Online Info/Support Group for Multiple Sclerosis - Weekly, Free, Online

My message to 2017:   Bring it!

Together we become stronger within our illness.  JOIN us - Every Thursday for an online informational/support group for those affected by multiple sclerosis (MS).

Starting in January we will be kicking off a new four-part series on Living with MS.   We will create goals and healthy new habits.  Accountability and inspiration are key elements for success so together we will make a step by step plan to reach these goals.   Not all episodes need to be viewed - each one can stand alone.  

JAN 5 - HEALTHY HABITS for the NEW YEAR! 

"a New Year - a New You"

Planning for 2017
What do you want out of life?  


Super easy & FREE! - CLICK HERE to join (scroll down for more options to join).  The service is offered through zoom.us.  It includes video or just audio - your choice.  Also, we will be recording these sessions so that other MS patients may benefit from the information shared.

We review different topics each week via a small presentation then open it up for Q and A.  Questions may be submitted ahead of time and topic suggestions anytime to:  @girlwtihms or please add a comment below.

Other Topics to be Discussed:  

Tips for the Newly Diagnosed
Tips to Reduce Stress
Family matters - How to work best with MS and the Family
Holiday Gifts and Gadgets for Folks with MS


Caroline Craven, certified life coach and living with MS
 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 

Topic: Multiple Sclerosis - Online Support Group #TakethatMS
Time: 12:30 PM (GMT-8:00) Pacific Time (US and Canada) 
    Every week on Thu, until Feb 02, 2017,
   
    Jan 5, 2017 12:30 PM
    Jan 12, 2017 12:30 PM
    Jan 19, 2017 12:30 PM
    Jan 26, 2017 12:30 PM
    Feb 2, 2017 12:30 PM

    Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
    Weekly: https://zoom.us/meeting/151317113/ics

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/151317113

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +16465588656,151317113# or +14086380968,151317113#

Or Telephone:
    Dial: +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) or +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll)
    Meeting ID: 151 317 113
    International numbers available: https://zoom.us/zoomconference?m=gCZzgBI8EsDd-TEDmdH-PM333LnHyeZK




Living with MS Journal

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year to ALL!  




Join us every Thursday for a topic and discussion.

#takethatMS
Multiple Sclerosis 




Thursday
Have had an amazing week with my nephews. It was super hot Monday and the MS was screaming bad.  Then it cooled down just a bit but enough to make a huge difference.  

We took the kids to universal with grandma and grandpa.
We made it to hogsmeade and played quidditch with Harry Potter. 

Then we danced with minions. 

All in all a pretty darn good day. 

I had packed two cooling vests and lots of cooling aids but did ok without them. 

The next day we pained ceramics to use as decorations for a fence we have. Grandpa went with us and had a great time. 


Tuesday
Just said goodbye to a friend.  She's nearing the end of her life here on earth.  Wow.  Truly can't imagine what she's going through or what she wants to hear from me.  Love her and inspired by her but not sure I actually relayed that in our conversation.  

Spoke at local city council meeting regarding our trails council.  As president and trails advocate I feel it my responsibility to promote the trails and ask for continued help in keeping our trails maintained and safe.  

Odd week in many ways.  MS was really crappy for a bit but I really do blame my diet.  Really?   Frito lay jalepeno cheese dip and ships.  And beer.  wow.  That's enough to send anyone into emergency.   But sometimes it's what the "doctor" orders.  And sometimes we need and want to listen and be carefree and live it up for once.   We pay enough heed to rules when we live with MS.  Sometimes we just want to say "Wahooooo".   Life is short.  Live it.   

Friday
Priceless memories today.  Took my dad fly fishing to the Los Angeles River #LARiver down in Atwater Village near Glendale.  15 minutes from the front door.  

He used my tenkara and I used my 5 wt.  Nothing was caught but it was beautiful. 

And then we topped it off with a trip to In and Out Burgers - An LA classic. 


Monday
Ok. That was just an amazing weekend. Went to Refugio state park, north of Santa Barbara to camp and fish with a good friend.  The weather was looking good all week. About 70f on the coast. And yes, it was gorgeous! 

I set up my trusty mountain hard wear tent then the MSR tent my friend rented from adventure 16 in Westwood. 
Refugio is lined with palm trees. The Pacific Ocean is just beyond the trees.  We planned to cook on an open fire and boy did we. 
First we had several salads. Then dry rubbed pan seared steak. Then s'mores. Then more salads. Then mussels with wine and bread. Ok, I was spoiled rotten! 
And then this...the Pacific Ocean. I've never lived more then a couple hours form the Pacific and now I know why. Love it with all my heart. Or at least a big part of my heart. 
I decided to wet my line and rigged up my 8wt. I chose a red fly pattern and headed out toward the tide pools.  I fished the trough just south of the pools and didn't take long before I scored us some scales! 
Otherwise known as a Califrnia a Perch, this little guy could've easily been made into dinner but we had enough food and he was sent back to his waters.  He was hefty, a good size fr a couple of filets. It was my first fish on a fly in the surf.  My adrenaline was goofily amped after I caught him. My hands were shaking so much it was pretty funny. But the barbless hook slipped right out of his lip and he swam away. 
Camping is rejuvenating for me. A chance to be in nature, feeling the rhythm of life and enjoying all one can before heading back to the reality of working for a living. 


Friday 
Woot!  Love Fridays. Oh heck I love every day. Yesterday was awesome. Really awesome! 


Got spoiled by Melina Healer and took a bit of time to appreciate my life and what I have. 

And then went and saw a friend and got my hair done. Yay!  It needed it. 

Then went and had lunch with another friend and worked an proct together for the La Canada Flintridgre Tournament of Roses and our self built rose float.  More on this later. 

Listening to a meditation app called Breathe. And I really like it!  I plugged in how I was feeling and it shot me a couple of recommended meditations.  Wow. So cool! 

Thursday 

And this happened:   Many steps for this girlwithms!  Two walks and several errands made for a productive day. 


Thursday

Sunday
Had an amazing time yesterday at the Race to Erase MS Forum. Learned a bit, met new folks and connected with old friends. 


To find a cure for multiple sclerosis we must do the following:
Stop the progression
Rebuild the myelination
Create a vaccine. 

Well, if anyone can do it this panel of neurologists seemed to fit the bill. 

I finally met Hennie from Race to Erase MS. And first time meeting Jennifer Ettinger from FitYourStyle.com. 

Some key take aways from the forum:
1.  Salt is not good for MS.  Well, we knew that but OK. 
2.  Diet should be low in fat and processed food. OK, nothing new here, but good to know. 
3.  Smoking is not good for any person with MS and should be avoided. 

The Key Message for everyone? 

"Having a belief your life has a purpose" has a profound affect on your health 

@RacetoEraseMS #EraseMS


Thursday
Had a rock n roll good time yesterday at Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. Met a Client and walked and worked in beauty. Feeling blessed with Southern California! 

My favorite was California Gold!  Poppies, orange trees and an oak grove. Can't get more California than this picture. 
Just a sampling of the beauty we saw on our walk.  The gardens are great for waking or wheelchairs. There's plenty of shade to find and lots of sun so depending upon the weather you will find so,eating that works with you. 


Tuesday

Restoring and rejuvenating.  Yep. Took a few days and recharged the old battery.  Been working with folks and rebuilding lives after multiple sclerosis. Lots to learn with this disease. Lots to learn and lots to do. These are some of the biggest concerns folks have with ms and life plans.  What are some of you issues?

Here's a day when I felt awesome. You know that feeling?  When everything aligns and you feel like the rockstar? This is the feeling we are working on having every day. Let chat and work through these issues. Life is more than MS. 



Sunday

MS weighing you down?  It sure got a hold of me last week. Talk about fighting a relapse. Wowza. I am Tired from the fight.  


How did I survive? By saying NO and setting boundaries. Sometimes the Only way to a healthy life is to be selfish and protect yourself. Just say no thank you. Seriously. Even fun stuff. Put it all on hold until that battery power bar is back up to sufficient. Or incase of the spoon theory, when one has more spoons to use. Personally I like the battery bar and power mode to visualize my health and energy. 

It wasn't easy, saying no. Turned down friends and family. Turned down work and fun. But, I was able to do a little each day and that was OK with me. Just 1-2 hours max on the computer per day and the rest of my time spent restoring and rejuvenating. 

I did nothing yesterday except go to farmers market. 

I literally sat on the couch and rested. Or for me took an absolutely lazy day. How can one not feel lazy when slacking in the couch by the fire reading and playing games?  

Hardest part about fatigue and multiple sclerosis is the guilt. At least for me it's the guilt of not being productive. Even though I went to the market, did a little bit of client work and some house work, feeling like a slacker. Hate this feeling and don't deserve it. But it's a tough one to work out of jones system. 

I am heading to church in a bit to help with a campaign and to prepare for the women's retreat where I'm giving a work shop on creating a more capable life.  My book is in progress but not done yet.  Many other tools and tricks to share with this group. Looking forward to it!


Saturday
And it's raining! Anyone in Southern California knows how special this is to us.

I've been dealing with a lot of pain lately. Just not getting past it. Legs on fire. Body on fire. And dealing with a lot of ms crap. Numbness, tingling, pain, fatigue, vision problems and more. Body is inflamed and not happy. I taking certain measures to be healthier but could do more. 


Feeling like some juicing and cooling foods might be necessary. Vitamins for sure and where are those mega vitamin D I got from the doctor? Sometimes keeping track of things with ms is the toughest of all tasks. 

But I have found a couple of hacks to make taking vitamins and other things easy to keep track of and maintain. 



One of my ms life hacks is the Mango app.  That's right, it's named after a big juicy mango. So it makes me hungry every time I open it. Hungry in a good way like that moment when the mangos sweetness dances on your tongue and sticky juices trickle down your chin. 


This handy little app is great at keeping track of prescriptions in and other ms issues that mar arise. 

I use it for medicine and for moods. I Love the mood log. 

Mango is actually working on expanding their app to include vitamins and supplements and other goodies we may want to take to alleviate our symptoms. 

What are some of the perks you'd like to see in a wellness app?  

I spend quite a bit of time in their wellness blog as well at http://mangohealth.com. 

Friday

Oh. Wow.  Had face cupping for the first time yesterday. Talk about getting my health swagger back! 

And more acupuncture. Man, I tell ya, life is better with Melina Healer in my life.  I've been blessed with many healers throughout the years, a good team of wellness experts to make living with multiple sclerosis better.  And this one just tops the cake!  Well the whole team tops the cake. Starts with Melina healer and her amazing Healing Rituals Wellness Center in Montrose, California.  This is the same office where I work my life coach clients if we are not at the gardens or somewhere else. 


Melina makes her own candles which adds to the beauty and serenity of her space. 

Melina specializes in Chinese Medecine which includes many modalities such as acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, Tibetan singing bowls, reiki, energy work and much more. 

She truly uses ancient healing arts to help restore and purify my mind, body and heart. In fact my body falls into such a deep, safe state that I can feel the healing taking place. Before hand my body gets so excited about relaxing. If I was a dog I'd be wagging my tail.  


Being open minded has helped manage my multiple sclerosis. Learning different healing modalities and trying them out has lead to some amazing restoration. I'm looking forward to more of it. 


The flowers are from Descanso Gardens where I take walks and client sessions.  The beauty, especially this time of year, is astounding. Humbling. Calming. Settling. 

One of the many paths at Descanso Gardens. We walk it every week and almost every week we find something new.  So....who's going to join me next time?

Let's walk and roll through the gardens.  Let's heal with Melina.  Let's all say #takethatMS 

Saturday


Well, made it through the day. Have had way too much going on and haven't been able to truly rest and rejuvenate. Looking forward to the next week when hopefully my schedule relaxes a bit. 

Ever notice how's one friends and family can let you down more than anyone or anything? 

Had a horrible weekend and felt left out.  My MS was was very bad but no one seemed to care.   Friends/family seem to know nothing nor want to know about my multiple sclerosis.  That's the tough part.  They not only don't know but they don't want to know. Nor do they seem to care about my life in general.  I see some of them only about four times a year and now just heard it will only be three times this year and the first one was a disaster. 

It hurts so much. To think one's family and friends do not care. Maybe they do but they are remiss in letting us now. Half have yet to watch my interviews with Madeleine Stowe for TakeActionMS.com.  Half of them never watched my faith journey as shared to our local church. This has been an amazing year for me yet part of my family seems to care less. 

How do we move forward when we want so to share our journey with our loved ones and they don't want to share it with us? 

Well, what one doesn't do is go onto Facebook and realize that they these people not liked any of your posts for at least four months. They like everyone else's activities. Share everyone's but haven't liked one gosh dang post.   There's an obvious bitch message trying to be presented but not sure what or why. 

And then get a load of this one: They are too busy. Just much too busy to watch my interviews. Yet they continue to send me videos of other people. Friends of theirs to watch in my spare time. Wtf?  Really?  

Haha. Venting feels good and that is one reason to keep this journal. Since they don't read my blog or care about my illness, which has been at an all time high lately, then vent away. 

So, what can we do?  We can vent to ourselves (and the world) and keep a journal. Writing is very cathartic and helps us through the hard times.  Mostly it helps us get our thoughts and emotions straight before we approach these folks that have hurt us. This upcoming crucial conversation is a stressor. Acknowledge this fact and plan accordingly. 

Especially with MS, when our emotions can roll like a coaster, it can be very helpful to gather our thoughts, several times, and let our emotions go through their Natural course:  
1.  Hurt
2. Anger
3. Grieve
4. Console 

Yes, it's true, even for a small nit as feeling left out can hurt like the dickens and going through all of these emotions is vital to a healthy return to life. 

I was hurt. Am hurt. Am angry. Very angry. But what do I grieve about?  Because I was hurt and that's a valid reason. Also because I was beginning to have dark, unhealthy feelings. Like I deserved the illness, I was being punished and they were helping. One negative thought leads to another so remove them from the beginning. 

Breathe deep as you grieve. Review the emotions you have felt, the part of you that felt left out and breathe deep. Calm yourself but listen to yourself. 

Then, when ready, move to consoling. Really?  YES!  Cradle your heart in your hands. You didn't deserve this negative weekend. This was their issue put upon your life. Breathe deep. Breathe deep. Gently rock your heart and calm yourself. Talk to yourself and realize it is going to be OK. There is almost nothing more painful then to be with folks who don't seem to care about your life.  But that's their loss.  And we don't want to be like them. 

Instead, let's see how we can be the bigger person.  How can we take this damaged heart of ours, fill it with love and move on?  

Praying helps for me. Just talking with God. All day. All night when I can't sleep.  But I am weak and still have a lot of hurt and anger.  This process will take awhile. The fact is I did what I cold. I was present. I was there. I made numerous attempts to engage. These are the actions I could take, and did. Nothing else is in my control. 

Breathe deep. Breathe deep. Breathe deep....

Breathe deep and, if you can, go somewhere peaceful and serene. Take five for yourself today. Remember our hearts are fragile but capable of so much. 

Breathe deep and love yourself. 


Thursday

Another horrid night of pain. Not really sure why as I had an amazing dinner f salmon and asparagus made by my wonderful 83 yr old father.  Maybe it was the wine. We did enjoy several glasses while dad cooked and mom and I visited. 

The recipe came from the Wall Street Jounal for Salmon, Asparagus and twice-baked potatoes. 


Dad reading the WSJ while cooking us dinner.  What a special evening!

Wednesday

Oh man. Horrid night trying to sleep. Inflamed and MS at its screaming worst. Took a warm bath at 1am to help relax the muscles.  Not sure I ever rested. Not feeling it that's for sure. 

But...a great day in front of me. A couple of exciting projects to work on. You know me and projects! 


Yep. That me!  

Marketing, life coaching, home and more.  Love my friends and clients who keep me busy and productive. 

Being productive is one of the best things to find on one self especially after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.  It's the toughest but one of the most important aspects in life, feeling worthy and productive. 

Finding something to be productive with can be difficult especially with a chronic illness.  There are work projects, home projects and community stuff, such as churches and groups with which to belong. But managing our health while we work is difficult. 

I find that even though I appreciate the invisible aspect of MS it can also make the illness very difficult. Oh, you look great!  And while that sounds nice after awhile it gets old. Yes I look great but my legs are on fire and I can't use my hands for diddly. 


Anyway, a morning ramble to get us started for the day. Find your projects that can help you help others.  Let's chat about them. Call me at 818-585-5660. #takethatms





Tuesday

Wow.  Slept through the night and zero pain.  Zero!  

Not even sure why but darn it felt great.  

And then today - today is therapy tuesday!   Love this day.  My new day of restoration and rejuvination.   

My appointment with Melina Healer was as amazing as ever.  Acupuncture, acupressure, cupping and Tibetan singing bowls.  

More to come on this but we are talking a whole new level of wellness and awareness.   A level to be obtained and maintained.   In fact it has become a priority and will become part of my new financial budget.   Thank you Melina Healer at Healing Rituals.   Her studies and degree in Chinese Medicine and years of practice know exactly what this Girl with MS needs and wants.  


Monday
Ever have one of those days?   

9am
I just spent two days with my family and the conversation was quite interesting.  Or lack of it.  

One person asked me a personal question.  The entire weekend.  One personal question, "How was your time with your friend?" 

And then, nothing else.  Not a "how is your MS doing?" or "how's your blog?"  "Heard you published some cool webisode (TakeactionMS) with actress, Madeleine Stowe."  Something of personal interest.   I found it quite amazing.  We want to count on our family for friendship yet those closest are often the worst culprits.  They don't mean to be but it happens.  Monkey in the barrel.  That was me - still in awe at how many things I could do wrong in such a short time.  

The feelings evoked through these slights were dark, black.  Unsettling.   With much time together this past year the siblings rejoiced in grand camaraderie.  Feeling excluded even more when the family put out 8 chairs for the 9 of us.  The whole situation was rude and not fun.  Patiently my lips stayed closed and found enjoyment until it was over.   It was rough and tough. May not sound like much but feeling like the third wheel is never pleasant.  

Well, at least the GWMS blog is doing great!   Thank you all!    LOVE my readers, viewers and followers.   

The MS has been crap lately.   Been dealing with an amazing amount of pain.  The worst to be remembered.   Not much to do but the other day I broke down and took two advils.  Those who know me realize this is quite a feat as NSAIDs are usually avoided.  



The nights are the worst for the pain.  Visually, the cooling flow of a river is in my mind.   Here I am fly fishing the Kern River.  Way back, before MS, when I was just a young adult, my days were spent guiding folks in a paddle raft down the mighty Kern River.  Years later were spent white water kayaking in the Pacific North West (PNW).  

I've been also turning my attention to prayers, meditation and music.  Praying gives me focus - to thank God and show my gratitude for the good things received.  There are always good things, they can just be shadowed by the bad ones.  And the writing as we all know is cathartic.  

Baths, epsom salts, oils and more help the pain at night but sleeping has been scarce.   In a continual state of exhaustion my body is craving restoration.   Bits and pieces of rest are grabbed but a few days of R&R sounds amazing.

8pm
Well just wrapped up an AWESOME client meeting!  This one is for marketing.  Love the client.  Love the project.  Gave a small presentation to the governing body and it was all well received.   My schedule is pleasantly freeing up.   My penance is paid.  Not sure why I felt it necessary to punish myself with volunteer work but for whatever reasons, my desire to work my fingers to the bone for nonprofits has waned significantly.  While I'm still involved in several great organizations, I have much more time for GWMS and other projects that will help pay the bills.

Watch this spot!   

Sunday Funny



Healthy Gut Challenge is Here!

I got my first results!    Have you gotten yours yet?

Click here to read my article on the importance of gut health and autoimmune diseases.

It's time for a Challenge!   The Gut Health Challenge.


Who wants to join me?


It's easy!  Go to isothrive.com and ubiome.com and check out the options for the challenge. Choose one and your testing kit will be mailed to you.  Then swab your poop and send it to the lab in the easy to follow kit. Then start ISOThrive and test again after thirty days.  Easy!

Gut health is imperative for overall wellness.  Click here to Check out my recent article on gut biome and how it can affect us.

ISOThrive and uBiome have partnered up for a challenge.  Take a look at your biome with uBiome testing kit then take ISOThrive for a month and tell us how you feel.

I just started mine this weekend. I took my poop test on Saturday and hope I did it right. Then on Sunday I started my first ISOThrive sachet.

Unfortunately I am dealing with a possible infection in my mouth and had to start antibiotics which I have not taken in some ten years. It is one designed just for the gums and mouth.  Mouth bacteria can be bad and I don't want to mess with it so am taking the antibiotics.  I tested my gut biome before starting the antibiotics. It is not ideal timing but should work out OK. 

Challenge:  
Join the challenge
Test your poop
Start ISOThrive
Keep a journal
Share your progress
Take a second test 
Share your results! 

#guthealthchallenge #healthygut #poopsmart #takethatms 


Gut Health Journal

Day 1
I've decided to take my ISOThrive in the mornings with water prior to anything else in my system. 

Noticed a little extra poop today. About 2-3 hours after taking my first half sachet. Usually it's once a day for me but ISOThrive may have contributed to a booting of something.  

Day 2
Did not notice anything special. Except that recently I've had bad gas. Especially at night.  Too much beer probably. I do love a good IPA. But no farting the last couple of nights. 

Day 3
Sitting at airport waiting to go to Eugene. I feel great and know that my gut is working more efficiently already.

Days 4-6:
Not feeling much different but believe I'm pooping more.  Of course I've been eating more since I've been in Oregon absolutely pigging out and having way too much fun!

Days 7-14
It seems I poop a lot more during the day after taking ISOThrive.  Interesting.  Not feeling a lot of other stuff going on but that's OK with me.  I just need to remember to take it.  Well, maybe I'm feeling a little different.  Problem is I have been eating like a horse lately and gaining a bit of weight. This often happens in the summer as it's the time of growth.  We eat more and grow more in many ways.  I'm curious about how my gut biome test is going to come out for the first run.  It takes a couple of weeks to get it back.   Also, I am curious if ISOThrive needs to be taken at the same time each day or other protocols.  I prefer to take it in the morning before anything else except maybe some fresh, cool water. 

Day 14-28
Haven't noticed much difference.  Been feeling pretty good and it's easy to take the ISOThrive.  

Day 28
Wahooo!   just got my gut biome results from ubiome.com.   This is interesting!  

I don't understand all of it.  Yet.  But I will.   Here's my initial summary:   



Day 30
The month has come to an end.  I swabbed the toilet paper and sent off my second Ubiome gut microbiome stool sample and sent it off in the mail.  I'm curious what a month of ISOThrive will do to my test results.  

I have noticed that my hot flashes have been significantly reduced.  They just started and were horrid before beginning my ISOThrive.   I am not sure there is a connection but it has been about the only change made.   My diet has been full of food, good beer and wine.  No holding back.    I've been feeling very good.  Gained a little weight but not what I should have after the calorie intake this past month.  

I think I did pretty well with my first gut biome test.  Top 91% in health.  I'll take that!   But it would be nice to compare it with other people with MS.   I'm curious how I will do after a month of ISOThrive.

Here's what I've learned thus far as taken from my Ubiome.com TEST RESULTS: 


BODY WEIGHT:
Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the largest phyla in the human microbiome.
Studies have shown that gut microbiomes tilted in favor of Bacteroidetes are correlated with weight loss and lean body types. [1] [2]
Gut microbiomes in Western cultures are usually skewed in favor of Firmicutes, which can increase with higher caloric intake. [3] [4]
My gut microbiome is slightly tilted towards Bacteroidetes. Yay me!  
Akkermansia is a genus of bacteria that has shown potential to combat weight gain and inflammation. [5]


Your percentage of Akkermansia
0.00%

 
That means I have none of this good stuff to fight inflammation.   I wonder if other folks with MS have the same lack of akkermansia as me.

TAKE ACTION:

Your gut microbiome is already dominated by Bacteroidetes, which is correlated with weight loss and lower body weight.

Eat foods high in a type of fiber called oligofructose to feed the Akkermansia in your gut. These foods include garlic, onion and bananas. [7]
PROBIOTICS:

Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are the two genera of bacteria most commonly found in probiotic supplements. 
They are also naturally occurring in your gut. [1]


HOW YOU COMPARE
Bifidobacterium compared to Selected Samples: 
0.97x
Lactobacillus compared to Selected Samples: 
0.07x
Several species of Bifidobacterium have been shown to improve gastrointestinal issues. [2]
Certain strains of Lactobacillus have been shown to improve mental health, including anxiety and mood, in addition to improving gut health. [3]
MAN - My lactobacillus is LOW.  VERY LOW.   Again, I wonder how this compares to other folks with MS.

TAKE ACTION:

Keep up the good work! Your sample contains an amount of Bifidobacterium near or above the average.

Take supplements containing the species Lactobacillus acidophilus. This particular species has been shown to reduce gastrointestinal problems. [5]

Fermented vegetables that have not been subjected to manufacturing processes can provide your gut with a steady supply of probiotic bacteria.

Dairy products such as certain yogurts, kefir and buttermilk contain active cultures that can increase the amount of Lactobacillus.
So, with these results I decided to make some Sauerkraut and Firekraut.  Also, I've been drinking lots of Siggi's probiotic drink - blueberry flavor.

MICRO BIOME DIVERSITY

Greater microbiome diversity has been correlated with good health, but diversity can vary greatly among healthy individuals. [1] [2]


HOW YOU COMPARE

50th Percentile

50% of all Gut samples are less diverse than your sample.
50% of all Gut samples are more diverse than your sample.
Diversity is determined using the Simpson's Diversity Index. [3] Scores range from 0 to 10, with 10 being the most diverse.
Gut samples tend to generate a score of between 6 and 9, but the distribution varies depending on the type of sample.
TAKE ACTION:

Actions that can increase gut microbiome diversity

Eat fiber. Diets high in fiber have been show to correlate to increased diversity in the gut microbiome. [4]

Exercise frequently. Regular physical activity can increase gut diversity. [5]
Actions that can decrease gut microbiome diversity

Antibiotics can dramatically decrease microbiome diversity, though diversity has been shown to recover over time. [6]

Proton pump inhibitors, often used to treat ulcers and acid reflux, can decrease gut microbiome diversity.[7]
OK then - Time to increase my fiber intake (not surprised as I haven't been eating that healthy in some ways).  Also, increase my activity.  Done!   Been walking everyday, and taking some good ones at that.  Getting up to 5-10,000 steps some days.  #takethatMS



Well then, let's see how my next test results come out after thirty days ISOThrive.

More to come!