What do you do that makes you feel your best? (alternative therapies, meds, foods)

[kmdyer21]

So, it has been almost a year since my diagnosis. Honestly I was so overwhelmed by it all, and after my first(diagnostic) relapse, I had another 3 short months later. Now, I am wondering how can I feel my best. What should I do? What helps you best with your day to day struggles ( I know they are different for all of us) Do you exercise? (what kind) Watch your diet? Meditate? Sleep a certain number of hours? Drink caffeine or not drink it? See a therapist, chiropractor? I am tired a lot, get the hug especially when i am very busy/not rested, and have 3 kids and a full time job. Now that I have a hold mentally on my diagnosis I would love some direction as to what I can/should do/try to feel my best.

Thanks,
Kristy

[asiel1]

Kristy,

I am still in limbo, but for me feeling my best is admitting some days I am not at my best.-- and resting. I am also a Mom of three, but no longer work due to cognitive disabilities and fatigue.

On other days, I ride a bike because it's easy for me after years of being a cyclist. I take coconut oil, udo's choice 369 blend, and DHA for cognition/communication issues, and follow a pretty strict Vegetarian diet. For muscle spasms and weakness I go to Physical therapy twice a week. When I was working fulltime I did pilates, yoga, or ballet when I could manage the stretching.

I was on a load of meds for all of my symptoms, and side effects of the meds. I finally stopped them all.

So far so good. I still do get ill, but I manage. Each one of us is unique. It took me a while to figure out what worked best for me. I suggest that you ask your doc. Take his/her advice, and if like me the meds make you ill or just downright wacky try something else. ( antidepressants are not a one size fits all med)

I am sure in time and with perserverance you will find your perfect mix as well.

take care.

LBJ

[Sequoia]

I do a variety of things that make me feel better, including following a MS-friendly diet, taking supplements, and gentle stretching exercises (yoga).

But the one thing that helps me the most, the thing I absolutely could not do without, is meditation.

[Bob698]

Kristy,

I am still in limbo, but for me feeling my best is admitting some days I am not at my best.-- and resting. I am also a Mom of three, but no longer work due to cognitive disabilities and fatigue.

On other days, I ride a bike because it's easy for me after years of being a cyclist. I take coconut oil, udo's choice 369 blend, and DHA for cognition/communication issues, and follow a pretty strict Vegetarian diet. For muscle spasms and weakness I go to Physical therapy twice a week. When I was working fulltime I did pilates, yoga, or ballet when I could manage the stretching.

I was on a load of meds for all of my symptoms, and side effects of the meds. I finally stopped them all.

So far so good. I still do get ill, but I manage. Each one of us is unique. It took me a while to figure out what worked best for me. I suggest that you ask your doc. Take his/her advice, and if like me the meds make you ill or just downright wacky try something else. ( antidepressants are not a one size fits all med)

I am sure in time and with perserverance you will find your perfect mix as well.

take care.

LBJ

Bingo.
I'm not sure dropping all meds is sound advice but otherwise you nailled it. I keep my meds to a minimum but I also give the Drs. some props on the important stuff.

Kristy- I think the best way is to find what works for you. This can take time but MS is tricky like that.
For the diet stuff, I keep it really simple and its evolved over years of trying different stuff. In my case, its not so much about what I eat (I stick to a normal balenced diet) as its about how much I eat.
At the end of the day, if you burn X calories but eat X+1 calories, you're going to gain weight which can impact your activity levels. In other words, fit your diet to how much you do a day.
If you need to lose weight, you'll need to eat less until you get to your target weight. Its pretty simple. You'd also want to consider doing more to burn off those extra calories.
Movement and exercise is also important, not for MS as much as for your basic health. With MS, we tend to deal with movement issues over time so staying mobile is kind of like paying into an ins. policy. We might not need it yet but we may later on.
I'm not saying to enter a tri-athelon, MS can be tricky where we can't (or don't want to) over do it, but you can get a lot of benefits just by walking or riding around the block each day.

[BigA]

I do a variety of things that make me feel better, including following a MS-friendly diet, taking supplements, and gentle stretching exercises (yoga).

But the one thing that helps me the most, the thing I absolutely could not do without, is meditation.

I want to second and third that. I started yoga 3 months ago and feel better than I've ever felt. Yoga is amazing. Don't think of it as soccer mom's with tight butts bending into difficult positions (though you can if you want). If you get a good class, it's serious people, many middle aged, looking to feel comforable in their bodies again. It goes as gently as you like, but feels like a massage after.

The meditation is really good to. The easiest is to get the CDs from Jon Kabat Zinn's Meditations for Pain Relief. It works wonders and has not a single Namaste or mumbo jumbo if you're worried about that. its' the single easiest way to get started.

The other thing is exercise. It does wonders and even heals the brain.

[zilphia01]

so individual

I think everyone has to find what makes them feel more "normal".

a) I went to a gluten free diet, both for its help for patients with MS and because it gives me a small sense of control over at least one thing associated with this stupid disease.

b) I am soooo dizzy I can't really exercise effectively like before. So now I have a kick board and do laps in the pool at school during open swim times. pathetic, but better than nothing.

c) I have learned to say "NO" when I know what I am being asked to do is going to make me tired. This was and is hard for me.

d) I have to use a cane, so since I can sew I keep making a new sleeve for it. My students think it is funny, so that is good. (feather boa, racing stripes, leaves and acorns are some of my designs so far....just for fun)

e) I had purple tips put in my hair. I have NO IDEA WHY... again, my students think it is funny.

So do what makes you happy. Not sure about you, but I was really good at finding what other people needed to make them happy, not so good at my own happiness. Getting there now.

[Shiela]

What is a MS friendly diet?

[asiel1]

[QUOTE=Bob698;1328906]Bingo.
I'm not sure dropping all meds is sound advice

~~ Yes, I can think of people who probably need to double up on theirs. My sis comes to mind. I was not on any MS meds, because I am still in limbo. As a pallative measure I was put on antidepressants for fatigue, and baclofen for spasms. They helped the fatigue but made me feel weird, because depression is one symptom that I've been spared. -

I do agree that staying on meds that stop progression is a good thing, if they work and do not cause nasty side effects.

LBJ

[Sequoia]

What is a MS friendly diet?

Visit the "Tara's Nutrition & Supplement Notebook" forum for lots of information on the various diets that may benefit people with MS, plus Tara's own recommendations.