Did you know inflammation causes or contributes to most of the diseases that effect Americans? That’s right– Heart disease, stroke, arthritis, asthma, migraine, type 2 diabetes, allergies, ADHD, multiple sclerosis, fibroneuralgia, and gingivitis are all diseases of inflammation. In fact, the majority of conditions ending in the suffix “itis” are caused by inflammation. Now, that doesn’t mean that if you control inflammation your MS will just go away. But it’s a good bet that the pain, stiffness and possibly even some balance problems will be significantly reduced.

There are several ways to reduce inflammation. You could, of course take a pill designed for just that purpose. NSAIDS are popular pain relievers, and they work primarily by reducing inflammation. But, they can be dangerous. Did you know that more people die of side effects of NSAIDS than of HIV? Additionally, over half a million people a year develop some sort of complication from the use of NSAIDS.

A better way to control inflammation is to watch what you eat and take supplements of those substances known to reduce inflammation in the body.

Omega 3 oils found in deep sea fish. I include mercury tested salmon in my diet 3 – 5 times a week.

Cayenne pepper- I take 3 cayenne pepper caps with each meal. Some people have to take this between meals because it upsets their stomach or makes  food taste bad. Don’t be afraid to experiment to find when it works best for you.

Saint John’s Wart – In addition to being  great for MS related depression, St Johns also helps reduce inflammation.

Switch from vegetable oil to olive. Yes, it’s more expensive. but most vegetable oils convert to an inflammation causing chemical when broken down by the body.

Eat more green leafy veggies, nut butters, avocados and macadamia nuts they all have anti-inflammatory abilities.

With simple dietary changes, we can manage our MS and make our lives just a bit easier.

he other night I fell asleep while cuddling with my son at bedtime. I was very tired, and so my husband and older kids let me sleep.

It wasn’t until the next afternoon, when my kids asked why I was forgetting so much, stuttering and off balance that I realized I had missed my ldn the night before.

By 9 pm that night I was almost unable to walk because my balance was just so horrible. My left leg was completely numb up from toes to the knee and the inside of my left arm felt weak and tingled. Vision was as bad as it was before I started the ldn, and I was stuttering so bad my own kids couldn’t understand me. I finally switched to sign language because speech was almost impossible and for some reason, when I can’t talk, I can usually still sign.

From what I’ve learned from the ldn experts, my response to missing a dose was extreme. Most people who see symptom relief from ldn do regress when the go off the med, but it usually takes a couple days. Of course, not every person who takes ldn for MS has any symptom relief. That’s not the purpose of the med. Ldn is taken stop progression of the disease.

I resumed the ldn that night, and was perfectly back to my new normal two days later. Yeah. it took 2 days to get back to where I was before I missed that dose. My family now has explicit instructions to wake me up for my med regardless of how tired I am or if I’m sick. I’ve gotten used to having no MS symptoms, and I’d like to keep it that way, if I can.

Even after a month, it is still amazing to me how much ldn has given me my life back, I can keep up with my kids, and stay up to spend time with my husband.. I’m not exhausted all the time any more, and I’m almost never in pain anymore. No more muscle twitches.. I can play football with my 12 yr old daughter again..I’m thinking about coaching her team next season – something she’s wanted me to do for over a year now, but I’ve been unable to because of the MS. I’m not too inclined to call any medication a “miracle drug” but ldn is about as close to it as you can get. I will be forever thankful for the person who introduced ldn to me

Also, after talking to the new doctor a little more, he’s fairy convinced the MS had changed from RRMS to SPMS. He made this determination because I was to the point where I had symptoms every day without a break. Every day at the same time I would start to have symptoms, and the pain never went away. It seemed to have stopped remitting. Of course, I’m not too sure that he’s right about the change in MS classification, and honestly, I’m not even sure it matters.

The new dr isn’t doing as much research into ldn as I’d hoped. And while he supports my using alternative treatments and is willing to work with what I’m doing, he won’t be helping me figure out the best ways to treat my ms and asthma with nutrition and herbals. But that’s okay.. I can do my own research just like I always have. As long as he’s willing to understand that herbals and nutrition will always be my first treatment choice for ANY illness, we’re good. I did find out from another patient of his that he does suggest using garlic to treat bronchitis and pneumonia, though.. so that is a huge point in his favor.

I received a letter from my daughter’s school  last week about MRSA. MRSA is an antibiotic resistant staph infection that seems to be spread through skin and wound infections. It is very contagious. A child can contract this infection by simply sharing PE equipment with someone at school who has the infection. The children don’t have to come in contact with each other, or even be in the same class.  Several schools in other states have been shut down due to MRSA, and there have been at least a couple of deaths to this, very preventable disease.

It makes me sad to know innocent children are suffering and have died because of adult incompetence and negligence. There will most likely be more children dead to this infection in the coming weeks, and months. All of these deaths could have been avoided, if adults followed proper recommendations regarding antibiotic and antiviral use.

Every antibiotic resistant infection is caused by humans over using and abusing the powerful, and oftentimes dangerous antibiotic and antiviral drugs available to us. Despite constant warnings from doctors and nurses over the  years, people still do not take all of their prescribed medications. They choose, instead to stop the meds on their own as soon as they feel better, usually because of side effects such and stomach irritation. Maybe they don’t understand the stomach irritation is caused because the antibiotics kill both the bad and beneficial bacteria in their system.

Physicians are also responsible. Over prescribing of antibiotics is just as much to blame as improper use.

Doctor’s livelihoods depend on both returning patients and bonuses they receive from pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies. Patients tend to demand antibiotics for convenience, drug companies like their concoctions to be prescribed and used, and insurance companies reward doctors for cutting down on repeat appointments for the same illness. And, so doctors who usually know better, cave into pressure from all sides to hand out pills for an infection the body can heal itself, if given proper time, rest and nutrition to heal.

I do have some first hand experience with antibiotic resistant infections. 13 years ago, or so I was hospitalized for an asthma attack. While in the hospital I contracted one of the antibiotic resistant forms of pneumonia. My doctors tried every medication they had at their disposal to counter the disease. And still, my lungs continued to fill. I was drowning in my own fluids.

Obviously I lived to tell the tale. But not through the “miracle of modern medicine,”  –it was the ancient wisdom of past civilizations that saved my life.  I asked my pulmonologist to bring me a steady supply of garlic. I took 3 cloves of garlic 4 times every day for two weeks.

There were 5 patients in that hospital with the same strain of AR pneumonia as I caught. As far as I know, I am the only one who took matters in their own hands and self treated with an herbal antibiotic/antiviral.  And, unfortunately, I am certain I am the only one who came out to the experience with their life.

Maybe if more people took responsibility for their health instead of relying totally on modern healthcare providers, we would have fewer deadly infections breed resistance.

Of course, if you are going to follow doctor’s orders without researching or considering alternatives, be sure to follow directions carefully and take all your antibiotics.

Not finishing antibiotics and antivirals is the best and surest way to help create the next ’super bug”

Fish oil –1200 mg caps… 3 caps 3X/ day  — According to what we’ve found you should take between 3 and 9 grams of fish oil for myelin repair.

Calcium + D — 500mg 2 caps 2 or 3 X/day. Calcium helps with transmitting the electrical signals. Make sure your calcium has vit. D in it. The body need Vit D to help absorb calcium. There have also been studies that show high intake of Vit D can slow progression of MS or help prevent it.

Magnesium – up to 1500 mg per day. Magnesium works with calcium to help nerve signals get from point “A” to point “B”  Take Magnesium with calcium, and at night if you have restless leg syndrome or spasticity at night. It works wonders. — Usually, I take 250 mg pills… 2 tabs, 3-4 times a day.

Coenzyme Q 10   (COQ10) — I’m taking 150 mg once a day, in the morning. Honest answer.. I’m not sure if it’s helping or not.  It’s supposed to help the body produce energy faster. This is what the B vitamins break down into.  I’m not sure if I notice a difference or not. I just upped my daily dosage from 50mg per day to 150mg per day… so we’ll see if that makes a difference

B-Complex Sublingual Liquid.   This stuff is absolutely great. The formula I take is made by Spring Valley. It has 100 % Riboflavin (B 12), 100% Niacin, 100% B- 6, 20000% B – 12, and 300% Pantothenic Acid.   It helps with energy. Since my last flare up, I’m always tired shortly after breakfast. I take 1 mg  B – Complex and 15 minutes later I feel better.
I take 1 mg in the morning after breakfast, with my other supplements, and then take it during the day as needed.

MSM with Glucosamine – 500mg  I have a lot of joint and muscular pain. I take 2 caps MSM 2 or 3 times a day. It helps a lot with the pain.

St John’s Wort – 300mg standardized.   MS can cause depression. St John’s Wart helps. I take 2 caps, usually just in the morning

Ginseng (Spring Valley brand… not sure of the strength)   I take 2 caps 2 or 3 X a day.. really helps with the “ms fog” for lack of a better phrase. I really notice a difference in how clearly I think when I take it. Ginko will work, too.. but I’m breastfeeding our daughter, and I’m not entirely sure ginko is safe for breastfeeding.

Cayenne Fruit 40,000 STU — This helps boost metabolism. I’m fighting with losing the weight I gained when I was pregnant with our now 15 month daughter. 3 caps, 3 X/ day

Soya Lecithin (put out by Nature Made) ..I just started taking this. Lecithin is supposed to work with the fish oil to repair damaged myelin.  I take 1 cap 3X/ day.

Cranberry fruit 1680 mg + Vitamin C  — I take this when I’ve eaten something with MSG or gluten in it. Cranberry is a natural cleanser… it helps flush out the system.

Avoid MSG, gluten and aspertame (nutri-sweet).  Most of the people in the mscured group I’m on are sensitive to those substances. Basically, (the theory is ) the body has a sensitivity to them, similar to an allergic reaction, which causes the white blood cells to overload and attack the myelin.

Personally, when I eat something with either MSG or gluten in it ( I’ve never used artificial sweeteners) I have symptoms within an hour or two. Same thing when I eat meat. So I don’t eat meat, or anything processed, if I can help it. Makes eating out tough, but it’s reduced my symptoms.

It was the oddest thing.Yesterday,  I got up from my computer desk and my legs didn’t want to work. I was shakey, off balance and both legs below the knee just felt…. weak. I made it about 15 steps before I fell. My partner rushed over to help me up. Poor thing, he’s just so worried and of course, there’s nothing he can do except be there and catch me when I fall over.

Today’s been good. no symptoms other than the occasional wave of dizziness.

My partner is doing a  lot of research on MS. Did you know that a LOT .. I mean  a LOT of people swear by Colloidal Silver. From what I’ve read, it does wonders to help restore movement and can help reduce flare ups. We’re making a Colloidal Silver generator sometime this month. I’ll let you know if it works.

I’ve read changing your diet to organic vegetarian helps, also. I’ve been drawn to the organic veggie diet. Actually, I was a vegetarian for over 7 years. I gave it up when I was pregnant with my son – the cravings for a hamburger were overwhelming.

Over the past several months, I have phased out all meat from my diet and I notice a huge difference. The joint pain is a lot more mild. Just as an experiment, I ate a hamburger a few weeks ago. Literally, within 3 hours my elbows, knees, hips and fingers throbbed. The next morning, I could barely function – it hurt THAT bad.

I’m sold. no more meat for me. I do eat a lot of deep water fish, though and have no problem with that.

My asthma is a lot better without the meats in my diet, too.

Remember to hug your loved ones – you never know what tomorow will bring.