This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

It's been a while since Inclined Bed Therapy was introduced to this forum and thought it is a good time to ask for progress updates from those of us using IBT.

A new page on Facebook has stimulated some very interesting results and I hear from new people testing IBT almost every day with the same predictable positive results.

For those of you who have not yet heard about what IBT is and has already achieved for people with multiple sclerosis.

Inclined Bed Therapy has been shown to improve health and wellbeing of the many who have tried.
It's simple! raise the head of your bed by 6 inches and sleep on it!

Inclined bed therapy is where one's bed is raised 6 to 8 inches at the head by using bricks, wedges, or blocks to raise it (even books). This can have a positive effect on your health and help with many disorders including:- Spinal cord injury, Multiple Sclerosis, back pain, Circulatory problems, acid reflux or GERD, sinus and respiratory disorders, sleep apnea, low metabolism, edema in the legs, and many others.

Its free to try for everyone. Feel free to tell your friends and families. Inclined Bed Therapy has brought a new lease of life to thousands and it can help you!

Inclined Bed Therapy should only be used as part of a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle includes following a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and being physically active.

You can find us on http://facebook.com/inclinedbedtherapy where you can share experiences, ask questions and learn more about how this simple non-invasive FREE therapy can help you and your family.

Andrew K Fletcher (Originator of IBT)

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Find us on Facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy
IBT website: http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

AKF,
I tried ibt for about 6 months after my first ms attack. I didn't notice a difference except it made my shoulders sore because I used to be a side sleeper and the gravity pulled my body down and left my shoulders up.

Have you noticed any correlation between the presentation of MS and those who ibt helps? I'm thinking it might be one of those aids that addresses ccsvi issues. I don't really know though.

Thank you for your contribution. I'm grateful that you've found and continue to passionately share something that helps some of us.

Thanks for responding to my post.

Do you generally have a problem with changing the side you sleep on and have you tried a memory foam mattress as these are great to sleep on on an inclined bed?

Do you live in a humid / damp area / home? If so have you tried using a dehumidifier?

As yet there is no correlation, people with progressive and relapsing remitting ms have benefited, some people have been using IBT since 1995 and Terri Harrison has remained symptom free since 97, she is on our Facebook page if anyone wants a chat, I am sure she will be more than willing to share her thoughts.

You are more than welcome and If I can be of more use please don't hesitate to ask.

Andrew

_________________
Find us on Facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy
IBT website: http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

Andrew,

I sleep on a sleep number bed with a memory foam layer. I'm a bit afraid of the off-gassing that occurs with memory foam beds. When I tried ibt, I did live in a very humid climate and a/c was our only dehumidifier. I've since moved to a dry climate at a much higher elevation. Hm. That's interesting. My annual relapses stopped when I moved here.

I was more interested in specific symptoms in MS than the "form" of MS. Mostly sensory issues or balance, motor, vision, fatigue issues??? That sort of thing. I associate the latter group with venous flow issues...based on nothing scientific.

My best...

In Kingskerswell, near me in South Devon UK, there is a pocket of pwms. In this region, mist hangs around frequently when everywhere else is dry, so much so that you can't make out the homes and roads at times. This got me thinking about other pwms living in low lying coastal and river valley areas and there does appear to be a correlation with high humidity, http://weather.thefuntimesguide.com/200 ... essure.php

All of the symptoms you have reported have been reported to have improved for people using IBT, there are some exceptions to this, and I suspect it is because of location and high humidity.

While working in a high humidity river valley area, my friends and I became almost incapacitated as we helped to load furniture into a van, sweating and gasping for air, I asked the people if this was normal for this valley in Buckfastly? They replied this is why we are moving, we have been ill ever since we arrived. They then explained that people even have a name for it "Buckfastitis" and when the humidity increases there is a mass exodus to higher ground and out of the valley. In these regions, there is higher numbers of cases of ms and crib deaths. Another incident was a family of small birds, robin's filmed for a documentary, these endearing little feathered friends seasonally perished and no one had a reason for it, each year another family would move into the valley and each year that family would all die.

_________________
Find us on Facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy
IBT website: http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

Hi Andrew,
I decided to try IBT a few years ago. What I've noticed is that I don't feel as "foggy brained" anymore
when I wake up (even less foggy at 6"). I didn't notice any other improvements. When I started IBT, I was at 6", but now I'm at 4.5" because I kept sliding down and so did my blankets. Is there a trick to keep from sliding?
Thanks,
dlynn

Hi Dlynn 4.5" won't work like the full incline does for sure. We use a memory foam mattress to provide additional friction and depressions in the mattress which work well to prevent slipping. A duvet / quilt / soft blanket placed under the bottom sheet also works well providing it is tucked in tight under the mattress. We have a parameters article on the facebook page that helps people to know what to monitor for changes when using IBT. It is certainly worth a read; http://www.facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy/notes

Brain fog was reported to improve in the first and second study for pwms. So you are definitely not alone with this observation, thank you for sharing it.


Andrew

_________________
Find us on Facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy
IBT website: http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

thanks Andrew,
I'll raise the bed back to 6" and start with a blanket under the sheet.

If you live in a river valley area, damp home or coastal / estuary area, then consider using a dehumidifier in the home. Avoid drying washing indoors, especially on radiators and open windows when cooking or showering to let excess moisture out. There is a correlation between high humidity and the onset of ms. Many people have reported moving to a new area or home closer to sea level and discovered they have chronic fatigue followed by neurological problems. The reverse has also happened, with instant relief from all ms symptoms at high altitude - on top of mountain. Somehow the myelin begins to work at high altitude and stops working when pwms go back to sea level. Barometric pressure and the properties of water are altered at high altitude and I suspect that myelin's liquid crystal properties are also altered albeit temporarily.

_________________
Find us on Facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy
IBT website: http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

Andrew, this is very interesting, my in-laws home is in the mts. of NW Pennsylvania elevation@ approx. 1,700' yet I feel exhausted and sluggish.When I'm at my parents house in Florida,I feel so much better, and they are 7 miles from the ocean with a river between. I don't tolerate the (southern) Florida heat that much anymore, but I still feel better there as opposed to the Mts., even before I was diagnosed. I never understood this...

dlynn,
Do you feel more sluggish after you've had time to acclimate to the thinner atmosphere? Some athletes train at a higher elevation to get their bodies to run more efficiently on less oxygen. When they compete at lower elevations, they have an advantage over the sea-levelers...may be part of the reason why Missy Franklin dominated at the olympics.

Anonymoose,
I'm usually only there for 3 days at a time at the most. I have the same sluggish, exhausted feeling the whole time I'm there. When I get home, I feel so much better.

Thanks for your replies, high elevation is known to cause lethargy, which is understandable with the change in oxygen, but my point was that somehow damaged myelin begins to function again at altitude and therefore ms cannot be due to an immune response where the body attacks itself. If this were the case then the damage would not be restored within hours of reaching higher altitude.

Altitude and MS

CASE 1: On two occasions when I have been abroad, sightseeing up mountains, (by cable car and bus I might add!) at the top, anything from 6,000-9,000 ft I have felt fantastic and have been able to walk almost normally. At home I walk with the aid of a stick. This year I was visiting my son in South Africa and where he lives is 3,000 ft. above sea level. Again I had this lovely lightweight feeling instead of my usual heavy and slow moving gait. The old legs were raring to go and I had a spring in my step. The family was amazed and delighted at the difference.
When we went to Durban, which is at sea level, I was back to normal, but it was hotter and humid there. Sad to say, that back home the good affect has gone, but it did seem extraordinary. ? Irene Davies, Glasgow., Sep-Oct 1989 edition, Arms Link, Pub by Arms Central UK.

CASE 2: I have also felt that being at altitude has made me feel very fit and well and improved my walking. I have MS but am mobile and walk without a stick. During 1984/85 my husband worked in Bolivia and I went with him. We lived in La Paz, which is at 11,000 ft and spent time in various places ranging in height from 3,000 to 14,000 ft. The higher we were the better I felt, walking long distances and getting less giddy, which is one of the effects I have with MS.
We were in London from Jan 83 to Mar 84 and I had some difficulty with walking then.
In Bolivia I was able to walk quite far, though down in the low, hot valleys I was not able to go so far as I could up in the high mountains. In Potosi, which is at 14,000 ft, I felt terrific and it was there that I began to think that perhaps altitude made some difference to my health. Once before I had the same feeling of euphoria. This was when I visited the Island Of The Sun in Lake Titicaca which is at 13,000ft. I felt I could stride out for miles and miles though afterwards I was very tired. This was1974 before I was diagnosed as having MS.
We are now home in Edinburgh, almost at sea level, and most of the time I am able to walk the dogs on the hills and go shopping, though I get giddy at times and especially find the strip lighting in shops troublesome. I get tired more than I used to and I have trouble with my sense of balance. The latter has bothered me for years; again without realising it was part of my MS.
Rosemary Wilson, Edinburgh. Mar/Apr 90 edition, Arms Link, Pub by Arms, Central UK.

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Find us on Facebook.com/InclinedBedTherapy
IBT website: http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

I wonder if it is related to the downregulation of na/k/ATP pumps at high altitude.
http://m.jap.physiology.org/content/86/5/1745.full