Thriving Over Surviving Multiple Sclerosis

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken? Was it one that led you on a grand adventure to far-off places you never dared to go before? For many, that is a bit extreme. For some, life would be boring without an unexpected twist or turn. For Melissa Cook, the author of The Call of the Last Frontier, blogger, and YouTube star there is never a dull moment. It is not an option for MS to put her down, even after over 20 years of living with the disease.

www.MelissaCook.us

blog: Alaska Bush Life

youtube channel: Wyoming Jeepers

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https://thrivingoversurvivingpodcast.com

Getting a diagnosis is one thing. Owning a diagnosis is another. With Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, for some, it is easy to ignore it. But when it creeps back in and reminds us that MS is still there, that's when we begin to pay attention. Megan from The MS Stage chats with Edie about owning her diagnosis and taking action to improve her own life and the lives of others. Let's chat it up!

www.themsstage.com

Instagram: @themsstage

Email Megan: [email protected]

https://thrivingoversurvivingpodcast.com

Instagram: @thrivingoversurvivingpodcast

How have you grown since your diagnosis of multiple sclerosis? We all have, whether we like it or not. Maybe in the knowledge of the disease, maybe spiritually, or could it be that you have grown your knowledge and understanding of what a healthy lifestyle means to you? Growth as a core value can be somewhat daunting. I know from experience. It is like I can never get enough knowledge and experience. Chatting with Amy, she has grown in her life with MS to understand her journey is to SOLVE the problems she can and DISSOLVE the problems she can't.

email: [email protected]

website: www.amybehimercoaching.com

free resource: https://amybehimercoaching.click/guide-1

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For some, finding love seems like an endless search. Now let's add some MS to the mix. No matter what age you are diagnosed, the question raised is, How do I tell this person about my diagnosis? Elana chats it up about her experience on the dating scene with MS, and how she empowers herself through online social platforms. Have you checked out the MS Girl Gang? If you like to laugh, it might be a resource for you.

Instagram: @msgirlgang

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Have you ever joined a Facebook Group with other people diagnosed with MS? MS Friends United has over 300 very active members. Twice a week they get together on Zoom to chat about whatever is on their mind, MS or otherwise. There are people from all over but each has multiple sclerosis in common. How do they make this happen every week? Teamwork. Join me as I chat it up with Lily and Darren.

[email protected]

www.msfriendsunited.org

Facebook: MS Friends United

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Have you ever kept a journal or a diary? Turning pain into something incredible is not something Robbie set out to do when he began putting pen to paper. Journaling helped him process how multiple sclerosis was impacting his life. Today, he has turned those thoughts into a collection of poetry that explores all the emotions. Check out Thoughts of a Warrior; Beneath the Tracksuit by Robert Gillett.

Instagram: @beneath_the_tracksuit

Facebook & Twitter: Beneath the Tracksuit

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https://thrivingoversurvivingpodcast.com

Matthew Embry and his father, Dr. Ashton Embry, created MS Hope for people who have been newly diagnosed or currently living with MS. Their goal is to provide the science-based strategies that have enabled Matthew and many others with multiple sclerosis to live a drug-free, healthy life. Lee joins Edie to chat it up about how following the Best Bet Diet has enhanced his life since his MS diagnosis.

https://mshope.com/

Instagram: @lee_whittys

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Website: https://thrivingoversurvivingpodcast.com

Authenticity is so darn rare. What does it look like, sound like, and feel like when you find it? When I discovered Samantha Salvaggio I realized this was the real deal. She trusts her gut and embraces whatever she is feeling in the moment. Recognizing that nothing is perfect and that it's ok to have less than ideal moments throughout this journey is one thing. Embracing it is another and that is Sam 100%. Let's chat it up!

Website: www.samanthasalvaggio.com

TikTok: @slsalvaggio

Instagram: @slsalvaggio

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Clinical Trial: Efficacy of Diet on Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis (EDQ:MS)

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05007483

Type of MS: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)

Treatment mode of action: dietary intervention

Number of Participants: 156

Medication: Participants may continue disease-modifying treatments if they are on them

Institution: University of Iowa

Address: 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

Contact Name: Mary Ehlinger

Phone: 319-384-5002

Email: [email protected]

Funding: Gift from the Carter Chapman Shreve Family Foundation to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Fund at the University of Iowa

Brief Description

This is a research study comparing the effects of three diets — a Modified Paleolithic Diet (elimination of gluten, dairy, and eggs), a Time Restricted Olive Oil-based Ketogenic diet, and usual diet with information about the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans — to determine whether these diets improve quality of life and reduce fatigue, a disabling symptom that can significantly interfere with the ability to function in daily life. Participants in the usual diet group will be encouraged but not required to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans diet. The study will also measure the impact of the study diets on walking function, hand function, vision, serum neurofilament (blood biomarker), and brain imaging (presence of enhancing lesions and changes in brain volume).

The study will be held at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics over two years. It will consist of three visits to Iowa City, Iowa. The first visit occurs at month 0. The second visit is at month 3, and third and final visit is at month 24. The first visit may last 4-6 hours. The second visit will last about 2-3 hour. The third visit may last approximately 4-6 hours.

Participants will be randomly assigned to follow one of the three study diets. Participants will continue to take their current medications, including any disease-modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis. Participants may take recommended supplements, eat more non-starchy vegetables, complete daily food logs (3 questions) on a free smartphone application, complete online surveys every three months, watch videos to learn about the study diet to which they are assigned, meet with the study dietitian to learn about the study diet to which they are assigned, and attend optional online support meetings. If a participant is assigned to the ketogenic diet, they will be asked to take a blood ketone measurement using a drop of blood daily for the first month, then twice per week. They will have a device that pricks the finger to conduct the blood ketone measurement.

Participants will have a fasting blood draw at each of the study visits and may bring a snack after the blood draw. They will complete assessments of walking, hand, and vision function at each visit. They will have a NON-CONTRAST MRI of the brain at the first and last visits.

Key requirements to participate in the study include the following: 1) be willing to share medical records with the study team, 2) do not have clinically significant heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease or type 1 diabetes, 3) do not have a serious psychiatric disease that would make adopting a study diet more difficult (for example schizophrenia or disabling depression), 4) are not taking insulin, coumadin, or weight loss medications, 5) have a smart phone or tablet to download a free app, and 6) have access to high-speed internet and a computer, tablet or smart phone to complete surveys and participate in video conferences via the Zoom platform.

A screening survey for eligibility to participate in this study is available here: https://redcap.icts.uiowa.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=JX73EYRJNPF9MHRR

Dr. Terry Wahls is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner and a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa where she conducts clinical trials in the setting of Multiple Sclerosis. In 2018 she was awarded the Institute for Functional Medicine's Linus Pauling Award for her contributions in research, clinical care and patient advocacy. She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles, and the cookbook, The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life. Learn more about her MS clinical trials https://wahls.lab.uiowa.edu/. Pick up a one-page handout for the Wahls™ Diet at https://terrywahls.com/diet/

Wahls Research Lab - to learn about current clinical research studies that Dr. Wahls is conducting

https://wahls.lab.uiowa.edu/

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/TerryWahls/

https://www.instagram.com/drterrywahls/

https://twitter.com/terrywahls

https://youtube.com/c/terrywahlsmd

Don't put yourself in a box. We all have unlimited potential. Yes, even if you have MS. In this episode, Edie and Linda discuss what it means to be healthy. It really depends on how YOU definite it for yourself. That means you have to know yourself pretty well to determine what healthy looks and feels like. How well do you know yourself? Let's find out.

Instagram: @lindamrhyne or @lindarhyneconsulting

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