I taught a one day workshop on Eating Well to Live in Balance with MS this past weekend in Calgary. I have been in stable remission for eight plus years, living with MS, which I believe I have had since I was 21 years old (I only know this in hindsight). What I have learned in my 25 years with a lot of help and resources from individuals coping with this disease, that it is possible to live in balance with this condition and actually thrive, despite having it. It has been my greatest teacher. If you read some of my earlier blogs when I was in the trenches of healing, it was a real challenge at the time, I had to battle a lot of things and faced some difficult and painful flares; but ultimately, I began to find myself… opening from within and starting to discover my true self

Because I am a naturopathic doctor and pride myself on walking my talk, I was able to live a long time with this condition and not know, that there was something wrong with me. It was only when I was training for my second marathon and carbo loaded with a lot of gluten that the symptoms appeared in a big way (I was 33 years old). Before this time, I had largely avoided wheat because I thought it gave me acne. I had unknowingly protected myself, by avoiding wheat for many years. There is now a known connection between autoimmune disease and gluten sensitivity because it triggers zonulin which opens the tight junctions in the intestines and thus contributes to intestinal permeability (one of the three factors that underlies autoimmune disease).

In this workshop, I discussed the importance of limiting saturated fat consumption to less than 20 grams, even better if it is kept under 15 or 10 grams per day. We can thank the brilliant Dr. Swank for discovering one of the most important factors to help us stay healthy and limit progressive decline. This was one factor that I was not always 100% perfect with in my past. I did not realize that having one single meal over the saturated fat limit could set me back. Now that I know that, I am much more confident in maintaining control over my health. Before I used to have a ‘rich’ meal out on special occasions. The last one that I remember coincided with a flare, unfortunately. I remember feeling particularly happy that weekend. I had gone to Radium hot springs with my boyfriend and another couple. We had a great time. I even sat in the hot pools with little after effect of the submersion. I went for a fatty brunch on the last day and ate sausage and greasy eggs. I think I even consumed a gluten wrap the day before. Three days later, I began to feel poorly and had a bad flare.Now that I realize I can not even eat one meal too rich in saturated fat, I am feeling stable and back to my healthy self.

Another thing I taught this weekend, was besides avoiding gluten and dairy (which again trigger zonulin and contribute to permeability in your gut), was the importance of avoiding sugar. I have craved fats not sugars, so this is one vice that is not hard to avoid now. There was a time when I ate a lot more sugar and that was in university. I am sure that consuming more sugar contributed to my intestinal permeability, as well. Interestingly enough, the microbiome of patients that have MS, has shown a preference for fostering bacteria that digest sugar. This is not a good thing and is another reason to avoid sugar at all costs. It will help your MS if you completely avoid sugar. Bacteria that produce inflammatory compounds and contribute to immune dysregulation have also been shown to be present in the microbiome of MS patients.

Probiotic bacteria are known to induce immunomodulating activity in the gut and help regulate inflammation. Probiotics help increase production of butyrate, an anti-inflammatory substance. T regulatory cells induced in the gut may suppress inflammatory conditions. Lactobacillus paracasei and lactobacillus plantarum induce T regulatory cells.  Probiotic bacteria may help in the treatment of MS. Some strains may be more helpful than others and there is much more research to be done.

Reference: www.imsms.org

 

A

I just read the Autoimmune Fix by Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN. Seeing as I have lived and dealt with an autoimmune disease for a long time, I have read a lot of books on the subject. This one is my favorite because of its thoroughness especially with regards to the autoimmune spectrum he covers and a comprehensive view on prevention and treatment of autoimmunity. He writes how the microbiome is the control center of your body. It is linked to influencing genetic expression and brain chemistry, regulating metabolism and blood sugar, and manufacturing vitamins (just to name a few jobs it is responsible for). The composition can shape a healthy immune response or predispose you to disease. There were over 5,000 pages published on the microbiome since 2015 so this is a hot topic in science right now.

He agrees with the view that there must be three factors present for an autoimmune disease to develop: genetic susceptibility, environmental triggers, and a loss of intestinal barrier function. It is a failure of the microbiome allowing bad bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses across the gut wall to activate genes that increase inflammation or dealing with the toxins that come from their inherent presence. Why does it fail? Because of repeated ingestion of foods that are difficult to digest (gluten, casein, corn, etc.), chronic dysbiosis due to insufficient numbers of good bacteria, ingestion of substances that disturb or destroy the microbiome (medications, antibiotics, processed food, sugar, alcohol, etc.) and failure to eat a diet that supports the microbiome best.

He talks about choosing supportive foods for a healthy microbiome such as foods high in polyphenols (brightly colored fruits and veggies, green tea, cocoa), the right carbohydrates (whole grains vs white flour, sugar, white rice, fried foods, etc.), eating grass fed meats and healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil), raw nuts and seeds, wild fish, free range poultry, the importance of eating fermented foods (kefir, kimchi, kombucha, raw sauerkraut, etc.), prebiotics ingestion (inulin, asparagus, artichokes, cabbage) and probiotic ingestion (cultured yogurt) and supplements of the same if necessary.

Modifying other risk factors like reducing exposure to environmental toxins (choosing healthy sources of personal body care items, sunscreens, hair care, etc.), buying organic especially of the dirty dozen, limiting use of herbicides, pesticides, personal cleaning items, watching or dealing with exposure to heavy metals and other toxins (dental amalgams-mercury, paint-lead, PCB’s, BPA, etc.) are also covered in this book. This is just a brief snapshot of what he covers in his book. I highly recommend you pick up this book that is well written and has extensive resources to support you in your health care journey.

Reference: The Autoimmune Fix- Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN Rodale Inc.

PS I have been in stable remission for 8 + years with M.S. since I healed on a deep level. To book an appointment, call Parallel Wellness 4032321283

I had an experience last weekend that stuck with me. I had to get a hair cut and because I speak a lot at Aveda (the hair cutting institute and much more), I decided to book at their school where I would be paired with a random student. The students ask you a lot of questions before they cut your hair so they know what would resonate with you in terms of personal style, interest, commitment, etc. So, the hair cut went fine and by the time she was done, I was satisfied with the job done.

When my student hairdresser asked me what I wanted in terms of personal style with my blow dry, I commented ‘lots of volume’. I inwardly laughed and thought ‘good luck’. I have always had a thing with my hair. It is the finest hair which I struggle with on a daily basis to add volume to. I put Aveda products in it to help volumize and then spend time blow-drying and putting velco rollers in it. Then I walk to work and by the time I get to work, it has no volume or style left in it.

So when the student promised me ‘I will give you lots of volume’, she seemed to take on the task with a measure of commitment that I have not seen in a while. First of all, she put three different products in to volumize it- one was put at the roots, one was put through out the hair and another was concentrated in various locations on my scalp. I believe the products were pure abundance, volumizing tonic and thickening tonic.  Then she sectioned my hair so she would concentrate on blowdrying a small section of my hair at a time. She took that small section and blew-dry it  very specifically. She blew the section up with the warm section and then she set it with the cool section. She would also twirl the hair off the brush so it had more texture.

I am sure I am not giving you any idea what she was doing. But the point I want to make is, she made it her mission to give me volume and every decision she made was aligned with that task. She was so immersed in the moment and gave her all to the task in a way that I have not witnessed before and therefore, brought a new level of appreciation of the moment to me by doing that- she inspired me. I truly have never had that much volume in my hair. I walked home, so grateful that she made me feel good about my hair; the next day, people were still commenting on how my hair looked better. I realized I could have more volume every day with her skill, attention, expertise and patience for the task at hand.

It is so easy to become bored with what you are doing or forget to bring your all to every moment. I certainly struggle with that at times. I think it is becoming lazy or complacent or forgetting to look at the world through a different lens- one that seeks to bring your all to every moment. It is after all a choice. Learning new things does bring more to the table, but also realizing the value you already have, and mining for the gold in that wealth of knowledge and experience, that you already have, is so important; drawing on that, to bless other people leads to a richer experience (pun intended).

If you take each moment, divide it into little sections (like my hair), and decide how you can bring and then ultimately, give each moment your all, the people around you, will be richly blessed, like I was at the salon. I am so grateful to speak at Aveda about naturopathic medicine. To book an appointment with me, please call Parallel Wellness in downtown Calgary. 4032321283 Until then, be well!