Hello to everyone, wherever on this planet you may be.  If this is your first issue of Journey to Wellness, I
warmly welcome you. 

The purpose of the Betty's House...Life After MS website, and this newsletter, is 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.  I believe our body is designed to be self-healing. 

If this concept is new to you, I hope by the time you have finished reading this newsletter you will begin to realize that you too can change. After all, what do you have to lose?  And conversely there is so much to gain! 

    IN THIS ISSUE: 

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Theme:  A NEW YEAR - A NEW BEGINNING

I hope all of you had a wonderful Holiday Season, surrounded by those you love. I chose to "run away from home" this year! Actually I attempted to run away from a Christmas celebration without my son, who "graduated" to his next experience on November 18, 2006.  Christmas 2006 was so painful that I promised myself I would not go through that sadness again if I could possibly avoid it.

What I learned from my experience this year is that one cannot run away. Whatever we are running from will surely follow us, and we will be staring it in the face while we are away, as well as when we return.  It was a great lesson for me to learn.  So now the next chapter of this life lesson for me continues to unfold.

On to New Beginnings...

Wow!  Where did 2007 go!  It seemed to pass so quickly.  Now that we all have both feet firmly planted in 2008, the question is, what are we going to do with this new year?  Are we just going to scoot by without changing anything, or are we going to make a conscious decision to effect important change or changes in our lives?  Important questions to consider.

There is an old saying that if we continue to do what we have always done, then we will continue to get what we have always gotten.  This is a very important concept to look at when it concerns our health.

I have always felt like the theory of New Year's Resolutions was a cruel joke, because they do not work!  I think of resolutions as what we hope for or wish would happen.  No wonder they fail.  This year make a promise to put yourself and your health first.  That means different things to different people.

I believe the key to success is lifestyle changes that become a permanent part of our day-to-day life.  I very much believe in the KIS - Keep It Simple - approach to change. If we want to change several things in our lifestyle, we will have the best chance of success if we choose just one or two as our first goal.

EXERCISE: If you are convinced that you need to add a comprehensive, consistent exercise program, today is the day. If you have Yoga for MS, Tai Chi for Seniors, or Gentle Fitness gathering dust on your shelf, dust them off and get started. If you do not yet have them, then pick up the phone and order one today.  No one else can do exercise for you.  Again, set a short-term goal of perhaps two weeks to a month, and I guarantee you will be hooked. You will feel better and have more energy. I truly do believe that one cannot prevent the tendency of MS to progress without a consistent exercise program.

I have purchased and evaluated approximately 20 different exercise plans, and Tai Chi for Seniors (about 12 years), Yoga for MS (about 10 years), and Gentle Fitness (about 8 years) are the only ones that I recommend and personally use consistently.  Coupled with deep breathing -- an essential for all of us -- they form the foundation of my wellness program.

DIET: If diet is your Achilles' Heel, then begin by eliminating everything made with white (so-called enriched) flour and/or processed sugar in any form. That's it. Very simple. Set a time goal, perhaps 30 days. Actually this is easier than it may seem at first. In my e-book Four Steps to Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, I teach you all the substitutions available to you so that you do not need to give up your favorite foods.  Success with this first step makes it easier to move on to the second step.

SUPPLEMENTS:  There are a few supplements that directly relate to MS.   If you don't yet know those I recommend, and why, please request my Diet and Supplements Report.

MEDITATION: If you have always intended to start a consistent meditation program, now is the time. The Meditation section of the Four Steps e-book will give you all the information you need to develop this discipline.  Meditation over time, if practiced consistently, will be truly life changing for anyone.

Now is the time to kick-start or renew your healthy lifestyle program.  Get started now. I promise you'll be glad you did.

A couple of issues back I wrote about Quantum Touch, a hands-on energy healing approach to which I had been introduced by one of my newsletter subscribers.  I promised you a follow-up report.  Watch for that report in the February Journey to Wellness.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  Again, as I do every month, my thanks and big hugs to all of you who help make this on-line newsletter and Betty's House possible by contributing $15.00 per year.  If you find benefit in Journey to Wellness, contributions may be sent to Iams House, 139 Inner Circle, Davis, CA  95618, or by credit card by calling 800-651-3155, or 530-753-5595, or by sending me an e-mail.   YOU make the website and this newsletter possible.   Without your help both would disappear.

Please also remember that when you purchase ANYTHING through Amazon.com on the Internet, if you'll use this Betty's House Amazon.com icon you will be helping in a small way to help pay the cost of this newsletter and the Betty's House website.   IT IS AN EASY, PAINLESS WAY THAT ALL CAN HELP.

Check out the Amazon website using this Amazon.com icon.  You'll be amazed at all the products available there.  They have a lot more than books today, and it really makes for easy, trouble-free shopping.  For all of you who have been shopping using the Betty's House Amazon link, thank you for remembering to do that.   Each order you place using the Betty's House link means a few cents is returned to Betty's House to help pay the monthly fees for the website and publishing fees for this newsletter.  It is not very much, but every little bit helps.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION! 

I admit to being a book fanatic. My son's father and I have both had a love affair with books all our lives. So naturally we passed that along to our son, Kevin, who, along with his wife Christine, also a book devotee, in turn passed that love of books to my grandson Zachary.  This month Zach will be 12 years old, and he quite literally devours books and has for years. I always have a stack of not-yet-read books, waiting for me to get to them.  I cannot even imagine how many thousands of dollars I have spent on books over the years.

One of my great joys now that I have retired is participating in a bookclub in the complex where I live. It is fun getting together with other book lovers and discussing our current book of the month.

As I look back on books that have been especially meaningful to me, many familiar names of books as well as authors come to mind.  Many I have shared through this newsletter over the years.  A current best seller with the potential to change all our lives I want to share with you as we begin 2008.

I have just spent about an hour listening to Dr. Memmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen, authors of YOU STAYING YOUNG.  Dr. Oz is well known as Oprah's featured physician, and Dr. Roizen authored the Real Age books and founded the companion Real Age website.

You Staying Young is the crowning jewel in these two well-known physician's series of co-authored YOU books. If you like me want to not only live a long life but wish to make all of those years as healthy as possible, then please, please go to:

         http://www.bordersmedia.com/shows/adviceforliving/ozandroizen.asp

and listen and watch an extensive video interview with the doctors, taped at a Borders bookstore. The interview even includes a Q&A period with the audience. I found it especially informative. I had purchased the book when it first came out a few weeks ago, but had not until now had time to read it. Now I am in the process of really studying this book. Incidentally it is written in a very easy to follow style.

At the end of this interview Drs. Oz and Roizen give a personal list of recommended books. One of my goals this year is to work my way through each one of these books.

I hope if you do not already have You Staying Young you will order it today.  I highly recommend it to all my readers.  And if you order it from the Amazon link above, you will help a tiny bit in supporting the work of Betty's House and Journey to Wellness.  Thank you so much for doing that.

As I sat this morning, looking out a window at the frost on my lawn, enjoying one of my favorite ways to prepare oatmeal, I decided to share it with all of you. If you have my Four Steps to Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis e-book, then you are familiar with "Gourmet Oatmeal," which appears on page 59:

Oatmeal with Walnuts and Blueberries

        1 T olive or canola oil
        1 c. steel cut oatmeal (I find it in the bulk bins at my health food store)
        3 c. hot water
        1 c. Rice Dream   
        1/2 c. blueberries - to taste
        1/4 c. chopped walnuts - to taste
        1 or 2 rounded T of ground flax seed (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the oats. (It is best to preheat your pot over high heat before adding oil and oats.)

Stir continuously for 2 or 3 minutes to toast. Add the water slowly (being careful to avoid burning yourself from the hot steam), then the Rice Dream, and reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer for about 30 minutes, without stirring. Then stir well and cook for about an additional 5-10 minutes until all moisture is absorbed.

As soon as you turn off the heat, stir in blueberries, chopped walnuts, and ground flax seed; allow to sit for a few minutes. I serve this with additional Rice Dream.

This oatmeal is wonderfully fragrant, thanks to toasting the oats first. It is naturally sweet and incredibly flavorful. If you have children, they will love this, and so will the child in you! I cannot think of a healthier way to begin my day on a cold winter morning. The blueberries are full of antioxidants, and the walnuts are powerful for a healthy heart. I watch for special prices on fresh blueberries at my local supermarket and I stock up and freeze them in quart-sized zip lock bags. And I always have frozen walnuts in my refrigerator freezer.

The ground flax seed insoluble fiber is a great antidote for the constipation problem many with MS seem to struggle with.  It also provides important Omega 3.

All in all this oatmeal is a nutritional powerhouse.  Bananas are a great substitute for the blueberries. 

Here's another of my favorite recipes from the Four Steps to Overcoming MS book,  It is not something I would recommend for every day (too much sugar), but for a special treat they are wonderful and gluten free:

BANANA NUT MUFFINS 

1-1/2 cups quinoa flour
            1/2 cup brown rice flour
            4 t. baking powder
            1/2 t. soda
            1/2 t. salt
            1 egg or equivalent egg replacer
            1/2 to 1 cup raisins (optional)
            approx. 1 cup mashed banana (2-3)
            1/2 c. Rice Dream
            1/3 c. corn or rice syrup
            1/4 c. olive or canola oil
            chopped walnuts (to sprinkle on top)

Mix together dry ingredients and raisins.  Mix mashed bananas with Rice Dream, syrup, and oil, add egg or egg replacer and mix well.  Stir into dry ingredients until just mixed.  Spoon the batter into 12 large nonstick muffin cups and sprinkle the chopped nuts on top, lightly pressing them into the batter.  Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350F degree oven until lightly browned.  You may add chopped walnuts to the batter, but I love the flavor of toasted walnuts and by placing them on top of the batter before baking, they add a lovely toasted walnut flavor to the muffins. 

Sliced in half, these muffins toast wonderfully in a toaster oven.  Together with a piece of ripe fruit they make a very tasty breakfast or lunch.  If you have trouble with weight loss on the BBD, these muffins will turn that around for you. 

Tips:  If you want to keep your muffin pans looking like new, or if you do not have non-stick muffin pans, place paper or foil muffin cup liners in the cups.  If you spray them lightly with non-stick cooking spray, they are easily removed from the muffins.  It works great and no messy cleanup.  Applesauce may be used alternately with the banana.  With applesauce add about 2 teaspoons apple pie spice or cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

As I so often say, these muffins might not win any prizes at a Pillsbury Bake-Off, but I think they are quite good, and so do guests at my house.

A few months ago I gave you a stretching and breathing exercise, and I missed an important follow-through part of it. So here it is again.

1]   Take several deep, slow "belly" breaths, exhaling as slowly as possible.

2]   While standing (or sitting in an armless chair), as you inhale deeply stretch both hands as high above your head as you possible can, with hands shoulder width apart and palms facing each other.   Make this a "serious" stretch.

3]   As you exhale, bend straight forward from the hips and raise your hands up as high as possible behind you (like wings), then as you inhale deeply, return to a standing position, bringing your hands to the prayer position.   Bringing your hands behind you as above opens your chest, allowing you to expel all the air from your lungs and then fill them completely.

Follow with a relaxed "natural" breath before repeating.  And remember as Shoosh reminds us on the Yoga for MS DVD, don't forget to smile!  Do several repetitions of this series. 

This simple deep breathing exercise is powerful, and we should do it several times a day. And there is no one who cannot do this. When I spend days sitting at the computer, like today while writing this newsletter, I try to remember to do this at least once every hour or so. It pays big dividends for me, and I know it will for you.

While exercising with my 1-lb weights today, it occurred to me that I have not previously talked about the use of dumb bells.  Several years ago I tried working with a personal trainer and he recommended I get a set of 5-pound weights.  Immediately I had to abandon them because I developed tendonitis in both elbows...they were too heavy for me.  I then got a set of 3-pounders, and still I had tendonitis from using them.  I then settled on a set of 1-pound weights, and they work fine.  In a pinch small soup cans work well also.

Many of you will be able to use 5 or 3-pound weights.  I have had arthritis in my elbows and hands for many more years than I have lived with MS, and that is the source of my tendonitis.  Doing simple exercises with weights for the upper body pays big dividends and I highly recommend it.

 Hi, Betty!

I'd like a copy of your [Four Steps] book. I have been following the best bet diet for the past two years and have had great success with it. I have cheated here and there on occasion but never for any length of time and have still been able to avoid a relapse.

I also wanted to tell you that my success with the diet has caused my neurologist to be astounded and curious. On my last visit he said he had read an article about D3 deficiency and its connection with autoimmune diseases including MS. I just smiled because I already knew this and told him I had been supplementing with D3 for the two years since I had been diagnosed (I have since found out I was not supplementing with enough of it). So, he had my D3 levels checked. Optimum level is 100, acceptable is 50. After two years of supplementing, I was only at 24!!!!! So he prescribed these drops in certain dosages for a month and then a lower dosage for four months. I go back to him on the 15th of this month and he will have me tested again. I'm excited to see the results. Well, anyway, I think you have a very common sense approach to the management of MS and that is why I would like your book.

A very blessed Christmas to you and may the remembrances of losses in the past year be dimmed by the blessings that still surround you!  /S/ Stacy P

Hello Stacy,

What a lovely note. Thanks for sharing your positive experience. One by one we can win over neurologists. Regarding the recommended dosage of D3 for those of us with MS, it is 4,000 iu/day, unless you are getting lots of sunlight in the summer. I have now taken 4,000 iu/day most of the year, but dropping it to 3,000 iu/day during the long sunny days of California sunshine, for the past eight years. Every 2-3 years I have the blood level tested, and it is always in the normal range. You probably also know that Vitamin D3 at up to 10,000 iu/day is recommended for most kinds of cancers.

Thanks for your order. I am proud of the new e-book, and I hope you will be happy with it.  As my own experience of MS approaches 16 years, I continue to learn new things, and I always use myself as my "tester" of everything I recommend. Several thousand people get the newsletter each month, and frequently share their experiences. That is also a big factor in my personal opinions. I probably have more information in my personal computer data base than almost any MS researchers!The bottom line - WE DON'T HAVE TO BE VICTIMS!

 Hi Betty,

It is a few weeks now since I ordered the Tai Chi for Seniors and Yoga for MS DVDs. I can't thank you enough for recommending them. My biggest MS symptom has always been acute fatigue. You told me that exercise would change that, and it truly has. Thanks for your gentle nudges that got me to finally decide to get started exercising. You are right -- exercise is life changing. /S/ Betsy

 Hello Betty,

Please, make some time to check out the website of Accelerated Cure. I'm so surprised you haven't heard of their work! They are working HARD to find a CAUSE - not just the cure - and are raising millions of $$ to conduct research that the drug companies won't do and the universities don't have enough $$ to fund.

http://www.acceleratedcure.org/

Regards, /S/ Heidi

Thanks Heidi for sending along this link. I was totally unaware of Accelerated Cure before Heidi asked me if I knew of it. I have spent a lot of time at this very thorough site. It seems to be a better source of information about MS than the MS Society. For those of you (left brain people) who like to read scientific data, you will probably enjoy spending hours at this site. It can be overwhelming.  I'd be interested in hearing some of your impressions.

  Hi Betty,

I couldn't let this time of the year pass without sending you a thank you note for all you do for all of us. I have no idea how websites work, or what you must do to publish the newsletter each month, but I'm sure it is a lot of work. Do you do it all yourself? If so you are a wonder woman!  Merry Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year. /S/ Jon

Thanks for your note Jon. My Betty's House website and this newsletter have become my passion and calling in life. Since I couldn't afford to pay someone else to create a website for me, I dived in with both feet and learned the nuts and bolts of the FrontPage software which builds and maintains the website. Now that this newsletter is posted on the website, it too is created in FrontPage. I have an Internet publisher who maintains the e-mail mailing list which informs you when a new newsletter is posted at the website. There is also the web hosting company that I must pay a monthly fee in order to maintain the site on the world wide web. I made a decision early on that I would not use any of the "free" web hosting services because the way they sustain their service is they sell and place all kinds of ads on your site. I hope you all appreciate that I do not have ads placed on the Betty's House website.

 Hello Betty,

Thank you, thank you, so much for the new Four Steps book.  Finally I have everything you recommend in one place, and it is very easy to find whatever I need.  Sometimes it is motivation I need to keep me on track, and you provide that, together with the nuts and bolts of the healthy lifestyle approach you recommend.  I have been following your recommendations for the last two years, and even my neurologist is amazed at how well I am doing. I can't thank you enough. I am so sorry for your loss of your beloved son. I hope you can see him through your grandson.  I hope 2008 is Happy, Healthy and Prosperous for you. /S/ Shirley

Thanks back to you Shirley.  I am so glad that you are sharing your success with your neurologist. Over time we can educate them to the benefits of our natural lifestyle approach.

I absolutely do not believe one can prevent the tendency of MS to progress without a consistent gentle stretching and deep breathing exercise program.  In addition one of the worst aspects of MS, acute fatigue, responds very positively to gentle exercise.  Such a deal!  And it really doesn't matter what level of disability one has.  Many exercises can be done either standing, seated, or lying down.  And deep breathing -- which is so essential -- can be done any time and any where.

Over the years I have evaluated personally many exercise programs, and the absolute best I know of are Yoga for MS by Shoosh Crotzer, Tai Chi for Seniors by Mark Johnson, and Gentle Fitness by Catherine MacRae.  I am very confident in recommending them.

YOGA FOR MS AND RELATED CONDITIONS - I found this modified yoga program in the Yoga Journal about 10 years ago, and it remains the mainstay of my own exercise program.  This program is recommended by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

TAI CHI FOR SENIORS - This is a simple, easy-to-do Qi Gong (chi gung) Tai Chi video program.  It was the very first exercise program I found after being diagnosed with MS, and about 12 years later I still find it very beneficial.  This program complements the Yoga for MS routine beautifully.

GENTLE FITNESS - Catherine and I connected on the Internet about 8 years ago, and I ordered her Gentle Fitness.  I find it an excellent program, and use sections of it together with the Yoga for MS program.

These videos make up my personal exercise library, and alternating the programs keeps me from getting bored.  Together with deep breathing exercises for a few minutes at least a couple of times a day, and walking about a mile several mornings a week with my ExerStrider poles, weather permitting, not only keeps me fit and energetic, it keeps my legs strong and moving.

Each of these exercise DVDs are available for $29.50 each plus $4.00 shipping and handling.

                Follow this link for more information on these videos and books.

FOUR STEPS TO OVERCOMING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS is an easy to read, understand and follow e-book guide to the management of Multiple Sclerosis using the healthy lifestyle approach that I practice and recommend.  It incorporates each of the four areas, exercise, meditation, diet, and supplements.   This book includes an extensive recipe collection as well as an all inclusive guide to the Best Bet for MS food plan.

Four Steps to Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis is available for $21.50.

You may order any of the above by providing credit card information by e-mail to me, or by calling 800-651-3155 (in the U.S. and Canada), or $530-753-5595.

                Follow this link for more information on this newly-published book.

THE HEALER WITHIN is an excellent book by Roger Jahnke, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, which I no longer carry in stock.  You may, however, order it from Amazon.com.  Just click on this Amazon link to order.  The Healer Within is based on Qi Gong, the healing form of Tai Chi, and I highly recommend its simple movements.  The best thing about this book is that all the movements may be done standing, seated or lying down.

You are all very special to me, and I wish each and every one of you a Healthy and Prosperous 2008. Please remember to smile and laugh a lot, and to say "I love you" often to those you love.

I have learned that when all is said and done, it is only the love that lasts!

Big {{{hugs}}} to you all,

Betty

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