Jack Osbourne is opening up about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis and preference for “alternative therapies” to manage his condition. The 38-year-old son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne went into the different treatments he’s undergone during the July 22 episode of The Osbournes Podcast in response to a listener’s question.
Jack was first diagnosed in 2012 with MS, a disease in which “the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
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Jack has explored “a lot of supplementation” and “alternative therapy treatments” over the years, and said on the podcast episode that he currently does not take “traditional MS medication.”
“I’ve always leaned towards alternative therapies,” he explained, revealing that he recently underwent a bio-cellular therapy treatment on his spine in which cells were injected into his spinal discs. “I had this procedure called disc seal,” he said, noting that while it’s “not directly connected to MS,” it’s where he typically will “lean” in terms of treatment.
“I like the notion of alternative. Although I do, but I do believe that there is amazing results from pharmaceuticals. I think there’s nothing wrong with it,” he continued, adding that using both alternative therapies and pharmaceutical treatments in conjunction with one another is a “great option” for some people.
“I just choose to not go down the route of pharmaceuticals for my MS right now,” he said. “I’m absolutely open to it if needed.”
Jack also shared he has received bio cellular therapy at the Stem Cell Institute of Los Angeles, which he called a “really interesting landscape” right now. He added, “They wanna treat the cause of the problem, not the symptom of the problem. So American healthcare is all about, oh, you have symptoms, let’s treat them.” Jack continued that he’s found it rare to come across a doctor who “treats the source” of his MS, adding, “You go to a neurologist because your nerves are damaged by the MS.”
Asked by his father Ozzy, 75, what causes nerve damage with MS, Jack pointed out that it is the autoimmune response that can be so destructive. He added that a new study “believes multiple sclerosis could be a virus that comes from your stomach.” He continued, “My belief is that with my immune system, just things kind of compacted. I don’t think there was one singular event that, like, flipped my immune system to cause multiple sclerosis.”
