This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

I was diagnosed with MS July 18th so I am new to this. I am set to start Copaxone within a week. I have been reading everything avaialable including information on diet and exercise. I have been seeing some people say that they have never been on any MS meds or went off of them and just have been managing with diet/exercise. Is there anyone here with this story? How has it been going?

hi there, good for you re reading; knowledge is power
i am six years in, no meds, and not quite there for diet and exercise only (yet). i spent 15 yrs depleting my system of nutrients, so i needed therapeutic megadosing. and apparently still do. some of the food i buy is just not going to have the best nutrient density. i notice negative impacts when i back off on my current regimen. i would need to make even more lifestyle adjustments, spend even more time really nailing down dietary specifics, get my bloodwork done more often, and also spend even more money on specialty organic food if i wanted to reduce the supplement regimen further.
the links below lead to more info on how i personally approach it all.
welcome to the forum

Many, (but not all) folks seemed to benefit from dietary modifications. Saturated fats, gluten and dairy seem to be the biggest problems. See the direct-ms, Terry Wahls, Swank Diet, and Ms Recovery Diet websites for lots of info. Exercise and lots of vitamin D also seem to be of benefit.

Thanks for the welcome! My neuro said that she does MRIs every 6 months to make sure the treatment is working and to see if there are any new lesions. Do you guys who don't have neuros still get MRIs or do you base it totally on bloodwork?

personally, i have a neuro, but i haven't checked in with him in years now. i guess it's a case of no mainstream treatment, no mainstream monitoring. i've got two mri files, one from 2006 when i was diagnosed and one follow-up which i'm pretty sure was around september 2007. my testing is mostly self-directed GP-assisted self-assessed bloodwork now. the cost is largely covered by provincial health care where i am. it's probably time i had another mri just to see what's what in there

Hi there

Knowledge is the greatest power.......as already mentioned!!!!!! Read, read and more read.

There is no easy way out....but MS is definately NOT a death sentence. It's mind-blowing at first, but once you navigate your way through the hurdles , the emotional roller coasters (which do take time), you will be fine . A great way to start is to go thru the relevant sites menioned earlier : direct-ms, Terry Wahls, Swank Diet as well as reading thoroughly of this one.

Eat well (healthy), avoid all types of milk, gluten and processed foods and sit in the sun (when u can) or take vit D.

hope the above gives u a boost in ur journey.

eating healthy and excersise is good to help you when you do get sick. My wife only had organic food (no processed foods) and followed many different diets for years and good excersise but still got worse anway. I would recommend to look into "food combining" and organic where possible.

Diet itself with supplements work for some people as long as they don't have a serious CCSVI blood reflux problem. Dr. Wahls actually does more than diet, by stimulating her back she is stimulating the bladder meridian (Chinese acupuncture theory), thus opening blood circulation from the brain. I have found a simple neck massage pushing blood down towards the heart is enough to stop an "attack". Diet serves 2 main purposes 1) reduces tension on the vascular system thus reducing potential for blood reflux and 2) nourishes damaged tissue.
For more see MS Cure Enigmas.net

i was diagnosed in '98, and did not want to begin a life of daily injections. i was convinced that ms would not "get" me. i began supplementing in earnest. my diet was already fairly good.
things went well until i decided that i was not actually getting better and stopped. that was a terrible mistake. i've lost ground since then and have now begun to work out a new program.
good luck.
elyse