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Journey to Wellness |
Hello to
everyone, from Davis, California, U.S.A.
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, and that our challenge is learn how to "listen" to our body and to support our body's self-healing process.
I also believe that I am not my body. I believe that when we identify with our body, or with our physical challenges like multiple sclerosis, then we have little chance of overcoming its potential disability. I hope this philosophy resonates with you. If this concept is new to you, I hope by the time you have finished reading this newsletter you will be motivated to make some changes in your lifestyle - or at least try one or two - and the way you look at your physical challenges, and to begin your own journey to wellness.
I did it, and so can you!
IN THIS
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Bon Appétit -
Healthy Food Tips and Recipes |
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After about 12 years of writing this newsletter, sometimes I sit down to create a new issue and I have no idea what I'll say. This issue is one of those, so let's see what comes up this month.
Fall has definitely arrived where I live, and I am enjoying getting out sweaters and jackets. In the United States we have a presidential election coming up in a few days, and at the same time it seems that the entire globe is in a financial crisis. It certainly reminds all of us, in whatever country we happen to live, how connected we truly are. It all also reminds us how really precarious our lives are, and how rapidly they can be turned upside down.
If you are a new subscriber, I welcome you. When I started the Betty's House . . . Life After MS website about 13 years ago, and then this newsletter about a year later, I tried to include information that I had wanted and needed when I was struggling to find my way through the MS maze after I was diagnosed. I wanted to provide a source for people who believed as I do that our body can and does heal itself. That is still the aim of both the newsletter and website.
For those of you who are new to Journey to Wellness, I very strongly believe that our body was created to be self-healing. Our challenge is to find tools to assist it in that process. Does that mean that one can "cure" MS? I do not believe that is possible. I believe that some day science will uncover the genetic components that cause our body to develop what neurologists call multiple sclerosis, as well as most other disorders like cancers and diabetes.
Because of the differing symptomatic patterns demonstrated by people with MS, there really isn't a yardstick to measure the efficacy of a treatment program, whether it is using allopathic medicine-recommended drugs, or a natural lifestyle program such as what I recommend. And while I am not entirely opposed to the MS medications, I truly believe that a healthy natural lifestyle program offers our best bet over the long term for defeating the tendency of MS to progress.
I recommend one begin with:
| A consistent exercise program featuring Qi Gong and/or Modified Yoga, with emphasis on deep breathing |
| A few supplements that relate directly to MS |
| Meditation for stress reduction |
| The Best Bet Diet (BBD) eliminating gluten, dairy, and legumes, and reducing animal fat and sugar |
| Understanding and accepting the power of your own attitude and intention |
If you are new to this philosophy, please read last month's Journey to Wellness. It contains a lot of helpful information.
This month's issue includes several informative e-mail exchanges. Don't miss the Research News, which contains two very important items. Watch for the special sale price on recommended exercise programs.
I hope you will find the information shared this month to be helpful to you in your own journey to wellness. Please remember that this newsletter is meant to be interactive. I encourage you to share your thoughts, ideas, challenges, and questions. When you write to me, please include a photo and I'll include them it the newsletter.
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. In our precarious economic climate contributions have been very few and far between for the last few months. If you find benefit in Journey to Wellness, your contribution will be greatly appreciated. It 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.
PLEASE NOTE:
1)
Archives of the past year's issues of Journey to Wellness are available
here.
2) If you wish to send an e-mail to me, be sure to use one of the following
subjects:
"Order"
if you wish to place an order
"Report Please" if you are requesting the recommended Supplements
list
"From a Newsletter Subscriber" for all other correspondence
Please remember to do that so your e-mail isn't lost in the never-never land of spam!!
Bon Appétit - Healthy
Food Tips and Recipes
SAVORY CARROT SOUP
(This is
one of my favorite soups, especially in the winter time around the holidays.)
This tasty recipe is so easy, and very healthy. Carrots are one of the best sources for beta-carotene, Vitamin C and flavonoids. You will love this (you may also make it with pumpkin or sweet potato, adding pumpkin pie spices, for Thanksgiving time).
1 T extra virgin olive oil
about 1 pound carrots, cut into small pieces
1 large potato, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 t. tarragon
about 3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup orange juice
salt to taste
chopped fresh parsley or scallions to garnish
Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, potato, onion and tarragon. Toss and cook for about 5 minutes. DO NOT BROWN. Add the vegetable stock, lower the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Allow to cool and then puree in a blender or food processor. Then add the orange juice, salt to taste, and garnish. This makes four hearty servings and is beautiful and delicious served either re-heated or chilled.
NOTE: You may make this with pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or squash. If using canned pumpkin, just reduce the stock by about half, eliminate onions, and add pumpkin pie spice to taste, after the potato is cooked.
Here's another of my favorite recipes for this time of year. I love anything made with pumpkin. Try these muffins and I think they'll be favorites of yours too.
2 c. water
1 c. dried
cranberries
1-1/2 c.
flour (quinoa flour for gluten-free)
1 T baking
powder
1/2 t. baking
soda
2-1/2 t.
pumpkin pie spice
(cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice)
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. packed
light brown sugar
1/2 c. Rice
Dream
1/2 t.
vanilla extract
1 c. pumpkin
puree (canned solid pumpkin)
4 T olive,
safflower or canola oil
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the cranberries in a medium bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let sit until plumped, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt into a medium bowl (sifting helps to aerate the dry ingredients). Lastly add walnuts to dry ingredients.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, Rice Dream, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the drained cranberries.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Yield: 12 large muffins
NOTE: If you bake these a couple of days ahead and store them in the refrigerator in zip-lock bags the flavor will improve. I also find that if I lightly spray the insides of the muffin tin liners with a non-stick spray that they remove easily. Raisins could also be substituted for the cranberries, and if you do not have quinoa flour, whatever other gluten-free flours you may use may also be substituted. I have also used this same recipe and baked it in small loaf pans for a pumpkin quick bread. However, you will need to bake them at least 45 minutes or more, as it is slow to cook in the middle in the loaf pans. Be sure to bake them until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Exercise
is so important!In recent months I have written a lot about our body's self-healing mechanism, its own internal energy, and how we may easily learn to feel and consciously use that energy. I call that our Internal Guidance System (IGS), Chinese medicine has taught for many centuries that it is blockages in the flow of that energy, which they call chi and which in Yoga is called prana, that is the root cause of all dis-ease.
As I have shared with you before, it was first through the practice of Qi Gong that I became aware of my body's self-healing ability, which then lead me to a study of the power of the breath as a self-healing tool, together with slow, gentle movements, to activate that flow of energy. I absolutely believe that I walk today and live a normal life thanks to daily practice of those simple techniques.
I like to do my Qi Gong practice very slowly, in a sort of meditative state. While doing my daily practice a few days ago I suddenly had a deep realization that I was communicating with the source of all life. It was/is a very powerful feeling.
Here is a series of simple Qi Gong movements that are great to do just before you go to bed. If you haven't yet tried Qi Gong, this is a good way to introduce your body to this simple, self-healing tool, as well as ensure yourself a good night of restful sleep. They may be done either sitting in a straight-back chair or standing. I use a folding chair.
| Begin by placing both hands,
one on top of the other, on your lower abdomen. Then take a few deep, slow,
abdominal breaths. Then leaving your left hand on the lower abdomen, move
your right hand up and place it over your upper chest. Then do 4 or 5 of the
one-one-two breaths from The Healer Within. Simply inhale into the abdomen,
hesitating when you have filled the lower half of the lungs, then continue
filling your lungs to the very top, and then exhale very slowly, being
careful to force all the air out of the lungs at the end of your exhale. |
| Again, either sitting or
standing, as you inhale deeply, allow your arms to slowly "float" up to
shoulder height, and then allow them to slowly float back down as you
exhale. This should be a very slow and graceful flowing movement. It is
called wave breathing. Repeat this for about two minutes. Continue inhaling
deeply as your arms float up, then exhaling as they float down. Then
continue the same movement, alternating the arms. Lift the right arm as you
inhale, then exhale as you allow your right arm to float down. Then repeat
with the left arm, alternating right and left arms for about two minutes.
|
| Next begin with your hands
in your lap and inhale deeply as you raise both hands up and out, turning
the palms up, over your head as you form a circle with each arm. Before
your hands meet over your head, turn your palms down and slowly allow your
arms to float down as you exhale. Continue this pattern - inhaling deeply as
you allow your arms to float up and out, forming a large circle, and then
floating down almost to your lap as you exhale. Do this for about two
minutes. |
| Then again return both hands to your lower abdomen, ending with a few deep, slow breaths. |
This is an excellent example of a moving meditation, and an extraordinarily effective way to ensure a good night of restful sleep.
I am so blessed to sit at my computer every day and meet lovely people from all over the world who deal with the challenges MS brings. We are truly a diverse group. And it is certainly true that MS—like the rest of life's challenges—is no respecter of persons.
Diagnosed in March 1999 and retired in April 2003, Denise describes herself as very right brain and spiritual. She is married to husband John, whom she describes as a loving man and her best friend. John retired in April 2008. They have a daughter who works in banking. Denise also has an identical twin sister who was diagnosed with MS in 1997.
Denise earned a BS degree in Organizational Management and Development, and prior to retiring she held a position as a college Public Relations Specialist. Since retiring she has concentrated on searching for answers and finding ways to mitigate her MS symptoms.
Denise recently received the results of her ELISA blood tests and sent them to me, suggesting that perhaps I could help her understand the results. That is typical of Denise—always searching and learning. With her attitude, cheerful spirit, and search to know and understand herself, she has everything in place to defeat the tendency of MS to progress.
We are all in it with you Denise! Thanks for sharing your story.
I would be remiss if I did not comment on how common MS familial predisposition is among readers of this newsletter, as well as the MS community in general. Those of you who have been with me for some time know that I too come from an MS family. Just a reminder that a prevention program for young people in those families can be as simple as Vitamin D. I also suggest methylcobolamin B-12. Please let me know if you have questions about this recommendation.
Featured Exercise DVDs and Books
I
absolutely do not believe anyone can prevent
the tendency of MS to progress without a
consistent gentle stretching and deep breathing exercise program
T
he worst aspects of MS respond 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.I am often contacted by readers about various Qi Gong programs they have purchased that they cannot use. I understand. I have many, many different DVD programs but most do not work for me either. That is the joy of the Tai Chi/Qi Gong for Seniors routine. It is designed specifically for people with limited mobility. It is simple and easy, perhaps deceptively so. At first it seems too simple. But over time when you really learn to work with it and do the simple movements in a slow, meditative way, the benefits are enormous. When combined with the QiGong techniques in The Healer Within book, this is a superb healing tool.
Over the years I have evaluated personally many exercise programs, and the absolute best I know of are Tai Chi for Seniors by Mark Johnson, Yoga for MS by Shoosh Crotzer, and Gentle Fitness by Catherine MacRae. I am very confident in recommending them.
~ Yoga for Strength and Qi Gong for Healing ~
In response to questions from some of you, all of the DVD programs have parts that require standing. My observation of each one is as follows:
|
Yoga for MS
includes sections done standing (a small amount), some sitting, and some on
the floor. (It demonstrates instructions for a helper for one who has
problems getting up and down.) The standing portions could be done leaning
against a wall or holding on to a chair back. |
|
Gentle Fitness
also includes sitting, standing and floor sections. |
|
Tai Chi (Qi Gong)
for Seniors includes
both standing and seated portions. Most of this routine can be done seated
in an armless chair (like a dining table chair). |
|
The Healer Within can be done standing, seated or lying down. For the wheelchair-bound person with very limited physical ability, this is the program for you. This book includes sketches of each movement, in all three positions. |
YOGA FOR MS AND RELATED CONDITIONS - I found this modified yoga program in the Yoga Journal many years ago, and it remains a 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 kung) Tai Chi video program. It was the very first exercise program I found after being diagnosed with MS, and about 13 years later I still find it very beneficial and do it almost every day. This program complements the Yoga for MS routine beautifully.
GENTLE FITNESS - Catherine and I connected on the Internet about 8-9 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.
First Time Ever SALE price on DVDs!
This month I'm featuring a special price
of $25.00
each, including shipping, on Yoga for MS and Tai Chi for Seniors DVDs.
I also have two VHS tapes of the Yoga for MS program, and they are available
at $18.00 each, including postage. If you have been meaning to order
one of these programs, take advantage of this opportunity and save $8.00.
Follow this link for more information on these videos and books.
FOUR STEPS TO OVERCOMING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS includes just about everything I have learned in my own journey to wellness. It 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 and therapeutic breathing, 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. It now includes a complete guide to our Internal Guidance System. Four Steps comes in either Word .doc format or .pdf format.
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 e-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 includes very simple easy-to-do Qi Gong based movements that I highly recommend. The best thing about this book is that all the movements may be done either standing, seated or lying down.
I Get Lots of Mail
Dear Betty,
As always - Thanks [for the newsletter]. I have a question for you, or want your opinion. I've had MS since 1991 and have used a wheelchair for 8 years. I went ahead and had the IgE allergy tests for all the foods mentioned to eliminate in the BEST BET DIET. Do you believe that I should proceed with the diet, assuming it will [help me] improve and possibly get me out of this chair? I'd very much appreciate your honest response. Thanks so much. /S/ Sue H.
Hi Sue,
My response to your question is, "I wish I knew for sure." May I ask a few questions?
| Did you have the ELISA blood testing done, which tests for both IgE and IgG? |
| Did you have any positive reactions in your testing? |
| Are you relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, or primary progressive? |
The theory behind eliminating dairy, gluten, and legumes, as well as reducing all possible animal fats and processed sugar, is that those are potentially inflammatory proteins. And Dr. Embry (originator of the BBD), encourages elimination of the above regardless of the ELISA results. According to his theory, one needs to take the ELISA to determine if there are other foods, in addition to the above, that one should eliminate.
That leaves the question of whether after 8 years in a wheel chair the BBD would be effective for you. There is only one way to know, and that is to try it and see. Some people react positively within a few weeks, some who have lots of allergies have a positive reaction right away. At the same time all self-healing techniques are more effective if started early on in your MS journey. It is much easier to prevent neurological damage than to reverse it. But I have seen people who have had a lot of neurological symptoms improve greatly by staying on the program. One thing I do know for sure is that the BBD is probably the healthiest way to eat on our planet. If you have a family they will all benefit from the BBD.
If you are one of those people who find it challenging to live with the BBD, then do it in stages as I outline in the Four Steps to Overcoming MS e-book.
I hope some of this is helpful to you.
Thanks Betty for continuing your
Journey to Wellness newsletter. I have followed your program for several years,
and it has worked better for me than than the recommended MS drugs. The only
time I have slipped was when I got complacent and "fell off the wagon" for a
while. It seems like just when I need a push to get started again I get one of
your motivating newsletters, and it helps me to get back on track. I can't thank
you enough. /S/ Peggy
Thank you Peggy. You just made my day.
Hi Betty,
Thanks so much for the newsletter. You always make it sound so easy. Why is it so hard for me? /s/ Karen P
Hi Karen. IT IS EASY! It is a series of easy-to-do things that when combined together make for a successful natural self-healing program. We are most often defeated by our self-talk and personal belief system. Usually we think the simple, easy things can't possibly make a difference. A perfect example of our self-talk and belief in action is the placebo effect. The placebo is recognized by modern medicine as one of the most effective "medicines" there is.
In the September 2008 issue of this newsletter I gave you my personal Qi Gong routine I do every single morning before I get out of bed. Do you do a similar routine for yourself? If not, why not? I can only tell you that it works, but I can't change your self-talk or belief system for you . . . BUT YOU CAN! In the first MS book I wrote, From MS to Wellness, I quoted Dr. Wayne Dyer and what he calls "instant satori," or instant transformation. He says that all change comes in an instant . . . but that it can take us many years to get to that moment. He goes on to remind us that we get to make the decision of when that moment comes.
If you are still waiting for that moment, you can keep right on waiting, or you can get moving and make some positive changes in your daily routine. Take two very simple things and make a commitment to yourself that you will do them. If you have never done any diet revision, then begin to eliminate white flour and sugar, and anything made from them. Forget eliminating anything else for the first few weeks.
If you do not have a daily exercise program, then begin one today - not tomorrow or next week. It can be as simple as the "jump start your day" routine I gave in the September newsletter, combined with several episodes of deep abdominal breathing throughout the day.
Remember that it is a series of small things when added together that make a successful self-healing program. In our instant-gratification society we have been brainwashed with the feeling that we must go to a physician and he or she will give us a prescription - most times lots of them - that will make us well. Please, please trust me. Our body wasn't designed to ingest drugs or have them injected. I believe strongly in taking responsibility for my own health.
My grandson has a tendency to "dawdle" along when I want him to move faster. When that happens I will raise my voice and say, MOVE IT! That is what I want to say to all of you who are dragging your feet. I receive e-mails almost every day from someone who tells me they have been receiving my newsletters for years but have just never gotten started making healthy lifestyle changes.
Well, if you are one of those — Now is Your Time! This is Your Day to MOVE IT!
Dear Betty
I know that I do not exercise enough, and I guess I get discouraged because I don't see improvement right away, but I am really concerned about the weakness in my legs. Do I dare ask if you have a "magic" answer? Thanks for all that you do. /S/ George P.
Hello George. Magic? No, I'm afraid there is no magic answer, but exercise does work if you are diligent and consistent. The leg exercises done lying on the floor with your feet and legs in the seat of a sofa or chair (with your fanny against the front of the sofa or chair), which Shoosh gives in the Yoga for MS DVD, are great for rebuilding and maintaining leg strength. They really work. Remember that leg strength originates in the psoas muscles in the lower abdomen, and they are responsible for strong gluteus maximus and thus strong legs. This also applies to foot drop, which begins with weak psoas muscles. The sphincter muscles relate to the psoas also, and they are therefore responsible for the urgency incontinence that plagues most of us who have MS.
Those core muscles are extremely important for the most common symptoms—leg weakness and foot drop, and bladder incontinence.
Research
News
European
Network to Investigate Gene Causing Multiple Sclerosis
09/23/2008 — (from an Internet press release)
Ten research teams will investigate the genetic component of multiple sclerosis treatment. They will do it from the University of the Basque Country.
The University of the Basque Country hosted a conference in which lecturers introduced the European scientific network that will look into the new customized treatments for multiple sclerosis. The talk took place at the so-called "Classrooms of the Experience" located at University’s premises in the old part of Bilbao’s city.
During the presentation it was possible to listen to the Belgian professor Koen Vandenbroeck ‘s speech. Vanderbroek is a scientist who works for Ikerbasque, a Foundation created by the Basque Government that primarily aims to help develop scientific research in the Basque Country by attracting researchers and helping them establish themselves in the field of research. A Belgian researcher will be the main coordinator of the study.
A European scientific network will investigate the genetic component of multiple sclerosis treatment and it will do it from the Basque University. Ten research teams from five different countries will work on a two to three million Euro dollars project over a four year period. The aim is to use genetics to advance toward a customized medication.
FDA DRUG WARNING - More Bad news regarding Tysabri
I have always felt that the Tysabri drug is frightening. Now we have more bad news about its side effects. Be sure to check out this link to a warning about Tysabri and dangerous melanoma skin cancer. This warning comes direct from the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/aers/potential_signals/potential_signals_2008Q1.htm?source=time
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As always I hope you have found something in this issue of Journey to Wellness to help you along your own journey to wellness. If something in this newsletter raised a serious question for you, please send me a note and I'll try to respond. I thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I love reading your correspondence. You are all very special to me. Please also remember that Journey to Wellness is intended to be interactive. I really want to hear from you! Please send me your experiences, challenges, etc. and I will try to include them. And please, include a photo.
Yet again I remind you, please remember to smile and laugh a lot, and to say "I love you" often to those you love. One never knows when we will be saying it for the last time. I truly do know for sure that when all is said and done, and we move on to our next experience, it is only the love that lasts!
Since my last newsletter my son Kevin's father made his transition. As I said last month, life truly is precious and precarious.
Big smiles and {{{hugs}}} to all of you,
Betty