Right diet may be the best way to beat multiple sclerosis and sizzle too August 27, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Diet - the right diet for MS, what you need to eat.Tags: Add new tag
5 comments
Drop dead gorgeous from eating right.
Realistically, the best medicines in the world are unlikely to make you well if you have a lousy diet. A good diet is essential for those with MS, just as it is essential for everyone, but those with MS are wise to be extra careful about what they eat. Studies show some foods may make MS worse and others seem to help reduce MS symptoms. The right diet will help you keep your sizzle and even make you look more youthful and more attractive. In other words, you can forget disability and start thinking about wellness and being classy.
Numerous studies have shown a relationship between diet and MS. Dr. Roy Swank, a professor and neurologist at a university’s medical school in Oregon, believed that eating too much saturated fat helps cause MS. Other studies have found, MS is more frequent where Vitamin D deficiencies are common, when too much animal fat is consumed and even when too many sweets are eaten. At the same time, one study shows that eating whole grains and fruits and vegetables helps protect against MS.
Most important for those with MS, Dr. Swank studied the impact of diet on MS patients. He found that those who followed a low-fat, ultra healthy diet he planned, often lived normal lives. In fact, he wrote that 95% of patients who started following his diet shortly after diagnosis never became disabled. In contrast, he reported those who did not eat a healthy low-fat diet, often became disabled and died at a relatively young age.
Dr. Swank carefully defined what a low-fat diet is because he was so concerned about the impact of saturated fats on those with MS. His diet prohibits eating of more than 15 grams of saturated fats each day and recommends eating of only 20 to 50 grams of unsaturated fats each day. Of course, Dr. Swank’s diet also prohibits eating of any transfats, monoglycerides and diglycerides because the health problems caused by these are well known.
I believe I have no visible symptoms today because way back in 1992, shortly after I was diagnosed I found information on Swank’s theories about a low-fat, ultra-healthy diet and started following his advice. (I take no drugs.) Best of all, you can try his advice for free. You can borrow his classic book from your local library using an interlibrary loan if necessary. Otherwise, you can buy is book at a modest price at Amazon.com. His book is entitled The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book by Roy Laver Swank. This book is so important for anyone with MS that it should be required reading. If you read nothing else about MS, this is the book to read.
If the opportunity for better health is not enough to get you to try Dr. Swank’s diet for a few months, please consider this: his diet will make you look better than you have ever looked. When you start eating the right fats, taking fish or cod liver oil, taking a few low-cost supplements, and eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you are going to be surprised at the difference in your appearance in a few months. Dr. Swank’s diet is precise, though, so be prepared to be precise when following it. Cheating is not a good idea.
An excellent web site that includes important information, including dietary recommendations prepared by a doctor, is Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis, prepared by Dr. George Jelinek who is also a professor of medicine. Dr. Jelinek has MS himself and believes most can minimize MS symptoms with the right life style choices. Of the many books I have read on MS, I most highly recommend those by Dr. Swank and Dr. Jelinek. Please note, though, that the recommendations of Dr. Swank and Dr. Jelinek do differ somewhat. I use combination of ideas from both. I tend to follow Dr. Swank’s recommendations on diet and Dr. Jelinek’s recommendations on supplements.
In summary, I’m not the only one who thinks the odds you can beat MS are good if you eat a healthy diet and follow the other advice included here. A couple of professors agree with much of what is included here. So, best wishes in changing your life style. Eat healthy to live healthy and look drop dead gorgeous!
I will include more information on how you can maximize your sizzle in upcoming blogs.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Is that veggie juice or what? (Er, I do not think so.)
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, Diet – the right diet for MS, Fatigue, Fish Oil, Food, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition, Prevent, Rebif, Relapses, Sizzle, Tysabri
Cigarette smoking and multiple sclerosis — scary stuff June 19, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Smoking - why it is important to quit to avoid MS and disability.Tags: Cigarettes, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Smoking
1 comment so far
Freedom from smoking is essential. Smoking seems to help cause MS and makes MS symptoms worse. Dumping the stinky sticks makes you healthy and glamorous.
Unfortunately, cigarette smoking seems to be part of the multiple sclerosis (MS) picture for some patients. Studies have shown that cigarette smoking increases the chances of getting MS and seems to make MS worse. If you smoke, it is important to quit.
The amount by which cigarette smoking increases the likelihood of getting multiple sclerosis is not small. One study showed that smoking increases by the chances of getting multiple sclerosis by 27 percent. A related issue is found in another study showing that it is more difficult for doctors to diagnose MS in smokers so a delayed diagnosis leads to unnecessary delays in treatment. Most frightening, even children who are exposed to second hand smoke are more likely to develop MS.
For those who already have MS, smoking is also scary. The studies show that smoking increases the amount of disability in MS and seems to encourage the onset of progressive multiple sclerosis from which there is no relapses.
The increases in disability for smokers with MS vary with the amount smoked. Those who smoke less than one pack a day become more disabled than nonsmokers and heavy smokers of two or more packs per day become the most disabled of all. An earlier study showed that, in addition to the general increase in disability among smokers with MS, smoking even causes a temporary decrease in motor functions after a cigarette is smoked.
When it comes to MS, smoking is scary. If you do smoke, this is the time to promise yourself you will free yourself from this expensive and unhealthy habit. You owe it to yourself and your family, especially the children in your family, to protect yourself and others from harmful effects of smoking. Also, please remember that if you do not smoke, it is important to avoid second hand smoke.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Hoover
Another story of beating MS–from England March 20, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Testimonials - stories from real people who have beaten MS.8 comments
March 2009 photograph of Julie Calder practicing yoga at age 43--taken 11 months after starting an MS diet. Julie says she believes the diet not only helped her get rid of MS symptoms, it also improved her appearance.
From Julie in England: I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) on September 4, 2004, but I had been having symptoms since about September 2000. My first symptoms were tingling in my fingers and toes and a sensation of sunburn down my right leg, for no apparent reason. These were dismissed as “probably a virus” by my primary care physician. In subsequent years, I suffered from inexplicable tiredness, which I now know was MS fatigue.
In 2003, I had problems with my vision and I was diagnosed with “convergence weakness” and given eye exercises to do—these did not seem to help much. By this time, we also knew that my sister had MS and her case was severe. She had been hospitalized, had temporarily lost the sight in one eye, and was finding it difficult to walk. This was when I started to research whether MS was genetically related or not and I discovered that I had about a 1 in 40 chance of getting MS, because my sister had MS.
Next I experienced dizzy spells and hand tremors; and I saw a specialist. He did not think I had MS (he thought it was myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome) because I could still walk in a straight line and stop my hands from shaking if I concentrated hard enough–for a few minutes, anyway). I asked him to order an MRI scan–he agreed “just to set my mind at rest”. Later he said, “you could have knocked me down with a feather” when he saw the white areas of demyelination on my brain scan. I had to pester him for the result of my MRI, and I eventually received my MS diagnosis–over the telephone!
My eyesight seemed to improve of its own accord, but I started losing my sense of taste, which was very strange and a bit worrying. Also, I was under a great deal of stress. My Mum was ill with lung cancer which upset me a great deal, because we were very close. It was while I was going back and forth to Manchester to see her in hospital that I realized that I was suffering from a new symptom—foot drop! This meant that I had a noticeable limp and I was no longer able to walk long distances. My eyesight became weaker again, but only for a few months.
To cut a long story short, my Mum passed away in January 2005, at age 62. My Dad, my two brothers, my sister and I were all devastated. Sadly, my Mum’s death seemed to send my sister with MS into a downward spiral of many relapses followed by incomplete remissions. My Dad never got over Mum’s death, and he subsequently passed away less than two years later at age 69, of pancreatic cancer.
To add to my stress, two days after my Dad’s funeral, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer and he was operated on just before Christmas, 2006. From the beginning, however, he was determined to fight the cancer; and he inspired me to fight my MS. We had a difficult time while he went through six months of chemotherapy, but we survived to tell the tale and I remained stable.
It has now been just over two years since my husband’s operation and his most recent CT scan gave him the “all clear”. Needless to say, we and our three sons (ages 15, 12 and 10), are feeling a lot happier and we are all enjoying life again!
My MS, however, continued to be problematic. Then, last year, I came across George Jelinek’s book; and I was impressed with his well-researched ideas about diet and how to live your life to “take control of multiple sclerosis”. I have been on his diet ever since. My first improvements, after starting his diet, involved reduced fatigue and less anxiety. Prior to starting his diet, I often felt anxious–worrying about day-to-day things–very much out of proportion to the likelihood of them actually occurring. A few months after starting the diet, I actually felt my spirits had been “uplifted”. Before long, I also realized that my foot drop was considerably reduced and I had loads more energy! My balance problems and problems with hand tremors also disappeared almost completely. I was thrilled.
Six months after starting the diet, I realized that I was not taking enough Vitamin D, so I increased my dose from 1,000 IU to 5000 IU; and wow! It was as though I had taken another quantum leap up the scale to good health! I have now been on the diet for 10 months, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone with MS.
I should mention that I do exercise and this helps me feel strong and the exercise addresses specific problems. For example, I swim about once a month, do yoga once a week and do exercises every night to strengthen my ankles and feet.
I am trying to persuade my sister to go on the same diet, because she is now able to walk only with a walker. I think my suggestions are starting to get through – she is now taking Vitamin D and Omege-3 fatty acids, but probably not enough yet.
Here is a summary of what I take each day:
Methyl B-12 1,000 mg
Vitamin D3 5,000 IU
Vitamin B complex (contains 2 mg Vitamin B6, and 200 mg of folic acid),
Omega-3 from fish oil 1,000 mg
15- 20 ml flaxseed oil
1, 200 mg soya lecithin (I take this to keep my brain as healthy as possible–this is the result of my own research and is not based on George Jelinek’s recommendations)
Amantadine (This is a Parkinson’s disease drug, which is given to some MS patients to help combat fatigue. It works in about 60% of cases and it certainly helps me. However, the real fatigue breakthrough came when I started George’s diet. By the way, amantadine is also an anti-viral, so I get few colds.)
Here is a brief summary of the dietary rules I follow:
- Eat absolutely NO red meat, however I still have chicken (breast only) about two times a week–this is more in keeping with Dr. Roy Swank’s diet (Dr. Jelinek suggests no meat, except fish, at all).
- Eat lots of fish, especially mackerel, tuna, salmon, lemon sole and prawns (yum!).
- Eat absolutely NO dairy products, not even cheese if I can avoid it. I use soya milk with my cereal in the mornings (porridge with apple and raisins, usually). I eat brown bread with seeds on top.
Julie Calder often cooks tasty ultra healthy food with a wok. Her family benefits from eating right too. Photograph taken March 2009. (P.S. Notice how cute Julie looks--a good diet does that!)
To accompany the fish or chicken I eat, I have rice, pasta or potatoes and whatever vegetables I fancy, usually broccoli, cabbage, carrots, mange-tout, and onions. I sometimes saute or stir-fry vegetables with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, or bake them in the oven after coating them with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil first.
I also eat absolutely loads of tomatoes and red and green peppers, especially in my Italian-style dishes. I add tomatoes to my curries, along with cardamon, cumin, garlic, chilis, and peppers. To my Chinese-style dishes, along with baby sweet corn, I add soy sauce, ginger etc.
If I need something sweet, I have either alpro-soya yogurts or alpro-chocolate or caramel desserts. Alternatively, I have fruit with either alpro-soya cream or non-dairy ice-cream (Swiss glace).
For snacks I have fruit or Mrs. Crimble’s low-fat ginger cake or Dutch apple cake, or oatbars with cranberries and apple.
I love cooking and I have never once felt deprived.
If you met me, you would not know I have MS—I am much healthier than I was before I started following Jelinek’s and Swank’s recommendations. I still have MS (for example, I still experience foot drop after walking a couple of miles) but I also now have hope. I believe that my children will be glad their Mum is taking care of herself. My improved health makes life much easier for everyone.
Julie Calder
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Diet, Exercise, Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition, MS
Another story of beating MS by a Seattle Swank fan March 19, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Testimonials - stories from real people who have beaten MS.2 comments
I was diagnosed in July of 1991 with relapsing/remitting MS. I had lost sensation in the fingers of both hands, and I had tingling in the hands and toes and a numb face and neck. The doctor who diagnosed me was less than gentle, he said “Well you either have a brain tumor or MS, but we won’t know until the MRI results come back on Tuesday.” It was the Thursday before a long July 4th weekend, the longest four days of my life! When the doctor saw the MRI results he handed me some pamphlets, wished me luck, and said “You’ll need to prepare for life in a wheelchair.”
The year after diagnosis was rough–dizzy spells, foot drop, double vision, deep depression, divorce, discrimination at my job of 10 years. I took a two week course of prednisolone for the double vision. Other than that, I have not been on any meds. There were no MS specific drugs at the time. I did try marijuana, although it was somewhat effective in relieving bladder spasticity it left me with a dry mouth, heavy fatigue, and lethargy. (Dr. Swank even mentions this in his book.)
Dr. Swank was putting on an informational seminar sometime around the summer of 1992 here in Seattle. The information was intriguing. I signed up for a consultation at his clinic in Portland, became a patient and traveled there twice a year until he retired. I adopted his program as a lifestyle more than a treatment. Doing so allowed me to take control of my health, becoming an active participant in life rather than a victim of disease.
After just a few weeks on the Swank MS Diet, my vision cleared up and my balance returned to near normal. After two years, my tests were coming back in the normal range. I have had no major problems since then and my most recent MRI showed only very small lesions in just a few places. (At diagnosis there were dozens, and one was the size of a quarter right on the top of my spine.) I have been in remission since 1993.
Recently I switched jobs and have found it impossible to take the mid-day nap Dr. Swank recommends–other than that I follow the recommendations in his book to the letter. Over the years I’ve slipped a few times, such as while on vacation or at a family holiday gathering. (After 17 years some of my family still do not get it! I usually bring my own food.)
I am 45 years old now, have a five year old son who keeps me busy in the evenings.
I’m not completely symptom free, but have learned to live with the few quirks the disease brings, like a super active bladder and occasional fatigue. Although not currently doing it, I did bi-weekly injections of vitamin B-12 for several years.
SeattleSwankFan
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Another neat story: in her 70’s and still beating MS February 16, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Testimonials - stories from real people who have beaten MS.3 comments
Stories from all generations point the way: the way to beat MS is to follow a healthy low-fat diet, rest when needed, exercise and have goals.
Julie Calder introduces this story: Doreen is a wonderful woman who is in her seventies, very strong and an inspiration to me. I first spoke to her when I was starting the George Jelinek diet–we compared notes and found similarities.
She strongly encouraged me to stick to the diet. I have never forgotten how she told me that when she was first diagnosed, she could not even walk to the end of her garden, without having to crawl back and that her doctors were ready to confine her to a wheelchair! She told me it was after she changed her own diet to a low-fat diet and made other lifestyle changes, she started recovering.
Nowadays, she walks for miles with her dog, Murphy, nearly every day. Just recently, she phoned me to tell me that her doctor had said that she had “cured herself”. She described herself as “the lady who used to have MS”.
Here’s her story in her own words–
I am not going to list the symptoms of MS, we all know those and it is not helpful to raise agitation in those already suffering from them. Neither am I going to list seemingly endless supplements as these are very expensive and not everyone is able to afford them. True, I took Vitamin E, B complete, lecithin, blue fish oil and had an injection of B12 once a month for many years, and no doubt derived much benefit.
I avoided all meat, dairy products, sugar, white flour and all processed foods. A diet which we would all benefit from following.
My MS was diagnosed over thirty years ago in the Maidavale hospital in London by the then leading neurologist in the country–Mr. Henson.
I had hitherto led an active, very public and professional life and the years that followed were filled with feelings of isolation and desolation. I remember one day standing alone watching a little stream flowing under a bridge near my home and I prayed aloud that a friend might be found for me and that friend proved to be the catalyst for my total healing.
This is a story that was to span over thirty years. She was/is a yoga teacher and together we met the fear, despair, frustration and everything else that goes along with this debilitating condition.
I had never experienced unconditional love before, i.e., love that first gives and asks for nothing in return, and it was this love that set the wheels of healing in motion. Today, I have forgotten all about MS and am fitter than I have ever been in my life.
“And there remain three things. Faith, Hope and Love and the greatest of these is Love”
I struggled with an exercise bicycle twice a day, practised my yoga and found a balance between rest and exercise. I sought the help of the late Ted Fricker–world famous healer and kept my eyes forever fixed on simple goals. On my darkest days I refused to believe that I was beaten. I knew beyond doubt that I would once again, walk my dog. Today, we think nothing of five miles.
It takes a lot of effort and a lot of courage, but it can be done. I did it and so can you.
Doreen Kirby
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Multiple Sclerosis, MS, Diet, Exercise
Your help is needed–help others with MS live to the fullest January 24, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Your help is needed. Please help others beat MS by carefully educating yourself and then by spreading the word on the importance of healthy living steps such as the Swank MS Diet.
Whether you have had multiple sclerosis for only a short period of time or for a longer period of time, your help is needed. Please help spread the word to others with MS–others need to know that lifestyle makes a difference. Please take the time to study what those with MS can do to be as healthy and happy as possible, and then please share information on the importance of following a healthy diet such as the Swank MS Diet, taking needed supplements to prevent deficiencies, getting enough sleep and rest, and following the other steps in the plan.
You can help others and make a real difference.
There are four ways of spreading the word that are important. First, please talk to others you know who have MS. Share information with them about this web site and about the web sites linked to this site such as the Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis site by Dr. George Jelinek. Please let others who have MS know you care and are committed to helping others with MS feel as well as possible. Let others know about the excellent books by Dr. Roy Swank and Dr. George Jelinek.
Second, please tell your own story. Once you have followed a diet such as the Swank MS Diet or Jelinek’s recommendations, please write down how you felt before starting the diet and how the diet seemed to help you. Also, please share your experience with basic health promoting steps such as exercise. Others need to hear that these basic, simple, low-cost steps make the world of difference and are even miraculously effective. For example, in my own case, at age 59, if I did not eat a healthy diet, take a few needed supplements to prevent nutritional deficiencies, sleep enough, exercise, etc., it is doubtful that I would appear to be in glowing good health. When you are successful, others need to hear of your success too.
Third, please send me your story and I will include it on my web site. And, don’t worry, your story need not be written perfectly. I can edit it for you and make you look brilliant.
Fourth, please consider starting your own yahoo group at groups.yahoo.com so that you and others with MS can share your efforts to live with MS in the healthiest possible way. A group of five to 20 members is ideal for sharing support and developing close friendships. Also, a group such as this can help you find answers to questions and stay motivated.
By changing your life style and by encouraging others to do the same, you can help change the world and make the world a better place–for yourself and others. When you take good care of yourself, you will feel better, you will make life easier for your friends and family, and you will even help dramatically reduce the cost of health care. When you encourage others to take care of themselves using the steps outlined here, the benefits can start to spread and grow.
Your help is needed.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Multiple Sclerosis, MS, Diet, Exercise
Obesity and multiple sclerosis – what’s the relationship? January 5, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Uncategorized.add a comment
While obesity does not cause multiple sclerosis (MS), obesity is what doctors call a comorbidity, a health problem that coexists with another condition. Obesity complicates MS in two ways.
First, research shows that obesity makes diagnosis of MS more difficult and delays diagnosis of MS. Because obesity can be frequently accompanied by numbness, for example, doctors may guess that a patient’s numbness is the result of obesity rather than MS. The delay in diagnosis of MS is problematic, however, because the delay means a delay in treatment of MS.
Second, obesity makes coping with MS more difficult. While obese MS patients need exercise and a healthy diet more than most to prevent heart disease, this exercise requires extra effort. If MS patients are obese, they need extra encouragement to reduce weight and get needed aerobic exercise.
It is especially important to note that the same diet that can lead to obesity, also probably makes MS worse. Studies show that eating diets high in saturated fats is likely to make MS worse while eating healthy fats and a healthy diet seems to improve outcomes. Eating right is important for everyone–it is doubly important for those with MS. Please see my post about eating right for more information.
If you have MS or think you might have MS and are overweight, the sooner you address physical fitness the healthier you will be. Addressing obesity is important because research shows that obese MS patients are more likely to experience moderate rather than mild disability early after diagnosis. Please read the post on eating healthy and check out the Swank MS Diet. The next thing, you know you will be feeling better than you have felt in years. And you will be looking gorgeous too–healthy eating and living do that for you.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Multiple Sclerosis, MS, Obesity, Diet, Exercise
What healthy fats are best for multiple sclerosis? January 2, 2009
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Diet - the right diet for MS, what you need to eat, Uncategorized.3 comments
Be sure to have some fish oil with omega-3s and a fatty acid called linoleic acid every day. Linoleic acid is found in sunflower seeds, safflower oil, etc.
Because epidemiological evidence shows that saturated fat consumption is linked to high rates of multiple sclerosis (MS), everyone who has studied even a little bit about fats and MS knows that saturated fats should be kept to less than 15 grams per day in the diet. Other than that, however, what kinds of fats should be included?
First, researchers have often found that fish oil and its omega-3 fats seem to be helpful for multiple sclerosis–based on both epidemiological studies and experiments. I recommend at least six grams of fish oil each day containing about 2 grams of omega-3s each day. For more information on how fish oil may help MS and make you sexy too, please see my post: Fish oil makes you sexy and helps MS.
Next, a number of experiments suggests that linoleic acid, a fat found in safflower and sunflower seeds, etc. may help MS. For example, one experiment showed that while linoleic acid in the diet did not decrease the number of relapses, it did help make relapses more mild and it did help delay disability. The evidence is strong enough that the National Health Service in England recommends use of linoleic acid by MS patients. I personally eat about 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds to secure some linoleic acid each day. Other sources of linoleic acid include walnuts.
Other helpful oils include olive oil. While there is no evidence that olive oil helps treat or prevent MS, there is plenty of evidence that olive oil is good for overall health.
When using oils, it should be remembered that oils should not be heated too much or reused. To keep oils from getting too hot, water can be added to pans in which oils are heated. Also, oils that are rancid should never be used.
Eating the right oils in the right amount is essential for those with MS. For additional information on the right diet for MS, please see my post on: Right diet may be the best way to beat MS and sizzle too.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Beat, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Linoleic Acid, Oils, Fats
Yes, you can have beauty (or rugged good looks) on an MS budget December 15, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Uncategorized.add a comment
You can dress with class on an MS (recession) budget.
It is no secret that many with MS end up on a tight budget. That does not mean, however, that good looks have to go out the door. There are many low-cost ways to look good and be good to the environment too. What could be better than that?
Here are some tips to look good and save the world at the same time.
Good looks start inside – All good looks come from the basics: a healthy low-fat diet, exercises, a few supplements if needed and a good heart. Nothing will get you looking better faster than the Swank MS Diet, some exercise, enough rest, some Vitamin B12 and D3 supplements if needed and a generous heart. These will make your hair thick and shiny, your eyes sparkle and even your skin smooth and silky.
Fortunately, a healthy diet costs no more than an unhealthy diet. When you learn to love the basics such as brown rice, for example, you will look better, be healthier and even make the world a healthier place. I eat organic food whenever possible and save money by doing that. Because the food is so delicious, I have almost no wasted food. At the same time, I know my organic food makes the world a better place and helps agricultural workers live longer (some now die by age 50 because of agricultural chemcials).
Environmentally responsible clothing – Part of looking good is dressing right. This means buying only clothing that does not harm the environment or waste needed resources. Good clothing is always made of fabrics that were once alive (wool, cotton, silk, rayon, etc.) and it does not contain fabrics coming from oil products (polyester, nylon, etc.).
Even better, is using recycled clothing–from friends, relatives or even thrift shops. These clothes all have inherited charm and are very classy. They will save the environment and your pocket book at the same time. Even movie stars wear recycled clothing. Join in and your looks will reflect your classy behavior.
Hair gel – You can make your own low-cost hair gel by buying unflavored gelatin at a grocery store, mixing it with hot water, and storing the mixture in the refrigerator. If you wash your hair four times a week, a good recipe to use is 1/4 cup hot water and 1/4 teaspoon gelatin. This means a box of gelatin will last you for months. The mixed gelatin does need to be stored in the refrigerator because, of course, it has no preservatives.
You will be surprised at how silky your hair will feel when you use this gel. It is a bit difficult to apply to your hair but the results are worth the trouble. There is no better hair gel than this mixture you can make yourself for almost nothing. Best of all with no preservatives and no perfume (perfume is really just laden with a bunch of chemicals), your homemade gel is good for your health and good for the health of the world.
Lip gloss – You can make a low cost lip gloss by buying a small container of vaseline from a drug or grocery store and combining some vaseline with a small amount of lipstick leftover from a near empty tube of lipstick. Just melt some vaseline and lipstick, stir together and put in a small container such as a cute little jelly jar that would otherwise be discarded by a restaurant. And again, this is good for the world. There is no waste for excessive packaging and no new chemicals added to the world.
Liberate your skin – If you wear foundation and powder, think about giving them and all of the chemicals they contain the heave ho. You will save money and make yourself and your skin healthier. A little concealer, a single skin-toned eyeshadow, some eyeliner, some mascara, and a little blush can be applied quickly and is all of the makeup most ever need.
Check out healthy products from the Environment Working Group – The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a data base on personal care products you can use to check out which makeups, lotions, etc., contain downright scary chemicals. You can look for healthy products so you can save your own health and the environment at the same time.
Being generous – An attitude of generosity and sharing makes you look beautiful too. There is nothing attractive about people so greedy they have shriveled up like raisins or become unnecessarily obese. Of course, this does not mean you should be overly generous or allow others to take advantage of you. If you have a problem here, you can go for counseling or join a support group. We all have faults and faults can be overcome with some support. When you combine some common sense with a soft heart and a willingness to share, you will end up looking good and being good.
Looking good and being environmentally responsible will make you popular -- a smart approach.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Multiple Sclerosis, Nutrition, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, MS, Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, Rebif, Diet, Swank
For those with MS, Internet discussion boards and chatrooms are usually a bad deal December 15, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Uncategorized.2 comments
Spending too much time on the Internet makes everyone depressed. Face-to-face support is rewarding and fun.
Unfortunately, for those with MS, the use of Internet discussion boards and chatrooms is usually not a good idea. One exception is looking at these boards and chatrooms as a way to possibly uncover the side effects of medications and treatments. For example, some of the drugs for MS cause hair loss, yet this is often not mentioned by doctors or pharmaceutical companies. Other than using the boards and chatrooms to find information on side effects, the boards and chatrooms are of limited value and can even lead to unwise and unhealthy decisions.
These problems occur in part because the online discussions are often frequented and even controlled by those who, because of psychological problems, are only imagining they have MS. Problems also occur when fake doctors find their way to these discussions, when sellers of quack cures are looking to make a quick buck, when hustlers prey on the natural sympathies most of us have, because group members sometimes encourage others to engage in unhealthy behavior and because the knowledge of group members is often dangerously limited.
The problem with control of discussions by individuals who do not have MS occurs because some individuals with psychological problems seek attention by faking MS symptoms. Such individuals have often been told by their doctors and neurologists that they do not have MS but these individuals will often persist in saying that they have “probable MS”.
Such individuals are not necessarily easy to identify in Internet discussion groups. Often they will come off as charming and supportive–at least until they are no longer the center of attention. The advice they give, however, is usually poor. Because they seek drama, they encourage others to have dramatic treatments. Why take an aspirin when a chemo drug may be thrown at a problem? Also, sadly, a lot of these fakers are psychologically sick and consistently recommend dubious treatments that involve considerable discomfort or pain for those with MS. One such faker recommends those with MS have all of their amagam fillings removed, have chelation treatments viewed as unnecesary by doctors, undergo detoxing which enemas and other uncomfortable methods, and endure the hunger caused by fasting. These MS fakers do resort to bullying to get their way. Unfortunately, bullying is common in Internet discussions.
Other fakers in discussion groups include fake doctors. These individuals will call themselves doctors but they are not medical doctors and have limited knowledge of multiple sclerosis. The person may have a mail order PhD degree or some other degree actually requiring little training.
The fake doctors may be looking to make money off of desperate MS patients. After they have participated for a short period of time, they may offer a miracle cure for sale. Or they may encourage discussion participants to use their services. If all of the miracle cures that have been sold actually worked, no one would still have MS.
Others also participate with an eye to quick profits. It is not uncommon to see hustlers trying to sell various miracle juices or supplements that supposedly cure MS. Or a more sophisticated ruse is to build a web site, sell advertising based on the web site and then use discussion groups to generate visits to the site. In this case, page views at the web site add up to additional advertising dollars.
Finally, there are those who try to get money out of others without offering anything other than a good sob story. While many with MS are impoverished, a wary attitude towards those requesting money from other members of discussion groups is appropriate. Some of those requesting money do not even have MS and should be out looking for a job.
Another group of problematic individuals active in Internet discussions are individuals with addictions–usually alcohol, drug or food related. These individuals are problematic because they will tell newcomers that factors such as drinking alcohol or diet do not matter even though doctors treating patients with MS know different. For example, doctors know it is difficult to cope with both obesity or malnutrition and MS. Diet matters.
Last but not least, there are individuals who are honest, loving and caring but who have such limited knowledge that their input is often not helpful. For example, one patient in a discussion group described symptoms that sounded like a heart attack but another person said these symptoms sound like MS and suggested that the person with the chest pain rest. The person with the chest pain should have been advised to see a doctor immediately.
It is important to remember that Internet discussions cannot replace face-to-face contact with others and real social support. If you feel lonely and socially isolated because of MS, call your MS society and ask for advice on how you can break out this loneliness. Or call a church and other group you trust and ask for help. Maybe a change in jobs or housing is needed so it is easier to maintain contacts with others and develop new friends.
Also, if you do feel lonely, promise yourself that you will do something to break out of isolation. Unfortunately, use of the Internet for more than a limited amount of time increases depression. This is the last thing you need when you are already coping with MS.
Remember, real face-to-face friends make life vibrant, fun and enjoyable. Don’t settle for some largely illusionary friends and lousy advice on the Internet. You deserve better than this.
Also remember that the articles you read on how great Internet discussions are have been carefully placed by businesses trying to make money. These businesses are not going to tell you about the many real problems involved in Internet-based discussions. These businesses are not going to tell you about the MS fakers, the hustlers, the alcoholics, the very obese, or all of the bad advice. These businesses are also not going to tell you of the many individuals who participate frequently in online forums because they have such severe psychological problems that they have no friends in the real world.
Again, remember, real face-to-face friends make life vibrant, fun and enjoyable. Don’t settle for some largely illusionary friends and lousy advice on the Internet. You deserve better than this.
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Beat, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Internet, Addiction, Depression, Bullies
Exercise is needed to beat multiple sclerosis September 30, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Hoover in Exercise - why you need it and what you need.add a comment
Exercise makes you sizzle -- feel better, grow new brain cells and look drop dead cute!
It is counterintuitive but the exercise is a necessity for those with multiple sclerosis (MS). It evokes what is called brain plasticity and neurological plasticity–this is the ability of the brain and neurological system to regrow and re-wire itself. Research shows that those with MS who exercise have fewer symptoms, are stronger, have less fatigue, sleep better and even do better on cognitive tests (thinking tests) than those who do not exercise.
If you are tired and fatigued but cannot sleep at night, you probably need more exercise. Likewise, if you look out of shape, exercise will make you look good and feel good. Talk to your doctor and even ask for a referral to a physical therapist if needed. Different types of exercises will help you recover any lost abilities.
Research shows aerobic exercise such as brisk walking or biking will increase your cardiovascular health and help MS. It will also help you sleep better at night, feel less fatigue and have more stamina. It will even help with leg spasticity. I walk more than one hour five days each week.
There are many strength building exercises and these will lift your mood and give you a great, attractive shape. A physical therapist can teach exercises tailored to your needs. Or, you might want to consider lifting weights. I have a set of exercises I do three times a week. I do curls, overhead lifts, and bench presses, and other lifts. I also do some crunches, leg lifts and even some exercises that keep my derriere looking great. I have some special exercises I do that relieve the problems I have from arthritis in an ankle.
Balance exercises do help also. A physical therapist taught me a couple and I add these to my daily routine.
Finally, the niftiest exercises for those with MS are stretching exercises. If you have pain in your feet, legs or hips, a combination of stretching and strength building exercises may often resolve the pain–without any use of drugs!
Exercise is definitely one of the building blocks needed in an ultra healthy life style for MS. I love exercise because, even at 59, it makes me look great and feel sizzling. It can help you sizzle too and even grow new brain cells!
Please let me know if you find my blog helpful. Please add a comment. What did you like? What would you like added? Thanks! Together we can change the way the world views MS.
Please remember to consult your doctors about how to stay as healthy as possible. Nothing here should be interpreted as medical advice. Instead, please use the information you find here in your discussions with your doctor.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Hoover
Tags: Exercise, Fatigue, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Sizzle, Sleep
