MISSION STATEMENT

It is the mission of Betty's House to help all people with Multiple Sclerosis believe that they need not be a victim of MS, but rather that they can be a victor; that they can be "enabled" by their MS rather than "disabled," and that the choice is up to them.

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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM BETTY

Please check out the "What You'll Find at Betty's House" contents below for details of all the information here, including recommended exercise DVDs, diet and nutrition, etc.

I believe proper exercise, basically stretching without overheating the body, together with deep breathing techniques, is absolutely essential if we are to successfully manage MS and prevent its natural tendency to progress.  I also believe that diet must be an essential part of a successful wellness program to manage MS.

Be sure to read my companion monthly newsletter, Journey to Wellness.  Sign up to receive e-mailed Journey to Wellness each month.  You may read the current issue here.  You may also check out the archives of recent issues. 

Betty

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How it all began:

At 55 years of age, divorced and in a very successful sales and marketing career, I began to develop a weakness in my right leg.  In retrospect it was really preceded by an increasing bladder control weakness, which I at the time attributed to aging, as well as other elusive neurological symptoms, some dating back as far as five or six years.

After being advised by several assorted health care practitioners that the leg weakness related to an old back injury, I continued my hectic life style. After a couple of years, however, during which I noticed some sense of loss of balance and hyper reflexes on my right side, as well as an increase in my right leg weakness, I began a serious search to discover the source of my problem. It became increasingly difficult to continue my state of "denial" when my friends and associates were asking me why I was limping!  My excuse of "new shoes" was getting weak.  And some days I was just too fatigued to make it through a full day.

It took several neurologists and other medical specialists, numerous MRIs and other neurological tests to finally make a diagnosis of Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. That was just two months after my 58^th birthday. I was told I had almost made the record books. It certainly was a distinction I could have done without! MS usually strikes young adults between 20 and 45 years of age.

I was devastated. My mother had experienced her first MS symptoms when I was in my late teens, and she had been confined to a wheelchair for over 25 years. My mother's MS was the relapsing remitting kind (quite different from mine), so her symptoms were not at all similar. I have since learned that no two people experience MS exactly the same way.  MS is a degenerative process wherein the myelin sheath surrounding the spinal chord and brain develops lesions or hardened areas called a sclerosis (scar), hence the name multiple sclerosis, or many scars. The individual symptoms vary widely depending on severity and location of the lesions.

Please stay with me - the story is all up hill from here!

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My Search for Meaning and Answers:

I believe the human body is designed to heal itself. Science calls this the Spontaneous Healing Response. When you cut your finger you can easily see this automatic healing taking place. And your body doesn't know the difference in healing a cut finger and something you or I would consider far more difficult to heal. It is only our perception that makes one hard and the other easy. I believe the body has its own innate intelligence, separate from our conscious mind, and it knows what is wrong and how to correct (heal) itself.  The person who has relapsing remitting MS experiences this healing response during a period of remission.

I believe we all possess a Spirit which is connected inexorably to the one Universal Divine Presence. I believe that at some level we all create our reality. Because of that deeply embedded belief, and after being told by my neurologist that there was/is absolutely nothing allopathic medicine can do for primary progressive MS, I began to search for alternative possibilities. 

I tried just about everything, and the first year and a half spent over $20,000 - all to finally reach the all-important conclusion that the answers I needed were all inside of me!  I researched medical literature. I surfed the Internet for weeks and months on end. I downloaded reams of scientific data. I read every research paper I learned about.  In a few months I came to know more about the MS degenerative process than any neurologist I have yet talked to. 

The important things I learned were:

First: Voila! There are things I can do to stave off advancement of this degenerative disorder. Well, needless to say, I was sure glad to learn that!  I share them with you through the pages of this website, and more importantly each month through my Journey to Wellness newsletter.  Be sure to preview the latest issue below.

Second: The most important thing I learned early on to do for myself was to meditate each day, and thereby "tune in" to the infinite part of my nature. I call it the God within, but whatever one calls it does not matter.   I just know that the process changed my life in a very positive way.  I recommend it for everyone. Meditation is also widely accepted by the medical community as a very effective way to reduce stress.  If you would like some help with meditation, be sure to read this meditation report. 

Third:  I discovered the healing powers of Qi Gong (chi kung), the healing form of Tai Chi, and later Yoga.  They are great healing tools for anyone, and especially persons with limited mobility.  Be sure to check out the information on the exercise videos I use. 

Fourth:  Early in my own journey I discovered a then newly-published book, THE HEALER WITHIN, by a Chinese Medical Doctor, Roger Jahnke.  It has become my "bible" for self healing.  The following is a quote from Dr. Jahnke:

                        'Awaken the medicine within, and restore the natural
                              self-healing capacity of body, mind, and spirit.'

One of the most effective ways to activate this formula is the regular practice of four essential self-care methods

These techniques are easy to learn, are easy to apply, require no special knowledge or training, and can be practiced daily by all people (sick or well)."

My copy of The Healer Within is highlighted and marked up throughout.  I am very grateful for what I learned from Dr. Jahnke early on in my own journey to wellness.  Still today I frequently refer to this incredible book.  Follow this link for more information on The Healer Within.

What I believe Today About MS

I guess everyone who lives with MS develops their own theory or theories about the cause or causes of MS.   If dealing with MS, first with my mother for over 40 years, and now myself for the past over 14 years, plus many, many hundreds of hours studying everything I can get my hands on about not only MS but auto-immune problems in general, classifies me as an expert, then I believe I am entitled to an opinion on what it is not, as well as what it is.

First of all, I do not believe MS is either an illness or a disease, as we generally define those words.  I believe it is rather a degenerative process, and a syndrome of otherwise unexplained neurological symptoms, most usually sharing the characterization of lesions (hardened areas) in the myelin which insulates the spinal cord and/or brain. I also believe that what we call MS today is probably a group of different but closely related neurological problems.

I believe the cause/causes are multifaceted.  I think that given an underlying genetic predisposition or factor which is not yet fully understood, there are a number of triggers which can precipitate the presentation of from one to several neurological symptoms which ultimately are called Multiple Sclerosis.  I believe some of these triggers are societal, while others are personal.

Some of those common triggers are stressors of various kinds - psychological, environmental toxins, food allergies, physical traumas, etc.  Sometimes it seems that several of these stressors being present at a given time, when an underlying predisposition exists, pushes the body "over the edge" and we end up with a diagnosis of MS.  In other words, it is simply lifestyle related.  As with many other physical disorders, MS is a demonstration of a body out of bio-chemical balance.  The challenge, of course, is how to return our body to a state of perfect balance, or homeostasis.

Because there is no single cause of MS, there will, in my opinion, never be a real cure, until the genetic predisposition is unraveled.  Most scientific and allopathic medical research into MS has been directed toward a "magic bullet," which after hundreds of millions of research dollars has failed miserably to help the vast majority of people with MS.  Given the unfortunate status of MS research today, those of us who live with it as part of our daily lives are on our own.  Fortunately genetic research is today beginning to open the door to understanding a whole host of physical challenges which have a genetic origin of some kind.

But for now, in order to manage MS where we can live relatively normal, healthy lives —  and I truly believe that we can do that  —  we need a multi-faceted approach.  In the "Suggestions for the Newly Diagnosed" section of this website, you will find an extensive guide for starting on a holistic program to manage what we call MS.   Actually, this information applies equally to both the newly diagnosed and the person who has dealt with MS for a longer period of time.  The earlier one begins this program after the onset of MS symptoms, however, the better our chances of preventing major neurological damage.

I also strongly recommend this program for anyone with any degenerative or auto-immune physical challenge.  I believe all will respond positively to this program. 

A new addition to this website is an extensive report on Qi Gong.  With each passing year I become more and more convinced that Qi Gong and meditation are the most important aspects of my personal wellness program.  Please read this Qi Gong Report.

Note about Stem Cells:  The research world continues to conjecture and experiment with the potential of implanting stem cells for treating many disorders, including multiple sclerosis.  It remains to be seen whether this potential promise materializes.  I continue to watch news of this research.

Note about Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI):  The MS world is abuzz with news of a recent innovative approach to understanding not only the causes of MS but an effective treatment, commonly called CCSVI. 

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JOURNEY TO WELLNESS ARCHIVES:

    2008                        
                May
                June
                July-August
                September
                October
                November
                December 2008-January 2009
    2009
                February
                March
                April
                May
                June/July
                August
                September/October
                November
                December

    2010   
                January
                February
                March
                April
                May
               June
               July

Current Updates and Contact Information:

Betty Iams  o  Davis, California  o  USA
Contact:

PLEASE NOTE:   I AM NOT A MEDICALLY TRAINED PERSON, AND I DO NOT GIVE MEDICAL ADVICE.  BUT I HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS STUDENT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOR MANY YEARS, AND I HAVE DEVELOPED A PROGRAM THAT KEEPS ME  SYMPTOM FREE, ABOUT 17 YEARS NOW SINCE PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE MS FIRST MADE ITS APPEARANCE IN MY LIFE.

Biographical Information:

My name is Betty Iams (yes, just like the pet food company!), I am retired, and I live in Davis, California, USA.  I have a small but wonderfully supportive family.  My daughter-in-law Christine together with my fourteen-year-old grandson Zachary live nearby in Davis, which is near California's Capitol, Sacramento.  Zachary is a great and wonderful joy who never ceases to amaze and delight me.  He is getting to be quite a young man.  I was born for the grandmother role! 

LAST UPDATED 7/2/2010

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