Girl with MS Support Group & BelongMS are here to help!

Help!   I definitely need extra support during these epic times.  How about you?  


As many of you know, my focus is Conquering MS with Self-Care.  Self-Care means a lot to different people but for me it represents a combination of awareness, education, action, and medical expertise.  As people living with MS, the need for social connection is essential in keeping us sane. At least it is for me!  


One of my most asked questions is “Do you use an app or other social media to help with your MS?” And the answer is Yes. 

I’ve used and tried different apps and social media outlets over the years and each has slightly different offerings and options.  After being shut down by facebook due to a hacker, (My story here) I knew I needed something more reliable.  

For my current life with MS, I have chosen BelongMS (part of Belong.life) to share my twenty years of experience to help others.   

We created a Girl with MS support group.  And it’s not just for girls. As a certified life  coach, nutritional educator, health journalist and someone living with MS for twenty years, we have stuff to talk about!  There are many tips and tricks and just over all support that will help us live better with MS. Will help us all say, #takeTHATms!  

  


And now we can chat directly via Belong.  Anyone with MS can join Belong and find tons of support, friendship, expert advise and even clinical trials. Once the Belong app is downloaded and you have registered (click here for app), then you can scroll down and see the different support groups.  Mine is circled below and is the Girl with MS.  Join me!  




The Girl with MS Channel is all about Self-Care.  We’ll talk about different ways to take care of ourselves, ways to find ourselves and ways to support each other.  



Because if I don't take care of myself, this is how I end up feeling:  

  

But when I do take those extra steps, those extra little measures to take care of myself like medical visits, and extra caution,



I can have days like this: 



I’m looking forward to “seeing” you on Belong and having a channel to talk directly with all of my MS friends out there.  If you already have Belong App, then look me up and let’s chat!   


MS is a challenge but together we’re stronger.  Together we can support ourselves with questions, answers, encouragement and laughter.  Together we can BELONG!    


And together we can say #takeTHATms! 



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

Wow. 23 years later.  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!