There have been two surveys to find out what people with MS thought about evening primrose oil. One was carried out by Bio-Oil Research Ltd., who manufactures Naudicelle. The other was conducted by ARMS (Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis).

In the Bio-Oil Research survey 480 MS sufferers took part. Sixty-five per cent felt there had been some improvement in their condition. Forty-three per cent said there had been a stabilization of their condition – they had got no better, and they had got no worse. Twenty-two per cent said there had been fewer and less severe attacks. Twenty per cent said certain symptoms had been alleviated. Thirteen per cent reported an improvement in general health. People in the ‘some improvement’ category mentioned the following benefits:

•   Increased mobility

•   Increased walking ability

•   Reduced spasm or tremor

•   Improved bladder function

•   Improved eyesight

•   Improved condition of hair and skin

•   Relief of constipation

•   Improvement in wound healing

•   Regaining correct weight

•   Heavy periods returned to normal

Note: The improved group contained a significantly higher proportion of MS patients who had been diagnosed within the preceding four years.

In the ARMS survey, out of 177 completed questionnaires, 127 said they had improved, 33 reported no change, and 17 felt that their symptoms became worse.

Even though these surveys have no scientific standing, and all the answers are based only on the subjective opinion of the MS sufferer who filled in the questionnaire, the results are nevertheless extremely encouraging.

ARMS members were also asked how long they had been taking evening primrose oil. The answers showed that improvements increased when they had been taking the capsules for more than four months. Beneficial effects appeared as follows:

Under 4 months                35%

4 months to 1 year            73%

1 to 2 years                       73%

2 to 3 years                       82%

(At the time of the survey, very few members had been on Naudicelle for longer than .three years.) Of the people who returned the completed questionnaires, 141 were also on some kind of diet. The results showed that the people who were exercising some control over their diet (i.e. less saturated fat etc.) had better results with the evening primrose oil.

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One of a hundred possible strains of Rhinovirus causes the common cold. There is no cure for a cold or an effective vaccine in the pipeline. With treatment a cold lasts for seven days. Without treatment a cold persists for one week.

Home Remedies

In the absence of a cure for the common cold the aim of treatment relates to symptomatic relief. Over the counter cold cocktails are frankly – dangerous. Most contain aspirin, an antihistamine, perhaps Sudafed and Codeine like cough suppressant. The antihistamine acts for twelve hours. The aspirin acts for four hours. To get sufficient aspirin every four hours, it becomes necessary to overdose on the antihistamine by a factor of three times. There in lies the danger.

It is far better to manage the symptoms of a cold as they arise. Rest and a high fluid intake in the form of hot fruit juice are desirable. For fever, aches and pains, paracetamol is preferable to aspirin. Aspirin causes gastric bleeding and is dangerous in children. A cough can be controlled by adding Codeine cough linctus to the treatment every four hours.

A running nose is best tackled by Sudafed through the day, because Sudafed is a stimulant and an antihistamine at bed time (antihistamines are sedatives). One smart drug company has produced Demazin which contains both an antihistamine and a Sudafed-like stimulant.

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