About

Our Story

In 1995 my son received the devastating diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Having been a research scientist for 30 years, I decided to plunge into the scientific literature for MS to determine the most likely factors which cause MS and to use this information to develop an effective therapy for my son.

Notably, many people are having great success in halting or greatly slowing MS with nutritional strategies; many testimonials are available. I am most pleased to report that my son remains in excellent health with no MS symptoms. He has now started his own website, www.mshope.com, that explains the strategies he has used in order to stay healthy and symptom-free for the past 20 years.

In my research, I discovered abundant scientific evidence that indicates that various nutritional factors potentially play major roles in the onset and progression of MS. Strangely, this information was not being made available to persons with MS by doctors nor by established MS charities.

My wife and I and a group of others dealing with MS decided to make this information freely available and established a federally registered charity which we called DIRECT-MS, short for DIet REsearch into the Cause and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.

This website has been set up primarily to provide reliable, science-based information on the role that nutritional factors play in MS to allow those affected by MS to make an informed decision on whether or not to use nutritional strategies for managing the disease and preventing it from occurring in loved ones.

Thank you for visiting our site. We hope you enjoy and benefit from the information.

Ashton Embry, Ph.D.

Our Goals

DIRECT-MS was formed in 1998 by families affected by MS. Our charity is committed to two main goals:

  1. To provide reliable, science-based information on the role that nutritional factors play in MS so as to allow those affected by MS to make an informed decision on whether or not to use dietary strategies for managing the disease and for preventing it in close relatives.
  2. To fund scientific research that properly tests the effectiveness of dietary strategies for slowing or halting MS progression and for preventing it in the first place.
  3. In July, 2009 Direct-MS became aware of the major role that impaired venous drainage from the brain (CCSVI) likely plays in MS. Since that time, we have expanded our scope to provide timely information on CCSVI and to provide funding for cutting edge research on the role that CCSVI plays in MS and the value of CCSVI treatment for major symptom reduction in MS and for slowing or halting disease progression.

DIRECT-MS is distinctly different from most other MS charities. First of all, as a grass-roots charity, DIRECT-MS is completely volunteer-driven with very low overhead costs and no paid staff. 95% of the funds raised through donations and events goes directly to funding scientific research or to making available information on nutrition and multiple sclerosis.

Furthermore, much of the information prepared and distributed by DIRECT-MS is not available from other MS charities that concentrate mainly on drug therapies. Although drug therapies are of some value, they do not address the causal factors of MS and there is no solid evidence they influence the long-term course of MS. DIRECT-MS believes that understanding the causal factors and using therapies that counter such factors are key to effectively treating MS and for preventing it in the first place.

Our Logo

Our logo uses the letters ‘M’ and ‘S’ to create the shape of a sailboat on smooth waters. It exemplifies the philosophy of DIRECT-MS because it takes something that is negative, the devastating diagnosis of MS, and provides a positive and effective vehicle, a boat, to sail through troubled waters. The boat represents the science-based nutritional strategies described on this website. These strategies have helped our family and many others ‘Escape the Storm’ of MS and we hope that you and your loved one will find them just as effective.

Our charity is not about coping with the diagnosis of MS – it’s about defying it, slowing or halting its progression, and preventing it in the first place. The sailboat is our chosen symbol to show our positive attitude and endless determination.