Journey to Wellness August 2009

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If all the information at Betty's House,
as well as this newsletter, resonates with you, whether you
are newly diagnosed or have been living with MS for years,
then you need the e-book

Four Steps includes everything I know and have used in
overcoming my own MS. Be sure to see details below.
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A young mother coping with the stress of her MS symptoms, together with the demands of raising two young children, as well as maintaining a home and her relationship with her husband, communicated with me recently and asked me to address that challenge. Please know that I have never personally had that experience. MS entered my life along with menopause, so my suggestions come from the perspective of talking and exchanging e-mails with many 100s of young mothers over the last 15 years.

One thing I absolutely know for certain is that you MUST learn to be "healthily selfish." That is, if you don't take care of yourself first, you will have nothing left to give to your children. So much of human interaction in our society today is based on "guilt." We tend to feel guilty if we perceive that our children - and/or husband - is missing out on something because we have MS. You must bury that concept.

Remember that your whole family was diagnosed with MS, not just you! All members of your family must be resilient and learn to accept any limitations that you experience.

Learn to accept help and assistance from family and friends. If you, like the young mother I communicated with recently, have had to move away from family and established relationships, then you must reach out and make new friends. Other parents you will meet through your children's activities are a great resource for getting your children to and from activities. This is a good way to free up rest time for yourself.

Because MS-related fatigue can be so challenging at times, never forget that managing that problem MUST be at the top of your priority list. The first consideration for managing stress is 8 solid hours of sleep a night. If you have a problem sleeping, then learn Qi Gong breathing techniques. They work better than sleeping medications. But if you feel you must resort to a mild prescription sleeping med, be very careful that it does not become an addiction. Rest periods during the day are also helpful in dealing with MS-related fatigue.

I know that it seems almost a dichotomy that exercise helps one overcome fatigue, but it is very true. Modified Yoga or Qi Gong are excellent. It is the combination of breath control and body movement and stretching that relieves stress and therefore fatigue. Remember that your life force is controlled by your breath. Look at my http://BettysHouseNaturalHealth.blogspot.com/ for a discussion of breathing techniques.

I personally do not recommend support groups in general. But if you are new to a community, and new to handling the challenges MS is bringing into your family's activities, you might try calling your local MS Society and asking them to help you organize a few young mothers in your immediate area with whom you could share ideas. Just be sure that any group you start does not deteriorate into a "pity party" where you learn all about how bad it is going to be!! You want a group of young, active mothers like yourself who will share their "good" how-to experiences.

About 25 years ago I attended a seminar taught by the internationally acclaimed success guru Zig Zigler. Zig is an incredible bundle of energy, pacing back and forth on the stage. I loved listening to him and I learned a lot from him. He had an uncanny way of getting across whatever he was teaching. But I will always remember him for his suggestion that we all from time to time need a "checkup from the neck up."

Throughout all the years since, every time I have found myself feeling a little "down" I remember Zig and how he taught that I can and do create my world with my thoughts, attitude and feelings, all of which I can adjust with a checkup from the neck up. Thank you Zig! If you ever have an opportunity to hear Zig, I strongly encourage you to attend. He is truly awesome!

Incidentally, the affirmation I gave above, in the exercise section, "This is a Divine, Blessed, and Infinitely Abundant Day, and Good Things are Coming My Way" is an excellent way to give ourselves an attitude adjustment or as Zig called it, a checkup from the neck up.

ROCKVILLE, Md -- September 22, 2009 -- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to receive reports of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in patients receiving natalizumab (Tysabri).

Natalizumab was approved by the FDA for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in November 2004 and for moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in January 2008. From July 2006, (when Tysabri marketing resumed) to September 8, 2009, 13 reported cases of natalizumab-related PML were confirmed worldwide in patients being treated for MS with natalizumab monotherapy. Of these, 4 cases were patients in the United States. There have been no post marketing reports of PML in patients treated with natalizumab for Crohn's disease.

The risk for developing PML appears to increase with the number of natalizumab infusions received. The number of monthly infusions of natalizumab in the 13 patients who developed PML ranged from 12 to 35 infusions. The average number of infusions received before the diagnosis of PML was 25. There is minimal experience in patients who have received more than 35 infusions of natalizumab.

The overall rate of developing PML with natalizumab therapy in patients who have received at least 1 infusion remains below 1 per 1,000 patients. Based on available data from the US and outside of the US, the current rate of PML in patients who have received at least 24 infusions ranges from 0.4 to 1.3 per 1,000 patients.

At this time, the FDA is not requiring changes regarding PML to the natalizumab prescribing information or to the natalizumab risk management plan, called the TOUCH Prescribing Program. All patients receiving natalizumab therapy in the US must be enrolled in the TOUCH Prescribing Program. Under this program, every patient who receives natalizumab is closely monitored for the occurrence of PML and other serious opportunistic infections.

To report any serious adverse events associated with the use of this drug, please contact the FDA MedWatch program.

Posting of this article has been approved by The Doctor's Guide to the Internet(TM)) (http://www.docguide.com), and the source is the

New software to detect multiple sclerosis before brain damage occurs - October 2009

Researchers of the Unit for Systems Biology of the University of Jaén, led by Francisco J. Esteban, are developing a software for clinical use to detect multiple sclerosis even before the typical brain damage of this neurodegenerative disease appear. In order to do so, this scientific multidisciplinary team is calculating the fractal dimension of the brain images registered on magnetic resonance imaging. They are starting to implement this technique also to other neurodegenerative diseases, and therefore it could be a tool for the early diagnose of this type of diseases. Centre for Applied Medical Research of the University of Navarra and Hospital Clínico of Barcelona are collaborating in this research.

Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that cannot be cured and whose exact causes are unknown. When the first symptoms appear, one of the tests that is usually carried out is an MRI to find out if the brain suffers the typical damage of this disease. In the early stages of the disease it may be that no damage has been caused yet or that the damage caused is under the resolution limit of the MRI. In such cases the brain of an ill person is said to be 'apparently normal' as it shows the same features than that of a healthy person. However a group of Jaen scientists has applied an analysis by calculating the fractal dimension of an ill person's brain and they have proven that the result of that -shown with this parameter- is different from a healthy person's brain.

Unlike the Euclidean dimension (a point has a dimension of zero, a line has a dimension of one, a plane has a dimension of 2, and a volume has a dimension of 3), the fractal dimension is a parameter that allows to obtain dimensions ranging between 1 and 2 (2-D fractal

dimension) and 2 and 3 (3-D fractal dimension). The fractal dimension is the dimension of irregular digitalized curves, and for some years now it has been applied to different biological structures, but the application to the brain was scarce. For the first time, this group of biologists, computing engineers, mathematicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychologists and statisticians are carrying out this type of calculations on 3D magnetic resonance imaging of brains to try to solve clinical problems.

What the eye cannot see This team is developing software that allows calculating the 3D fractal dimension of the brain. 'It is a tool for clinical use to try to see if persons suffering the early symptoms of multiple sclerosis, with an apparently normal brain, can suffer this disease. It could be a very useful tool for the early diagnosis of brain-related diseases' Esteban said.

With the currently carried out tests, you can calculate the volume, size or circumvolutions of the brain, but it was difficult to calculate its complexity, which is something that can be done with the fractal dimension. Jaen-based scientists are using different computer algorithms for image processing and are applying the theory of fractal dimension both on nuclear magnetic resonance of healthy people and on persons with certain neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. 'When fractal dimension is applied to the brain, we are able to detect certain alterations in the brain structures that cannot be observed with any other method used so far. By using this new technique, we can detect alterations that the eye cannot see' Professor Esteban Ruiz stressed.

So far this study has been carried out in patients with multiple sclerosis, but the aim is to apply it to other neurodegenerative diseases. 'We are using this method, in collaboration with Hospital Clínico of Barcelona, to detect possible changes in the brain of children that can develop learning difficulties. An early diagnosis can minimise such problems by applying a suitable treatment', the main researcher pointed out.

'The next step in our study consists of seeking the collaboration of Andalusian hospitals to see if there are successful results in different groups of patients' he added. If all the results are positive, 'this could be a good clinical tool, available straight away', the researcher ended.

The research conclusions have been published in prestigious medical journals such as Neuroimage and Journal of the Neurological Sciences, and they are been revolutionary in this field.

Thank you for the E book on the Four Steps. I am concentrating on the first step right now, The food ;-) Wow this is going to be quite a big project. For a couple of days I didn't have much to eat since I couldn't get to the grocery store that would have the right kind of food. I had a girlfriend bring me some stuff yesterday and tomorrow I am going to a bigger town that has Rice Milk and rice crackers etc. I live in a small town which has only basic foods.

I am doing the supplements you suggested, Have been taking Vitamin D and B12 for a few years and now have added fish oil daily. I am determined to do this but it is a drastic change. It will be worth it if it works eventually.

One, I am interested in the book The Healer Within. I do not know anything about Meditation, is this the book to help me with it?

Two, how do you feel about eating tomatoes and margarine? I have read that tomatoes are not good because they cause inflammation. I use Becel but is there another spread that is healthier? Thank you again for your help. /s/ Paula S

I'm glad you wrote. Please note - as I recommend in Four Steps, it is easier to move into the food restrictions if you do it in the three stages. The first is just simply eliminating anything made with white flour and/or processed sugar. That is pretty easy. Jumping directly into the second step, eliminating all gluten and dairy-containing foods, is not so bad if you have already eliminated white flour and processed sugars. But beginning at Step 2 - eliminating everything all at once - is a lot to handle, just as you are experiencing.

The Healer Within book I recommend for everyone. The easiest way to find it is at Amazon.com. Regarding meditation, really everything you need to know about meditation (at least for a long time) is included in the meditation chapter of Four Steps.

Regarding tomatoes - nothing wrong with tomatoes, unless you are allergic to them. What you have read about them is what I like to call "junk science." Margarine is another story. Most margarines are a really bad trans fat. They are also high in Omega 6 fats, which we need in very small amounts that we get naturally in our diet. More Omega 6 is definitely inflammatory. Most vegetable oils (except Olive and Canola) are high in Omega 6.

I personally find little need for a "spread" like margarine. I am not familiar with Becel . . . just be sure that it contains no trans fats and is low Omega 6. There is a new spread that is part real butter, combined with olive oil. I have been going to pick up some of that, but haven't yet seen it in the stores. I have been thinking about making some myself at home, just mixing butter and olive oil together. At this point if I want a little bit of spread I use real butter.

I hope this answers your questions. Good luck, and keep smiling - it is great medicine!!

NOTE: I did go ahead and make the butter and olive oil spread, about half and half. You may adjust the proportions to alter the flavor. You may also infuse the olive oil with an herb or garlic flavor.

Please, please keep up your Journey to Wellness newsletter. I look forward to reading your inspirational shot in the arm every month. You and I have been down this MS road together for a lot of years, and thanks to your guidance I am still able to live a normal life. I'm enclosing a contribution to help you keep it going. Thanks again. /s/ Bill S.

Thank you Bill for your encouragement and contribution. I hope to continue the websites and newsletter so long as I have breath.

Featured Exercise DVDs and Books

I absolutely do not believe anyone can prevent
the tendency of MS to progress without a
consistent gentle stretching and deep breathing exercise program

The 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 but most do not work for me either. That is the joy of the Tai Chi/Qi Gong for Seniors routine. It is designed specifically for people with limited mobility. It is simple and easy, perhaps deceptively so. At first it seems too simple. But over time when you really learn to work with it and do the simple movements in a slow, meditative way, the benefits are enormous. When combined with the Qi Gong techniques in The Healer Within book, this is a superb healing tool.

Over the years I have evaluated personally many exercise programs, and the absolute best 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.

Link to pricing, availability and order information

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Please remember that smiles, laughter and most especially love are powerful natural healing elixirs.

Love and {{hugs}} to you 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 KEEPS ME RELATIVELY SYMPTOM FREE, OVER 16 YEARS NOW SINCE PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE MS FIRST MADE ITS APPEARANCE IN MY LIFE.