Because of my illness exacerbation these last couple of months I have had many lovely well meaning friends approach me with various alternative medicine solutions to my disease(s). I would like to point out to them that a) I am managing my disease as well as possible considering the circumstances. I am completely up to date with all research. I am even going to experiment on myself with a cutting edge non-invasive method that may (or may not) help with symptoms ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24284464 . If I get offended about anything, it is that theres an assumption I am stupid when it comes to what I have. Please dont make assumptions abut what I know or dont know...I read everything - traditional and alternative. Bad enough my GP asking me to describe what MS is to him (because he had not read my file and had forgotten I have MS) then to have emails sent blaming MS on chemtrails - or that eating BBQd kittens will cure me (exaggerations). b) if I COULD exercise during a relapse I would. I cannot explain to anyone that has not had this kind of fatigue what it is like. The same with the pain. But if you really know me, you know I am not the lazy type...and as soon as I can exercise I am back at it. c) why are you more interested in telling me what to do, than helping me with what I am doing? People like me have a terrible time asking for help - we like to be a self sufficient as we can when we can. Help does not mean trying to push your beliefs on me, it means asking if you can help with the shopping or something. d) from now on be prepared for me to clumsily, probably rudely, point out why I think you are wrong. The stress of being politely quiet is doing me more harm than the fear of being rude (this passive aggressive post is me trying to avoid being rude to your face). So my friends who want to recommend Garmin or Wahls as a cure, or anything else that has popped up recently, heres something that I posted recently elsewhere to help explain my position As usual, use critical thinking when dealing with any suggested solutions to illness Do not link his (Garmin) being a doctor to him knowing everything about MS (appeal to authority). If his methods are sound they will pass scrutiny whether he is a doctor or a garbage man. Look for scientific studies that show whether there is merit in his methods. Multiple Sclerosis is a (maybe more than one) disease without a clear pattern of behaviour. It is entirely possible to have episodes in early life...then none ever again. Correlation between events does not mean causation. Look for weasel words - recovery in medicine has a specific meaning. Recovery means returning to normal health. In normal terms we associate that with cured or fixed. That can not be stated with any certainty with MS as the disease does not have a clear pattern of behaviour. Be careful giving credence to the whole if a part has been found to be true (fallacy of parts). Theres strong evidence through many studies that Vitamin D does play a part in progression of MS. Theres nothing I have seen that says eating a certain way does anything to the disease itself, just the symptoms incurred (maybe). Logically we cannot, at this stage, say that the whole diet has anything to do with the change in progression of disease. Theres nothing harmful I can see in eating healthy, exercising and taking vitamin D and if you want to do it then go right ahead (I certainly do, but not following any specific wellness regime, nor paying for books or classes on how to do so). Still be aware of what you are reading - and look for the underlying reasons why someone is doing something. Is it for the money? recognition? Altruism? More views for their documentary ;) ? Lastly, I agree with Steve Novellas blog post about Wahls. theness/neurologicablog/index.php/can-diet-cure-ms/ /passive aggressive rant
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 01:12:38 +0000