1. With the help of optimal nutrition and proper exercise, I'm recovering from MS!

Since 1979, I have been fighting Multiple Sclerosis. In 1996, I started having more frequent lapses of health and I experienced many of the more serious symptoms: numbness over much of my body, blindness in one eye, serious vertigo, and the inability to walk, talk or write properly. But being stubborn, I refused to accept them. I was not going to let sickness run my life.

By 2004, I had daily problems with walking and balancing, always having to keep my eyes open while standing still (at church or in the shower, for example) and although I used to love taking long walks, I was unable to anymore. My energy levels were low and I slept for 2 hours every afternoon. I thought that vitamins could better my health so I had been taking 30 to 50 vitamin pills per day. It was a scatter shot at health, but a shot nonetheless.

(Turns out that hormonal constipation was going to be one of my biggest challenges ... but I mention the solutions I found later on in this blog.)

First Steps on the Road to Recovery

In March of 2005, I went to see a naturopathic doctor; I was entering the peri-menopausal stage and had been experiencing crazy-extreme emotional swings that just had to stop. While on the topic of MS, he mentioned the high correlation between the disease and gluten/dairy intolerance. I took his suggestion to try a gluten- and dairy-free diet; I also took home a jar of natural hormone cream, which helped to a degree.

By June I had noticed a difference in my balance and was able to walk one foot in front of the other for 5 or 6 steps, whereas before the diet change I could not take even one step in front of the other.

In July, I read two books by Dr. Ray D. Strand. One was called "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine (May be Killing You!)", the part in brackets being left off of later editions. The second was called, "Healthy for Life".

I devoured Dr. Strands' books. In short, I read them, researched his information regarding MS (Dr. Strand's comments about MS were very encouraging: a body's damaged myelin sheath is reparable and recovery is possible, yay), investigated the nutritional recommendations, found out how to get them and ordered them. On August 19th I started taking them and saw pretty remarkable results. But that's only part of the story ... I actually don't take them religiously anymore, read on ... .

The Turning Point

After taking the nutritional supplements (fyi USANA) for less than a week I noticed changes in my body. At my Monday ball class at the gym, one of the exercises involves balancing the ball on your forearms and lifting your knees one inch off the floor while in a kneeling position. I could originally hold the pose for one second and over a 10 week period, worked up to six or seven seconds and was encouraged to see that change.

But only three days had passed when I went to the ball class and could hold the same pose for 25 to 30 seconds!!I was shocked; I had not expected any changes so soon. I had been told to wait 3 to 6 months before I noticed a difference. As the ball class went on, all of the exercises seemed so easy for me, involving such little effort, compared to the work I had been used to. So I did have muscles after all! It was a lack of communication between my brain and my muscles that was making exercise so difficult. I suspect actually that the additional COQ10 recommended by Dr. Strand's book was part of the reason.

The next day, at my yoga class, I noticed I was able to move my legs into new positions. Then the next day my husband Michael and I walked to the video store together, a 15 minute trip uphill. We normally walk arm in arm so he can help me walk straight but this time I didn't run into or pull away from him as I usually do; he remarked about the welcome difference in walking with me! And, I normally left the supper dishes until the morning when I was more energetic but that week I did the dishes directly after supper! Now, everyday things are not nearly so difficult – woohoo!

It's October and I have seen gradual improvements in my balance. I'm able to balance on one leg for 20 seconds; a task impossible to me for the past 9 years. This fall, I was able to take a temporary Statistics Canada job which involved a lot of walking door-to-door. I often worked 3 days a week for a three or four hour period and spent two-thirds of that time walking. I was both pleased with and amazed at what I had accomplished.

I have noticed other changes in my body over the past 4 weeks:

1. I no longer get rashes on my eyelids when I put makeup on them; I was not able to wear any makeup close to my eyes because of the rash and swelling reaction I would have the next day.


2. Restless leg syndrome has become far more infrequent: many nights, the feeling that I had to move my legs would often wake me just as I was about to fall asleep. It happened so much that I eventually hesitated to fall asleep at all -- it is a very annoying problem!


3. I experience much more subdued monthly emotional swings for which my whole family is thankful! I had been taking a natural hormone cream twice a day during that most difficult week of the month, and presently I've been using the cream just before bed to help me sleep, once a day only 3 days in the month.

An update as of October 21/05:
It's now been almost 9 weeks and I've noticed that my energy levels remain higher than normal, and I am definitely experiencing greater clarity of thought.

I am expecting more positive changes in the future as I continue to exercise regularly, eat healthy meals and take nutritional supplements.

I want everyone who has MS or any other chronic degenerative disease to know that THERE IS HOPE for a better and healthier life!