Month: August 2017

Success Stories of Reversed MS- Dr. Terry Wahls, MD

Posted by | Aug 17, 2017 | |

  “Drugs are not the answer. Let food, good, wholesome food, be thy medicine.” Dr. Terry Wahls, MD   Dr. Terry Wahls, a highly respected medical doctor, researcher and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine is a true inspiration for everyone. She was diagnosed with RR-MS in 2000, and her condition progressed quickly (in 2003) to SP-MS. From a very active woman who used to run marathons and climb mountains, Dr Wahls was confined to a tilt-recline wheelchair for four years. She started to use a nutritional/lifestyle plan, which later became “The Wahls Protocol.” Within one year, she was able to walk again without a cane and even complete an 18-mile bicycle tour!   Let’s look at Dr. Wahls’s success story because she describes beautifully the changes she made in her mindset, as well as the treatments she adopted. This is the summary of the first chapter from her latest book “The Wahls Protocol – A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions using Paleo Principles.”   At the beginning, she was simply a patient, following the recommendations of her neurologist and taking the medications (Copaxone, Mitoxantrone, Tysabri, CellCept).   “Taking my life back” chapter from her book reveals some details: “Getting into that wheelchair triggered something. I realized that conventional medicine was not likely to stop what was happening to m… I decided to...

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Top 7 Benefits of Omega 3s for MS

Posted by | Aug 14, 2017 | |

I.Introduction II.Signs and Symptoms of Omega 3 Deficiency III. About Omega 3s IV. Health Benefits  V. Warnings VI. Best Omega 3 Supplements    I.Introduction Omega 3s are essential fatty acids. They are required for our overall health, and particularly essential for the brain function, optimal growth and development. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in higher concentration in the brain where they play a key role in memory, performance and behavior functions. They have anti-inflammatory effects, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and help manage autoimmune conditions. The body can’t make them, thus we need to get them from diet and supplements.   II.Signs and Symptoms of Omega 3 Deficiency Quiz time… Do you have some of the following symptoms: fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, poor circulation, joint pain, insomnia, skin rashes such as eczema, unexplained weight gain? These are common symptoms of omega 3 deficiency. Note that you should seek professional advice, since these symptoms can be caused by other conditions and nutrient deficiencies. About 90 percent of Americans are deficient in omega 3, while eating too many omega 6s [1]   III. About Omega 3s The most important omega 3s are: EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). ALA may be converted into EPA and DHA, however, humans tend to have a poor conversion (Conversion efficiencies of ALA to DHA in human...

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From “The Plant Paradox” Book- Two Things You Should Know

Posted by | Aug 5, 2017 | |

I would like to mention a couple of things (both relevant to MS) that really caught my attention. I feel were not emphasized enough in his newly published book “The Plant Paradox.” [1]    Nr. 1. Dr Gundry’s Diet helps improve TNF-alpha The low lectin diet developed by Dr Gundry has several health benefits for MS, but I’d like to point out a very important one: it improves TNF-alpha, a key marker of inflammation.   A quick review of  my research first :     Let’s look at what happens with TNF-alpha levels. MS has been linked with increased levels of TNF-alpha for a long time [2], [3] . It appears that TNF-alpha plays an active role, especially during periods of disease activity, and peaks during stress and infections [4]. The level of TNF-alpha in CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) correlates with the severity and progression of MS [5], [6]. Furthermore, TNF- alpha  could be the primary neurotoxic molecule in progressive forms of MS, according to some scientists [7]. Considering these facts, there is no surprise that researchers tried to use anti-TNF therapy (i.e. monoclonal antibodies to TNF-alpha) for autoimmune diseases, but these drugs have serious side effects [8], [9], [10].  Simply put, these drugs increase the risk of infections, cancers, other autoimmune diseases (i.e. lupus), other demyelinating conditions, lung problems, anemia and more [11]. Cholesterol lowering agents such as Lipitor also decrease TNF-alpha [12] but also have...

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Success Stories of Reversed MS – 78 Cases of MS

Posted by | Aug 3, 2017 | |

Review of a 2015 study conducted by Grace Olakunle, Faculty of Health Sciences/Department of Community Medicine, The Arctic University of Norway; Her Master’s thesis in Public Health : Patient Initiated Self-Care and Positive Health Outcomes in Patients Living with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study. Research paper by Grace Olakunle .   Grace Olakunle chose a great topic for her Master’s thesis in Public Health. She evaluated 78 Scandinavian patients (aged 35 to 67 years) diagnosed with MS, who had remarkable improvements in managing MS. Just like me, she was looking for a pattern- what do all these successful cases have in common? A quick note here: I am not sure, but  this study likely includes Mona and Anna, as the data was collected from the same source, NAFKAM, that I described in my other blog (that one was based on the evaluation of 12 patients with remarkable improvements, with two cases, Mona and Anna, described in great details, while this study evaluates 78 patients).  Here is the summary: The purpose of the study was to find out the daily routines and self-care practices that helped them live better with MS. The data came from the Registry of Exceptional Courses of Disease (established at the National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM), Norway in 2002). All the participants were using CAM (complementary and alternative medicine). Roughly 25% of them were...

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