Hi folks,
I was told that I have MS by a neuro a little more than a year ago. I sought a second opinion, one of the best in the area, and he has been wonderful. He hasn't been quick to prescribe drugs, and has gone along with me with the diet. I KNOW that the diet makes a difference in how I feel. I can usually tell within minutes if I've eaten something I shouldn't have. My MRIs have been stable-improving, with the last done in May. However, I have been experiencing weakness/decreased ability since about Easter. It has increased in frequency and duration, as well as recovery time. I went for a walk with my five-year old and 16-month old a few days ago... it was only a quarter of a mile, and I needed to have my five-year old come back so I could lean on him to make it back home. I was hoping to just go through this entirely med-free, but I said last year that when it starts affecting my children, I would need to reconsider. I am now at that point. Instead of these episodes happening twice a month, it is now a daily occurrence. I am weakened by just the morning routine, or ordinary chores around the house. Would you go on the meds? A friend who is a nurse, and husband is a doctor with MS, said I should immediately seek steroid treatment. What would you do?
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca.. sorry it took
Hi Rebecca.. sorry it took so long to reply this time.. been travelling..
About detox: I've drank in the past some detox herbal drinks (mix the concentrate with 1.5l water and drink every day) for example. But I think having a herbal tea which contains detoxifying herbs is good enough. It just got a bit hard to drink that 1.5liters of water everyday because I'm quite much time away from home and u had to drink it in 3 doses. A teabag is easy to carry around.
I've also visited an Ayurveda practicioner to get a diagnosis on my health state and she told me that I don't need any drastic detox measures but herbal teas are totally ok. Weirdest thing was that she couldnt find MS in me when I had gone there (I was on the diet)!! But I'm going again soon and this time I've had a mild relapse so lets see if she sees it this time.
Don't forget to also eat lots of fruits and veggies, they clean out your system as well. I drink juice of one lemon every morning before putting anything else in my mouth, it helps clean your stomach, improves digestion and u get vit C. I also take multivitamins everyday, and remember to get good ones, I use Female Multiple by Solgar, don't buy the unnatural ones from pharmacy!! They don't work.
You are totally right about stress. Too much of it can even induce a MS attack but if u have been following the diet completely then your body has nothing to react wrongly to and I think can manage stress without developing MS complications.
Have you thought about following the Paleolithic Diet? It's in my opinion the basis for MS diet so you should start from that in order to heal and only then add foods that don't produce a reaction.. Remember that there might be inactive brain lesions that still need healing and which won't if you're eating wrong foods.
Its the same thing over here by the way about doctor appointments, doctors aren't in real much hurry unless it's something serious and with MS they think you're a lost case altogether I think so 'few weeks later appointment won't change your progress'.
How is the fatigue going? Have u been feeling better or worse? Remember that the body heals itself but it needs rest in order to do that. Also from what I know steroid treatment doesn't really help with fatigue, but then I might be wrong.
I really hope you're doing better and get those grains out of your diet as soon as possible, at least for a while! =)
Hello, I have had MS for 10
Hello,
I have had MS for 10 years. I started on Avonex in 1999. In 2008 I switched to Copaxone due to some problems I was having on Avonex. Copaxone was not a good fit for me either, so after alot of research and studing I decided to go on Tysabri in May 09 which is a scary drug for alot of people due to the PML risk. Personally the benifits out weigh the risks for me. I have not felt this good on any of the therapies that I have been on. I am also 31/2 months into my recovery diet My energy level is 100% better, I have function in my leg that I haven't had in years. I still suffer weakness on my lower right side, but it is getting stronger everyday!! I thank God for the MS Recovery Diet, and Tysabri. My suggestion to you is to start some form of thearpy as soon as possible. Do your home work and find the therapy that is right for you, and keep up with the recovery diet it is great and life changing. God Bless!!!
Thanks so much for replying
Thanks so much for replying so quickly, Dingo. I'm sorry it has taken me a few days. I actually had a pretty good couple of days and was trying to get some other things done while I had the opportunity. You have some very good thoughts. I have felt very fortunate in that over the course of the past year, my symptoms have generally been quite mild. I attribute that to the prayers of many people, as well as the diet.
l haven't done a detox. What do you do, besides drink the tea?
I have wondered about the stress at times. My sister died May 30th, so there has obviously been stress at times. However, I feel like I am dealing with her death in a healthy way and do not feel stressed because of it, and my symptoms started a couple months before that. I have noticed that I feel things more if I try to rush around to do something. I'm sure that I could live in extreme slow motion to try and avoid that, but who can do that when you have two small kids, right? ;)
My neuro has said the same thing as you about the drugs... who knows what they do to your system over the long-term, which I have greatly appreciated. I did schedule an appointment to talk to him about things, but it's not for another three weeks! Is that normal for you? He is really busy. Anyhow, I will have to look into the detox. Grains are pretty much the only thing left to cut out of my diet. That would be a big adjustment.
I hear my lil one waking, so I will sign off for now. Thank-you so much again!
Rebecca :O)
Nicole S. I have followed
Nicole S.
I have followed diet strictly for over a year with several improvements and some stress-related ( I think) deterioration. Now on upswing again after eliminating corn and increasing exercise. Took Rebif for 6 years, just switched to copaxone. These are not immuno-suppressive drugs and copaxone has almost no side effects unless you happen to be allergic to it. Steroids should only be used on s short-term basis, in my opinion.
If you're having just a
If you're having just a relapse then definitely take the steroids, they speed up the recovery time if u want to get better soon.
However since you are having some problems maybe you should recheck your diet? Maybe you are eating something that is not good for you. How about doing a detox? I usually drink herbal detox teas (Ayurvedic or Yogi tea) every day.
What kind of MS symptoms have you had? Just wondering how strongly pronounced your MS is.
Also don't forget the tiredness could be associated with other problems, not necessarily MS. Stress/anxiety can mimic MS symptoms, it has happened to me!
In my opinion you gotta weigh your choices if you want to start the usual MS medication. Give it a try if thats possible but remember that the medication does not cure and it only destroys your body even more over the long run. There are so many people with MS who take the injections and live a normal life according to websites and magazines about MS, but to tell you the truth I'm wondering how much of it is true. And for how long can you keep your immune system suppressed with drugs before you start getting sick? What will happen to all those young people in 10/20 years after the medications? Not mentioning that some develop a resistance to Betaferon and some have allergies to other medications.
If you have the strength then I think you should stick with the diet, maybe make it more strict for a while just to experiment, do allergy tests, take a holiday to relax and heal and see from that if you get better.
I sincerely hope everything goes well and all your strength returns!
P.S. How do you know you have eaten a problematic food? What kind of reaction to food should I be looking for?