MS & the dietary connection.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this website is compiled of information on alternative treatments that I have used since my MS symptoms began in 1975. Some have helped my MS quite a bit, that does not  mean that they will help yours. They are mostly anecdotal evidence and you should seek the counsel of your physician before starting any new treatments.

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11-22-09  I have been quite strict about staying away from the foods I tested positive to for food allergens for but must admit I have been so tired the past few weeks that I did eat some foods I should not have. I was so hungry I just did not care. I ate an Italian beef a few days ago with green peppers, the bread is what I should have stayed away from because it has wheat in it. Then last night I was again so tired and hungry I ate yet more food I should  not have eaten, a burger with a bun...again more wheat and I also had a piece of birthday cake for my son, though it was just one piece a whipped cream cake but that has cow's milk, more wheat, and sugar which I have not eaten for years. Sleeping was still a problem, but strangely I would wake up to go to the bathroom as I always do but I was finding myself falling back to sleep for 2-3 hour stretches, 1am, 3am, 5am, 8am, 11am! It feels so strange! I feel so rested but my legs are completely wiped out. It will be interesting to see how the sleep goes tonight and how my legs feel during the day today. Very strange, but interesting. I find this oddly fascinating being my own experiment. It sure appears that diet may have played a role in my extremely weak legs but I'm not sure what to make of my better ability to sleep. I guess I will see how things go tonight when I go to sleep. So strange! ~ Lisa

07-07-09   Candida can certainly be a factor with MS. For myself I chose to only have the Human bloodprint done for 154 foods, Gluten and Milk sub-fractions. I did not test positive for Gluten, but did test positive for cow's milk, almonds, a total of 29 different foods. It you would like to see what my results look like, click here. I chose along with my doctor to not have the Candida test performed simply because I have not eaten sugar for 4 years, or other yeast producing foods and it is also pretty expensive since I have no insurance to add another test. I always take acidophilus on a daily basis since '98 and do not feel Candida is a problem for me, but after the blood test I know for a fact which foods my blood tested positive to. I like facts! I was following the dietary suggestions from Ann's book as well as the ones below. Even from the Swank MS diet many of those foods my blood showed an allergen to, I feel a bit more clear in the head once I started to eliminate those foods. There are still a lot of foods I can eat, it's just a matter of finding out which foods you may truly have an allergen to. I know most MS patients do not believe that diet can make a difference. For me seeing it in black and white is proof positive which foods my body cannot tolerate has completely changed my mind, blood does not lie. I will admit this has been and likely will continue to be a challenge but now that my blood has told me which foods to stay away from it feels right. I surely do not expect to get better overnight, it will probably take years and since it has been so long I will probably need some sort of stem cell treatment. My lesions are confined to my brain, that is likely why chronic insomnia is my biggest problem. I've always been able to walk to a certain degree, even if it just a couple steps. It sure seems to show to me the differences in each individual. I know many MS patients who cannot budge their legs but they asleep like a baby, those people state they have spinal lesions. I will soon be contacting the one Neurolgist I trust most, I went to him for 18 years until my insurance was gone in '02-'03. I desperately would like to have an MRI to see what going on up in there. I know the economy sucks but maybe he or another doctor he knows will know of a program that could help me pay for this, I'll never know if I do not ask. I still have some Turkey Bowl money left, but not enough to pay for an MRI. I will not be opposed to going south of the border if that is my only option, but I'd like to see if my Neurologist has any ideas first.  I wish I could have had an MRI back in '05 during that new exacerbation that affected my left side for the first time leaving my left arm completely immobile and my insomnia got a lot worse at that time. My GP gave me 80 mg prednisone during that '05 attack and I weaned off it over 3 months until I could use my left arm again. That was sickenly fascinating to me albeit annoying and scary as HELL!

Now that I've once again gotten off topic. If you are willing and able I would urge you to have your blood tested for any food allergens you may not even know you have, as I was surprised to find out many of the foods I was eating following the MS diet books that are listed below I should not have been eating. At some point you will be able to reintroduce some of the offending foods and see what happens. I personally have found this more difficult than 22 hours of natural child birth, but now that I can see for a fact that I do indeed have some food allergens, I'm sticking to it! It can't hurt to find out...well except for the blood draw. :)

Never give up! ~ Lisa

The Inflammation Free Diet Plan

Paleolithic Diet from mult-sclerosis.org

Healing Multiple Sclerosis by Ann Boroch

The Yeast Connection by Dr. William Crook

Brain Recovery by Dr. David Perlmutter 

The MS Recovery Diet by Ann Sawyer and Judi Bachrach

The Swank MS diet by Dr. Roy Swank

No More MS by Sue Ellen Dickenson    TV clips from recent Sue Ellen interview.

09-19-08   This is the book I have read by Ann Boroch very inspiring, her true story of making herself well through only dietary changes and she was pretty darn bad even attempted suicide twice! Great game plan and resources. I think what needs to be remembered is though this appears to be what it takes to become well from this lousy disease, it will require a lot of patience! It took Ann around 4 years to fully recover. I have also read other MS books of patients who claim recovery through diet alone. It sure seems to me that reading about how patients have recovered from MS going back to the Swank diet that there must be something there, or those are a lot of "coincidences" . This is the most difficult thing I have ever done and I know I must continue to eat this way for the rest of my life if I want to stay free of MS symptoms. I know it is a difficult thing to believe, I never did because my Neurologists all told me that diet change would not help MS at all.  33 years later at 46 I now know for myself that eating a diet of anti-inflammatory foods makes all the difference, it has only been one year but I decided to email the AMA to see if I could find out the answer to that question. They referred me to other sites where I might find the answer I was seeking. I did not find a concrete answer, but from reading the sites they suggested it does not appear that any dietary classes are a must. Which would make it understandable to me why most Neurologists do not suggest diet as a possible treatment for MS. If that is not what a doctor is taught how could they in all good conscience suggest these strict dietary changes. My GP is all onboard with these changes, at some point I will go to the one Neurologist I trusted most and see what he thinks. I still have no health insurance so I'll have to find out if he would be willing to waive his fee, my GP did which I really appreciated. I always had a very good rapport with my Neurolgist I went to him since '84 my insurance was gone by '02 so I stopped going to him. So I guess only time will tell. I was able to use the Immunosyn vaccine for one year which is awesome! I started using it May 15, 2007 my last injection was June 24th. Since that time I have only been using diet to treat my MS, it was going quite well until I was "smacked" with a big monetary stressor that I have no control over. So I have been sliding back a bit, I'm still able to walk with my cane and sometimes no cane. I know if I still had some vaccine I would be doing much better. I'm hoping to be able to get some more in a month or so, it will be great when it is finally FDA approved. My hope is that when it is available to all that I can get my Neurologist to suggest an anti-inflammatory diet and this anti-inflammatory vaccine so they can work together and help patients to heal even more quickly. I know I am just one person but I hope to show my Neurologist that between the diet changes and the vaccine that I may just recover a bit quicker than through diet or vaccine alone. Only one way to find out. ~ Lisa

12-08-07 New info at Ann's link that includes more information on dietary changes, this time she speaks with Neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter who is outspoken about Oprah & Montel not doing programs about this treatment that could help not just MS patients, but all auto immune diseases!  Please click on this new link! I will continue with the SF1019 vaccine, but I truly believe dietary changes are very necessary and my recovery could be quicker using both methods!  I personally quit eating sugar over 2 years ago since sugar causes inflammation, I know I don't need that extra inflammation.  I know of many MS patients that think dietary changes are a bunch of hooey, I used to think that as well but after reading Ann's book and being honest with myself I finally get it!  I stopped taking Candida Cleanse for a while because of finances but will resume that ASAP.  This is all new info, but there are facts behind these necessary dietary changes.  I know I'm just a regular "Joe", not famous like Oprah or Montel but in my opinion Ann's book really explains things very, very well!  I plan on getting back on the  program of ridding my body of these toxins!  Best wishes ~ Lisa Quick

06-14-07    I am still sticking to these dietary changes and suggested supplements and detoxing supplements.  I need to stick to purchasing things within my means, which includes not being able to afford meats like chicken that are antibiotic free this is simply not going to happen unless I win the lottery, which I do not play.   I also cannot afford to have my 9 amalgam fillings removed...hopefully some day.

06-22-07    I'm getting used to this way of eating pretty well, since I had already stopped eating sugar 2 years ago that makes it a little easier.  I was also not raised with soda so that is one less thing I need to cut out.  I am definitely a carnivore, I pretty much stick to chicken and maybe some fish every so often, no red meat.  I miss bread, but I can get some gluten free if I really feel the need for some.  The good thing is I definitely am fitting into clothes that I have not been able to fit into for quite some time.  I have been having MS symptoms lately and am not sure if it is because of the heat of if they are from J-H (Jarisch-Herxheimer) reactions, I suppose there is no definitive way I can tell.  I'm certain with this diet that I am eliminating much Candida from my system, I know that this is going to take a looooong time to get rid of all this yeast buildup from my bad diet.  I do really believe in this dietary change, I too have tried the Swank diet and others, but don't remember a mention of how yeast in particular is huge offender.  I think Ann explains things so well as to why this change of eating will work...not over night for sure, but it will work.  It is hard to believe that the residual numbness on the bottoms of my feet to my mid back will ever go away, I find it so hard to believe that I will ever be able to tolerate the heat of summer, but I will surely never know if I do not strictly stick to this diet.  So that is exactly what I am going to do. I know with the Swank I was never strict on it and did not use it for probably more that 6-8 months, this Candida free diet makes complete sense to me and I will use it forever, I am sick to death of this disease I just want to become a human being again!  I've waited this long I can wait a little longer!  Here is a link on taking a free Candida saliva test - this is not the product I'm currently using, but may switch to it in the future.

06-27-07    I am seeing changes in my vision when reading or watching TV.  My eyes were aching a lot while doing both of those things, they don't bother me except when at night time when it is time to go to sleep!  I do still use the xanax, I'm paranoid I won't fall asleep if I don't, but at some point I will stop taking it so I can see if I can sleep without it...duh!  I know I will see changes very slowly, so I will try to write things down more often. Oh yeah, my handwriting seems to be a bit more legible.  Again, I'll have to keep an eye on little changes that I believe I am noticing, look for subtle changes.

06-29-07    I am strictly staying on this new way of eating.  My vision is quite good, not feeling dizzy and feeling quite energetic this week.  I am also just realizing that I have not felt the need to up my dose of 2mg of Xanax for a few months, so that could be a good sign.  Only time will tell.

07-03-07    I took the Candida Saliva test again today.  I took it for the first time about a month ago after I read Ann's book and I had a lot of strings forming with my saliva, today I took the same test and I did not have one string, it looked like one was trying to form, but never did.  However there were some cloudy suspended specks, so obviously there is still Candida in my system.  I'm pretty sure it will take quite some time to clear it all up, I have upped the Candida Cleanse dosage to 2 pills half hour our before each meal.  If you can afford the prescription meds, you might want to consider using them since they are more potent than the supplements.  If you have read more of my website then you know I have had MS symptoms since I was 13, I'm 45 so I will presume this will take a few years to clear up.  I do not have insurance so this "experiment" will be with supplements and diet only can at least maybe this will show how long it could take for someone who has had MS for an extended period of time to feel some results.  It seems I'm always on an everlasting experiment. Have a Happy Holiday!

07-06-07    I have not changed the dose of the Candida Cleanse, still 2 pills at meal times.  I'm getting around the house better using just the cane and occasional wall for a balance check, and the wheelchair for when I go to bed and first wake up in the morning when my legs are not quite with me.  I must admit it is still a bit depressing, I know it is going to take quite a long time until I will be walking my dog, Daisey on my own I will love that as I know she will too!  It has been so long with "sucky disease" (my late friend Scot's term) it seems impossible that I will be well again one day though I do believe that in my heart.  My balance has been shot since 1984 so I do have trouble believing that that will heal on it's own, I just hope I can be well enough so I can work again to save money for stem cells which I know repair myelin, I would go back to Dr. Morales in a heartbeat to have that done! Stranger things have happened though, maybe the diet change will fix everything???  Only time and patience will tell, I am starting to hate the "P" word, but you have to do what your have to do. Be well.

07-09-07    I have another symptom, not sure if it is because of the extreme heat or the Candida kill off.  Last night I started noticing my right ear was having spasms, which has happened in the recent past, maybe a year ago for the first time.  So I did give myself another vaccine injection, the spasms are now very slight hardly noticeable.  It was also very, very cold in my room, which does not help.  I like the cold but that cold can be just as bad for me as the extreme heat, and the blanket I had was too thin.  My son was at work so he could not turn it down, I will have him do that today before he goes to work.  We'll see how things go today.

07-11-07    Still no spasms, but so hungry! This is a tough regime to stick to, but I will continue.  It is difficult making food to eat because I have to wheel myself into the non-air conditioned kitchen, though I can walk to the kitchen with my cane my legs are then tired and it is hot in there so making my salad and cutting up chicken is a bit exhausting.  I'm sure it will be quite some time until I can walk comfortably without the cane and walk my Daisey too, I will be so excited for that day.  I truly believe that this treatment is my only hope, it is going to be really difficult but I want to show others that even if you've had MS as long as I (32yrs) or longer that it will work.  I know of people who have used other means, rebounding or EFT for instance and say they have cured themselves by using those treatments.  Those people that I read about, not to lessen their success, but they also were able to get to treating their MS much earlier on than I 5-12 years into it, the sooner you can start working on kicking the MS in the keester the better.  This is going to be a bumpy trip to becoming healthy again, but I'm so sick of being sick!  I used to have a journal I would write in, I still have them but my handwriting is so bad now I cannot write in cursive, and my block writing is often illegible.  One day I hope to be writing in cursive again, it sure would be easier to write down my thoughts as I have them. Bye for now.

07-13-07    I am noticing very light spasms again in my right ear, I only have 4 vaccine injections left so I really do not want to use one up, if they start becoming more troublesome I will call Dr. Ayre and have him call in a prescription for Baclofen, that has always worked in the past.  It appears to me that the JH reactions seem to bring back old symptoms like the vertigo I had in 1984, and these ear spasms in my right ear which happened last year for the first time in the right ear.  I don't remember exact dates but I believe about two years ago I had those ear spasms in my left ear and about 10-15 years ago I would get these creepy uncontrollable facial spasms, I hated those most of all, I would call it gooney face.  That is a very old symptom, I hope that does not return!  Whatever it takes to get better, I have a long rod to hoe, but I am committed....or maybe should be committed!  I just found an old diary I would write in, at that time I could print, no cursive but I could write better than I do now.  Here is part of an entry from 02-09-98 "Today I start my yeast free-sugar free way of life. I really want to stop these yeast infections,  possibly it may help the MS, we will see...skeptical about that."   It does not look like I stuck with that very long, but I'm not skeptical anymore after reading Ann Boroch's book. 

07-20-07    I have no spasms at all and am walking with my cane much more often in the house, I have even found myself sometimes forgetting my cane when I go into the kitchen or computer room which is a really good sign as far as I'm concerned!  I am injecting the vaccine more consistently (every 4 days), not just using it when I have symptoms.   An anonymous beneficiary is helping me out with the payments so I can keep the treatment going consistently and get through the summer heat with no more symptoms (J-H's).  I am of course sticking to this new way of eating and will presume I could have more J-H's, I would rather not have them and maybe I won't have any, but only time will tell.  10-15 years ago I had facial spasms, I pray those will not return...I hated those! Creepy! We shall see....

07-27-07    Still no spasms or vertigo, just being able to walk further each day!  I still use the wheelchair when I first wake up in the morning because my brain is not quite in sync with my legs yet.   Of course I'm sticking to the dietary changes and exercising without over doing it.  I'm sleeping better than ever, I'm sure that helps!  I have been walking more than rebounding, the rebounding actually makes my right ankle hurt a little (that is the ankle I broke in '84).   So again I am cautious.  With my legs working so much better, I am feeling more confident that I will be taking my little pooch "Daisey" (I know I spell it differently, but my son is glad I did not spell it Daisee") for a walk, which will be so great!  It has been years since I have walked her with my cane, and that was sometimes uncomfortable.  Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer would be able to see that I am not a strong pack leader, but hope to one day be one.   My mom has always taken her for most of her walks and when she comes over Daisey goes over the top wacko, it's quite annoying though I'm sure it is annoying to her to only be walked once a week.  So my hope is that once I can take her for proper walks that she won't go nuts when my mom comes over, if not I might be contacting Cesar, hee hee.  I'm excited every day so see my improvements! Stay positive! ~ Lisa

08-03-07     I am doing so great! I am walking so well, I just had a delivery moments ago of vitamins and I walked from the computer room to the from door (135 steps!) with no cane!!! I've been sleeping really well too, which I'm sure helps a lot!  I also just went to Ann's site and she has added a great media link, that talks about her recovery through diet and her playing tennis!  Below her picture link are other links, Teri Garr who says a little about "MS drugs", Brian who used Chemo, Monique who used Goat serum, and Vito who used Tysabri.  It was interesting to see these links, but will not be changing my current treatment!   Ann's recovery took 4 years, so my hope is that by using the dietary changes plus the vaccine, my recovery will be quicker, but only time will tell... Stay tuned!

08-10-07    I am still walking very well, I could tell especially from last night because I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed and could hear my dog jumping on and off my bed.  When I got out of the bathroom my sweet little Daisey decided to pee in the middle of my bed!  I was so tired and quite annoyed, but I managed to pull off my 3" memory foam mattress pad by myself and those are really thick and heavy.  I then had to retreat to the uncomfortable coach at that point I realized I was walking pretty quickly and was not using my cane!  Considering how tired I was I found that pretty amazing! I probably walked 150 steps or so and so far this morning I have lots of energy, I am washing those sheets and dusting  the windows in the living room, I like having more energy! ~Cya

08-17-07    I just upped my dose of Candida Cleanse to 3 tablets per meal yesterday, have not felt any symptoms yet but I'll pay attention and see if any crop up.  Today was injection day, I slept okay last night but not the greatest I hope that will change when the nice cool crisp Fall weather sets in.   Spring and Fall are my most favorite times of the year as I'm sure many of you feel the same.  I am walking more and more with cane only and sometimes short distances (135-200 steps) cane-free, very exciting!  My energy level changes day to day which I'm sure coincides with how well I sleep, sometimes good, sometimes not...all in due time.  I am of course sticking to the new way of eating, it is not easy at all but I will stick it out...I'm tired of this disease and will get better, I just must be patient and stick to "the program".  Have a great weekend!

08-24-07    Well, symptoms have cropped up.  I have experienced some very light facial spasms in my left upper lip and lower part of the nose, that only lasted one day.  About 10-15 years ago I had facial spasms to my entire left face, so this time it doesn't seem so bad. Yesterday I was experiencing a much "lighter" version of my very first symptom when I was 13, in which my right eye vision started to slowly get darker.  It went from 20/20 - 20/70 but resolved on its' own when the weather got cooler that lasted about 2-3 months, this time the vision in my right eye just seemed to get slightly darker than my left eye vision and the eye hurt as it did that first time, but today that has resolved.  What a roller coaster ride!

08-31-07     No noticeable symptoms today, just fatigued a bit.  I must admit I don't particularly like these dietary changes, gluten free food is expensive and often tastes like dookey.  But I will stick to it. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

09-07-07     I think I am having more feeling in my right toes and left heel.  I'll have to pay attention to that!  I'm still walking with the cane quite a bit but having trouble sleeping that I think may be because of hormones this time. Have a good weekend!

09-14-07     I have been sticking to the diet changes, with a few slip ups I just started drinking instant coffee again because it is more affordable than green tea.  I am saving my money to have a blood test that will check for 115 possible food allergies, this was suggested by Dr. Morales.   I would really like to know just exactly what foods I truly do need to avoid and which ones I can just go ahead and eat.  I am often hungry when I go to bed and when I wake up, gluten free foods are very expensive and I am really tired of eating salads!  Though I know vegetables will need to play a major part of my diet, I need to switch to stir fry just because it is starting to get cooler, I don't care for salads in the cold weather.  The blood test is called Immuno 1 Bloodprint by googling I found it costs around $550 so I have some saving to do, but when I have the bucks I will defiantly have this done!   I do believe that the foods that we eat do play a part in this this crappy disease.  I slept quite well last night so I have a very good amount of energy today!  I do usually "come to life" once the cooler weather arrives I'm sure most of you feel the same way, I'm so glad it is finally here.  Have a great weekend!

09-21-07     The heat has returned for now, but I'm sure will be gone soon enough.  I am under a huge amount of personal stress at the moment and am thrilled and surprised that no MS symptoms have cropped up.  I believe this is because I am using the SF1019 vaccine, in the past being stressed to this degree this would bring on leg or arm weakness and such and it would be time for steroids!  I have not yet had my Immuno 1 Bloodprint test, but completely believe knowing which foods I need to avoid will help my MS greatly.  When I contacted the above link they sent me free information and a booklet about Toxic Food Syndrome.  The 100 page booklet has really good information and tips.  Enjoy your weekend...Go Cubs!

09-28-07     I think the summer heat is gone hopefully until next summer! I'm sticking to my dietary changes, except since I have not had this blood test that will tell me what I am truly allergic to I decided to star eating cottage cheese again because it at least does fill my stomach up and my stomach is not growling, which it does a lot!  Gluten free foods are very expensive and I just cannot afford to always buy them, I eat a lot of veggies, so it's like eating Chinese food where your hungry again in an hour.  Oh well...you have to do what you gotta do!  Have a great weekend, Go Bears & Cubs!

10-12-07    I'm walking great with cane only, no wheelchair!  I'm not perfect when it comes to these dietary changes...gluten free is expensive!  I would say I'm about 90% compliant, I eat cottage cheese now, and drink caffeine free instant coffee, one cup daily.  Some day I hope to have the money to actually have the Bloodprint blood test done, but until then I will wing it best I can.  Go Bears & Blackhawks!