The MS Recovery Diet by Ann Sawyer and Judi Bachrach

Today we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. All manner of food and drink (even rivers) is dyed green to get into the spirit of celebrating the Emerald Isle- by way of a fun experiment to celebrate the people who emigrated from Ireland now living here in the US. A typical Irish dish that is eaten is (with potatoes, of course) corn beef and cabbage- and as corn beef is not recommended on the MS Recovery Diet, how about experimenting with turkey bacon to get that smoky/salty flavor into your cabbage dish?

I have been reworking collard green recipes (traditionally simmered with ham hocks) in the same way. I pull the leaves off a bunch of tough collard stems, and simmer them for a few hours with cut up turkey bacon, in a quart of chicken or vegetable broth with a few tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar. I put in a sliced onion for extra flavor and sprinkled some dry roasted red pepper spice I had on my shelves for a tad more smoky flavor and a nice warm red color.

Green dye or not, experimentation is a necessary part of the diet. If you don't try adding back in some small amount of egg, or wheat, or dairy after a few months, how can you know if they are one of your personal trigger foods? Always, it is your body that will tell you if you can tolerate a food once in a while, never, or always. There is no one way to regain your health in MS- experimentation is the key.

For some reason, the hyperlinks included in the last blog did not copy to the entry. (Our webmaster is working on it.)

Here are the actual links for both Healthline and Cathy Chester's blog. Please use them to see what they can offer you.

http://www.anempoweredspirit.com
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/multiple-sclerosis

This is what Cathy Chester, a fellow MSer (her own blog is: An Empowered Spirit) wrote for us for Healthline. Please check it out. And thanks to Healthline and to Cathy for their good work.

Finding credible information on the web about Multiple Sclerosis can sometimes be challenging. You need to find a website that is both reputable and informative. Healthline is the first site you should turn to. Their slogan says it all - “The Internet site doctors prescribe most” - while their mission is to “improve health through information.” What more could you ask for? Healthline offers readers, “Objective, trustworthy, and accurate health information, guided by the principles of responsible journalism and publishing.” Their Facebook page is a large caring community of readers learning from Healthline’s articles, while forming relationships with one another through shared experiences.

This premier website has published their “Top 18 Multiple Sclerosis Blogs”. One of the nominated blogs is “The MS Recovery Diet” by Judi Bachrach and Ann Sawyer, based on their book of the same name. Through optimism “they want to share that there is a treatment that can stop and reverse the ravaging symptoms of MS--The MS Recovery Diet.” Read about what Healthline had to say about their blog:

“Dedicated to spreading the word about how she began recovering from crippling MS symptoms, blogger Judi Bachrach joins Ann Sawyer in the promotion of the MS Recovery Diet. Find out which food groups to avoid and how to identify other trigger foods that may be aggravating your MS symptoms.
Learn how to perform an elimination diet customized for people with MS, and through contacting Judi and Ann by email through info@msrecoverydiet.com, Judi will personally discuss questions, concerns, or personal improvements from your experimentation with the MS Recovery Diet . Give it a try, and tune into this unique blog for a fresh take on battling MS—for real.”

Congratulations to Judi and Ann and The MS Recovery Diet on their nomination, and thank you for sharing your personal experiences and wisdom with us to help us live a better life of quality with MS.

I have heard from many people the problems that arise from having repeated UTI's (urinary track infections.) Left untreated (because they initially are not so troublesome and vague symptoms are often attributed to a slight increase of usual MS symptoms and not a UTI), an mild infection can back up into the bladder and then into the kidneys. That means nephritis and is a very serious infection indeed. It can dramatically bring on what appears to be an MS relapse of huge proportions. Instead it is just your body reacting to fighting a raging infection on top of the usual hyper vigilant immune system focused on MS.

If you experience a sudden increase of symptoms for no discernible reason, get your doctor to run a simple test for a UTI. The most common cause of UTI's is not emptying your bladder completely when you void. There is a test for this; to see how much you can empty your bladder-- that an MS specialist or any urologist can perform. It is very important for you to understand your own body and its tendencies. There are also drugs to help with this - UTI's are very common in the elderly, spinal cord injury patients, and many women who have issues due to childbirth and other bodily stresses.

Of course, drinking alcohol and eating products with caffeine and sugar also increases the likelihood of irritating the urinary track.

Be wise and Be well,
Judi

From a reader:

"I read the posting (http://msrecoverydiet.com/node/673) about the woman in Lincoln, NE that has been doing your diet for 3 months and is overcoming PPMS. I live in Gretna, NE and am VERY interested in finding a way to get in contact with her."

If the original poster could please send me and email with your information to info@msrecoverydiet.com then I could facilitate getting the two of you together. Please let me know if this is OK with you.

Thanks very much and a very Happy New Year to all of you.

Judi