This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Environmental and Health Benefits of Hunting Lifestyles and Diets for the Innu of Labrador
http://www.cst.ed.ac.uk/2005conference/ ... _paper.pdf
"In the boreal forests and tundra of the interior of the peninsula they hunted caribou, including the vast George River herd, as well as bear, marten, lynx, fox, beaver, otter, muskrat, partridges, ptarmigan, ducks, geese, several species of fish and occasionally seals in the coastal bays... For the most recently settled hunter-gatherer societies, such as the Innu and other indigenous peoples of Canada, their transition has occurred directly from wild foods to modern refined (and often junk) foods. In the Arctic and Subarctic regions, indigenous peoples’ diets have changed from foods that are typically nutrient-dense, with high levels of protein and fat (especially omega-3 fatty acids), and vitamins and minerals (eg vitamin C, selenium), but relatively low levels of carbohydrates, to diets high in carbohydrates and saturated fats and low in essential nutrients (McGrath-Hanna et al. 2003, p230-1)."

and from various referenced sources on wikipedia:
"While it is not possible to cultivate plants for food in the Arctic the Inuit have traditionally gathered those that are naturally available. Grasses, tubers, roots, stems, berries, fireweed and seaweed (kuanniq or edible seaweed) were collected and preserved depending on the season and the location"

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

really cool, indigenous australian food groups

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous ... ood_groups

excerpts:

Central Australia

Kere (food from animals; meat, fat, offal, blood, eggs).
examples: Kere arlewatyerre (goanna), Kere ulkerte (perentie), Kere arntetherrke (carpet snake), Kere aherre (kangaroo), Kere antenhe (possum), Kere inape (echidna), Kere ankerre (emu).

Tyape (edible grubs and insects; witchetties, cicadas)
examples: Tyape atnyematye (Witchetty grub), Tyape ahernenge (River red gum grub), Tyape ankerrutne (Coolibah tree grub), Tyape tyerraye (Cicadas), Tyape ayepe-arenye (Tar vine caterpillars).

Tyape atnyematye (Witchetty grub)
-find cracks in the ground underneath a Witchetty bush (Acacia kempeana) and dig there
-lever up swollen root where the grubs are located
-eat grubs raw or cooked in hot earth
-squash guts of the grubs onto sores

Top End (JL query: Torres Strait Islanders?)

Murnyaŋ' (plant or vegetable food): Borum— fruits, Guku— bee products, Ŋatha— root foods, Manutji Ŋatha— seeds, Mudhuŋay— cycad foodstuffs
Gonyil (meat, shellfish, eggs): Warrakan'— land animals and birds, Miyapunu— marine mammals, Maranydjalk— rays and sharks, Guya— fish, Maypal— shellfish, crabs, Mapu— eggs

"The old people would talk about the need to eat from both murŋyan' and gonyil food groups and the need to supplement their diet with gapu (fresh water). While this balance was maintained, the people knew they were eating correctly.[2] When the men would come back from the magpie goose hunt, they would be craving murnyaŋ foods after having eaten so much meat and eggs. Meanwhile, the women, children and old people back in the camps would be looking forward to gonyil, magpie goose meat and eggs, after eating so much murnyaŋ'.

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Lifestyle, Genetics, and Disease in Sami
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2080452/
"Before the 20th century, the traditional Sami diet was composed almost exclusively of foods of animal origin (mainly reindeer) with the addition of fish and plant foods (eg, berries) when available (30). During the last century, the diet of many Sami has become progressively more westernized, with an increase in the intake of carbohydrates from plant foods and a decrease in meat protein, but it is still high in protein and low in carbohydrate compared to the diet of non-Sami in the same area (30,31). ... This dietary change has been accelerated by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. In order to minimize the intake of radiation via the lichen-reindeer-human chain, the Sami were advised to avoid eating too much reindeer meat, especially the organs that concentrated radioactive elements, such as liver...
...The Sami involved in the traditional occupation of reindeer herding tend to have a traditional diet, characterized by a relatively higher intake of vitamins B12, D, niacin, iron, selenium, and sodium (35), compared with the Sami in other occupations, whose diet is similar to that of other Western people.
...Several studies found that Sami differ from other populations with respect to some diseases for which diet and lifestyle are major risk factors (Table 2). This has lead to the idea that, in some cases, their traditional lifestyle may even protect against some lifestyle-related diseases."

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

The Story on the the Good Fats and Bad Fats
http://www.mercola.com/beef/health_benefits.htm

"... the polyunsaturated fatty acids composition of all cell membranes is to a great extent dependent on the dietary intake. ... scientific experiments determined that if the ratio of omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats exceeds 4:1, people have more health problems. This is especially meaningful since grain-fed beef can have ratios that exceed 20:1 whereby grass-fed beef is down around 3:1. Similar ratios are also found in all grain-fed versus grass-fed livestock products. Grassfed products are rich in all the fats now proven to be health-enhancing, but low in the fats that have been linked with disease."

(we need lots of rain so that my little cow will have lots of grass to eat this summer!!)

Omega 3 Oils: The Essential Nutrients
http://www.mercola.com/beef/omega3_oil.htm

"It is estimated that 85% or more of people in the Western world are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and most get far too much of the omega-6 fatty acids. Vegetarian diets, for example, tend to be very high in omega-6."

true. i got my vegetarian co-worker off the bread thing and turned on to the right nuts and flax seeds/oil, at least. too stubborn to consider fish oil.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

so i contacted the admin for that fancy brenda enzyme db, and i ran a search for zinc dependent enzymes and it returned 157 results, with some repeat entries.

i googled the first one, alcohol dehydrogenase, with the additional term 'deficiency'. turns out if you turn red when you drink alcohol, you have ALDH2 deficiency. weird.

then i checked out insulysin (insulin-degrading enzyme).

Insulin-degrading enzyme regulates the levels of insulin, amyloid beta-protein, and the beta-amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain in vivo.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12634421
"IDE deficiency resulted in a >50% decrease in Abeta degradation in both brain membrane fractions and primary neuronal cultures and a similar deficit in insulin degradation in liver. The IDE -- mice showed increased cerebral accumulation of endogenous Abeta, a hallmark of AD, and had hyperinsulinemia and glucose intolerance, hallmarks of DM2."

good to finally have this resource figured out.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

i have been told there's a new db version coming out in the next week that will have 163 in the list, so the db is not exhaustive.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

According to Dr. Dennis J Selkoe of Harvard University, the Insulin-Degrading Enzyme is drawn first to the insulin in the bloodstream and breaks it down; if the insulin level is not high enough to consume all the IDE, the remaining IDE is used to break down amyloid beta. If there is not enough IDE available for all of the amyloid beta, the amyloid beta accumulates in the brain – a sign of Alzheimer's disease. An excess of insulin is not a good thing.

i'd like to see a study comparing serum zinc, IDE activity, insulin, and amyloid beta in diabetes, alzheimers, and controls. then group them to receive supplemental zinc at various levels, from RDA to UL, and watch what happened to all these indicators over time. esp if there's a peak or plateau in the enzymatic activity, when serum zinc reaches a particular level. like 18

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

History and characteristics of Okinawan longevity food
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract
"Okinawan food culture in the Ryukyu island is one of the world’s most interesting culture because its consumers have the longest life expectancies and low disability rates. It is a product of cultural synthesis, with a core of Chinese food culture, inputs through food trade with South-East Asia and the Pacific and strong Japanese influences in eating style and presentation. The Satsamu sweet potato provides the largest part of the energy intake (and contributes to self-sufficiency), there is a wide array of plant foods including seaweed (especially konbu) and soy, and of herbaceous plants, accompanied by fish and pork, and by green tea and kohencha tea. Infusing multiple foodstuff and drinking the broth is characteristic. Raw sugar is eaten. The concept that ‘food is medicine’ and a high regard accorded medical practice are also intrinsic of Okinawan culture. Again, food-centered and ancestral festivities keeep the health dimensions well-developed. Pork, konbu and tofu (soy bean-curd) are indispensable ingredients in festival menus, and the combination of tofu and seaweed are used everyday. Okinawan food culture is intimately linked with an enduring belief of the system and highly developed social structure and network."

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Traditional Mediterranean diet and longevity in the elderly: a review
http://journals.cambridge.org/download. ... a56a4c8e16

The traditional Mediterranean diet may be thought of as having eight components:
1. High ratio of monounsaturated to saturated dietary lipids (mainly olive oil);
2. Moderate ethanol consumption;
3. High consumption of legumes;
4. High consumption of non-refined cereals, including bread;
5. High consumption of fruits;
6. High consumption of vegetables;
7. Low consumption of meat and meat products;
8. Moderate consumption of milk and dairy products.
Fish intake is also a desirable characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, but has depended on the proximity to the sea.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

In reading The Okinawa Program by Bradley J. Willcox, M.D., D. Craig Willcox, PhD, and Makoto Suzuki, M.D., I learned that the prevalence of MS in Okinawa is miniscule. I think this is due to diet: http://www.truehealth.org/okinawadiet.html The diet in that country commonly includes goya (a.k.a. bitter melon), extremely bitter to most people – but not to me. It resembles a cucumber with warts. There are different varieties used in India, China, Southeast Asia. The spice mugwort (nothing to do with Harry Potter although mentioned in those books), which is also bitter, is frequently used in Okinawa (in rice), too. There is some suspicion that goya contains a plant insulin that helps people with type II diabetes control the disease.

thanks LC.

just read over a more recent orthomolecular therapy doc (finally, but disappointing as it turns out) inserted a related jun 1 update on page one.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Zinc Supplementation Reconstitutes the Production of Interferon-α by Leukocytes from Elderly Persons
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10 ... 997.17.469
"The elderly are more prone to virus infections and neoplasias than are young adults. During a virus infection, interferon-α (IFN-α), proteins with antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory properties, are transiently expressed. We here report that peripheral white blood cells from 16 subjects with a mean age of 72 years yielded less IFN when stimulated with a virus in vitro than those from 16 young adults with a mean age of 28 years. Monocytes are the main source of this IFN. However, yields of another monocyte product, interleukin-6 (IL-6), were greater in cells from the older subjects than from the young adults, so there is no general defect in monocytes from the former. Immunodeficiency in the elderly has been reported to be associated with a deficiency of zinc. When cultures of white blood cells from the elderly were supplemented with 15 μM zinc (the physiologic concentration), they produced IFN in amounts comparable to those from the younger subjects."

this is pretty interesting for two reasons. one that you can take zinc to increase natural interferon-α levels, and that 15umol/L is given as a 'physiologic level' which is a far cry from our old friend the 'normal range' of 11.5-18.5umol/L.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Drug-induced Nutrient Depletion
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/aug ... ion_01.htm
"Many drugs are “new-to-nature molecules,” meaning that they are not found in nature, and they never existed in the history of the world until a pharmaceutical company created them. Along with the beneficial effects these medicines provide come side effects, and in some instances, the depletion of nutrients...
...when a woman takes estrogen, it depletes the body of B vitamins, regardless of the form of estrogen (birth control pills, bioidentical hormones that contain estrogen, or synthetic estrogens). A woman taking a birth control pill such as Ortho-Novum® depletes her body of the following nutrients: folic acid, magnesium, tyrosine, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and zinc.1
...Magnesium is a superstar nutrient that plays a role in approximately 300 functions in the body. There are over 100 medicines that cause magnesium depletion such as atenolol, estrogen, and numerous antibiotics such as amikacin, doxycycline, and more.2 Magnesium is a co-factor for adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and is critical in energy production. “Serum magnesium can be normal in the presence of intracellular magnesium depletion, and the occurrence of a low serum level usually indicates significant magnesium deficiency.”3 A red blood cell (RBC) magnesium test would be a better test to determine magnesium deficiency, compared to serum magnesium.
...Steroid drugs such as prednisone4 and triamcinolone5 have been shown to deplete the body of calcium, magnesium, folic acid, potassium, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin D.
Even the commonest of drugs, e.g., aspirin, depletes folic acid, iron, potassium, sodium, and vitamin C.6 Acetaminophen depletes glutathione.7...
Surprisingly, antibiotics deplete a wide variety of nutrients, and not so surprisingly, they deplete normal gut flora. For example, trimethoprim8 and quinolone antibiotics such as Cipro®9 deplete the body of nearly the same gut flora and the same nutrients: Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, biotin, folic acid, inositol, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and vitamin K."

so, if you're doing drugs AND supplements, testing would be even more important, to determine efficacy of dosing. even though i have published a regimen that works for me, and i make recommendations on doses and timing, i don't really agree with just making blanket intake recommendations for everybody. we're on so many different drugs and so many other things can affect our retention of nutrients, that imo nutritional bloodwork should be the common denominator, regardless of your individual choice of diets, supplements, and/or drugs.

i've known for a long time that oral contraceptives deplete zinc, but it hadn't occurred to me until now (unless i forgot) that it could be part of the picture of women being more likely to get ms compared to men. not to say a female wouldn't get ms if not on the pill, rather in that case the personal zinc depletion part of the overall picture, would not include contraceptive medication.

drug/depletion issues aside, just commenting on the serum/rbc issue: even just using serum magnesium, patients often come back on the low side compared to healthy controls. i think it will be a while before we see good replication of rbc values that will let us zero in on a healthy controls average rbc magnesium.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

The effect of severe zinc deficiency on serum levels of albumin, transferrin, and prealbumin in man
http://www.ajcn.org/content/34/9/1655.short
"Concentrations of three serum transport proteins, albumin, transferrin, and prealbumin, were determined in seven patients with severe zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency was manifested not only by depressed serum zinc concentrations, but also by skin lesions typical of zinc deficiency that corrected with zinc supplementation only. Concentrations of all three serum proteins were significantly depressed in zinc-deficient patients compared to healthy controls, and levels of all three proteins improved or corrected with a short period of zinc supplementation as the sole form of therapeutic intervention. Prealbumin levels dropped and corrected most rapidly, probably due in part to its short half-life of 2 days. This study demonstrates that zinc plays an important role in protein metabolism in man and is necessary for the maintenance of normal levels of certain transport proteins. These results support the possibility that zinc deficiency may alter tissue availability of other nutrients such as vitamin A or iron through its effect on transport proteins."

i have had these..

will be back on later to unravel this abstract a little more

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com