Escaping the Red Zone of MS

Sometimes this is not very easy to do, keeping your clothes on, with MS. Summer months are brutal and just hiding out by the AC doesn't cut it for most folks. Planning ahead with cooling devices is best but sometimes we simply wake up in the "red zone", inflamed and sensitive, a red flag for a relapse.

When I'm in the Red Zone the first thing done is to rate the shade of red. Am I getting a little pink or have I fried myself?

And then ask myself why?

• What did I do yesterday?
• What did I eat?
• What was the temperature?
• How did I sleep?
• What's on my agenda today?

What can I do now to move into the "Blue Zone"?

Hanging by water is a great option. Pools, rivers, lakes, oceans provide instant relief from warmer temperatures. But not all of us have this opportunity nor can we often remove our clothes to cool off so improvise we must.
Quick tips:

• Cool shower. Even Luke warm is fine. Just hop in the shower for instant cool down.
• Wet bandanna around cooling points: neck, wrists, ankles
• Ice water, drink it, pour it on your head, pour it down your shirt!

• Wet shirt, cool off body. Huge help in the Sahara when my guides put my shirt in the crocodile infested waters so I could cool off. They don't have ice on safari in Tanzania, FYI.
• Juice it! With Cooling, anti inflammatory and detoxing foods such as cucumber, apple, pineapple, etc.

• Visualize the Blue Zone:

Ahhhhh....feeling cooler already. Now, not to mess it up.

 

That means to watch diet and activities all day:

• Cooling foods
• Activities by AC
• Water, hydration
• Reduce stress and get those items checked off to-do list
• Have fun brainstorming on some new projects
• Find balance
• Be at peace
• Mellow in the "Green Zone"

So, How do you deal when you're in the Red Zone?

Originally posted in 2015. Still pertinent today in 2022! 

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Creating your own health: Using Diet & Nutrition to Treat MS

Probably one of my biggest factors in managing my MS symptoms is the use of diet and nutrition.  During my three years in the double-blind, T-cell study, back in 2001, my hopes were on nutrition and all things alternative.  I willingly went off all DMD in search of a cure for MS.  But then reality set in, and it was all engines forward in the battle of natural ways to fight the progression of this disease.

Sporting my flower peace wreath

There is a lot of incoming research on Diet and MS.  There are also some active clinical trials.

Click this out:  Here is my article on Diet as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Diet - or better yet, a nutritional protocol, is essential in my daily battle against MS.  If my daily intake has too much salt, too much caffeine, too much gluten, too many processed foods, then I will pay the price.  And while that price may not be paid that same day, trust you me that it will not forget and will rear its ugly head.  And, more often than not, all of the prices will want to be paid on the same day at the same time, wreaking complete havoc on your life.

Go for color when cooking and creating healthy menus 

Fresh lemon is key!  Use in water, tea, baths, etc.

 #refresh

Click here for my article on Diet as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Become friends with your body and find a new level of wellness.  

Welcome to living with multiple sclerosis.   As you know it often does not bode well for us MS patients.  Out diseases are random and progress willy nilly.  But there are modifiable risk factors that we can take into consideration to help us strive for the best life possible despite's our illness.  These risk factors include cigarette smoke, alcohol, nutrition, supplement intake, exercise, and other situations that we have control over.

~if need be - pee on it and walk away~

Cig smoking is bad.  Bottomline, cut it out.  Alcohol is considered OK in moderation.  Consult with your neurologist or medical expert.  Often people find that Vitamin D, B12 and Biotin can all be beneficial supplements.  In addition, the nrf2 activator, Protandim, is found to be great at fighting oxidative stress.

So, that brings us to Diet, or nutritional protocol.   Everyone is different so finding a protocol that works best for you is key.

Gluten free bread is an option.
Here it is paired with home-made soup and fresh salmon salad.

One person who is making a difference with diet and MS is Dr. Terry Wahls and her Wahl's Protocol. I had the great fortune of speaking with Dr. Wahls a few weeks ago for an article I was writing for Healthline.com - "Diet as a possible treatment for MS".   And wow!   So much great information going on with diet and MS.

The Wahl's Protocol is a modified paleolithic diet.  More about it click here. For those who do not know, Dr. Wahls has made diet a form of treatment for progressive MS.  Thank you Dr. Wahls!   I have been following and almost identical diet based on my own experience for over 15 years.  It is the number 1 "go to" when things are going bad with my MS.

And if you don't have fresh flowers, the fake ones are fun too!

First, I ask myself:  How is my diet?  Where am I going wrong?   And most of the time, this usually fixes it for m!   Like I say, everyone is different.  This is one reason I love the Wahl's Protocol - as it suggests elimination type diets to see what you personally are sensitive to and this is BIG!

Here is my article on Diet as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Here are some food common sensitivities:

Processed foods
Salt
Gluten
Red meat
Simple carbs
Sugar
Sodas
Diet anything / excitotoxins or NaStY for MS
Dairy....

FYI - I eat dairy.  Cheese.  I tried to take it out of my diet once and my boss told me to add it back as the rest of the staff was complaining about my horrid mood.  That was near 30 years ago and I haven't tried to remove it since~  I don't eat a lot of it but like it now and then.   I will willingly cut everything else out, before the cheese~

Lately I haven't been able to eat much meat.  My body, probably due to the warm summer months, is craving cooling salads and fresh fruit.  Unfortunately I like beer, especially in the summer months.  It's not the alcohol that bothers me but rather the carbs and gluten.  Talk about a weight gainer!  And then if I add bread....Oh dear save me.

Last winter I made the mistake of letting way too much beer, bread and gluten get into my diet.  Showing no restraint at all for about six months eventually led to a 15 pound weight gain, horrid dry skin and then the dreaded MS relapse!   Ugh.

My vertigo and vision got so bad that driving was out of the question...even just to a friends house.  Lethargic and inflamed my life consisted of laying in bed and "trying" to motivate.  Oh how I hate this feeling!   My skin was dry and eczema appeared all over.  Hair loss was abundant and my breath was so bad it even grossed me out.   What have I done?  So healthy last summer and then wowza, what a defeat brought on by my own weaknesses.

Time to make a change!

Feeling the summer spirit, light and fresh!

Nothing huge at first, just cut the carbs back down to no more than 10% of diet or so.  Eliminated processed foods again and removed gluten for the most part.  A little now and then does not bother me.  But a six pack of beer and loaf of bread is not considered moderation.   That's OK, the change feels good.

Back to juicing and healthy eating.  Beautiful summer produce combined with beans and grains cooked fresh are making the table.  Herbs from the garden and cheeses and meats from local farmers inspire this cook to create.


Some of recipes for your enjoyment:

Anti-inflammatory Rice Pudding

Obsessive Gaspacho 

Juice Recipes

Chia Pudding


Words of Advice:

Try different diets.  Work with nutritionists who understand MS and the different trending diets.  This is your health - it is your body.  Do not try whack-doodle eating schemes.  Try stuff that has worked for others, the key word being "try".  Give yourself a chance with different foods and see what you might be sensitive to.  Everyone is different!  

Add color and energy throughout your house with fresh flowers.

Here is my article on Diet as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. 

#takeTHATms!   

Surviving Summer

I wrote this a few years back. Upon reviewing it reminded me of many important tricks. I updated it, except school hasn’t started yet. But it will and in the meantime we can learn tips for surviving summer heat!

“Today is the first day of school for many students.  Wow do they start early!  For us it was always after Labor Day.  To start when temperatures can still reach 100F is not a pleasant thought.  What's worse is that the parents doing all the driving and cooking may have MS.  And, if that's the case, then that can be doubly difficult.

For us in Southern California the summer heat can easily stretch through to the beginning of October.  Usually by the middle of the month we are free and clear of 100F days.  But it's only August 14, so we have at least another six weeks of summer in these parts.“

Here are some suggestions to help us all survive that last warm weeks of summer:

EATING RIGHT:  SUPERHERO SALAD

Cook light, healthy and with efficiency.  High protein and lots of produce can help make the summer more tolerable.  Another trick is the use of some key ingredients such as apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast.  

"What is best for anyone with a compromised health system is to eat with efficiency. For folks living with MS in the summer heat, this means foods rich in minerals and nutrients, anti-inflammatory foods, and those with cooling or neutral energies." 

KEEPING YOUR COOL:  RITUALS FOR SUMMER

Read this article for tricks that will help you stay calm and relaxed throughout the day while still taking advantage of the long hours. Select the rituals that feel right for you, then create daily habits of them to make the most of your summer.

If the heat is too much - than stay in side and play some video games.  Some of them are actually quite good for us!

Click here to read the which video games can help.  

More articles by Caroline Craven on MangoHealth.com:

How do you say #takethatMS in the summer?