Re: diet

[Guest guest]

I would like to add my experience to what Olivia described about Ajay's

diet, etc. It's amazing to read what commonalities I have with other

MS'ers, such as Ajay.

For me there were two components of diet that made a big difference to my

health. One, which I started out with and saw some improvement from was the

Swank diet (low saturated fat). The MS Diet Book by Roy L. Swank and

Barbara Dugan discusses the diet (and recipes), the theory and describes

the success they've had with the diet over more than 30 years. I believe it

says in the book that people on the Swank diet have a 95% reduction in

relapse rates. The thing is, you have to follow the diet closely. Dr. Swank

told me that if you have even a little bit more saturated fat than they

advocate, you'll have relapses just as if you weren't following the diet at

all.

Because of the improvements I saw after I started the Swank diet, I gained

confidence and looked into other " alternative methods " of regaining my

health. I looked into another diet related significant factor I had heard

that contributed to MS - that of food allergens. I addressed my food

allergens and saw a fantastic improvement. See my web site at

http://www.halcyon.com/glenna/ms/ms.htm for more details. I started with

the " pulse test " and identified/avoided some foods that I was sensitive to.

I later had a allergy blood test whose results largely agreed with my pulse

test. I, like Ajay, found that I am sensitive to a large number of

seemingly innocuous foods. I avoided them for a while and gradually

reintroduced some of them and started rotating my diet so I don't always

eat the same things every day (eating the same things every day encourages

you to become allergic to the food). I also began to eat just organic foods

- I found that I am sensitive to non organic veggies - probably to the

pesticides that are used on them. I continue to avoid some foods that I

have been found to be sensitive to - that are common MS bad boys - dairy,

wheat and sugar. I also avoid caffeine. I now base my diet primarily on

fresh vegetables.

I, like Ajay also tried a drug, Cromolyn Sodium to desensitize my

stomach/intestines and to prevent allergic reactions to food/ the " leaky

gut " syndrome. Unlike Ajay, it didn't work for me. So I have to avoid some

foods and had to build up to eating others. I looked up Cromolyn Sodium in

my " drug book " and saw that there's a brand name of it called Intal, so

perhaps it's the same drug that Ajay took successfully?

But, even though the Cromolyn Sodium didn't work, my diet has! I am SO MUCH

better than I was when I started this " program " . I've gone from barely

being able to walk down the hall (and needing the aide of the wall) to

running a mile several times per week and lifting weights. I credit my diet

largely with this improvement. I do some additional things - exercise is a

biggie (which I had to gradually get in to, because I initially didn't have

the strength/stamina to do it). I'm now about to pursue amalgam

replacement. We'll see how that goes… I still have a couple of " residual

symptoms " , but I'm MUCH improved since I started paying attention to my diet.

I'm truly convinced that for many people, our diet/lifestyles are what

caused us to become ill with MS. Fixing your diet/lifestyle will enable

your body to heal itself.

Take care,

Glenna