The MS Recovery Diet by Ann Sawyer and Judi Bachrach

Maybe there is a forum topic on this elsewhere. Please feel free to redirect me if so. I am 53, had my first MS attack at 36. Had no deficits - just some mild numbness on the bottom of my feet for the next 15 years. Had my 2nd attack at 51. Since that one, I've had more deficits that have remained and sometimes worsen, then get better again. I am an RN. I function just fine on my job. I'm wobbly when I get up in the morning, but by the time I get to work I'm walking okay. I don't have any coordination problems. I can't run and I am on Provigil for overall fatigue. As long as I get enough rest I'm okay, but it's a real balancing act because I'm working in a clinic 8 to 5, Monday thru Friday. I'd like to get back to hospital work. I do better doing 3 night shifts (36 hours per week) than 5 straight days. I live in a very small town and worry about the medical community finding out I have MS because who wants to hire a nurse with MS? Most places would just see you as a liability, assuming you are only going to get worse. I've been trying for several months to go 100% on the diet but I get overwhelmed with it. I can tell though that it definitely makes a difference. Just curious -- anybody else out there on this forum working in health care?

hi everyone , i hope you got to watch the story on the LIBERATION TECHNIQUE, this was aired on nov 22 on ctv W5 ,he has developed a technique using stents to open up the carotid arterys to regain blood flow , 1st an mri is taken to see if there is a flow restriction , then if so the next phase is to implant shunts in the area affected , the increased blood flow immediatley starts and the damage begins to repair , truly a miracle now lets see if the north american medical community accepts it .

This is a recent email from a Registered Nurse

I want to thank you for your wonderful book! I was diagnosed with MS at the end of April this year, following a week in the hospital. My neurologist believes I actually had my first flare up about 12 years ago, and was not diagnosed at that time. Looking back, I believe I started having symptoms even before that episode 12 years ago. I am 56 years old, so I was out of the window to just be diagnosed, and my symptoms mimicked a major heart attack. When I was obviously in distress, and all my cardiac enzymes and EKG were normal, it was thought that I was brewing a major stroke, so they began looking for a blood clot. They found two lesions in my brain, however no lesions on my spine. I am very fortunate to have a diagnosis; I have an internist and a neurologist that were incredible, especially considering that I had never met either of them before being admitted via the ER.

For several years I had been following the Eat Right 4 your Type eating plan based on blood type. I happen to be type 0, the original blood type. Therefore, I fit into the hunter gatherer group, and yes, you guessed it, a Paleolithic diet. I always knew I felt better on the plan, but it is rather restrictive, so I would adhere to the plan, and then fall off the wagon, so to speak. I told my husband while I was still in the hospital, that I always felt good on that plan, and planned to start on it as soon as I was discharged. The day I got home, I started on that plan. Three weeks later, I visited our kids in San Diego, a trip that had been planned for months, I felt well enough to go, so I did. My daughter in law knew I was on a special diet, and, by chance, found your book for me. When I compared the MS Recovery Diet with my blood type diet, there's not a nickel's worth of difference!! I believe I have actually been treating my MS off and on for several years with that eating plan. I've always been a picky eater, and, in fact, when I first got the Eat Right 4 Your Type book and looked at the foods I was supposed to eat, I found that many of the foods that were considered beneficial for me were things that had always been my favorite foods. Interesting how our bodies figure out how to take care of us. I had two abscessed teeth in late January of this year, with two complications to follow the extractions, so, in the middle of winter ( I live north of Memphis), I had a horribly sore mouth, absolutely no energy, and, of course, was living on ice cream, mashed potatoes, and grits with cheese. No wonder I had an MS flare up!

Your book has been such a wonderful resource guide. I am a retired Registered Nurse, however, I never worked in neurology. I admit that I knew very little about MS, but, thanks to your book, I now can explain the disease to others in a much better way. I love the diet, have identified my trigger foods, and believe me, I won't stray again. I have always loved being outdoors and have been heavily involved in dog sports for the past 10 years, so I am outside a great deal of the time, and living and working with four Border Collies, I get plenty of exercise. So, plenty of sunshine and exercise. I was doing what I needed, just didn't know it. I've always been a high energy person, but am now teaching myself to rest before I'm exhausted. I see the MS as a blessing in my life. I'm more appreciative of each day, and feel that I'm honoring my body more, rather than taking it for granted.

Among the many things I learned from the book was the food diary. I suppose since I didn't realize I was treating my MS with my eating plan according to blood type, it never occurred to me that I was actually allergic to certain foods. Quite honestly, I thought I had mild irritable bowel syndrome (self diagnosed, as many nurses have a tendency to do). In retrospect, what I thought was IBS, is more than likely MS. I realized that when I started the food diary. Those IBS symptoms plagued me from about my mid-thirties, UNTIL I started on the MS recovery diet. When on the blood type diet only, I greatly minimized the IBS "flare ups", but still had them off and on, probably because I thought I was eating that plan to feel better, not because I was actually treating something. It was a great way to rationalize not strictly adhering to the plan. Now, I know better, having identified specific foods. In fact, I realize now that my little group of MS symptoms most often start with stomach cramps and diarrhea. Being so accustomed to that, it was easy for me to ignore them, so my body decided I needed something else, that's when the dizziness started. It was intermittent, and I found several reasons for it, so I still ignored things for a couple of months. I think by then, my body decided I needed a real wake up, so I got heart attack symptoms!! Sometimes we just have to listen a bit more closely!

Again, thank you so much for this wonderful book.. Last month, when I took my car in for service, I was talking with the service writer and telling him about my recent hospitalization. Well, he has a friend with MS, and is getting a copy of your book for his friend!

I have known Judi for many years and as a health care professional was sad that I could not help her. I know she has tried many different avenues to heal herself. I hated that she had MS and what it was doing to her. However, I am so happy to hear how well she is doing with this diet, etc. Congratulations on the book! You and Ann will help many with MS. I will definitely recommend it for my clients with MS.

Kathy Moncure MSN CFNP