This week I'll be talking about a case of recovery from severe disability, documented by a team with no connection to the Wahls lab. I'll discuss what it means and why it is a big deal. If you have multiple sclerosis (MS) and have difficulty walking, or other significant disability, I think you will find this one worth your attention.
EDSS explained
First, let me explain the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The scale runs from 0, which indicates no disability of any type, to 10, death due to MS.
A score of 1 to 3.5 means gradually worsening function with gradually more difficulty walking.
A score of 4 to 5.5 means the person can walk only shorter distances and has other limitations, such as fatigue or bladder and bowel issues, that affect function.
A score of 6 means the person needs unilateral support, typically a cane or a walking stick.
A score of 6.5 means the person needs bilateral support, typically a walker or two walking sticks.
A score of 7 means the person needs a wheelchair.
A score of 8 means the person is largely restricted to bed or a chair.
A score of 9 means the person is bedbound but can still speak and swallow.
A score of 10 means death due to MS.
Rocky Vista University’s Case Report: "Sustained EDSS Improvement Following Dietary Intervention in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Study" (2026)
Rocky Vista University is an osteopathic medical school with campuses in Utah and Colorado. Each spring its students present research posters at a research festival, and those posters are archived in the university's research repository.(1)
One of those posters details the case of a 60-year-old woman with relapsing-remitting MS who needed a cane to walk — an EDSS score of 6.0.
Despite continuous DMT treatment, she experienced progressive functional decline including loss of night vision, and need for wall support while ambulating and cognitive function, visual processing, and communication. Her EDSS went from 4.0 (2014) to 6.0 (2017). In 2018, she initiated a Wahls Protocol diet – a Paleolithic-based diet emphasizing vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins, while excluding grains, dairy and legumes — with her diet modified to permit oats.
Following diet initiation, the patient demonstrated documented, sustained, and clinically significant disability improvement. EDSS decreased from 6.0 (2017) to 2.0 (2021) to 2.5 (2022) and remained stable through 2025. On examination in 2025, gait was normal and Romberg testing was negative.
She has been relapse free since 2016 and her MRIs have shown no new disease activity since the diet was started. The sustained 3.5 EDSS improvement observed in this patient exceeds what has been reported at the population level with any conventional DMT.
Discussion of the Results
The authors review the published research on DMTs, which shows an average EDSS improvement of roughly 0.17 to 0.6 points over two years (on the EDSS, a falling score means less disability). Only about 20% of people on DMTs improve by more than a full point. The authors note the potential mechanisms by which a change in diet may influence disease activity include change in the gut microbiome, metabolic reprogramming of immune cells, reduced oxidative stress, and reduced chronic inflammation.
The authors are careful to note that the case does not establish causation, because it is a single retrospective observation.
My Take
It is very hard to notice what you were not looking to find; that’s why it takes a long time for new ideas to take hold. I find it encouraging that this team noticed the improvement and took the time to analyze the observation and write it up for the research poster. Hopefully, they will also write up a case report and publish it in a scientific journal.
We need more clinicians to write up their observations of recovery using functional medicine principles.
If you have recovered function using diet and other functional medicine principles, ask your treating medical team to write up your case for a regional scientific journal — or, failing that, as a post on their practice website.
Next Steps for You
If you have disability and are slowly getting worse, it is not too late to change course. Eliminate sugar and white flour. Eat more non-starchy vegetables, fruit and lean protein. Consider eliminating gluten, dairy, and eggs. Talk with your clinician about targeted supplements: Vitamin D3 plus vitamin K2, a multivitamin / multimineral, magnesium, and fish oil which I have combined into a basic support kit.
And ask for a physical therapy consult to help design an exercise program.
Do this alongside your medical team, not instead of them — the woman in this case report stayed on her disease-modifying therapy throughout.
One case cannot tell you what will happen for you, and it takes time and focused effort. What it does tell you is that sustained, well-documented improvement at this scale is possible. That is worth a conversation with your clinician.
Citations
- Levin b CE, Mudge M, Scaling M, Smal J. Sustained EDSS Improvement Following Dietary Intervention in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis 2026 [Available from: https://scholar.google.com/scholarurl?url=https://institutionalrepository.rvu.edu/record/1045/files/Sustained%2520EDSS%2520Improvement%2520Following%2520Dietary%2520Intervention%2520in%2520Relapsing%2520Remitting%2520Multiple%2520Sclerosis%253A%2520A%2520Case%2520Study.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&d=3110945443106945524&ei=G-laavDBDiOieoP5end2Ag&scisig=AM1tuoPtn2Jt9et5n1b_ripJogz1&oi=scholaralrt&html=&pos=1&folt=cit&fols=
