Hello to everyone, wherever in the world you are.  If this is your first issue of Journey to Wellness, I warmly welcome you. 

The purpose of the Betty's House...Life After MS website, and this newsletter, is to help all people with Multiple Sclerosis believe that they need not be a victim of MS, but rather that they can be a victor; that they can be "enabled" by their MS rather than "disabled," and that the choice is up to them.  If this concept is new to you, I hope by the time you have finished reading this newsletter you will begin to realize that you too can change. After all, what do you have to lose?  And conversely there is so much to gain! 

It is always my intention that each reader finds something of value in every issue.  I have come to realize that we are an extended family, and I remind each of you that Journey to Wellness is intended to be interactive.  If you have a story of holistic management of MS and you would like to share it, I invite you to send it to me.   Relevant book reviews, recipes, etc., all are welcome.  I never want readers to feel that I think I have all the answers...far from it!  So please feel free to share your story, recipe, food tip for the BBD, or a book review.   And please include your photo if you wish.

    IN THIS ISSUE: 

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______|______|MY VIEW|______|_____|___

Once in a while I get a letter, e-mail or phone call from a subscriber that reminds me why I continue to do this newsletter, as well as maintaining my website. This month I have been inundated with very positive mail about both exercise and meditation, which are featured in this month's newsletter.

My program is very simple, and anyone can do it.  It consists of four parts:

Which is the most important? I do not know! I just know that all together it works, not only for me, but many, many hundreds of you. Many of you also know that 15 years after I was diagnosed with what doctors call primary progressive MS, I am relatively symptom free.

One of the people I admire the most is Oprah Winfrey. She often talks and writes about "What I Know for Sure." One of the things that I certainly know for sure is that my results in halting my MS did not come about by happenstance, but rather by a lot of determined effort.  Soon after I was diagnosed I made up my mind that there must be a better way than to end up helpless in a wheelchair and nursing home as my mother had.  Mother's situation was great motivation to keep me on track.

Remember: BUM RAPS happen to all of us, or at least in every family. I used to lament the fact that I come from an MS family. Why should any family get that bum rap. Then my son Kevin was diagnosed with lung cancer, another bum rap. Then for 2-1/2 years he, his wife and I constantly searched for alternatives to help him. Ultimately last November he lost his struggle and since that time I have thought a lot about the how and why of his experience. I know that most of you have had difficult bum raps also.

But this I know for sure...even though I in this lifetime will never have answers to either my family's genetic predisposition to MS, or to the how and why of my son's lung cancer, I STILL HAVE A CHOICE IN HOW I PROCESS THESE CHALLENGES. That lesson, which I had learned so well in the early days of my MS, has sustained me during and after losing Kevin. I am not now, nor will I ever be, a victim. I choose to be a winner!

I hope you enjoy reading in this issue how many other readers are achieving positive results. And please remember, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  Again, as I do every month, my thanks and big hugs to all of you who help make this on-line newsletter and Betty's House possible by contributing $15.00 per year.  If you find benefit in Journey to Wellness, contributions may be sent to Iams House, 139 Inner Circle, Davis, CA  95618, or by credit card by calling 530-753-5595.   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.

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

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

  Focus on Exercise:

You all know how much I believe in the necessity for consistent exercise if we are to defeat the tendency of MS to progress. Last month I emphasized "energy medicine," what it is, and how we can use it for self-healing through Tai Chi/Qi Gong and Yoga.

Since I retired in mid-June, I have developed a new personal emphasis in my own wellness program, including walking, a daily exercise video program, and daily meditation. Since I reconnected with Mark Johnson, producer/creator of the Tai Chi for Seniors and received that program in a new DVD format, I have been rotating the Yoga for MS program with the Tai Chi for Seniors routines. Now that I am retired and I'm concentrating on my exercise and meditation, I am amazed at how energized I feel.

I am so pleased to use and recommend these programs. They are both great, in a different way:

Oriental medicine teaches that illness and disability originates in blockages in the body's chi (its own energy), and Tai Chi Qi Gong teaches us to collect that energy from the earth, and to move that energy in our body and thereby help to remove blockages. It was developed hundreds of years ago by oriental medical doctors. Acupuncture is also based on this same theory.

Yoga originated in India, and it also works with the body's energy which it calls prana, and which enters the body through both the breath and fresh and freshly cooked foods. This of course means that food preparation and diet play a key role in this form of self-healing.

Here are some communications I received this month about exercise.

Hi Betty. Thank you so much for recommending the simple leg exercise where you, while seated in a chair, stand up, and then sit down, repeating as many times as you can [using the chair arms to help if you need them], then resting for a minute and repeating.  I started doing that -- it seemed too easy to really make a difference.  Well, it has made a big difference.  My legs continue to get stronger every day, and this is such an easy exercise to remember to do.  I can do it while watching TV in the evening.  Thanks again for all that you do. My family says you are wonderful!  /S/ Donald     

Hello Betty. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are truly amazing. I am in awe that you have kept the newsletter going through the last three years of your son's lung cancer struggle, and his death last fall. I cannot thank you enough for recommending the Tai Chi for Seniors DVD to me. I still have and use my Yoga for MS program, but the healing exercises in the first 3 parts of the 4-part Tai Chi program are so different, and they make me feel absolutely wonderful. Please keep up the good work. We all need you. /S/ Tanya

Hi Betty. Thanks so much to you and Shoosh Crotzer for continuing to pound on us about exercise. I got the Yoga for MS DVD a couple of months ago, and it has already changed my life. My thanks to both of you. /S/ Susan

I used to read in your newsletter about the importance of exercise, but I never quite got around to getting started. Well, a few weeks ago I ordered from you the Tai Chi for Seniors video and finally got started, convinced that it wouldn't make a difference. Guess what? It is making a big difference. My functionality of so much better. Thanks is just not enough for all you do. Please keep up the good work for a long time to come. And please keep pounding the skeptics like me about exercise. Next I'm going to tackle meditation. /S/ Charles

When I was beginning to think about this month's newsletter, I received the following e-mail from Nancy. You may recall the e-mail she wrote to me, and my response, last month. Now she follows up with the following:

Hi Betty,

I hope this finds you feeling great and dealing with the hot Davis summer. I wrote you last month about starting the "Pathways" [Yoga for MS] video. I did start it and that has progressed to starting physical therapy. Well, I have been up walking. The therapist has me walk in the beginning of every session. I can walk with a walker about 15' now. It's a start!. I want to thank you for the "pep" talk. I never thought this would happen again. My therapist fully expects me with work to be up and out of the wheelchair! This is news I never thought could happen. I have realized that having MS doesn't mean I can never get better. My daughter will graduate next summer from University of California Davis and I want to be up walking with my walker as a gift to her but especially for myself. I have a goal and I will do it!!!

I have sent you a letter that you will receive soon. Enclosed is $-- for the newsletter that I depend on every month. Thank you for doing this newsletter for me and many others! Also there is an article that I would like your opinion on. It concerns a customer of a Curves [fitness center] that has MS and has gotten better from doing the exercises. My sister is a member of Curves and happened to notice this article in the Curves magazine, "Diane". It's from the Summer 2007 edition. It concerns biomechanics and the retraining of our bodies' movement to get better. My sister wants me to go to Curves when I can actually transfer from each exercise. After reading the article I would like to know what you think. Have you heard of biomechanics and does it make sense to you? I have to admit, when I read it I felt that there is hope when I didn't think there would ever be any for me. It's awful to have no hope, as I'm sure other MS'ers have thought. I will be walking before summer and then I want to try Curves. Betty, I found hope and I want others to know it too. Thanks for everything and I will write again. /S/ Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am so proud of you. You are one incredible lady. You must know that sometimes I get very tired of "preaching" the exercise message month after month, year after year, but I can absolutely guarantee that it will work for everyone. People seem to think that if they are "disabled" they can't exercise. EVERYONE CAN EXERCISE!!! One of my Internet MS friends - who is in a WC - says that if you don't do anything but flail your arms around you will get better. He also recommends using two Campbell soup cans as hand held weights.

Someone much smarter than me once said that the longest distance between two short points is the six or so inches between our ears, and that is where exercise begins. You must first know -- really know -- that you can do it! That's the first hurdle. Then you must be determined to stick with it, no matter what. I repeat so often that I am convinced no one can defeat the tendency of MS to progress without a consistent exercise program. And I really do 100% believe that!

Now that you are making progress, please keep resetting your goal. Every time you reach a goal, then extend it a little further. First thing you know you'll be walking around the block.

Regarding the Curves program, your inner knowing will tell you whether you can ever do that program. And please don't compare yourself to anyone else who has what doctors call MS. MS is different for every person, and you must do what works for you. I would only caution you to avoid overexertion and overheating your body. Most generally if you are sweating, you are overdoing it. Core body heat ALWAYS weakens the person with MS, and magnifies symptoms. Thanks again for sharing.

I'll respond to the article you have mailed when I receive it. I hope your daughter is enjoying university life in Davis. I have come to love this quaint little city. What a great goal you have to be walking by her graduation next year. I bow to you!

I asked Nancy for permission to use her e-mail in the newsletter, and here is her response:

Hi Betty,

Feel free to use my story however you would like. I would love to know I have helped someone else with this disease. Yes I will keep pushing my goals farther as each one is gained. In my mind I can see myself walking on my own feet without any aid whatsoever. Even my dreams have me walking. Our brains are wonderful tools to our recovery!

In a month I have gone from sitting in my wheelchair to walking 15'. Anything is possible! Eventually I will be our of this chair permanently. In January I would have said that this is the best that I can be. Why try anything else? Now I know that there is more to be gained! Betty, I know you keep stressing exercise, but that is how all this progress for me has come true. I even know that my "Pathways" video isn't difficult enough now but I like videos to motivate me. I will look into the ones you talk about in the newsletter. Thank you for the "push!"  /S/ Nancy

Here is my response to the article Nancy mailed to me.

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for sending a copy of the Curves magazine article "Strong Medicine" relating to biomechanics.

Biomechanics is a relatively new definition of an approach to rejuvenation of sports participants following physical injury. It is my personal opinion that applying it to neurological damage, such as multiple sclerosis causes, borders on pseudo science. The quotes from a chiropractor in the Curves article are merely his self-serving personal opinion and so far as I can determine not grounded in accepted science.

The difficulty in evaluating various approaches to the management of multiple sclerosis arises in the fact that MS demonstrates itself in many, many different ways. Many times there is almost no similarity from one person to another. It is further complicated by the fact that there are two distinctly different kinds of MS - relapsing remitting (characterized by acute episodes followed by periods of remission), and primary progressive where there has never been an acute episode but rather just a gradual increase of symptoms which normally do not ever go into remission but rather continue to progress.

The RR MS is further characterized by the fact that over a period of time -- months to years -- after repeated relapses, the remissions tend to be less and less complete, so that the person then is reclassified as secondary progressive. It is also interesting to note that in very rare  instances any MS can just vanish, with all symptoms going into permanent remission.

In the same way that no one knows why MS symptoms appear, no one knows why on rare occasions those same symptoms just disappear. After 15 years of living with the syndrome that doctors call MS, I personally believe that MS (and many other physical disorders), relate to our modern lifestyle. I believe that for unknown reasons, probably stressors both physical and psychological, our body gets out of biochemical balance -- what science calls a status of homeostasis -- causing us to develop what we call physical dis-ease, such as multiple sclerosis.

I also believe that various "tools," like diet, stress reduction, exercise, etc., can and do play a major role in returning our body to homeostasis and thus help our body's innate and incredibly effective self-healing mechanism.

THIS I BELIEVE IS WHERE EXERCISE PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE. I think it is essential in order to prevent the tendency of MS to progress. I wish neurologists would learn that physical exercise is more important than any of the so-called MS drugs. Unfortunately we - the collective we - live in an instant-gratification society, and we want to go to a doctor and get a medicine "fix" that will make us well. I strongly believe that self-healing is the medicine of the future.

I hope this is helpful to you. I am so proud of you for getting your own exercise program under way. One last word. Please don't think that exercise must be hard in order to be effective. Especially when we have limited mobility, it needs to only be effective, not difficult. The no pain no gain approach does not apply for us.

Nancy then responded with the following:

Hi Betty,

Thank you for your thoughts on this. You broke down the article and bottom line is the exercise and BBD that I do is the best way for me to beat this disease process in me. I appreciate your unbiased opinion on this article and I will keep in touch.

I always thought as far as exercise goes for it to be effective it has to be strenuous and since I get fatigued easily I couldn't do it that way. But as I have discovered lately just doing it is what is needed. Thanks again. /S/ Nancy

Good morning Nancy,

You are a great student...YOU GOT IT!!!  Easy does it and consistency are the two most important things to remember after you get an exercise program started. Thanks again for your note.

What a remarkable lady Nancy is, and what great motivation she provides for all of us. Thank you again, Nancy, for sharing.

  More from my e-mail box

Hi Betty. Thanks so much for sending me the meditation guidelines. I, like you, had tried for a long time to learn to meditate. At least I thought I had tried. But after we talked I realized that attempting a few times, looking for something spectacular to happen, was a mistake, using your guidelines I started again. Now my experience continues to expand, and I look forward to my daily meditation. Thank you again. You are truly wonderful. I look so forward to the newsletter each month. May God keep you healthy so you can continue the newsletter. Love, /S/ Margaret

Hello Betty. I notice that you are recommending fewer and fewer supplements. Could you please share with me why? Thanks so much for your website and newsletter. /S/ George

Hello George. You are absolutely right...I have condensed the number of supplements I recommend. Actually over the last 5-6 years I have continually reduced the number I take and also recommend to others. Other than B-12 methylcobolamin, Vitamin D, and the Essential Fatty Acids (oils) which directly relate to MS, I would much rather we spend our dollars on healthy, wholesome, organic produce.

I believe the best way to get a healthy range of antioxidants in your diet is to eat fruits and vegetables representing all colors of the rainbow. Antioxidants, natural chemicals found in plants, help protect the body from free radicals, compounds formed naturally in the body that damage tissues and may contribute to a variety of chronic conditions. I also believe that a very small amount of a nutrient we may get from ingesting food which contains that nutrient is much better for our body than taking synthetic nutrients contained in most supplements.

Amazingly many of our grandparents lived to be 80 or 90 years old and never heard of a vitamin or mineral! I personally have spent a literal fortune on supplements over the years, but I no longer do that nor recommend that for others.

The best way to get a healthy range of antioxidants in our diet is to eat fruits and vegetables representing all colors of the rainbow. Antioxidants, natural chemicals found in plants, help protect the body from free radicals, compounds formed naturally in the body that damage tissues and may contribute to a variety of chronic conditions, as well as aging.

HI BETTY,

I AM FROM BRAZIL AND I HAVE MS TOO.  I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW ARE YOU, AND I LOVED YOUR SITE.

BUT I HAVE A DOUBT---- YOU MOTHER HAD MS AND YOUR DAUGHTER HAS TOO ???? BUT THE DOCTORS ALWAYS SAY THAT IT'S NOT GENETIC.......I DON'T UNDERSTAND....

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR MY LIFE ?  I [am] ONLY 30 YEARS OLD....  GOD BLESS YOU. /S/ EUGENIA

Hi Eugenia,

Nice to meet you by e-mail. I'm glad you enjoyed my website. Be sure to subscribe to my Journey to Wellness monthly newsletter. The current issue is always available at the website. There is a subscription form where you just enter your e-mail address and then as each issue becomes available you will receive an e-mail containing the web address where you will find the newsletter.

I can't imagine having a neurologist so poorly trained and uninformed that they would tell you there is no genetic factor in MS. There is a huge study made up of thousands of families at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), which has been on-going for years and continues today.

In the general population the chances of developing MS are said to be about 1 in a 1000. If you have a parent who has MS, your chance of developing it is about 1 in 50. If you have a sibling that figure goes to about 1 in 10, and with a parent and a sibling it is about 1 in 2!

My mother was the first in our family. Then me, then a younger brother, then my daughter, and then in the last two years a niece who is the daughter of one of my brothers who did not develop MS but died of renal failure about 10 years ago when he was about 50. This kind of genetic factor in MS is generally referred to as a "familial predisposition."

Please study the "Suggestions for the Newly Diagnosed" page at my website. That outlines what I would recommend for you. You might like to know that I am relatively symptom free, and I am 70 years old, just retired about six weeks ago. I'll also attach a report that I offer at my website. It will give you all the supplements I recommend.

Here's a link to that webpage: www.BettysHouseLifeAfterMS.com/suggestions.html

Best of luck to you. Please let me know if you have specific questions.

Thanks Betty for continually prodding us to learn to meditate. I really appreciate the private pep talks and how-to tips you have shared with me. I am now really "getting it," and look forward to my daily meditation period. Please keep up the good work. We really need you! /S/ Tim

Thank you Tim. Your note brought tears to my eyes. It is oft repeated that, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." I have also often read that what it takes to make a great teacher is a really great student, and you are truly a great student! Thanks again for sharing your meditation story. I'm sure it will motivate lots of readers.

NOTE FROM BETTY: If you seriously wish to learn the discipline of meditation, please ask me for a meditation report. Many people are finding it helpful.

   Bon Appétit
             Healthy Food Tips and Recipes

Rosemary Potatoes

      large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
        olive oil
        chopped fresh rosemary
        salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the sliced potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook just until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and allow to cool enough to handle. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Broil under a preheated broiler until light golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. (1 potato per serving)

Napa Cabbage Slaw

Absent from most American kitchens, this cruciferous vegetable is a major player in European and Asian diets. It is very healthy, and here's why. One cup of chopped cabbage has just 22 calories, and it's loaded with valuable nutrients. At the top of the list is sulforaphane, a chemical that increases your body's production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer. In fact, Stanford University scientists determined that sulforaphane boosts your levels of these cancer-fighting enzymes higher than any other plant chemical.

      4 T peanut or canola oil
        juice of two limes (about 2 T)
        1 T Asian chili sauce (you'll find in the international section of your grocery store.  If you don't
                find the Asian chili sauce, any chili sauce will do)
        1 head Napa cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
        1/4 c. toasted peanuts
        1/2 c. shredded carrots
        1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Whisk together the oil, lime juice, and chili sauce. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving. The slaw will keep in your fridge for 2 days.

Tequila-Lime Chicken

A well-known western United States Mexican restaurant chain features a chicken with similar flavors, and this is my attempt to come close to their recipe. I hope you like it. You should, of course, always tweak the flavors for your palate.

        2 boneless-skinless chicken breast halves
        about 1/3 c. tequila
        about 2 T lime juice (juice of 2limes)
        1 T honey
        1 t. salt
        1 t. onion powder
        1/2 t. coarsely ground black pepper
        1/2 t. grill seasoning - I use McCormick Mesquite Grill Mates
        dash ea. oregano leaves and crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients except chicken in 1-gallon zip-lock bag and mix well. Then add chicken breasts to the bag and massage the breasts to mix seasoning ingredients. Close the bag and place in a bowl in refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Remove chicken and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 min. until chicken juices run clear.  May also be grilled. This makes 2 to 4 servings, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.

I always bake the chicken on a wire rack in my oven. I spray both the rack and the chicken breasts with a little canola oil prior to placing them in the oven. I serve this with a spinach, sliced tart apple, sliced red onion, and dried cranberries salad.

Note: You may also choose to use whole chicken parts, or the new boneless-skinless chicken thighs. You may also increase the grill seasoning if you like a stronger smoked flavor. Chicken parts with the skin on are also considerably more flavorful.  The major flavors are the tequila and lime juice.  You may find you like to alter the portions of these two items. 

This is a favorite at my house, and I hope you enjoy it also.

   Featured Exercise Videos and Books

^{I absolutely do not believe that one can prevent the tendency of MS to progress without a consistent gentle stretching and deep breathing exercise program. In addition one of the worst aspects of MS, acute fatigue, responds very positively to 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.}

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

I CAN COOKBOOK  I continue to work at the update, revision and expansion of this e-book.  It is a monstrous task, but I hope to have it completed by this fall.   Anyone who purchases the book prior to availability of the update will receive the new expanded version at no cost when it becomes available.

  CANCER - DID YOU KNOW...?

If you have an interest in cancer - either for someone else or yourself, or if like me you just wish to be informed, please go to:

http://www.alternative-therapies.com/at/web_pdfs/gonzalez.pdf

This article contains an interview with New York City M.D. Nicholas J. Gonzalez, who has had great success treating cancer using pancreatic enzyme therapy combined with a customized nutritional approach. When my son was nearing the end of his lung cancer battle, we were referred to Dr. Gonzalez, but unfortunately it was too late for Kevin. Dr. Gonzalez reviewed Kevin's medical records and determined that his body had been too badly damaged by chemotherapy and radiation for his pancreatic enzyme therapy to make a difference. We pleaded with him to accept Kevin as a patient, but he was convinced that his therapy could not help Kevin.

I encourage everyone to make a note of this article, and remember that it is important to make early contact with Dr. Gonzalez as soon after diagnosis as possible.  If I were diagnosed tomorrow, the first thing I would do is make contact with Dr. Gonzalez.

  MS RESEARCH NEWS

My friend and subscriber Pam T. sends along the following report:

Testosterone Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

While many of the currently used pharmaceutical interventions in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) are designed to reduce the risk of developing new brain lesions, precious little attention has been paid to exploring interventions that target two other consequences of this disease - impaired cognitive function and brain atrophy.

UCLA researchers recently published their work in the journal Archives of Neurology Arch Neurol in which they described treating men with MS with testosterone gel. Subjects received testosterone in the form of a topical gel providing 100mg of testosterone each day for 1 year. At the end of the ...

URL to article: http://renegadeneurologist.com/testosterone-treatment-for-multiple-sclerosis/

Hi Pam,

Since there is some evidence of a hormone component for women who have MS, I would not find it surprising that there might be some hormone component for men in the hormone testosterone. There is an on-going years long study at UCLA using Estriol female hormone in mitigating some MS symptoms in women. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.