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National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

8 Tips: What You Should Know About Complementary Health Approaches for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system. In MS, the body’s immune system attacks myelin, which coats nerve cells. Symptoms of MS include muscle weakness (often in the arms and legs); tingling, numbness, or pain in the arms, legs, trunk, or face; clumsiness; fatigue; vision problems; and difficulty with bladder control. For more information on MS, visit the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s website.

Although MS has no cure, some conventional treatments can reduce the number and severity of relapses and delay the disease’s progression. Many people with MS try some form of complementary health approach, often special diets and dietary supplements. Here are 8 things to know about complementary health approaches for MS.

  1. Limited evidence suggests that practicing yoga may help with fatigue in people with MS. 

  2. Limited evidence suggests that magnetic therapy, which involves devices that use an electrical current to generate a magnetic field, may have modest beneficial effects on spasticity and fatigue in people with MS.

  3. Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy is often heavily marketed to people with MS, there are no consistent data that support its use to treat MS.

  4. Some cannabinoids (substances found in marijuana) may relieve spasticity and/or pain in people with MS. No marijuana-derived medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat MS in the United States, but some other countries have approved Sativex, a mouth spray that contains cannabinoids, for treatment of spasticity due to MS.

  5. Research indicates that Ginkgo biloba is not helpful for improving cognitive function in people with MS, but it might be helpful for reducing fatigue.

  6. There isn’t enough evidence to determine whether omega-3 fatty acid supplements such as fish oil are helpful for MS. 

  7. Results of studies on vitamin D supplements for people with MS have been conflicting. 

  8. Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.