My Heroes

I admin a private support group on Facebook for folks coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic diseases. (Private means you can’t find it with a search engine, so everything we say stays in the group and not seen by the public. You can only join by invitation of a member.) There are over 400 of us now. Most have MS along with a myriad of other diagnoses such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, lymphedema, depression, migraines, and more. We have members with Crohn’s, Ehlers-Danloss, and cardiac problems. Some folks are caretakers of others with these diseases.

Every day, it’s a challenge finding ideas that can ease each other’s pain or keep each other’s households afloat, but we do it anyway, and we keep at it. We are living for a cure for each and every one of these ailments, and we are going to try to carry each other along into the future until the cures come for us all.

You would be amazed at the strength of our folks. So many are in constant pain while they raise their kids, care for their parents, or just keep up with life. They are all heroes. No matter how low a body is, there is always someone who offers a reason to cheer up, and who encourage us to press on in the fight.

We have few rules in our group. There’s the sanctity of the group – nothing gets copied out to other sites. There’s also a sense of civility. We are not rude. We do not belittle each other or compete to see who hurts more or knows best. Incredible! I am constantly humbled, and forever grateful. 

Growing Myelin – N-Acetyl Glucosamine

There are supplements that help our bodies fight the damage from multiple sclerosis (MS). The one I’d like to talk about now is n-acetyl glucosamine (NAG). N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) is an enzyme and one of the 8 essential sugars, a monosaccharide. (It is sometimes called NAG but more properly, it’s GalNAc.) Bodies use NAG for repairs including cartilage, and the muscosal lining of the digestive system. It aids in insulin production and in absorbing cholesterol. It can help suppress pain, tumor growth and viruses.

In one experiment, in rats, those which took NAG saw remyelination. In other words, they got myelin coming back to cover the nerves that were bare of it due to MS. Humans and rats have a lot in common, and scientists think that NAG will cause remyelination in humans. The dose that’s recommended is 3500-4000 mg a day of NAG. Because NAG effects the gut, it’s important to build up slowly and find the amount that you can handle. NAG comes in 500 or 750 mg pills.

Table 1. What N-Acetyl-Glucosamine Does in the Human Body.

Nerves	May cause remyelination.
Osteoarthritis	Cuts inflammation, decreases pain, increases mobility; reduces swelling and stiffness esp. in knee and hip
Cartilage	Repairs damage
GI Tract	Repairs the mucosal lining; may help resistance to Crohns, and other bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis
Multiple sclerosis	Suppress damage of the autoimmune response; reduce or eliminate symptoms
Type I diabetes	Suppress damage of the autoimmune response; reduce or eliminate symptoms
Immune system	Boosts disease and illness fighting ability; limit spread of viruses within the body
Brain	Aids in ability to learn
Insulin	Aids in secretion
Cholesterol	Aids in absorption
Temporomandibular joint arthritis	As effective as ibuprofen in reducing pain
Wounds	Aids in wound healing

Side effects you might experience include diarrhea, gas, heartburn, bloating and an upset stomach. Caution: if you are sensitive to shellfish or iodine, this supplement may bother you.

Note: I am not a doctor, just a researcher. What you read here is not meant to diagnose or treat any disease. It’s just my point of view on the information.