. Swank, Ph.D. He researched and devised what is now known as the Swank MS Diet, which he first introduced in 1948. The Swank MS Diet looks back to our pre-industrial roots for inspiration – when we ate the fruits of our own soil, when meat was a luxury – before food was distilled into a list of nutrients and ingredients. Now the Swank regimen is not only about food choices, critical as they are, but is also about a calmer and more relaxed lifestyle with time to smell the roses.

Consecutive Daily Blogs

Consecutive Daily Blogs

One-on-one MD Help. Sadly, 95% of our medical doctors are not aware of the power of plant-based nutrition to combat many chronic diseases, including multiple sclerosis. If you would like a second opinion (about MS) from a medical doctor who truly “gets it” about food, you may wish to visit our MD Help page and schedule a telephone consultation with one of the MDs listed there.

The content of this blogpost now appears on a page in the drop-down list under the “Diseases” tab.

Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation

About J. Morris Hicks

A former strategic management consultant and senior corporate executive with Ralph Lauren in New York, J. Morris Hicks has always focused on the "big picture" when analyzing any issue. In 2002, after becoming curious about our "optimal diet," he began a study of what we eat from a global perspective ---- discovering many startling issues and opportunities along the way. In addition to an MBA and a BS in Industrial Engineering, he holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, where he has also been a member of the board of directors since 2012. Having concluded that our food choices hold the key to the sustainability of our civilization, he has made this his #1 priority---exploring all avenues for influencing humans everywhere to move back to the natural plant-based diet for our species.
This entry was posted in M.D.s---Health-Promoting, Medical Experts. Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Multiple Sclerosis—Campbell, Swank & McDougall weigh in.

  1. Here is the link on Dr. McDougall’s website to his MS materials:
    http://drmcdougall.com/med_hot_ms.html
    “Too few people are told that within 10 years of diagnosis nearly half of those with Multiple Sclerosis will be unable to walk unassisted, wheelchair bound, bedridden or dead from their disease – even with the best treatments available. With this hard look at the reality of MS more people would be interested in a treatment that is cost-free, side-effect free and stops the disease in over 90% of those people with early disease. The low-fat diet treatment for MS was developed by Roy Swank, MD, former head of the department of Neurology at the University of Oregon Medical School. He has treated over 5000 people over the past 50 years and the results are remarkable.”
    – – – – – – – – – – – –
    We can donate to Dr. McD’s foundation that is supporting the continuance of Dr. Swank’s MS studies: http://drmcdougall.com/foundation.html
    “A Tax Deductible Corporation – a 501 (c) (3)
    Employer ID # 82-0573876
    Our tax deductible foundation has raised sufficient funds to begin a study on the dietary treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with the University of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland Oregon. The Neurology Department of the School of Medicine, headed by Dennis Bourdette, MD and under the supervision of Vijayshree Yadav, MD, has begun enrolling patients in the McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California for intervention with a low-fat vegan diet. This is a single-blinded, controlled trial using the latest MRI technologies and neurologic evaluations. We expect to have the first results by mid-2012 and the first journal publication to be by the end of that year. This kind of properly-performed scientific research is very expensive and we appreciate your financial support.”
    #####################
    MORE ON NATHAN PRITIKIN:
    My new downloadable on-line folder on his amazing legacy:

    Dropbox – Pritikin-Legacy -1978,1982 – Simplify your life =

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/393ci8abc3yzm30/3h1o5EhCYx?lst

    This is 646 MB in size and can be downloaded on high speed cable connection to the internet in ~10 minutes as one folder.

    Featured in the folder is this 627 MB video that I made:

    1Pritikin2Talks-78-82.mov – Dropbox =

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/393ci8abc3yzm30/1HKgTPhae2/1Pritikin2Talks-78-82.mov

    The video does not play on-line. Download and watch on your computer.

  2. Leo S. says:

    Another excellent blog. Those who haven’t done so should take the time to copy and save the 81 success stories about many differentt conditions so they might read about all the experiences and be able to forward them to friends as the years go by. They will give hope to people attempting to improve their health.

  3. Penny Smyth says:

    Absolutely fascinating. Thank-you for being the bearer of truth. I have great admiration for your work Mr. Hicks.

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