title: Complementary and alternative medicine: is there a role in multiple sclerosis?
abstract: Despite effective conventional therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), many people with MS explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for their symptoms. Common CAM therapies that people use include dietary modification, nutritional and herbal supplementation, and mind-body therapies. There is a revival of interest among MS researchers about the therapeutic potential of low-fat diet and essential fatty acid supplementation in MS. The efficacy of specific vitamin supplementation remains unclear. Recently, cannabis and yoga have been studied in more controlled studies and have provided evidence that they may have some benefit. The research on CAM therapies in MS is still exploratory, but considering peoples' interest and common use of these therapies, further research in this area is clearly warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology L226, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239, USA. yadavv@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Vijayshree
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bourdette
mesh_terms: D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002188:Cannabis; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D020441:Ginkgo biloba / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015013:Yoga
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D028321:Plant Preparations