Reflection on Essential question/s #4 and #5- 5/08/08

Reflection on Essential question/s #4 and #5- 5/08/08
I short while ago I posed five essential questions for study. Today, I am reflecting on #4 and #5 highlighted below. I will keep my reflections very short for now.
4) Can MS relapses be averted or minimized by life-style modifications, holistic approaches, exercise and meditation?
5) What regimen of diet and exercise works best for the majority of MS patients, or is it really about each individual finding what works for them?
My research has not been extensive ( I listed my sources the other day under dietary and life-style resources). I actually have not even made it through the whole list. What I did learn is that there are many people out there with MS who lead a full, active life. Many of them do attribute this to balance, prioritizing, diet and exercise. I found the Hallelujah Acres website and newsletter to be very informative and useful. http://www.hacres.com/diet/explained.asp
I emailed with one of the woman who runs the organization and her prayers, blessings and advice are very appreciated. My husband emailed a lady who wrote a testimonial about how this diet helped change her life. She went from barely seeing and walking to an active life-style.
The common thread I gleaned from this research is that the key is balance. All the holistic approaches suggest balance is the key. There is no one perfect medication, diet or life-style for everyone but there is a lot of hope for each individual who can learn to understand their own disease. Maybe you should be vegan and eat raw foods 80/20. Maybe you need to become a Christian. Maybe the perfect food balance is 85/15 with Barley Max TM at least three times a day. What I know now is that for me, I just need to slow down and really listen to my body. I need to meditate, soul search and let my own health ritual unfold as and how it will. Minimizing my own anxieties and focusing on positives seems to work best for me. I am finding that raw foods and just a little cooked dinner seems to do the trick. I am finishing my steroids, taking “Bach Rescue Remedy” as needed for anxiety and elevated heart rate, taking Chinese Herbs (Yin Chao, for immune system) and Vitamin C . I can tell my body is having a withdrawl from dairy and saturated fats and I have spent at least 4 of my hours since 2 a.m. in the bathroom letting my phlegm clear, urinating and defecating as needed ( I know TMI again but...). I don’t let the time bother me. I just relax, read, massage lotion into my skin, meditate and do yoga. I have now practiced some yoga about four times since 2:00 a.m. I cleaned my house, spent the day online with students chatting and emailing about final projects, organized my ITunes into a yoga playlist, visited a friend, cooked dinner, sent emails, talked to my “other mom” and blogged. Maybe soon I will even sleep again.