Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Can a vegan diet help treat multiple sclerosis?

Last year, when she was just 23 years old, Carmen Johns was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. MS is a degenerative disease that slowly, and permanently, damages the central nervous system. There is no known cure. There are drugs to treat the symptoms, but the side effects can be harsh.

  • rss
  • Share
By Madeleine Brand • Oct 10, 2016 • 1 min read

Last year, when she was just 23 years old, Carmen Johns was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. MS is a degenerative disease that slowly, and permanently, damages the central nervous system. There is no known cure. There are drugs to treat the symptoms, but the side effects can be harsh. So Carmen’s mom, journalist Maria Bustillos, decided to investigate. She looked into a lot of academic studies and discovered one that seemed deceptively uncomplicated….and effective: a simple vegan-plus-fish diet could dramatically relieve MS symptoms. The study took place in the 1950s but few doctors today either recommend this diet or even know about the study behind it.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Matt Holzman

    Producer, 'The Document'

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Anna Scott

    Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jolie Myers

    Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

  • KCRW placeholder

    Maria Bustillos

    freelance journalist and author

  • KCRW placeholder

    Barbara Giesser

    UCLA

    News
Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand