Complementary and Alternative Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis - A Study of Three Cases

Abstract

Background: People suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly use complementary and alternative medicine due to the partial efficacy of conventional treatments, the chronic aspect of MS, the impact of pain and the side-effects of medication. An exploratory descriptive study of three cases was performed to document and analyse the experience patients treated for MS with applied kinesiology. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with three patients who had been diagnosed with MS at the Neurology Department and who had sought concurrent applied kinesiological treatment from a kinesiologist. The interviews were open-ended and semistructured. A second interview was conducted for validation. The interviews produced texts that were subjected to phenomenological-hermeneutic text analysis. The three case studies were synthesized for a cross-case analysis. Results: The following themes emerged from the interviews: "having hope", "trusting the kinesiologist", "diet changes essential", "losing trust in the healthcare system", "feeling confused" and "getting better". Patients who underwent applied kinesiology treatment reported a sense of hope, trust and increased health. Comprehensive analysis of the survey results revealed that the patients felt able to "make changes for life", "get past their kinesiology treatment. Conclusion: The interviews provide phenomenological-hermeneutic narratives of health well-being among patients treated with applied kinesiology for MS. The treatment assisted the patients in achieving a sense of well-being and health rather than invalidity. In parallel, the patients exhibited stabilization of their magnetic resonance imaging results during the applied kinesiology treatment period. The patients also reported a feeling that they could transcend their diagnosis of MS.