a review of vitamins

There is a lot of stuff about vitamins out there. I have had people from various selling companies, massage therapists, ect...try to get me to try their products out because "its good for MS". I am a firm believer in only taking vitamins that have been recommended to me by a medical professional directly (even if Dr Oz tells me on tv to take things) otherwise like what terry wahls recommended.... eat the food that has the nutrients in it. I'll probably always take fish oil because i cant stand sea food.

http://www.multivitaminguide.org/a/

This company isnt on there, but should be and this is the brand of vitamins I take

http://www.anaboliclabs.com/paQualityStandards.aspx
I like the fact that you cant even order them unless you are a doctor.

Antioxident foods

(from webmd.com)

Beta-carotene and other carotenoids: Apricots, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, green peppers, kale, mangoes, turnip and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Vitamin C: Berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, grapefruit, honeydew, kale, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, orange, papaya, red, green or yellow peppers, snow peas, sweet potato, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Vitamin E: Broccoli, carrots, chard, mustard and turnip greens, mangoes, nuts, papaya, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, and sunflower seeds.

Other super foods that are rich in antioxidants include:

• Prunes
• Apples
• Raisins
• All berries
• Plums
• Red grapes
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Beans

Vitamins aren’t the only antioxidants in food. Other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include

• Zinc: Found in oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, whole grains, fortified cereals, and dairy products
• Selenium: Found in Brazil nuts, tuna, beef, poultry and fortified breads, and other grain products

Anti Inflammatory foods

This is more for me so I dont forget, Plus how easy is this to print out for groceries (from http://www.naturalantiinflammatory.org/anti-inflammatory-foods.html)

Fruits

These are the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory power sources effective against a number of diseases like acute traumas, injuries, arthritis, cancer, indigestion, acid peptic disease, dementia and many other chronic inflammatory conditions. Examples are:

Papaya (rich in vitamin C and E and papain, an enzyme that digests proteins)	Pineapple (contains an enzyme Bromelain with excellent healing properties)
Blueberries (rich in phyto nutrients)	Goji berries
Cherries	Cranberries
Apples	Oranges
Kiwifruit	Rhubarb
Lemon	Limes
Avocados	Guavas
Strawberries	Mulberries
Raspberries

Vegetables

This anti inflammatory foods group is another major ally to the anti-inflammatory warfare. Examples include:

Cruciferous vegetables (rich in phyto nutrients i.e. sulphoraphanes which has anti cancer properties)	Spinach (source of carotenes, flavonoids, vitamins, potassium, magnesium, tryptophan, calcium, iron and folate)
Ginger	Sweet potatoes (contains fiber, vitamin C and B6, beta carotenoids, manganese and carbohydrates)
Salads	Chards
Green beans	Bell peppers
Kale	Bok Choy
Olives	Fennel bulb
Spring onions	Mushrooms
Leeks

Fish

Various kinds of cold-water fish like:

Cod	Tuna
Herring	Trout
Salmon	Striped Bass
Halibut	Whitefish
Sardines	Snapper Fish
Oysters

are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. These include most importantly eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

There are numerous benefits of omega-3 include a healthier heart by reducing the chances of heart diseases, preventing and fighting cancer, helping against autoimmune diseases and psychological ailments. All of these benefits result from its excellent anti oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.

Oils

Olive oil contains an abundant supply of polyphenols and monounsaturated fats, which reduce inflammation in cardiovascular system including heart and blood vessels, which in turn reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and all the resulting complications. It also helps fight against Rheumatoid arthritis and allergic asthma by the same mechanism.

Avocado oil is.another, very effective anti-inflammatory agent, which is similar in composition and properties to the Olive oil.

Drinks

Green tea is rich in flavonoids, which are a very potent agent in decreasing the incidence of heart diseases and effective against malignancies too.

However, you shouldn’t forget about water, as this is known as the simplest, cheapest and widely available drink. It has been shown in many studies that water accelerates the body’s metabolism and speeds up the removal of harmful by products of metabolism.

Spices and Herbs

Cinnamon	Rosemary
Basil	Turmeric
Cloves	Thyme
Mint	Chili pepper
Parsley	Cocoa
Oregano	Licorice

Seeds and Nuts

Walnuts	Linseed
Hazelnuts	Sunflower seeds
Almond

Relaxation and Pain things

I am always wanting to figure out new ways of relaxing myself since i am a generally high strung person and I have a hard time winding down and sleeping.

other than massage and acupuncture...

taking baths...I LOVE taking baths. right now I have my ipod player in the bathroom downstairs that has the jacuzzi tub. My current favorite things when i take a bath are:

• Chris Cornell's Song Book acoustic album (I love his voice)
  
• Lavender Sleep Epsom Salts
• Blissful Bath Bath Bombs, Blissful bath is a bath store in Woodbury, MN that I am obsessed with, its all natural products there and that have a lot of fun things there. I have the Sleeping , Oh my Achy Muscles, Mango Margarita and Oh my Stuffy Nose Bath bombs, they have little scrub truffles that are wrapped like chocolate.

I am also in love with Yogi's Kava Tea Stress Relief. I really like to drink this on the nights I have to take my shots.

I love doing yoga but I am terrible at getting myself to do actual yoga but I am always stretching, I think it will be easier now that I can watch streaming Netflix yoga programs upstairs while Dustin is downstairs.

My flax seed heat up shawl. This thing is amazing. My mom recently make me a new cover for it because I have used it so much. I am always cold, which is opposite of people with MS. I am always heating it up before I go to bed, all day while I am at work, while I watch tv.... basically all the time.


I also take a lot of Ibuprofen I only like to use it for headaches and the nights that I take my shots, I have this anti inflammatory gel called Soothe from Mlis that I am always putting on my neck, its helps with headaches. I love Sombra too, I need to buy more though. I bought this other spray stuff that I cant remember the name off, its somewhere probably in my closet that I like to that is supposed to help with pain and muscle I got it at a fair i think.

I love anything that is aromatherapy too.

3 days at the dog park in a row!

I can't believe this weather, it feels like october. I have now been to the dog park wednesday ,friday, saturday and today. It feels good to get out of the house and stretch my legs a little bit and socialize Sixx more.... even if that has resulted in giving him several baths.

I made potato soup in the crock pot with lots of spices and herbs. I got a little inspired by re-reading the Paleo diet. I dont really want to follow any strict diets, I want to enjoy life and food with out having it be run by it. I realized that I already eat a lot of the stuff (minus anything that lives in the sea) already. one of my first MS books I got was a book from my grandma called The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book. I think it has a lot of information about MS in it, I looked at some of the references and nothing is from the 2000's. I feel like there is so much more relevent information now because of how much progress there has been on treatments, medications and diet. I am really excited about how there is at least 3 more medications on the way to being FDA approved.

I just got my MS society programs book in the mail on friday, I just found out that they have now put the 20's and 30's group on facebook. I am really excited for that , I really want to be able to get to know even more people my age dealing with the disease. That was one of the most frustrating things I found when I was first diagnosed, I could only find older people and it was depressing to be around when you are still trying to figure the disease out. The 20's and 30's programs and happy hours have been so much fun and uplifting. My neurologist is speaking about managing symptoms next week and also the Women's Conference at the end of April, plus another 20's and 30s outing. So there are lots of things I am looking forward to doing.

I have a massage schedule tomorrow and acupuncture tuesday. I am a little sore from walking around a lot (a good kind of sore) and bending over the tub to give Sixx baths so I am going to take a bath tonight with my epsom salts and relax.

on a postive note...

I started acupuncture at the end of the year. I have gone through 2 treatments now and will have 3 more. It will be interesting to see what my insurance covers, i looked it up and it said I would only be allowed 10 treatments per year. who made up that rule seriously? My acupuncturist said that my body has responded well to the treatments, and I have noticed a change in the numbness in my right leg too. I am so used to giving myself injections that these needles feel like nothing compared to that.

Sixx and I have made a few trips to the dog park this week since it feels like october outside. its good excersize for the both of us since i need to be walking a lot. the dog park is so beautiful, i could sit there all day and paint with all of the trees and pond... but i need to keep an eye on Sixx :) I am hoping to take him there a lot more once it warms up more. Right now its a little muddy so he has had 3 baths already this week since he sleeps with us.

I signed my MS walk team up for the Minneapolis Walk this year, I want something that is exciting and fun. This will be the big Twin Cities walk and I have heard a lot of good things about it from the 20's and 30's group.

finding the spark

Art has been a constant struggle for me since getting diagnosed with MS. I get severly fatigued and dont want to do anything except lay down. I am not able to draw or write with a pencil like i used to because my hands cramping up. I also cant play guitar very well either. I find myself getting frustrated that I cant get to where I once was. Its also hard because of all of my artsy friends being so talented and their attention to detail and I have a hard time getting to that place. When I lived in Madison I was constantly surrounded by creative people and things. I think that is the one thing I am lacking way over here in Minnesota. I am uninspired by suburban streets and highways. My job has been so stressful on me, working from home isnt all its cracked up to be, althought not driving all over the place in the winter is nice. i blame this job for stealing my spark because it has drained me so much. dustin said that if i can make things and sell them like i am wanting to then i can quit my job. so now its just finding my nitch and be able to make some money off of it. gotta love sites like etsy.




This was on the news last night, I stopped everything that I was doing to watch it
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/women-ms-sufferers-15301541

Dustin said, wouldnt it be nice if you could get back to the way things used to be? I said yes, I want myself from early 2006 back.