Healing Disease Through Holistic Nutrition: Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Brigitte Mars talks with An Organic Conversation in a dynamic interview about healing through holistic nutrition, her inspiration while working with Bauman College, and the future of those that she’s guided.  To read the original interview, visit An Organic Conversation.

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Multiple sclerosis (MS)


An unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.

(Source: National Multiple Sclerosis Society)

As a faculty member for the nutrition consultant and natural chef programs at Bauman College: Holistic Nutrition & Culinary Arts, Brigitte Mars has guided hundreds of students in career paths to improve individual and community health. She is also an award-winning author of 13 books and hosts international courses and retreats on holistic living. Here, she recounts the change she observed in a client suffering from Multiple Sclerosis who chose nutrition and natural medicine to heal her disease and who went on to create a line of healthy granola bars now available in grocery stores nationwide.

AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIGITTE MARS

AOC: Let’s talk big picture of the disease. What are conventional challenges with treating MS?
BM: Often, asking people to make changes in their lifestyle and diet can be challenging. Natural Medicine is best for those who are very motivated, and if you are asking them to give up sugar, coffee, fried foods, gluten, etc., it might be easier said than done. People are used to being given a pill or surgical procedure that will remedy things for them. We have to inspire people to try something new. Just because medicine doesn’t offer an effective long-term solution, there are alternatives. They just require more participation from the person affected.

AOC: Based on your work at Bauman College, what insight did holistic nutrition offer you in terms of how to address MS?
BM: It has been so wonderful to work with the latest research that Bauman offers. The strong guidance about looking at the causes of illness, including food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, emotional factors, and lifestyle techniques all contribute to bringing lasting positive action in the health of those we work with. It is also most excellent that Bauman protocols include not only diet but herbal remedies and supplements that may help bring about relief.

AOC: What didn’t you expect would happen that did to your amazement, and what do you attribute it to?
BM: I had a client recently diagnosed with MS who came to see me early on for her “incurable disease.” She took many of my suggestions and implemented them, things like reducing gluten intake and increasing consumption of omega 3 fatty acids which have shown to help nerve cell function. She is now symptom-free and has gone on to create a line of products based on foods that helped her heal. Her company is called “Two Moms in the Raw,” and its widespread success had made her a public figure and role model for recovery. She shares recipes as well as methods we used in her recently published book, Two Moms in the Raw Cookbook, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

AOC: How are you carrying this message of health and healing forward?
BM: It is essential to me to live what I talk about with others. Making dietary choices, eating all the colors of the rainbow, including wild foods, whole foods, and herbal remedies when needed. If I am inspired, I can better help others. I have written thirteen book and teach internationally, having just returned from classes in Costa Rica, the Bahamas, and soon hosting in Iceland. My prayer and mission is to make a positive difference while I am here in this world.

AOC: Where could someone start if they face these challenges right now?
BM: Read, learn all you can, take classes, talk with others, and continue learning your entire life. Even though I have studied Natural Health for over forty years, there is always more research, often validating the wisdom that ancient people already knew. It’s wonderful to have a career where you get to help people and the sustainability of our planet at the same time.

Brigitte Mars is an Herbalist, Raw Food Chef, and Author of 13 books and countless articles for the Huffington Post. She offers consultations and seminars and can be found teaching Bauman College’s professional programs.