Hello to everyone from warm and sunny Davis, California, U.S.A., where our beautiful spring continues.

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 to learn how to "listen" to our body and to support our body's self-healing process. 

As I do with each issue of Journey to Wellness, I hope something included "speaks" to you and challenges you to move ahead in your own journey to wellness.

If you are a new subscriber to Journey to Wellness, I warmly welcome you, wherever in the world you hail from.

    IN THIS ISSUE: 

Hello to each and every one of you.  Last month's issue began with the following:

Love makes the world go 'round . . .
is an oft quoted phrase, but it is so much more than that.  I truly believe love is the most awesome energy in the Universe.  I have a new goal for my senior years, and that is to teach this truth to everyone with whom I come into contact.  Just think how different our world would be if we concentrated on amassing an estate of love instead of dollars and "stuff."  No more family squabbles over who is going to inherit what or how much! 

Not long ago I completed a revision of my will and family trust, and I became aware of how much energy I had wasted worrying about what would happen to what money and possessions I have when I move on to my next experience.  I now realize that none of that matters to me.  All that really matters is the love I leave behind.  I invite you to join me in spreading love every day.

I had some of the most interesting e-mail exchanges about love making the world go 'round.  Thank you to all of you who took the time to share your intimate thoughts with me.

This month's issue features a wide variety of subjects from healthy recipes from subscriber Pam, to some of the most interesting research information I have ever shared with you..  There are the usual e-mail exchanges, as well as regular features.  I hope you enjoy this month's issue.

"You can change who you are without rejecting who you were."

                                                                                                  Psychiatrist Dr. Gordon Livingston
 

  Bon Appétit - Healthy Food Tips and Recipes 

Subscriber Pamela and I have been exchanging e-mails for quite a number of years.  Like me, Pam loves to cook and she has sent along some of her favorite recipes (all gluten free).  Thanks Pam.  Your recipe made me like Brussels sprouts!  I love this photo of Pam overlooking a Venice canal.
 

Sesame Ginger Brussels Sprouts

        2 containers (10 oz. each) Brussels sprouts
        2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
        2 t. grated, peeled fresh ginger
        1 t. Asian sesame oil (I would use Bragg Liquid Aminos)
        1 T. olive oil
        1 large onion (about 12 oz), cut in half and thinly sliced
        2 T. water

Trim stems and any yellow leaves from Brussels sprouts. Cut each sprout lengthwise into quarters. In cup, stir together soy sauce, grated ginger, and sesame oil.

Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to medium-high; add Brussels sprouts and water; cover and cook about 5 minutes or until sprouts are beginning to soften and brown, stirring once. Remove cover from skillet and cook about 5 minutes longer or until sprouts are tender-crisp, stirring frequently. Remove skillet from heat; stir in soy sauce mixture.

Salmon with Gingery Cabbage

        1 T. olive oil
        1 small onion, thinly sliced
        4 pieces salmon fillet (6 oz each), skin removed
        1/2 t. curry powder
        2 T. Dijon mustard with seeds
        2 t. grated peeled fresh ginger
        1/2 t. ground cumin
        1 bag (16 oz) shredded cabbage for coleslaw

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium 1 minute. Add onion; cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until onion is tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, grease 13" by 9" glass baking dish. With tweezers, remove any bones from salmon pieces. Place salmon, rounded sides up, in baking dish. In cup, stir together curry powder, Dijon mustard, and 2 t. water. Use to brush evenly over salmon.

Roast salmon, without turning over, 15 minutes or just until opaque throughout.

While salmon roasts, add ginger and cumin to onion in skillet, and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add cabbage and 1/4 t. salt; cover and cook 11-13 minutes or until cabbage is just tender and starts to brown, stirring occasionally.

To serve, spoon cabbage mixture onto 4 dinner plates; top with salmon.

Red Quinoa with Corn and Pecans

        1 strip turkey bacon, finely chopped (I used a little more)
        3 t. canola oil, divided
        1 sm. red onion, finely chopped
        1/2 c. fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
        2 c. cooked red quinoa
        3/4 c. frozen yellow corn kernels
        1-1/2 t. apple cider vinegar
        1/3 c. chopped pecans

Cook bacon in 2 t. oil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add onion and remaining 1 t. oil to same pan. Cook, stirring 4 minutes. Add broth, quinoa, corn and bacon. Heat through. Remove from heat. Add vinegar and season to taste.  Sprinkle with pecans.

Thank you Pam for sharing with us your delightful recipes.  Your salmon with gingery cabbage is awesome.  I couldn't find 'red"quinoa so I just used regular quinoa and loved it.

  THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF

Shortly before my son Kevin succumbed to lung cancer and "graduated" to his next experience in November 2006, someone sent him a book called The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist and medical school professor.  Unfortunately by that time Kevin was too ill to read the book, but he showed it to me and told me about it.  At the time I went to my local bookstore and purchased a copy, but with Kevin's impending passing and dealing with the resulting grief, I did not begin to read it for a few months.

In one of the last conversations I had with Kevin before his transition, he told me that he had always admired what I had been able to accomplish in my own journey to wellness and overcoming MS, and that he didn't understand why he hadn't been able to accomplish the same for himself.  As I read Dr, Lipton's book, I realized that it is a roadmap to why and how we can control the biology of our body.  Kevin was a brilliant young man, and I'm sure that had he been able to study this material prior to his cancer battle, the outcome might have been very different.

I did a book review of The Biology of Belief at the time I first read it.  However, a few weeks ago I began to re-read this book, which has become a world-wide best seller, and I found that in many ways it was like reading it for the first time.  The ensuing two years since I first read The Biology of Belief has not dimmed my enthusiasm for the truths Dr. Lipton outlines, connecting the science of our biology with how we can create a healing environment in our body. 

From the Introduction:

". . . we are not powerless biochemical machines, popping a pill every time we are mentally or physically out of tune is not the answer.  Drugs and surgery are powerful tools, when they are not overused, but the notion of simple drug fixes is fundamentally flawed.  Every time a drug is introduced into the body to correct function A, it inevitably throws off function B, C or D.  It is not gene-directed hormones and neurotransmitters that control our bodies and our minds; our beliefs control our bodies, our minds and thus our lives . . . Oh ye of little belief!"

In chapter five,  Dr. Lipton states:

"Your beliefs act like filters on a camera, changing how you see the world.  And your biology adapts to those beliefs.  When we truly recognize that our beliefs are that powerful, we hold the key to freedom.  While we cannot readily change the codes of our genetic blueprints, we can change our minds."

Dr. Lipton goes on to say:

"Learning how to harness your mind to promote growth is the secret of life. . . Of course the secret of life is not a secret at all.  Teachers like Buddha and Jesus have been telling us the same story for millennia.  Now science is pointing in the same direction.  It is not our genes but our beliefs that control our lives."

When I found metaphysics, which simply means "beyond the physical," about 30 years ago, it totally changed my life.  I learned the "truth" that I create my world, and once I accepted that, the next step was to realize that I could change it.  So it was inevitable that I bring that belief to my physical challenge when I was diagnosed with MS. 

Not until I discovered the scientific reason for that theory, however, through Dr. Lipton's ground-breaking book, The Biology of Belief, did I begin to understand the how and why.  If you are interested in reading the scientific proof in Dr. Lipton's book, you will be fascinated by how it all works, from the individual cell to major transformations in our lives.

I am not a scientist, although I am mesmerized by the science involved, but there is one thing I do know for sure,

                          "You and I control our world based on our beliefs"

Dr. Lipton's treatise takes this theory from the world of metaphysics to scientific reality.  And it doesn't really matter whether or not we believe in Dr. Lipton's theories.  They are very basic laws of the Universe, and of how our cell biology works.

  FROM MY MAIL BOX

  Hi Betty!

First, thanks for all the great information you so generously share with us.  I wanted to share an "Aha" moment I had recently as it may help others.  I know we're all heard about the importance of forgiveness, but I was recently in a group meditation and the speaker talked about forgiving others.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I realized that I needed to forgive my husband (we're separated).  I had been dwelling on the things he had said and done in the past and rehashing everything in my mind.  I realized that this anger and resentment was only hurting me.  So... I let it go.  And OMG, what a difference right away in how I felt physically.  It doesn't mean that you necessarily resume a relationship the way it was and maybe not at all, but in forgiving someone else, you set yourself free from the negative emotions.  The next step was forgiving myself.  We've all done and said things we regret, so why not give ourselves a break and forgive the most important person in our healing--ourselves!  Take good care, /s/ Kathleen J.

Hi Kathleen,

How nice to hear from you.  Thanks for sharing your "Aha" moment.  I will include it in the May newsletter, along with your lovely photo. 

You have learned a great lesson . . . forgiveness is a great healing tool, and the most important person we ever need to forgive is ourselves.  It totally changes our outlook and our thought processes.  A great example of how to change our thoughts and ultimately what we create in our lives. 

 Thank you Betty [for the supplements report].  In you book you recommended Essential Minerals (liquid 100% plant source ionic minerals). I believe that you wrote that it helped with the fatigue symptoms. Essential Minerals were not included in the report that you emailed me and I wanted to know if you still recommend Essential Minerals or has this changed?  I was surprised not to see it on the list of supplements directly aimed at treating MS.  Kindest regards.  /S/ Yonan

  EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN?

Recently I watched a PBS special report on brain health by a renowned Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen.  The program was called "Magnificent Mind at Any Age."  I was mesmerized watching Dr. Amen's presentation.  It had never occurred to me that just like every other part of our body our brain responds to lifestyle changes, just like MS and many other physical challenges, like diet meditation, physical exercise, and also certain herbs and supplements. 

A few days after viewing Dr. Amen's presentation I read the following in a newsletter from Dr. Memmet Oz.  I was reminded yet again that it looks like a life-style formula for MS!

SEVEN WAYS TO EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN
Dr. Memmet Oz

            ■    Avoid uncomfortable situations
            ■    Challenging word games
            ■    Keep blood lines open - avoid atherosclerosis
            ■    Take aspirin - check with your doctor
            ■    Omega 3 Fatty Acids
            ■    Cope with stress - meditation
            ■    Exercise


  MS RESEARCH REPORTS

Good Cholesterol" May Help Decrease MS Inflammation, Lessen Disability

BUFFALO, N.Y.  (April 28, 2009)  -- Could HDL, the "good cholesterol," have the same protective effect in multiple sclerosis, an inflammatory disease of the brain's white matter, as it does in heart disease, through its anti-inflammatory effects on blood vessels?  The answer may be yes, based on results of research conducted at the University at Buffalo and presented today (Tuesday, April 28) in a poster session at the American Association of Neurology meeting in Seattle, Wash.

Allison S. Drake, MSc, a researcher in the Jacobs Neurological Institute (JNI), UB's Department of Neurology, is first author on the study.  Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, M.D., UB associate professor of neurology and director of the JNI's Baird Multiple Sclerosis Center, initiated and oversaw the research.

"We set out to evaluate the relationship between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and disability in patients with MS," said Drake. "The protective effects of HDL in cardiovascular disease have been well established, but the role of HDL in MS had not been investigated. We found that patients with greater disability (assessed using the physician-reported Expanded Disability Severity Score, EDSS) were more likely to have low HDL blood levels, while those with less disability had higher HDL levels," said Drake, "demonstrating a significant association between HDL level and disability.  While it appears that the anti-inflammatory effect of high HDL may be protective in patients with MS, further studies on the relationship between HDL levels, disease modifying therapy and MS disease progression are warranted," she noted.

The study involved 186 MS patients with average age of 50 who were enrolled in the New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium, an alliance of treatment centers throughout the state organized to assess prospectively the clinical characteristics of MS patients. The JNI is the lead site.

Drake and colleagues had access to the patient's clinical information and HDL levels that were collected when participants entered into the study, and compared that data with measures of disability after an average of 5 years. Patients were classified as having an HDL level of 40 or less, the low level, or 60 or above, the high level, when they were enrolled in the study. (HDL is measured in milligrams-per-deciliter, or mg/dL).

Results showed that the degree of disability at baseline was significantly associated with HDL level. Specifically, participants with higher EDSS scores at baseline, indicating more disability, were more likely to have lower HDL levels than participants with less disability.


MEDITATION MAY INCREASE GRAY MATTER

Science Daily (May 13, 2009) — Push-ups, crunches, gyms, personal trainers — people have many strategies for building bigger muscles and stronger bones. But what can one do to build a bigger brain?

Meditate.

That's the finding from a group of researchers at UCLA who used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate. In a study published in the journal NeuroImage and currently available online (by subscription), the researchers report that certain regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a similar control group.

Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus — all regions known for regulating emotions.

"We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior," said Eileen Luders, lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. "The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities."

Research has confirmed the beneficial aspects of meditation. In addition to having better focus and control over their emotions, many people who meditate regularly have reduced levels of stress and bolstered immune systems. But less is known about the link between meditation and brain structure.

In the study, Luders and her colleagues examined 44 people — 22 control subjects and 22 who had practiced various forms of meditation, including Zazen, Samatha and Vipassana, among others. The amount of time they had practiced ranged from five to 46 years, with an average of 24 years.

More than half of all the meditators said that deep concentration was an essential part of their practice, and most meditated between 10 and 90 minutes every day.

The researchers used a high-resolution, three-dimensional form of MRI and two different approaches to measure differences in brain structure. One approach automatically divides the brain into several regions of interest, allowing researchers to compare the size of certain brain structures. The other segments the brain into different tissue types, allowing researchers to compare the amount of gray matter within specific regions of the brain.

The researchers found significantly larger cerebral measurements in meditators compared with controls, including larger volumes of the right hippocampus and increased gray matter in the right orbito-frontal cortex, the right thalamus and the left inferior temporal lobe. There were no regions where controls had significantly larger volumes or more gray matter than meditators.

Because these areas of the brain are closely linked to emotion, Luders said, "these might be the neuronal underpinnings that give meditators' the outstanding ability to regulate their emotions and allow for well-adjusted responses to whatever life throws their way."

What's not known, she said, and will require further study, are what the specific correlates are on a microscopic level — that is, whether it's an increased number of neurons, the larger size of the neurons or a particular "wiring" pattern meditators may develop that other people don't.

Because this was not a longitudinal study — which would have tracked meditators from the time they began meditating onward — it's possible that the meditators already had more regional gray matter and volume in specific areas; that may have attracted them to meditation in the first place, Luders said.  However, she also noted that numerous previous studies have pointed to the brain's remarkable plasticity and how environmental enrichment has been shown to change brain structure.

Other authors of the study included Arthur Toga, director of UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging; Natasha Lepore of UCLA; and Christian Gaser of the University of Jena in Germany. Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health. The authors report no conflicts of interest. 

University of California - Los Angeles (2009, May 13).

Health Canada Approves Glatiramer Acetate (Copaxone) for Clinically Isolated Syndrome Suggestive of MS

NEW YORK -- April 17, 2009 -- Health Canada has approved an expanded indication for glatiramer acetate injection (Copaxone) to include the treatment of patients who have experienced a single demyelinating event, accompanied by abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and are considered to be at risk of developing clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CYMES), after alternative diagnoses are excluded.  Adminstering glatiramer acetate to patients who have experienced a single demyelinating event has been shown to delay the onset of definite MS and reduce the number of active brain lesions and overall disease burden identified by MRI scans.

The approval is based on the multinational, multicentre, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled, phase 3 (PreCISEe) study which included a total of 481 patients presenting with a single clinical episode and MRI scans suggestive of MS over a period of up to 3 years. Patients included were those who had a unifocal disease manifestation.

Patients were randomized to receive either glatiramer acetate injection 20mg/day or placebo as a subcutaneous injection and continued treatment for up to 3 years, unless a second exacerbation was experienced.   Patients who experienced a second exacerbation continued the trial on active treatment for an additional 2 years. The primary efficacy outcome was time to development of second exacerbation. A pre-planned interim analysis was performed on data accumulated from 81% of the 3-year placebo-controlled study exposure.

Results demonstrated that in the 25th percentile of the patient population, the number of days to second exacerbation was more than doubled by treatment with glatiramer acetate from 336 days to 722 days (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.77; P = .0005), compared with placebo.  here was also a significant reduction in the number of new T2 lesions and in the volume of T2 lesions in the glatiramer acetate arm compared with the placebo arm, as measured by MRI scans following 29 months of therapy.  Glatiramer acetate appears to be well tolerated with 84% of patients completing the 3-year study period.

Source: American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
Released: Tue 14-Apr-2009, 16:00 ET

RISK OF LEUKEMIA WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS DRUG HIGHER THAN THOUGHT

Newswise — The risk of developing leukemia as a side effect of a drug for multiple sclerosis (MS) is higher than previously reported, according to a study to be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 – May 2, 2009.

Mitoxantrone is an immunosuppressant drug approved by the FDA for treatment of several forms of advancing MS. It is one of only two drugs that has been shown to benefit people with secondary progressive MS who are having attacks. However, the drug can cause heart damage at high total doses. Due to this, the lifetime cumulative dose is equal to about eight to 12 doses over two to three years.

Previous studies have also shown that the people with MS treated with the drug have an increased risk of developing leukemia. Those studies showed that acute leukemia occurred in .07 percent to .25 percent of MS patients taking mitoxantrone. Today’s retrospective study of 2,854 Italian people with MS receiving the drug found that leukemia occurred in .74 percent.

“This rate is significantly higher than what has been previously reported,” said study author Vittorio Martinelli, MD, of University Vita-Salute in Milan, Italy. “The potential risk of leukemia should be carefully considered against the potential benefits of mitoxantrone treatment on every single patient.”

The study participants all had at least one cycle of mitoxantrone treatment and were observed for at least one year. A total of 21 people developed leukemia, eight of whom died. The people who developed leukemia had more treatment cycles than those who did not develop leukemia—8.6 cycles versus 7.2 cycles. They also had a greater cumulative dose of mitoxantrone.  The leukemia occurred an average of three years after the first use of the drug and an average of 18 months after the end of treatment.

“It is vital that all MS patients treated with mitoxantrone undergo prolonged and careful hematological follow-up to check for acute leukemia,” Martinelli said.

The American Cancer Society has estimated there were 44,270 new cases of leukemia in the general U.S. population last year.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, restless legs syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, narcolepsy, and stroke. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com.