Multiple Sclerosis - An Excess of Air and Fire

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a mysterious sort of disease, one that is hard to pin down and even harder to halt and/or reverse. My introduction to MS has been through my younger brother who developed recognizable symptoms in his early forties, and has been heartbreaking to watch as it progressed. Each medical system generally has its own approach to healing, and with MS that's true as well. I want to offer an Ayurvedic window into understanding and treating MS, a perspective that may be particularly helpful in the early stages of the disease.

Ayurveda is an ancient medical system, one that looks at our health problems from both a material and an energetic perspective. It can help us see that when we understand our own innate constitution, we can bring a broader vision to self-care, showing us our individual weaknesses and susceptibilities.

The online resource "The Ayurveda Experience," reveals this modality's insights into MS in its essay "Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms, Treatment, Causes and Ayurvedic Treatment." What I particularly appreciate in this article is how the author blends modern with ancient in her descriptions of what is happening within a person that has developed MS.

Individuals with a Vata-Pitta nature (prakriti) seem to be more susceptible to developing MS than those who are predominantly Kapha; they need to make sure they are keeping enough healthy fats in their diets (the myelin sheath needs cholesterol; Vata is dry) and not ingesting too many foods or drinks that are excessively heating (because dryness is exacerbated by fire/Pitta). Every situation is unique, however, and anyone can develop MS depending upon causative factors; another Ayurvedic article is "Multiple Sclerosis Protocols" and points out, in contrast to the earlier article, how the treatment approach can vary depending upon whether MS reveals itself as an auto-immune or an inflammatory disorder.

This above is a simplistic description but I hope it encourages the reader to explore what benefits Ayurveda may offer to those suffering from MS.

Emotional Support and Dogs

I was reflecting upon how the USA approaches dogs and their people. Sadly, though many of us consider our dogs to be members of our family, many other people don't treat them that way. Instead, the majority of Americans continue to treat dogs as commodities. "No way!" you say? Think about it in relation to not only the hundreds of thousands of dogs killed every year in shelters but also the latest trend of getting dogs (and other animals, but here I'm speaking only about dogs) for "emotional support."

Now, I'm the first one to speak up about how blessed I feel to be living with canine companions, and I do feel emotionally supported by them. But when I bring a dog into my household, the primary consideration is not what they can do for me (although I am aware of that aspect) but rather how can I care for them and provide them with the best life possible. We will be in relationship with one another. This is in direct contrast to the trend of acquiring dogs as a tool, a commodity, or an object to use -- this is uncomfortably close to the mindset that continues to use dogs as experimental objects for science as well as factory farming. I see many dogs being used rather than related to as beings in their own rights.

So, back to the action of getting an "emotional support animal (ESA)." I've seen dogs turned in to rescue groups because they weren't what someone was needing in an ESA; people try them on for fit and if they don't -- fit that is -- then the dog is abandoned. Dogs are not machines or automatons; they are individual and unique creatures with as many temperaments as we find in people. They aren't a one-size-fits-all solution to mental health therapy and can become a crutch rather than allowing the person to find true healing.

How might this be different if the USA already allowed well-trained dogs to be in public places with their people, similar to many countries in Europe? (Please note I said "well-trained" - any dog taken into public places needs to behave; one advantage of tiny dogs is they can travel with us in carriers, thereby having very little impact on or interaction with other people and animals. But they still need to be socialized properly.) When a society has a dog-friendly culture, I'm going to hazard a guess that it's not nearly as necessary to acquire a dog specifically as an ESA. Why? Because our companions already attend outings with us and both species are welcomed, thus reducing the anxiety of human and dog before we ever leave our home.

Maybe our American problem where more and more people are desperate for canine emotional support is directly related to our cultural objection to and intolerance of dogs accompanying their people into public places.

If you need emotional support, please consider all therapeutic options -- especially natural ones like Flower Essences or EFT (tapping) or mindfulness -- before using a dog to "fix" your mental health problem. 

Living with a dog is a privilege and the relationship needs to be one of mutual respect while acknowledging that we are wholly responsible for the health and well-being of the dog, not the other way around. The gift a dog provides in the form of emotional support is a beautiful legacy of enjoying a good relationship with him or her -- not the ultimate purpose.