Health Update

As most of you know, I started taking a pill called Ampyra in May 2010.  It's not what they call a disease modifier - in other words, it does not stop or even slow the progression of the disease.  It just helps with certain symptoms.  It's a time release pill and only stays in your system about 12 hours.  The dosage is twice daily.  It immediately helped me with my energy.  I'd been experiencing huge bouts of fatigue, collapsing onto my couch upon returning from work and not moving for the rest of the night.  The day I took my first pill, I scrubbed my apartment from top to bottom.  My wonderful friends Ulla and Joachim arrived the next day from Vancouver for a visit and I was totally energized the entire visit.  The pill was also supposed to help improve my walking.  Not only did it not do that, it seemed to make it worse.  Since taking this pill, I can only walk short distances before I start having trouble lifting my right foot and I start to shuffle.  It's been getting worse and worse, but I continued to take the pill because it was helping me so much with my energy.  However, I started to notice a few months ago that it wasn't helping me with that anymore either.  I googled the pill a few months ago and noticed that a lot of people were experiencing deterioration in their walking like I was.

I saw my MS doctor on Tuesday and he immediately agreed that I should stop the pill.  It seems he's been hearing this from other patients as well.  I'm now taking the pill just once a day for a week and then I will stop it altogether.  My leg still becomes heavy if I walk too far, but my legs are remaining strong for almost 22-23 hours whereas before they would weaken right before I was due to take the second pill, or after 12 hours.  So this is already an improvement.

Which leaves the fatigue.  I have started a nutrition program called Isagenix.  My friend Ed has been on it for 4 years and it has done amazing things for his health.  Before starting it, he had an ulcer, high cholesterol and was pre diabetic.  Within months all of that was gone.   He also lost 24 pounds within 3 months.  He had told me about this program a year ago, but I wasn't interested because I don't need to or want to lose weight and I kept thinking of it as a weight loss program even though he told me it also just a general wellness program.  However, two things happened recently.  First, my hair has been falling out and thinning for several months.  My dermatologist told me it was due to my not eating enough protein.  The second thing that happened is that my friend Ge sent me a video of an interview with a doctor who had cured her MS symptoms (not the disease, just the symptoms) purely through changing her diet to a paleolithic diet.  That means gluten free, lots of fruits and vegetables, no processed foods, only grass fed meat, etc.  She had been diagnosed with MS in 2000 and within 3 years was in a wheelchair and unable to even sit at the dinner table.  She had taken the injectable drugs right after her diagnosis, but that did not slow the progression.  The medical community had nothing else to offer her.  So she started doing her own research which led her to the connection between diet and the brain.  She is now hiking and riding bicycles, etc.  Her name is Dr. Terry Wahls and she has a website at www.terrywahls.com if you're interested in reading about her.

Well, this obviously got my attention.  I don't think I could follow a diet like she does - I love my food too much.  But I could do something like Isagenix.  Instead of the weight loss program, I'm on the Wellness program.  It's been less than a week and I'm already feeling changes in my body.  I can't put my finger on it, but I feel more in balance, more toned, and I definitely have more energy.  I'm finally getting things done that I'd been putting off for months for lack of energy.  The nutrition program consists of drinking 1 oz of a liquid that is packed with minerals and nutrients every morning, and making a shake from a powder once a day, usually at lunch time.  I have my normal breakfast and dinner.  I'm also finding that I'm eating smaller meals and more often during the day, which I've always heard is a healthier way to eat.

I am very hopeful and optimistic about this.  I know there are no guarantees.  But I have always preferred managing my health through alternative avenues rather than drugs.  The injectable drug they've been wanting me to take all these years is called Copaxone.  Well, I just read an article where they're finding that this drug puts a spot on your liver.  Already my hair is not falling out as much.  Putting more vitamins and nutrients and minerals into my body certainly can't hurt - my hope is that it will also improve my balance and mobility and energy.  I will keep you posted on this here.

By the way, the doctor thought I looked great.  He did a series of tests on me and said everything looked great too (reflexes, eye movement, strength, etc.).

The new drug I wrote about previously - Biogen B-12 - which they hoped would be approved by the FDA and available by the end of this year will actually not be available until next November.  Maybe by then I won't need it!

Happy Holidays and New Year, everyone.