This is going to be controversial but thats fine, because I would like to stir up a little bit of conversation about a topic that I am VERY passionate about.... Yesterday I completed the Ice Bucket Challenge (I posted the video on Facebook yesterday) in support of ALS (ALSA.org) and donated $100 to help fight the devastating disease. I think it is absolutely spectacular the amount of awareness and the money that has been raised to fight this awful, awful disease and I 100% whole heartedly support it in every way possible. There is another genetic condition.Neurofibromatosis (“NF”), that is close to my heart and that I am actually involved in for an upcoming fundraiser Cure NF with Jack. Genetic diseases like NF & ALS desperately need more money to fund research especially because there is absolutely nothing the people who have these terrible conditions can do but wait for a cure. But there are other conditions that affect millions of people---specifically many inflammatory conditions---that can be helped tremendously by nutrition, specifically by an anti-inflammatory diet. One of those conditions happens to be multiple sclerosis (MS), which I have happened to have since I was 22-years old, for over 15 years now. The vast majority of patients with inflammatory conditions are simply given a medication (which can be EXTREMEMLY costly)----the medications for inflammatory conditions are, for the most part, just Band-Aids, and they can have some very serious and life-threatening side-effects. For example, one of the side effects of, Rebif, a disease-modifying medication used to treat MS, is suicidal ideation. But many patients with MS (and other inflammatory conditions) are told by their doctors that the medications are their only options. And those patients believe their doctors. One patient, who happened to be a dear friend of mine and who happened to help me tremendously at a very low point in my life also had MS and he was told by his neurologist that nutrition was a waste of time. That same neurologist subscribed Rebif and within a very short time after taking it my friend took his own life. He had just turned 30 years old. This was back in 2003. It is sadly ironic because that same friend is the one who told me that I should write a book about nutrition and if I ever actually got it published he would promise to follow it (you have to understand though that this is a friend who loved to party and I was not exactly known to be the studious type who would write a book----so I think my friend gave me that challenge but sort of assumed it would be like challenging me to build a space ship. Sure he will fly in the space ship if I built it) But anyway, for whatever reason I took his challenge. I started writing the first book when our son was 6 months old and it took me over 3 years to get it to the point where a publisher would even look at it. But I couldnt get it published until I got real people to give real testimonials. And so, with the help and support of fitness director, Erin Glynn, I organized a group of people who had all sorts of different inflammatory conditions (including MS) at The Atlantic Club in Red Bank New Jersey to take a 5-week program designed to reduce inflammation. If the results of that class were good then my book would be published. I was on the phone organizing the final details of the 5-week program when I got a call from my dear friend Susan Malt Josephson that my friend with MS had committed suicide. I cant even begin to express how this affected me then---and to this day-- for many reasons and on many levels. The 5-week program was to start a few days after I returned to New Jersey from my friends funeral, but I was a total basket case and not in the frame of mind to teach a class (which I had never even done before). I almost cancelled the whole thing and almost ripped up the whole book (it was handwritten at that point because I didnt even know how to type!) But somehow I showed up the first day of the class. However, I burst into tears as I tried to introduce the program. I have no idea how the people had enough confidence to stay in the class, but they did. And at the end of the 5-weeks the results were amazing. So we got our first book deal, which we dedicated to our friend, and which ended up being an Amazon Bestseller. We also donated the proceeds of the first 10,000 copies sold to the Montel Williams MS Foundation in my friends name. Fast forward 11 years and my dear friend Susan Malt Josephson nominated me to take the Ice Bucket Challenge. In light of the recent Robin Williams tragedy I couldnt help but think of my friend. I do not in anyway want to take away from the money or the awareness that is going into ALS, but I cant help but think that there is even more that can be done that will also help other people. I still carry the note my friends mom wrote after his funeral that says she just hopes her son did not die in vain. But yet, even after all of these years that I have been promoting nutrition for MS and other inflammatory conditions there are still millions of people who have no idea what an anti-inflammatory diet even is! I wish I had been smart enough to think of something like the Ice Bucket Challenge years ago because it truly is a BRILLIANT way to bring attention, awareness and action to a very important cause. And so the only thing I am trying to do with the ice bucket challenge and the raise your green smoothie glass idea with the Clean Cuisine Chug is to simply bring additional awareness to the public that many inflammatory diseases can be helped with nutrition. I STILL want the message about ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge to continue and to spread even further and I very much hope that by promoting it on Clean Cuisine I will be doing my part to help. But some people are just dumping ice on their head and they arent donating or taking action in a meaningful way that is going to make a real impact other than making a fun and entertaining video to watch, which of course brings awareness (and of course awareness is good!!) But I am someone who likes results immediately and action taken ASAP and so all I am saying is why not raise awareness and money for ALS while also bringing attention to the impact nutrition and an anti-inflammatory diet can have for the millions of people who suffer from inflammatory diseases? Why cant we combine the two? Especially because the chance of there EVER being another phenomenon like the Ice Bucket Challenge is very unlikely. Why not make the most of this phenomenon by helping the most number of people? But again, maybe my idea is too far-fetched. I probably would not have thought of it if it were not for Susan being the one who Challenged me and the recent Robin Williams tragedy (which by the way, did you know the Parkinsons medication he was taking also had suicidal ideation as a main side effect?) I really would love to hear other peoples thoughts on this. And please be HONEST! I know I am a bit emotional about this whole topic, but I will not be offended by honest feedback. Promise ;) --ivy P.S. I have included the link below to my Ice Bucket Challenge: bit.ly/1plkd0Z
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 14:00:33 +0000
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