Hi Carebear01~The book is "Autoimmune The Cause and The Cure." The hardbound is the most recent version.

Hi daisy.girl~I think it is vital to understand the disease process first.

We haven't finished with phenylalanine quite yet. Just a short recap:

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid derived from high protein foods.
Studies show MS patients lack phenylalanine.
Phenylalanine breaks down into tyrosine and then dopamine.

List of known symptoms of dopamine deficiency.
• Stiff, rigid, achy muscles
• Cognitive impairment
• Impaired motor skills
• Tremors
• Inability to focus attention
• Poor balance and coordination
• Strange walking pattern (gait), frequently with small steps

Dopamine is then needed for the synthesis of adrenaline and noradrenaline.
Studies show that MS patients lack noradrenaline.

New Information:
Adrenaline is one of the neurotransmitters that regulates the autonomic nervous system. The other neurotransmitter is acetylcholine.(I will show shortly why this is also lacking in MS.) A lack of adrenaline and acetylcholine would lead to autonomic nervous system dysfunction or a condition known as dysautonomia.

The following study on multiple sclerosis and autonomic dysfunction
(dysautonomia) found that 90% of the patients with MS had autonomic dysfunction.

Autonomic Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: Correlation with
Disease-Related Parameters
Gunal, D.I., N. Afsar, T. Tanridag, S. Aktan. 2002. Eur Neurol. 48(1):1-5.

In the next post I will show what symptoms of MS would be directly related to autonomic dysfunction.