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Journey to Wellness
June
2010
THE
GOOD NEWS, NATURALLY HEALTHY NEWSLETTER
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Greetings
to everyone from Davis, California, U.S.A.
Thank you for joining me for this issue of Journey
to Wellness
Each month I have this unique opportunity to share my MS story. I often say that we can choose to be a victor instead of a victim of our MS (or anything else in our lives for that matter). I have chosen to be "enabled" by MS rather than "disabled," and I believe that each one of us has the opportunity to make that same choice. I believe my body is designed to be self-healing, and that my challenge is to learn how to "listen" to my body and to help it turn on that innate self-healing process. The primary subject of this month's newsletter is communication, including with our own body.
About 15 years ago now I began my own search for wellness, after being diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS. And 13 years ago I chronicled my early search in the book From MS to Wellness, began the Betty's House . . . Life After MS website, and invited all to come along with me on my journey. And it has been quite a ride. Over the years I have shared all the ups and downs, all the things I have tried and experienced, with all my readers. Today I am symptom free and enjoying life as a very healthy and active retired senior.
I hope you will find this issue of Journey to Wellness both informative and inspirational. Please feel free to write to me with questions, comments, etc. It has always been my intention that Journey to Wellness be interactive. Enjoy.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
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Communication with Our Self |
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Exercise - Use It or Lose It! by Shoosh Crotzer |
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What I know for Sure - How to Succeed Overcoming MS |
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Bon Appétit - Healthy Food Tips and Recipes |
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Research News |
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Most of you will remember that a year ago the economics of using an Internet publisher became prohibitive and I terminated my agreement with a publisher and began relying on Twitter as a communication tool. Unfortunately, probably because I do not know enough about how to work with that service, it has proven to be ineffective for me.
I have just signed an agreement with a new e-mail publisher and will in a few weeks begin using that service to communicate with all of you. I will still be placing each newsletter at my website, but you will receive an e-mail abbreviated version with links to the website. I hope you will enjoy the new arrangement. The new service is a lot different from the previous one, so please be patient with me while I learn. You will be receiving a first test e-mail soon.
If you were not on that old mailing list, or you have a new e-mail address during the last year, please fill in this request to join the new list. Your name will never be used by anyone else for any other purpose:
The primary theme of this month's newsletter is communication, in a very broad sense. Subjects include daily rituals, visualization, setting your goals, our body's Internal Guidance System (IGS), coping with summer's heat, and research notes, as well as other regular features.
Do you enjoy reading this free on-line newsletter? Do you appreciate the fact that there are no sponsoring commercial ads cluttering the pages? Then please consider making a contribution to help keep them coming. I have always wanted Betty's house to be commercial free, and that is still my intention. And I never wanted it to be paid subscription only. But be that as it may, everything connected with the website and newsletter costs money, and I cannot do it alone. Even a small amount helps and is greatly appreciated.
Any contribution you would like to make may be sent to Iams House, 139 Inner Circle, Davis, CA 95618, or by credit card here. My on-line shopping cart makes it easy for you to make a donation. YOU make the website and this newsletter possible. Without your help both will disappear. For those of you who have recently made a donation, many thank yous and big hugs. You are all awesome. Thanks for helping me meet the obligations necessary to support the website and newsletter.
THANKS FOR SHOPPING AT MY AMAZON STORE: Just click on this Amazon link, then when it opens
bookmark it in your "favorites" and it will be easy to always use it. I love Amazon's convenience, which really makes for easy, trouble-free shopping. Each order you place using this Betty's House Amazon link means a few cents is returned to Betty's House to help pay the monthly expenses for the website. It doesn't amount to very much, but every little bit helps. Thanks so much.
PLEASE NOTE:
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Archives of recent issues of Journey to Wellness are always available here. If you are a new subscriber I suggest you take one archived issue each week and really study the material covered. Over a period of a year Journey to Wellness covers just about every aspect of the healthy natural lifestyle that I recommend for MS.
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If you wish to send an e-mail to me, please be sure to use one of the following as the subject:
"Order" if you are writing concerning an order
"From a Newsletter Subscriber" for all other correspondence
R
emember to do that and your e-mail won't be lost in the never-never land of hundreds of pieces of spam I receive every day!!
The importance of daily
ritualsOne of the things that sets apart truly successful people from those who achieve lesser success is an effective daily ritual. What do I mean by a daily ritual? It is a few minutes set aside every day, preferably at about the same time, to review our goals, and complete a few tasks to help us achieve those goals.
Unless we have them written down, we do not have goals. Hopes and wishes do not make goals. Then spend some time every day getting clear on those goals, where you’re headed. Read them every day as part of your daily ritual. Unless and until we define what we want, and how we want to get there, we will never arrive at our goal. If you really want to have an "I-wanna-get-up-and-dance" kind of life, then write it down! Then be sure to congratulate yourself for what you have achieved so far toward your goal.
Daily needs fall primarily into two categories, physical (needs of the physical body) and emotional (spiritual and/or psychological) needs. It is very important to accept that we do indeed - all of us - have spiritual as well as physical needs.
Physical needs feed the body and relate to food and water, exercise, hygiene, etc. Physical needs are rather easy to define and to relate to. Spiritual/emotional needs, feed the soul, and may at first seem to be a little more elusive and challenging to define. We know instinctively how to satisfy those basic physical needs, but how do we satisfy our spiritual and emotional needs.
It is really important to point out that spiritual does not mean religious. Religion may be a part of your own personal spiritual needs, but for many of us (and I include myself in that group) that is not the case.
How do we define spiritual? Almost all philosophies define all humans as being body, mind, and spirit. So spiritual refers to that spirit part of us. I believe we are connected through the soul energy which powers our human body functions to a universal energy source (which most call God or the Divine) and with which we can communicate. Actually we are always communicating with that source either consciously or unconsciously. Meditation and/or prayer is the doorway to that communication.For me meditation is probably the most important part of my daily ritual. After I have reviewed my goals book, which I keep beside my meditation chair, I read my affirmations, and some of whatever spiritual mastery book I happen to be reading at the time, and then I meditate for 20-30 minutes.
Part of my daily ritual includes a very gentle Qi Gong moving meditation that I do for half an hour just before I go to bed. That is my daily routine. We each must build into our day a spiritual ritual routine that works for us. If we are not doing that, then we are starving our soul. If you feel there is no time in your day for such a ritual, I urge you to remember that we all have the same 24 hours in every day, and we get to choose how we use them. When I was first learning to meditate I taught myself to get up half an hour earlier so that I had time to meditate before I got ready to head out for my work day.
You may have to force yourself to stick to the routine for the first few weeks, but I assure you that it will soon become automatic and you will be creating your own brand of what Vishen Lakhiani calls, "auto-magical" results! Vishen certainly has proven that he knows whereof he speaks. In recent years he has built the immensely successful multi-million dollar Internet Publishing powerhouse, Mind Valley.com.
PERSISTENCE PAYS!
"In my experience, there’s only one thing that will
always steer you toward success: That’s to have a vision
and to stick with it… Once I have a vision for a new venture,
I’m going to ride that vision until the wheels come off!"
~ Russell Simmons from Do You!
VISUALIZATION - Uber-important!
Imagination - "Seeing" with our mind's eye.
Behavioral scientists tell us that visualization takes advantage of the connection between our visual brain and our involuntary nervous system, allowing us to learn to influence physical and emotional states. I frequently have people tell me that they can't visualize. That is so not true. We can all visualize . . . Sometimes we just have a misconception of what it is. The key is to learn to "Act as if!" When we were kids we called it imagining or daydreaming. I wrote in a recent newsletter about "acting as if," and several wrote and asked me to write more about that.
Here is a little exercise that perhaps will help. If you think you cannot "act as if," by using your vivid imagination, then try this exercise. Just close your eyes, and take a couple of deep, relaxing breaths. Place your hands in your lap and say to yourself, "I cannot lift my _____ hand" (fill in the blank with your dominant hand, either right or left). Repeat that to yourself. Now try to lift your hand. Just use your imagination and "act as if" you cannot lift that hand. If you can lift your hand, then you are not "acting as if."
If you cannot move your hand, then your imagination is working well. Now just tell yourself that you can move that hand, and then raise your hand. This is a simple and easy way to prove to yourself the power of your imagination. If you don't get it the first try (most people succeed on the first try) then just repeat it and remember to "act as if." Then just tell yourself that you CAN lift your hand. AN AMAZING DEMONSTRATION OF THE POWER OF OUR MIND.
The word imagination originates in the word image. Visualization is the act of using that imagination. There are two ways to "see" an image - with our physical eye, and with our mind's eye. As we hone our visualization ability, learning to "act as if," we sharpen our ability to see with our mind's eye and to create what we want in our life.
Intuition - "Hearing" with our mind's ear
Have you ever been thinking about someone and had the phone ring and they were calling? That is hearing with your intuitive mind's ear. If you have ever had an intuitive feeling about something or someone that materialized, then you were using your mind's ear to hear that inner voice.
OUR INTERNAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM (IGS)
Our bodies are truly unique. They are always communicating with us. From the most basic messages of hunger, pain, nausea, fatigue, etc., to much more subtle messages like the good feeling we get when we take a few relaxing, deep breaths, or share a simple hug or laugh with a friend, or perhaps sharing the euphoria of an intimate moment with another human being, etc. These are basic ways our body "talks" to us.
Remember that communication requires a sender AND a receiver. Our eyes and ears - both physical and mental - are facilitators of our communication with our body.
Sometimes spirit is the sender, as in intuitive messages, and when we "talk" to our spirit nature, our mind is the sender and spirit is the receiver. The connection for strong messages, both sending and receiving, is most easily made during meditation.
As my own experience of meditation continues to grow and develop, I get more casual in asking and receiving. If I have a question for which I need an answer, I ask my question when I get to the relaxed alpha state in meditation, and then I listen for the answer. I try to connect with any intuitive responses. And remember that being receptive to that voice is an all-the-time thing. The more I listen, the more that "voice" speaks to me.
Actually our body and our intuitive voice are always talking to us, but most of the time we are too busy to listen. Developing the ability to communicate through your intuition is a little bit like developing a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets. I have also learned that by turning off the television and noises in my environment I increase my ability greatly to hear my inner voice.
This newsletter and its contents each month are great examples of my own intuition at work. Much of my work involves use of the Outlook portion of the Microsoft Office software. As each month progresses whenever I get an idea (my intuition working) for the newsletter, I make a few notes about the idea in an Outlook draft folder. As the month progresses I most often will have collected quite a few of these ideas and I will begin to see a theme developing.
This month is a good example of how those ideas come together when I start to actually put the newsletter issue together. That is probably more than you wanted to know about how I work, but it does represent intuitive communication at work.
Who are we talking to when we talk to our self? We are talking to our sub-conscious, the spirit side of our nature. My experience is that my self-talk is the most important "talk" I ever experience.
What do you say to yourself when you see yourself in the mirror? Is it something positive? I cannot overemphasize the importance of your self-talk. Our self talk truly does create our world. Positive statements we say to our self are called affirmations. If you are willing to change your self-talk to positive affirmations, you can totally change your world.
Do you ever listen to how unhappy, negative people talk? They constantly re-affirm their unhappiness! And it doesn't matter who or what they are talking about - they are always negative. As we often hear today, "What's up with that?" Why be negative all the time when we could just as easily choose to be positive.
Author Louise Hay and founder of the Hay House Publishing empire championed teaching us the power of positive affirmations with her book You Can Heal Your Life. I have certainly proven how powerful they can be in my own life.
Louise says:
"We have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive
patterns if we want to change our lives."
Now Louise has a new book, Experience Your Good Now!
In this new book Louise teaches all about affirmations and how to use them in your own life. I very highly recommend Experience Your Good Now. Listen up! Go to Amazon now and order this little book for the low, low price of approximately $10, including the accompanying CD! Such a deal.
No matter how much you feel you know about affirmations, you will learn from this book. For instance, did you know that just beginning a conversation with a complaint is a negative affirmation Getting angry is another negative affirmation.
Your conversation will forever be changed by this book. Louise teaches us that positive affirmations are solutions that will replace whatever problems we might have. By repeating these affirmations over and over, you'll be planting new seeds in the fertile soil of your subconscious mind, and they'll become true for you.
Louise also includes an amazing CD in the back of the book. She recommends listening to the CD for at least 30 days to let these ideas permeate your consciousness until they become a part of you.
Do something great for yourself and order this book today - right now! As my grandson would say, it is definitely a "no-brainer." Listen up! Go. Go. Do it right now!!
LAST MINUTE ADDITION TO THIS NEWSLETTER:
Internet Video Tip: I have just watched the most amazing short video I have ever seen. Please trust me and go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac&feature=player_embedded
You will be inspired in a way that I can't explain. If for some reason the link doesn't work, just go to www.youtube.com and do a search for Nick Vujicic, No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! You'll be glad you did. This young man truly wipes away all our excuses. There are three short videos, and you will want to see them all!
We have been missing columns by Shoosh Crotzer, creator of the Yoga for MS program. Shoosh has been incredibly busy, but she's back!
I first learned of Shoosh when reading an issue of The Yoga Journal about 12 years ago, and I ordered her video (remember VHS tapes?). After finding her program very beneficial for me, I contacted her by phone, and not long thereafter when she was in the San Diego area we met in the lobby of the hotel where she was staying. Sitting in that lobby Shoosh taught me the seated version of the famous Yoga Sun Salute with people watching. I still smile when I remember that day.
Shoosh's Yoga for MS (a specially modified Hatha yoga routine) is powerful. It has been part of my own exercise program ever since I found her in The Yoga Journal. It is the very best program I know of to regain and/or maintain the strength of your core, by which we improve leg function, as well as incontinence problems that are so common to MS.
Now here's a new column from her. Welcome back Shoosh!
Research has shown that exercise helps decrease complications that arise from muscular fatigue, weakness, spasticity, and can also reduce stress. All of these are familiar symptoms and therefore, not surprisingly, I strongly encourage those with MS to exercise. One type of exercise that is recommended for MS is YOGA.
I have been teaching yoga for more than 36 years, and recently was part of a committee sponsored by the National MS Society to create a course to help educate yoga teachers on how to work with students who have MS. The reason for this is because the benefits of yoga have become more widely known and accepted, so more people are considering yoga classes as their form of exercise.
Because yoga is now so popular, it also means that there are many more styles of yoga and teachers who might not have the background or training to offer an appropriate yoga class for those with MS. Therefore, not all yoga classes are going to be good for you if you have MS.
Yoga is different than most other forms of exercise because it can be individualized. It also includes breathing and stress-reduction routines, can help you with balance, stretches the muscles, builds strength, and is non-competitive.
If you decide to attend a yoga class, be sure to inform the teacher of your limitations. To start out, you should look for a gentle yoga class, one for seniors is often best, and make sure the teacher has had many years of experience. Avoid yoga classes that are very aerobic, or intimidating, or fast. Remember that you are in charge of your own body, and don’t let others dictate what they think you should be doing. Be wise in choosing the class and teacher best for you.
Betty has encouraged me to tell you about the DVD that she has been using for many years, and the program that introduced her to me, called Yoga for MS and Related Conditions. I wrote this as a result of teaching yoga classes for the National MS Society and realized that often, getting to a class was an impediment. So I created this program that can be done at home. It works on posture and alignment, breathing, shows basic stretches, strengthening exercises and has a guided relaxation at the end.
It also shows how someone could help you if you need assistance. It does require that you be able to get up and down from the floor, so if that is not possible for you, I have another program that can be done while seated, called Yoga for Arthritis and Related Conditions. (Don’t be confused by the title, since one of the models in this DVD does have MS, and it has been widely used by many who need or just prefer to exercise while seated.) Both these DVDs are available from Betty.
I hope all of you will either begin or continue with an exercise program, one that you enjoy doing and look forward to because you feel good about it. If you have not previously, I hope you will consider trying yoga!
If you have questions relating to this column, you can email me directly at shsh@mobilityltd.com. (Remember, I am not a doctor, so please do not ask medical questions.)
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Here's a great healing affirmation/mantra from the great yogi and mogul Russell Simmons:
"My body is a
temple of divine light and energy.
I am healthy and whole."
One of the things that I am absolutely certain about is that we cannot get and/or stay well so long as we do not think we can. I am absolutely certain that wanting it is not enough. As long as we place our belief in something or someone "out there," instead of our body's own internal ability to heal itself and to stay well, we will never achieve health. After counseling people who have physical challenges of all kinds, I have gradually learned to pretty well know by the time we have talked for five minutes (or less) whether they will be successful on a natural journey to wellness path. How do I know? Their conversation - the words they say - belie their underlying belief.
Once we can accept the premise that we create our world, and thus everything and everyone in it, we have the basic belief foundation upon which to build a truly effective journey to wellness.
We don't need to read any more reports on the latest clinical trials of so-call MS meds. We just need to stop looking for reasons not to do it (whatever "it" is) and get busy and do what we already know we need to do. It is not very complicated, in fact it is very simple. I was hard-headed and convinced that it was complicated for a long time. I have never believed anything half way. So everything I tried I tried full out. There is practically no so-called alternative therapy that I didn't try; I was so committed to succeeding. And I spent a great deal of time and money. But in the end I found that what worked was the most simple. And what I learned I have shared repeatedly over and over through this newsletter for a lot of years now.
The important things are:
| Accept and really believe that you can succeed. |
| A daily ritual of affirmations and meditation - remember that your answers are ALWAYS inside of you. |
| Adopt a good healthy diet - avoiding processed sugars and white flour and anything made with them, and avoiding saturated fats all possible. |
| Commit to a regular exercise program of Qi Gong and/or modified Yoga and deep breathing. |
| A regular supplement program of Vitamin D, B-12 (if you show signs of active MS), and Omega 3 oils, which seem to directly impact MS. |
If you need to build up your belief, go to your local library and check out books like Wayne Dyer's Real Magic, David Swartz' The Magic of Thinking Big, or for a more scientific approach read Medical School professor Dr. Bruce Lipton's The Biology of Belief.
If you need help with meditation, print out the Meditation Report here at the main page of the Betty's House . . . Life After MS website. Start with 5 minutes a day, and gradually build up to 10, 15 or more minutes. You hold in your hands all the keys to overcoming MS, or whatever physical challenges you may be facing.
Almost weekly I hear from some of my Internet MS friends who send me a link to (or copy of) some new report on yet another new medication or study for MS. Do I read them? Absolutely. Do I care about them? Generally no. Meds will never bring a "cure" for MS. So I suggest you not sit around waiting for that elusive "cure," certainly not from a medication.
The currently on-going research into Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) is the only promising lead in the last century into what actually causes MS. Interestingly it didn't come out of expensive MS research (which is primarily about developing drugs), but from a little-known Italian physician who was trying to help his wife who had MS. And isn't it interesting that people who have MS from all over the world had to literally scream and "brow beat" the National MS Societies everywhere into even studying it after Dr. Paolo Zamboni, MD first reported his successful treatment of not only his wife but other MS patients.
Isn't it amazing what researchers can do when they give up their preconceived theories and ideas, and approach physical challenges like MS with an open mind and a fresh perspective. The early reports on CCSVI are very positive. We should have real definitive proof soon. I'm following the reports diligently. Stay tuned!
GETTING READY FOR SUMMER'S HEAT
As we head into the hot months of summer people who live with multiple sclerosis (about 85% to 95%) most often have a challenge with heat intensifying MS symptoms. Over the years of my own MS experience I learned some things about that phenomenon that perhaps will be helpful to you.
Q What is the role of humidity?
A For many, many people heat must be combined with high humidity to be a problem. If you live in an area where you have heat combined with high humidity, like along the gulf coast of the United States, it is a bigger problem for most people.
Q Does heat make my MS worse?
A No. What heat does is it makes it more difficult for you to manage your life by intensifying symptoms. For those who are very heat sensitive, usually the first symptom is an increase in fatigue level.
Q Does this problem ever get better or go away?
A In my experience, the answer is a resounding YES. As my MS symptoms lessened, so did my intolerance to heat. Today I have almost no heat intolerance at all.
Q What is the best way to deal with heat intolerance?
A Keeping the "core" of your body cool. The most important thing isn't the temperature outside, but rather the temperature inside your body. Even on relatively cool days, sitting in the sun long enough for your internal body temperature to escalate, can create heat related symptoms.
Q What can I do to cope?
A Cool ties to wear around your neck help, and if you must be out and about in the heat you may want to purchase a "cooling vest." These definitely work for a period of time. One reader of this newsletter told me that his cool vest allows him to mow his lawn and wash his car before the vest looses its ability to cool his body. Just do a Google Internet search for cool ties and cooling vests and you'll find lots of them. Some people with MS have created a little on-line business making and selling the cool ties.
Some things that I always found helpful were keeping a small mister to mist my face and neck when I had to be out and about when it was hot. Putting your feet in cool water is a great way to cool your body down, and taking a shower and gradually cooling the water down will work wonders when you need to recover from being overheated. Placing a small cold, wet cloth at the back of your neck is another great aid. I used to carry a mister and a cool, wet cloth in a baggie placed inside an insulated lunch bag in my car. Just remember that coping is a matter of cooling your body's internal temperature.
One other important thing to remember is that having a fever, like if you get a flu or an infection, etc., will create the same challenges as hot and humid weather.
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Internet Quote from Optimal Living:
If at age 110 you could talk to yourself at whatever age you are now, what advice would you give that younger you?
"Trust your gut, listen to your heart, use that big brain of
yours.
They are all gifts from the toolbox of the Divine."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bon
Appétit - Healthy Food Tips and Recipes
1 6 oz. can
water-packed albacore tuna, well drained
1 small apple, cored and diced
1 T mayonnaise of your choice
1 T fat-free plain yogurt
2 T chopped celery
salt and freshly ground pepper to
taste
4 - 6 slices bread - toasting is
optional
chopped walnuts - optional
butter lettuce leaves
Combine the tuna, apple, mayonnaise, celery, salt, and pepper, spread on bread and cover with lettuce. This makes a lovely sandwich served open faced on 100% sprouted grain bread, either toasted or plain. If you are going to prepare the tuna mixture ahead, then add a teaspoon of lemon juice to help prevent the apple from oxidizing.
Makes 2 to 3 sandwiches.
Sautéed Turkey
Cutlets with Avocado Sauce
4 servings
For the sauce:
For the turkey:
For the sauce: Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth; set aside until ready to use. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored, covered tightly in a refrigerator until ready to use.)
For the turkey: Combine flour, zest, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish or a reseal able plastic bag and mix thoroughly. Add half of cutlets and coat well. Remove, shaking off excess flour, and repeat with remaining cutlets.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add 2 to 3 cutlets and cook until browned, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.
To serve, place turkey on platter, top with sauce, and garnish with a few slices of avocado and torn basil leaves.
This makes an easy, lovely and elegant dinner.
If you have not discovered the new 100% Multi-Grain "Thin Buns," I recommend you look for them in your local supermarket. They are delicious, toast beautifully if you wish, are very healthy and have only 100 calories.
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, including the acute fatigue that plagues many, 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 or do not use. I understand. I have many, many different DVD programs in my personal library, but most do not work for me either. That is the joy of the Tai Chi/Qi Gong for Seniors routine, as well as Yoga for MS. They are designed specifically for people with limited mobility. They are simple and easy, perhaps deceptively so. At first they almost seem too simple. But over time when you really learn to work with them and do the simple movements in a slow, meditative way, the benefits are enormous. Both have been practiced successfully for centuries in many countries of the world.
When combined with the Qi Gong techniques in The Healer Within book, the Tai Chi/Qi Gong for Seniors and Yoga for MS programs are superb healing tools.
~ Fitness must be a Way of Life ~
Over the years I have evaluated personally many exercise programs, and the absolute best overall that 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.
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, meditation, diet, breathing techniques, 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 also includes a complete guide to our Internal Guidance System.
THE HEALER WITHIN is an excellent book by Roger Jahnke, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, which is truly the "bible" of Qi Gong and oriental medicine.
If ever there is a tomorrow when we’re not together..
there is something you must always remember.
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is,
even if we’re apart... I’ll always be with you."
Thank you Kevin for all the love we share. You are forever in my heart.
FROM MY MAILBOX
Would you please tell me what you eat for breakfast? Thank you for all you do for us. I have been reading your newsletter for about eight years, and you have helped me tremendously. I used to try to do the gluten and dairy free food plan, but could never stay with it. I was so pleased to be able to lose my guilt and frustration for falling off the wagon. I now live with what you call Stage 3 (as I believe you do) of the BBD as outlined in your Four Steps book, and I am doing great. I also consistently exercise with the Yoga for MS and Tai Chi (Qi Gong) for Seniors video programs that you recommend. I am doing so much better than I ever did when I tried to take the so-called MS medications. You are awesome. I cannot say thank you enough for all your help and advice over the years. Please keep up the good work. /s/ Judy R. (from Chicago)
Hi Judy. I remember when you first contacted me years ago. Thanks so much for that ringing endorsement. Regarding breakfast, I am not very adventuresome. On cold mornings I ALWAYS have oatmeal with a little fruit added (blueberries, strawberries, half a banana, a few raisins, unsweetened applesauce, etc.) I add about a tablespoon of ground flax, and about the same amount of chopped walnuts. I use 1% milk and about a teaspoon pure maple syrup for sweetener. This is a really powerhouse breakfast covering all the nutritional bases.
During the rest of the year I most often have low or no-fat cottage cheese with fresh fruit and chopped walnuts. Incidentally cottage cheese with chopped fresh veggies is a great and healthy warm-weather lunch. Just add a few whole-grain crackers for a complete luncheon meal.
I hope this is helpful to you. Thanks again for writing.
First of all, I'd like to thank you for all the support you offer to MS patients through your wonderful newsletters! Just knowing you are there to give us your advice, whenever we need it, means a lot keeps us going. I read recently that supplements which have 'magnesium stearate or sodium benzoate' in them are poisonous and harmful to the system. Since most of the supplements we take almost everyday have this preservative, is it really safe for us? I would like to have your advice regarding these preservatives.
One other concern I have is I have two mercury fillings in my teeth which are almost 30 years old. Should I get them removed since this year I have had two minor relapses. Please do reply. /s/ Sabiha
Hi Sabiha. Thanks for your lovely note. I suggest you not worry about these supplement preservatives. I have no concern about taking a supplement that is recommended for MS, and that has a minute quantity of magnesium stearate or sodium benzoate as a preservative. I have a tendency to believe that most supplements have little or no benefit, however. In years past I took lots of supplements, but finally decided that my money is much better spent on healthy organic food than on the chemicals used to formulate most supplements.
When I analyze my belief that the body is not intended to have meds (chemicals) put into it, then it equally stands to reason that overall and in general the body isn't designed to have supplements put into it either! When you are correcting a deficiency as we do with Omega 3 oils, B-12 and Vitamin D3, as is currently recommended for MS, then that is a different situation. Incidentally, these three supplements are the only ones I take (with the exception of Calcium because I am post-menopausal.
Save your money and don't worry about the mercury fillings. About 8 -10 years ago it was very popular to have mercury fillings removed when one had MS, and I know a lot of people who spent a great deal of money having them removed. But I do not know a single person for whom their MS went away after the removal! And I do not believe any relapses are caused from amalgams.
I would not have any new amalgam fillings put in my mouth, but neither would I have the 5 or 6 I have removed, and mine are also over 30 years old.
If you didn't know nuts protect against heart disease, stay in the dark no more. Yet another study has shown the power of nuts to heal.
Nut Consumption and Blood Lipid Levels reviewed 25 studies in which nuts were consumed by both men and women.
Eating nuts (of all types) was shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Nut consumption was also shown to lower triglyceride levels in people with high blood triglycerides. The higher a person's LDL cholesterol, the more nuts lowered blood lipids. The more nuts eaten, the greater the effect.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Joan Sabaté, says the power of nuts to lower blood lipids are multiple, since nuts are high in unsaturated fats - including Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fat. In addition, "(nuts) are the richest source of protein in the plant kingdom, and they also contain fiber and phytosterols, which compete with cholesterol to be absorbed. All these nutrients have been demonstrated to lower cholesterol."
For more good news on nuts (like how people who consume the most nuts are the least likely to be overweight), check out Fiber-Blog's past post, "More Nuts Please."
From Bronwyn Schweigerdt's www.Fiber-Blog.blogspot.com 5/25/2010
You already know from the above that research reports generally are not high on my priority list. However, I continue to peruse them for helpful information. The following is a recent one that contains some interesting information and confirms some of my beliefs about MS. I suggest you read it carefully.
Modifiable factors influencing relapses and
disability in multiple sclerosis
By D'hooghe M, Nagels G, Bissay V, De Keyser J.
National Center For Multiple Sclerosis, Melsbroek, Belgium/Department of Neurophysiology, Uni. Psychiatric Cen. Catholic Uni. Leuven Campus Kortenberg, Belgium.
A growing body of literature indicates that the natural course of multiple sclerosis can be influenced by a number of factors. Strong evidence suggests that relapses can be triggered by infections, the postpartum period and stressful life events. Vaccinations against influenza, hepatitis B and tetanus appear to be safe. Surgery, general and epidural anaesthesia, and physical trauma are not associated with an increased risk of relapses.
Factors that have been associated with a reduced relapse rate are pregnancy, exclusive breastfeeding, sunlight exposure and higher vitamin D levels. A number of medications, including hormonal fertility treatment, seem to be able to trigger relapses. Factors that may worsen progression of disability include stressful life events, radiotherapy to the head, low levels of physical activity and low vitamin D levels. Strong evidence suggests that smoking promotes disease progression, both clinically and on brain magnetic resonance imaging.
There is no evidence for an increased progression of disability following childbirth in women with multiple sclerosis. Moderate alcohol intake and exercise might have a neuro-protective effect, but this needs to be confirmed.
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I hope something included in this month's newsletter lands on fertile soil in your heart of hearts. Make it an awesome June. And thank you all for always being there for me!
{{hugs}} to all.
Betty
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 HAS KEPT ME SYMPTOM FREE FOR A LOT OF YEARS NOW SINCE PRIMARY
PROGRESSIVE MS FIRST MADE ITS APPEARANCE IN MY LIFE.