MS Symptoms: Why MS Is Misdiagnosed

I was only 28 years old and healthy when I suddenly started losing vision in my left eye.

Within three days, I was completely blind in that eye.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the UBC MS University Hospital Clinic.

But vision loss doesn’t automatically mean a person has MS. Other diseases and infections can also cause optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve).

So how do we know what’s really causing these kinds of symptoms?

Almost 40 years later, I continue to question how MS is diagnosed, what the tests actually tell us, and why it’s so important to research beyond the diagnosis.

Why Getting an Accurate MS Diagnosis Matters

Living with unexplained neurological symptoms can be frightening.

You may be dealing with horrible symptoms and feeling scared, just as I was before my diagnosis. It can feel like your body is out of control, and you don’t understand what’s happening.

You want answers. You want to know what’s wrong and how you can recover.

Some people go months or years without a diagnosis. They may even be told their symptoms are all in their head.

Others receive an MS diagnosis, begin treatment, and continue getting worse.

Perhaps you’ve changed your diet, tried exercise programs, spent money on supplements, naturopaths, chiropractors, and functional medicine practitioners, yet nothing has really made a difference.

The fear goes beyond the symptoms themselves.

When I was diagnosed, I worried about becoming a burden to my family and whether I would be able to raise my children.

For others, the fear is losing the ability to work, provide for their loved ones, remain independent, and enjoy everyday life.

Christina Applegate publicly discussed being misdiagnosed and how devastating it can be to deal with serious neurological symptoms and still be searching for answers.

Why does it take so long for some people to receive an accurate diagnosis? Why are so many people misdiagnosed? And are we missing something important?

 

How Common Is MS Misdiagnosis?

The number of people living with MS worldwide increased by approximately 35% between 2013 and 2024, from about 2.3 million to 3.1 million.

Research has reported MS misdiagnosis rates of approximately 15%. If that percentage were applied to 3.1 million people, it would represent nearly 500,000 individuals.

More than 100 diseases and conditions can mimic MS.

 

How Is Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosed?

Doctors use several types of information to diagnose MS:

• Symptoms and neurological examinations.
• MRI scans of the brain and spinal cord.
• Sometimes a spinal tap to examine spinal fluid.
• Diagnostic guidelines called the McDonald criteria.
• Tests and assessments to rule out other possible diseases.

There is no single test that proves someone has MS.

The diagnostic guidelines for MS continue to change every 5 – 7 years.

Different diseases and infections can cause many of the same neurological symptoms and similar test findings.

This raises an important question:

How can we be certain about the diagnosis when so many conditions look alike?

 

What Do MRI Scans and Spinal Fluid Tests Really Tell Us?

MRI Scans: What Do Brain Lesions Mean?

Doctors use MRI scans to look for lesions, areas of inflammation or tissue damage in the brain and spinal cord.

They examine where the lesions are located, their size, shape, and how they change over time.

But lesions aren’t unique to MS.

Similar findings occur in people with migraines, blood vessel problems, other inflammatory diseases, and certain parasitic infections.

Central vein sign: MS lesions often form around small veins. Doctors can examine MRI scans for this characteristic.

Paramagnetic rim lesions: Some lesions have a rim containing iron and immune cells.

These findings provide additional information, but finding lesions doesn’t explain why they developed in the first place.

Spinal Fluid: What Are Oligoclonal Bands?

A spinal tap may be used to look for oligoclonal bands (antibody bands) in the spinal fluid.

These bands indicate that the immune system is active and producing antibodies within the brain and spinal cord.

But antibody bands are not unique to MS.

They can also occur in other conditions involving the nervous system, including Lyme disease.

The standard test doesn’t identify exactly what triggered the immune system to produce these antibodies.

We know the immune system is active. But what is it responding to?

MRI Lesions Don’t Always Match MS Symptoms

Another important problem is known as the clinico-radiological paradox.

Some people have many MRI lesions but experience very few symptoms.

Others have only a few lesions yet live with severe disabilities.

The number of lesions doesn’t always tell us how sick someone is.

And finding lesions doesn’t explain why they developed.

 

What Other Diseases Can Mimic Multiple Sclerosis?

More than 100 conditions can resemble MS. Here are several examples:

• Migraines: Can cause neurological symptoms and white spots on MRI scans.
• Small blood vessel disease: Can cause brain lesions that resemble MS.
• Lupus and vasculitis: Cause inflammation affecting the nervous system and blood vessels.
• Susac syndrome: Can affect the brain, hearing, and vision.
• CADASIL: Can cause migraines, strokes, and brain lesions, even in younger adults.
• Neuromyelitis optica: Can cause serious inflammation of the optic nerves and spinal cord.
• Lyme disease: Can cause serious neurological symptoms and sometimes similar test findings.

There are guidelines to help doctors distinguish these conditions from MS, but exceptions exist, and symptoms often overlap.

Getting the diagnosis right matters because different conditions require very different treatments.

There is another important area I believe deserves far more attention: parasitic infections that affect the brain and spinal cord.

 

Parasitic Infections and MS: What Does the Research Show?

Published medical research has documented that certain parasitic infections can invade the brain and spinal cord, causing:

• Inflammation and lesions.
• Damage to myelin, the protective covering around nerve fibers.
• Numbness, weakness, muscle spasms and vision problems.
• Trouble walking and poor balance.
• Cognitive problems.
• Other serious neurological disabilities.

These are documented neurological effects of specific parasitic infections.

Five Parasitic Infections That Affect the Nervous System

1. Neurocysticercosis

Tapeworm larvae enter the brain and form cysts that can cause inflammation and lesions.

2. Toxoplasmosis

A protozoan infection that can cause serious brain lesions.

3. Schistosomiasis

Parasitic flukes that can infect the spinal cord and cause neurological damage.

4. Paragonimiasis

Lung flukes that can enter the brain and cause neurological disease.

5. Sparganosis

Tapeworm larvae that can move through nervous tissue and cause unusual lesions.

These and others are documented parasitic infections that cause neurological disease.

Parasites are present in all countries around the world, including developed countries. International travel is not necessary to become infected with a parasite.

Historical Research on Spirochetes and MS

I’ve also investigated historical research involving spirochetes, a type of spiral-shaped bacteria.

More than 100 years of historical medical reports have described spirochete-like bacteria in MS tissue and spinal fluid.

In a 1957 study, researcher Rose Ichelson reported positive cultures in 59 of 76 MS patients, with none in her controls.

Lyme neuroborreliosis provides an established example of how a spirochete infection can affect the nervous system.

Dr. Alan MacDonald’s Research

Dr. Alan MacDonald reported observations of small roundworms, tapeworm larvae, developing tapeworms, and Borrelia bacteria in the MS subjects he examined.

These findings raise questions that need further independent investigation.

What Actually Causes the Lesions?

When infections enter the nervous system, the immune system responds.

That response can cause inflammation and tissue damage.

In some infections, both the organism and the immune response contribute to the injury.

Here’s my question:

If parasites can invade the central nervous system, activate the immune system, cause inflammation, damage myelin, create lesions, and cause neurological symptoms associated with MS and other diseases, why aren’t we investigating them thoroughly?

Could parasitic infections help explain neurological inflammation in some or all people diagnosed with MS?

 

Why Aren’t We Connecting Neurology and Parasitology?

I believe there is an important disconnect between different areas of medicine.

Neurologists treat conditions involving the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

Gastroenterologists treat digestive-system conditions.

Cardiologists treat heart conditions. Endocrinologists treat hormonal disorders, while dermatologists focus on conditions affecting the skin, hair, and nails.

Each specialty focuses on a particular area of the body.

Yet, the body works as a whole.

When I was diagnosed with MS, my neurologist told me that whatever was happening in my digestive tract had nothing to do with my central nervous system.

I disagree.

Research has reported digestive problems in people with MS years before their first neurological flare, sometimes as much as 20 years earlier.

Research into vascular dysfunction and the role of blood vessels in MS also raises questions about looking at the disease through an autoimmune framework.

Two Areas of Medicine That Need More Collaboration

In MS care, neurologists examine neurological symptoms, assess MRI lesions, and prescribe immunosuppressive disease modifying drugs to manage symptoms.

In parasitology, researchers identify organisms that invade the nervous system, document the inflammation and neurological damage they cause, and study how to diagnose and treat these infections.

Yet diagnosing parasitic infections is difficult. Tests are inaccurate, the misconception that parasites aren’t present in developed countries, and lack of practitioner training and skill make infections harder to identify.

I believe these areas of medicine need to be brought together.

The immune system plays an important role in MS.

Its main jobs is to protect the body from invaders, usually infection.

So what is causing the immune system to become so active?

Are We Measuring What Really Matters?

MS treatments are designed to manage the disease.

But I believe we must also ask:

• Is the person walking better?
• Do they have more energy?
• Has their bladder control improved?
• Are they becoming more independent?
• Is their quality of life improving?
• Are we still looking for a cure?

I’m not against doctors or medications. I have great respect for the work practitioners do.

I believe we need to keep asking questions and searching for an answer.

 

What I Did Differently: The Live Disease Free Plan

When I was diagnosed with MS at 28, I was told there was nothing I could do to change the course of my disease.

I was devastated.

But I began reading, researching, asking questions, and learning about chronic infections.

That changed the direction of my life.

Over the years, I’ve developed a three-phase approach that I now share through Live Disease Free.

Step 1: Change Your Diet

Diet is the foundation of my approach.

The Live Disease Free eating plan focuses on:

• Following a low-carbohydrate diet.
• Removing sugar, grains, and other foods excluded by the plan.
• Eating plenty of low-carbohydrate vegetables.
• Including healthy fats and moderate amounts of quality protein.
• Focusing on good nutrition while tracking improvements in symptoms.

Step 2: Get Your Body Ready

Before beginning additional treatments, I focus on supporting the body.

This includes:

• Improving digestion and addressing constipation.
• Aiming for at least eight hours of sleep.
• Staying hydrated and getting enough rest.
• Reviewing important bloodwork and nutritional deficiencies.
• Improving overall strength and daily function.

The goal is to build a stronger foundation before the next step.

Step 3: Build a Personal Plan

Each person’s health history, symptoms, and needs are different.

This phase includes:

• Reviewing health history, symptoms, and possible exposures.
• Working with qualified practitioners to identify and treat infections appropriately.
• Monitoring progress and adjusting the plan when necessary.
• Rebuilding a healthy microbiome and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

This is not a one-size-fits-all process. It takes planning, strategy, consistency, and discipline.

 

My Live Disease Free Students Share Their Progress

It gives me so much joy to watch my students get their lives back.

Here are just three experiences my students shared this week:

Student #1 is getting ready to treat. She reported:

• Less muscle tightness.
• Improved bladder function, including less frequent urination.
• Being able to hold her urine longer.
• Regular bowel movements.

Student #2 is also getting ready to treat. She reported:

• That her earache disappeared and her bladder symptoms improved.
• Greater physical steadiness and resilience.
• Gradual improvement in restless leg sensations.
• Five to six hours of uninterrupted sleep.
• Being able to walk beside her mother, turn her head to look at her, and carry on a conversation without stopping or struggling to maintain her balance.

Previously, walking required her to concentrate intensely on the ground to maintain her balance.

Student #3 reported:

• No bladder issues over a two-week period.
• Improved energy levels compared with the previous week.

This is why we do this work! We love to see people getting their life back.

 

There Is Real Hope for You

I was diagnosed with MS when I was only 28 years old.

I’ve now lived free of MS symptoms for more than 37 years.

Rather than accepting that nothing could be done to change the course of my disease, I began questioning, researching, and investigating beyond my diagnosis.

Question and research what else could be causing your symptoms.

Find out whether other conditions have been properly investigated.

Take charge of your health. Become the director of your health.

Don’t accept your prognosis as absolute.

Build a clear intention and a strong “WHY” – why you must succeed.

You don’t have to become a medical expert.

But you can become a critical thinker, ask better questions, and take a more active role in your health.

There is real hope for you.

If you’d like to learn more about my journey and the three-step approach I’ve followed, watch my free Live Disease Free masterclass training.

 

There are real solutions to recover from parasites today!

To restore health, we must focus on treating the cause of inflammation, which are parasites. First, identify the enemy (parasites), then support the body and treat the parasites while following a holistic approach. When parasitic infections are treated effectively, we can overcome inflammation or disease.

If you’re frustrated with the fact that our standard of care STILL doesn’t offer a real solution for treating MS and other diseases, then click on the link below to watch Pam Bartha’s free masterclass training and discover REAL solutions that have allowed Pam and many others to live free from MS and other diseases.

CLICK Here to watch Pam’s masterclass training