What Multiple Sclerosis Taught Me About Healthy Eating

This article was written by Premier Neuro Therapy co-owner, Zach Michael.
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A few weeks ago, I started working with a client that has multiple sclerosis (MS).  Despite living with MS, she is one of the most positive, hard working clients I have had the pleasure to work with at Premier.

In conjuction with her Neuro Therapy sessions, we have talked a lot about how she can optimize her diet to give her body what it needs to decrease the symptoms associated with MS, like fatigue, muscle spasms, loss of balance, and pain

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While I am no expert in the area, the client had already read a book by Dr. Terry Wahls who was able to drastically turn around her MS journey by eating a special diet.  Because I wanted to help in any way I could (and was curious about Dr. Wahls' approach), I decided to give the book a read.

What I found out is that following the rules of this diet can not only help those living with MS, but optimize everyone's health and drastically reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

For those of you that don't know, multiple sclerosis is diagnosed when an overactive immune system starts to attack the nervous system.  It leaves lesions in the spinal cord and brain, which can cause neuro communication issues throughout the body.

But this same "overactive immune system" can cause different issues from person to person.  In one person, it may attack the nervous system, meaning you have MS.  In another, it may attack the cardiovascular system, putting you at risk for heart disease.

Note;  Other dieseases linked to an overactive immmune system include:  allergies, Alzheimer's, ALS, anemia, arthritis, asthma, autism, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes types 1 & 2, fibromyalgia, common intestinal disorderes, kidney failure, lupus, pain, pancreatitis, and  psoriasis and eczema, just to name a few.

In general, the immune system is responsible for generating an inflammatory response when it senses a threat.  It's a great thing to have when we need it.  However, if it becomes overactive, it can generate chronic inflammation, which can lead to the host of diseases listed above.

When the immune system is overactive and the inflammation becomes chronic, reactive free radicals of the inflammatory process start to destroy the healthy tissue around it. 

So what is Dr. Wahls' "miracle"diet for dealing with the symptoms of an overactive immune system (in her case, multiple sclerosis)?

And how can this apply to optimizing our everyday health, even if we aren't living with MS?

It all comes down to one basic principle: 

Limit the number of things you ingest that trigger an inflammatory response.  If you limit the number of times you "trigger" your overactive immune system, you will lower the risk for developing a chronic disease.

Dr. Wahl's suggestions (slightly simplified) for doing so include:

• Determine if dairy or gluten create an immune response in your body.  If so, limit or completely cut them out in your diet.
• Eat 9 cups of non-starchy fruits and vegetables/day to give your body all the vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants (important for getting rid of free radicals involved with chronic inflammation) it needs.
• Eat grass fed and wild caught protein sources.  Limit processed meats.

For a more detailed breakdown, you can head here.  The article at the link below does a great job providing a detailed breakdown of the book and diet.

https://befitforlifewithjen.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/the-whals-protocol/

When you boil down chronic diseases (and chronic pain) to this one basic principle involving the inflammatory response, health becomes so much more simple.

And it makes you realize how much more in control you really are over your health!

You are 100% in control over what goes in your mouth.  Even if you are exercising regularly to burn the residual calories, there's other ways your diet can adversely affect your health, and we all need to start being more conscious of it.

Start thinking about how you can optimize your diet NOW to decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases over time.   

Local to the Towson, Lutherville-Timonium,
​Cockeysville, or Hunt Valley area?

CLICK TO REFER
​FRIENDS & FAMILY

Friends & Family receive a FREE
Discovery Session at Premier!