Category Archives: MS

Autoimmune Disease Thriving Mindset

I was asked the other day to share what has been involved in developing my autoimmune disease thriving mindset. I’m not about just surviving this disease or getting by. I want to thrive as I live with an autoimmune disease.

If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while online you know I’m obsessed with definitions in my blog posts. So I always love looking at the root of a word. So when I think about mindset, I’ll share the attitudes I’ve created for myself after my MS diagnosis.

Attitude #1: Living with Multiple Sclerosis is not a death sentence

I refused and still refuse to look at the average life expectancy of someone living with MS. Because unfortunately, I will not become just another number. And by the way I take care of myself I am expecting to have a life expectancy greater than the average. I’m also focused on increasing my healthspan and not just my lifespan. I want to live a full life and be healthy during my last few years. I don’t want to live them out in an assisted living facility stuck in a bed. It’s why I’m taking steps to improve my metabolic health in addition to caring for a body that has a confused immune system.

Attitude #2: I GET to take care of myself differently than I did before

While many things may have contributed to me developing MS, I can now take care of myself differently than I did before. I don’t think I’ve ever actually shared the science behind the correleations to developing MS or the research that is now coming out around EBV and causation. But needless to say I believe it to be several factors:

  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Emotional Health & Being In Poor Relationships
  • Stress Management
  • EBV
  • Digestive Health
  • and More

That all being said some of these things relate directly to how I take care of myself or how I move through the world. So if I can identify correleation or a gut feeling around correleation then I can take steps to improve how I’m living my life now.

Those have included:

  • Healing Digestive Health Problems
  • Nourishing My Body With Nutrient Dense Foods
  • Taking Supplements Based on Deficiencies
  • Moving My Body In A Way That Supports My Nervous System
  • Managing My Stress Responses
  • Getting Quality & Quantity of Sleep
  • Reducing My Toxic Load

I also avoid language around taking better care of myself than before (because then that discounts my entire life). This is simply a case of when you know better, you can do better.

Attitude #3: I can’t do it all, but I can do something every day

While the list of things that I do for myself is really long if I tried to do everything every day. However, each day, I get to choose from the list and do a few things or even one thing a day to take care of myself. Some days I have a ton of energy and I am up to incorporating a bunch of self-care tools into my routine. And then some days, I’m exhausted and the best I can do for myself is an epsom salt bath and getting to bed early so I can sleep at least 8 hours.

Attitude #4: I can heal myself

The first time I walked into Soul7 in Toronto (which is unfortunately no longer open), I met Bob Berman, the owner. And something he said to me has stuck with me ever since. He told me that “You will be able to heal yourself”. And I believed/believe him.

Here is a quote from an article in the Toronto Guardian:

“Their belief is that every person has the ability to heal. Their mission is to help people heal naturally and faster by combining ancient healing wisdom with new technology.”

Attitude #5: An autoimmune disease is simply a health sidekick

I am not defined by a diagnosis. Multiple sclerosis is not who I am. It’s something I live with. And that is why I call my MS simply a health sidekick that is here to remind me every day that I get to take care of myself. That I get to do this for myself and that I get to lead a fulfilling, active life.

If you live with an autoimmune disease what other attitudes that allow you to thrive would you add to the list?

What Is The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?

What is the autoimmune paleo protocol? Who created it? What are the benefits of me incorporating it into my lifestyle?

These may be some of the many questions flooding your brain as you research nutrition and gut health related to developing an autoimmune disease.

I personally discovered autoimmune paleo after reading The Wahl’s Protocol (which is a popular book recommended to those diagnosed with MS) and The Autoimmune Solution (which I discovered through Amazon searches for books).

What Is The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?

I think the easiest way to describe the autoimmune paleo protocol or AIP as many call it for short is a way of eating to support your digestive health. It supports the body in healing the gut (both the stomach and our intestines) that may have been weakened over time by inflammatory foods or exposure to toxins. It then helps restore the microbiome with good bacteria or flora and in turn, supports the body in having an appropriate immune response instead of a chronic inflammatory immune system response.

I may be so bold as to say the goal of the protocol is to increase your quality of life, halt disease progression and even support the body in progressing into remission from autoimmune attacks.

So in short, the protocol provides the body with amazing nutrients that it needs, while avoiding foods that may be blocking our body’s ability to heal. And while there is an elimination phase, I personally choose not to use language like restrictive or strict because then my way of eating becomes something viewed as negative vs. supportive to my body.

Why Focus On Healing Your Digestive Health?

Simple, if you aren’t able to absorb the nutrients you’re eating, a change in diet might not actually help. If your gut wall is broken, food particles will continue to slip through into your bloodstream and trigger an immune system response in the body that isn’t supportive.

Once the gut wall is healed you can then focus on nutrient-dense foods providing our body with the macro and micronutrients it needs to heal and thrive.

Who Created The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?

My understanding is that Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD is the pioneer leader in creating the guidelines and finding the science to support AIP.

I love this quote by her and how she explains what AIP is.

The biggest difference between the Autoimmune Protocol and other dietary templates is that it takes a nutrients-first approach while considering inflammation triggers. This is where we draw the line between “yes” foods and “no” foods in order to get more health-promoting compounds and fewer detrimental compounds in our diet. 

Sarah Ballantyne

What Are The Benefits Of The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?

One of the reasons why I chose to switch from the Wahl’s Protocol to the AIP Protocol was because this reason found on Sarah’s website.

The clinical research studies performed using the Wahls Protocol in multiple sclerosis provide additional validation for the Autoimmune Protocol. While there are a handful of foods included on the Wahls Protocol (most notably nightshades) that are excluded on the Autoimmune Protocol, the two protocols are remarkably similar despite the different philosophies that went into their formulation. The Wahls Protocol framework was developed with mitochondrial health as its primary goal whereas the Autoimmune Protocol framework was developed with immune regulation and gut health as its primary goals. It so happens that the nutrients required for mitochondrial health are nearly identical to those required for immune and gut health, hence the high degree of overlap between both approaches.

Sarah Ballantyne

I also chose to switch because I was struggling to get the recommended cups of vegetables in per day and the AIP solution was a little less overwhelming.

How Can You Incorporate AIP In Your Life?

After discovering AIP and understanding the science behind it I then discovered two ladies Mickey Trescott & Angie Alt who created autoimmunepaleo.com and then re-branded to autoimmunewellness.com. They had a really easy way of explaining how to start AIP including 2 printouts that I still refer to. They include foods to eat and foods to avoid. From the link in the sentence before you can sign up for their newsletter to get access to the printouts.

FYI, there were updates published to the protocol in 2019. I would take the time to read these as well before beginning.

Print Resources

Here are 2 resource books on lifestyle and 2 cookbooks to help you get started. There are so many out there but I love the simplicity of these 4 books for starting out on your AIP journey.

Research & Links:

Building & ReBuilding a Health Care Team

I talk about how MS is a blessing in my life since my diagnosis in December of 2014. I’ve even gone as far as saying I’m grateful for the autoimmune disease because it’s taught me how to take different care of myself now so that I can thrive. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is building and rebuilding a health care team.

When I was first diagnosed I remember tackling my health care like it was a new side hustle in my life. I’d get up early to research and read articles. I’d come home from work and dive my nose back into books before going to bed. Building my healthcare team at the time didn’t seem that daunting. It flowed with ease.

When I met the love of my life, Mike, in October 2015, we then started dating in January 2016. I quit my job in Toronto and moved to Ottawa at the end of March 2016. I had to start fresh in my hometown city. I had to rebuild my health care team and I didn’t have the slightest idea how hard it would be.

So I’m happy to say I’ve experienced ease where it just flowed and I’ve experienced frustration and tears so from both perspectives I can write this blog post. Whether you have an autoimmune disease or you care about your proactive health and the team that you surround yourself with this post will hopefully serve you.

Toronto Health Care Team Members I’ll Be Leaving

Family Doctor

My first health care team member was my family doctor. I had luckily found her early when I moved to Toronto after University. I moved to Toronto in 2005 after graduating from McMaster and one of my friends let me know her doctor was taking new patients. I lucked out with Dr. Segal. Over the years, she was courteous and quick with appointments but I never felt rushed or not listened to. After my MS diagnosis, I intuitively decided to start taking care of myself holistically. Reading about conventional and alternative medicine to ensure I was receiving well-rounded care. One of the first things I asked her was to do blood work so we could see where all my vitamin & mineral levels were. This is where we discovered that I had a Vitamin D deficiency at the time of diagnosis. She would print out my lab work for me and I’d take it home and put it in my MS binder so that I could show other practitioners like my Naturopath. She was always open-minded, non-judgemental and always helpful. I really lucked out with her and miss her care so much as I’ve never found something similar in Ottawa.

Naturopath

I had been seeing a Naturopath for years before my MS diagnosis who actually worked in a clinic where the doctor would requisition my lab work for me. However, I believe Ontario Health was cracking down on this so I had to shift and get my family doctor to do this. This wasn’t hard so at the time I decided to shop for a new naturopath who had experience with MS patients. This is when I found Dr. Rachel Corradetti. I’ve written about her before. She was the one who challenged me to stop doing so many things. At the time of diagnosis she was actually offering in-home consultations. So shortly after the diagnosis, she came to my condo and we did the intake interview and reviewed everything we could think of. We talked about a few lifestyle changes and she gave me my first supplement protocol.

Registered Holistic Nutritionist

Because of the reading I had been doing after my diagnosis, I knew my digestive health, irritable bowel syndrome, gut health might be an issue. At this time I didn’t truly understand the link between our gut health and autoimmunity. Because I had announced my diagnosis publicly on social media I received the recommendation to consult with Chantal Houde who is an RHN who also lives with multiple sclerosis. I thought why not and booked an online consultation with her. This is where I learned about leaky gut and the autoimmune paleo protocol. I was able to continue my research on gut health and had a few easy tips I could incorporate into my meal planning.

Functional Medicine Doctor

Because I was in such a learning phase while in Toronto I discovered the concept of functional medicine. I researched different practitioners and landed on one in Yorkville. While I didn’t love my experience with this practitioner we did a test for leaky gut to discover if I had it, and if I did, I had healed it. We also did a micronutrient test, which was expensive but really informative. We were able to optimize my supplement protocol from those tests. I also learned from him that I was dealing with adrenal fatigue. This was after my year of doing over 20 races in 2015. I was then able to address this once I moved to Ottawa.

Therapist

I’ve never shared publicly my experience of seeing a psychotherapist in Toronto. I went to see one after my diagnosis at a friend’s recommendation as I was having a really hard time dating and a lot of pain points were coming up for me again from the toxic relationship I had chosen to be in for several years before my diagnosis. I learned a lot in that time about how I think, what stories I had created in my mind and how I was processing relationships in this world. After reading “When the Body Says No” and understanding the mental health aspect that is associated with disease I thought this was an amazing addition to my health care team.

Acupuncturist

I was originally seeing an acupuncturist who came recommended by a friend for my athletic injuries. I was training for obstacle course races before and after my diagnosis and I remember going to my acupuncturist one day for sports injury healing. He asked me “When do you plan on getting married and having babies”. Which left me in a puddle of tears on his table and googling acupuncturists downtown. I was looking for someone much closer to my office that I could go to on lunch breaks or on my way home from the office. This is when I added Amrit Singh to my team. This was also before she blew up on social media as a sought-after cosmetic acupuncturist. She helped me discover through her TCM training that despite eating healthy and many foods I thought were ok on the Wahl’s Protocol I wasn’t able to digest the food and absorb the nutrients because of my timing of intake and intaking raw vegetables vs. cooked ones. She all but helped eliminate digestive problems for me and her tips I still implement to this day. Tips such as using warming spices in my morning smoothies vs. a green smoothie.

Ottawa Health Care Team Members I Found

Family Doctor

As I write this blog I have never found a family doctor as amazing as my Toronto one. It’s been a constant source of stress and tears for me. I even left an appointment last night in tears. My husband knows that he needs to provide full emotional support on days I have a doctor’s appointment. I need to just spend time looking for a new practitioner but it is definitely a full-time job in itself.

Functional Medicine Doctor

Finding a functional medicine doctor started out wonky for me in Ottawa. I had found a doctor off of google who seemed to be amazing. She had a great website, a podcast, and books so I thought this would be great! While I had one great experience with her treating some bacteria found in a stool test I had taken before leaving Ottawa. I got really frustrated with her because she charged me for a naturopath fee but as a family doctor, I also thought I could talk to her about all my issues. From there I found out she wanted me to book an appointment per issue as she is also an MD and was billing through our provincial health care. She also brought up new issues like telling me I had Pyroluria without treating the issues I had come to see her for. I remember specifically letting her know that I wanted to solve for painful periods but since I talked about anxiety in the intake form she wanted to solve for Pyroluria. She wanted me to do an expensive test which I passed on because my research showed it could have just been a nutrient deficiency which I already needed to supplement for. I also decided to address my anxiety and panic attacks with my Ottawa psychotherapist and reflexologist. After finding my new functional medicine doctor she actually took me off one of the supplements I had been taking for Pyroluria because I was now over-sufficient in B6.

My new functional doctor is going on mat leave the month that I write this blog so I’m going to have to fend for myself for a year. However, I’ve never felt more empowered or on the right track. When I moved to Ottawa I joined an AIP Ottawa FB group to find out where people were shopping for food and local information. From this group, I found out that many of the members were going to see a doctor at the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre. I called the centre and made my case to be a patient that wouldn’t take up too much of Dr. Junek’s time. I just wanted to see her maybe 2 – 3 times a year. I just needed a practitioner who was willing to requisition blood work and review it with me as my family doctor had flat out refused.

Therapist

I found the most amazing psychotherapist, Robin Harnden in Ottawa. While dealing with a lot of anxiety attacks, panic and stress with the move from Toronto to Ottawa. I was able to process through my mind thoughts and find some peace in what I was experiencing.

Acupuncturist

I’ve seen 2 different practitioners since moving. I thought I had found one I loved but she ended up closing her practice while dealing with a health issue so I’m back on the market for one.

Naturopath

I haven’t needed one since my functional medicine doctor was able to play this role. I believe they are one of the most important health care team members so I’ll search for a new one if I need a practitioner while my functional doctor is on mat leave.

What other practitioners do you love having on your team?

Updated Supplement Protocol

Disclaimer: I am sharing information about my current vitamin/supplement plan reviewed and suggested by my naturopath. Please see your/a health care professional(s) before taking anything new or changing your supplementation plan.

I used to document every minute of my journey of learning to live with MS. The appointments I was going to. The healing modalities I was trying. And then I just stopped. No real reason. I probably thought no one was really paying attention to these posts. They started for my own benefit, using my blog as a journal.

And then I checked my Google Analytics and realized they were some of my highest read posts. Over the years, I’ve received countless messages from friends asking if they could connect a friend or a loved one with me because they had recently become diagnosed with MS. I can’t personally connect with every single person so I would share the link to all blog posts tagged with MS content. So I’m guessing that’s where my MS content blog readers have come from.

Regardless, I’m back in a sharing mindset as I move through my healing journey. My functional medicine doctor that I see here in Ottawa is going on mat leave starting this month. I very rarely see her. Maybe once or twice a year to take a look at blood work and optimize based on health pain points. But before she went on mat leave she gave me a list of other supplements I’m not on so I could research them further and decide if I needed to add to my current supplement protocol. I then asked her based on my health now, was it possible to actually reduce the list of supplements versus adding to it. She said, “I actually recommend most of the supplements that you take to other patients.” So it’s great to know I’m still on the right track in optimizing my health.

Since my 2016 optimization post things have changed slightly but many of the supplements my Toronto Naturopath Dr. Rachel Corradetti put me on back in 2015 have been consistent. Here’s a look at my current supplement protocol with the reason behind why I take what I do.

I took all my supplements with me when I traveled to Bali this year in ziplock bags. Once a week (I was there for 3 weeks), I would put them in my pill organizer and leave this on my bedside table. I’d grab my breakfast does before heading down for breakfast and same for lunch. It was the easiest way for me to stay on track because I visually need to see the pill case to remember.

Current Supplement Protocol

  1. I take LLV twice a day at breakfast and lunch
  2. I take 8,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily as I can consistently be low when we blood test
  3. I take 1 CoQ10 (100 mg) once a day at breakfast
  4. I take 1 NAC ( once a day at breakfast
  5. I take 2 Zinc/Copper supplements at lunch
  6. I take 2 EstroSmart at lunch
  7. I take 1 scoop of Glutamine every time I make a smoothie/shake.
  8. I take 2 Magnesium BisGlycinate each night before bed
  9. I take 1 ALCAR each night before bed

Why I Take Each Supplement

  1. I take LLV as my base level multivitamin, whole food nutrient base, and essential fatty acid, and combats oxidative stress.
  2. I take Vitamin D3 because I’m deficient and this may have been one of the contributing factors to my MS development.
  3. I take CoQ10 for cardiovascular health, it promotes immune system function and is an antioxidant.
  4. I take NAC for glutathione production (which is another antioxidant).
  5. I take Zinc/Copper for immune system function and connective tissue formation. I take the zinc-copper balance for optimal absorption.
  6. I take EstroSmart for estrogen dominance. My functional medicine doctor put me on EstroSmart in 2016 as I was dealing with a painful day 1 period. Based on a few blood tests we discovered I was estrogen dominant. So after a few liver cleansing protocols and consistent EstroSmart, I’m slowly getting to a place where my day 1-period cramps are less intense.
  7. I take Glutamine for digestive health and to help heal muscles
  8. I take Magnesium Bis-Glycinate for energy production, proper muscle function, and nervous system health. I take this form of Magnesium because it’s gentle on digestion and was recommended to me for the greatest bio-availability for absorption.
  9. I take ALCAR for cognitive function and cellular energy production.

I have Amazon links to all the supplements I take over in the supplement shop…

VISIT THE SUPPLEMENT SHOP

Four Year MS Anniversary

I posted yesterday on Instagram, to celebrate my Four Year MS diagnosis Anniversary but thought I’d write a little bit more from the heart over here on the blog. 

The theme for this anniversary is to think about creating space in my life.

Sunday, December 2nd, 2018 was my MS diagnosis anniversary.

4 years ago, after over the course of a week, the right side of my body had gone numb so I drove myself to the hospital to figure it out.  I sat in a hospital room alone, after several hours of waiting, a CAT scan and then an MRI to be told by an internalist: “You have de-myelination on your spine, we’ll need to do another MRI with contracts to confirm but you probably have MS.”

You can read the entire diagnosis story here. I jokingly talk about going through the 4 stages of grief as fast as possible in the hospital to move to acceptance so that I could figure out how to live with this thing called multiple sclerosis. I knew that I would have to learn to live with instead of fight against this disease and I do believe that has been one of the best mindset choices I’ve personally made. 

When faced with a diagnosis, we can easily get mad at it. Think of our bodies as flawed, fragile or even broken and something we need to fix. My simple choice to call MS my sidekick and learn to live with my disease, even embrace it was a choice that no one taught me. No practitioner guided me to this thought process. I intuitively was guided by my inner voice to use this language and make this choice and it’s served me so well. 

I often refer to my MS as a daily reminder, a tap on the shoulder and a voice saying: “hey did you take care of yourself today?” 

Most days now I forget I even “have” it. I barely even tell new people I meet unless I’m sharing information about why I’m so proactive with my health or at an essential oils class when I’m sharing when I was introduced to them.

4 years later my life looks a little different.

Eating For My Body

I’m still eating a modified (I was able to reintroduce some foods off the to avoid list) autoimmune paleo meal plan. I still avoid inflammatory foods, and foods I can’t digest. I had to reduce my alcohol consumption and I’m still working on reducing my coffee consumption. However, I have a thriving digestive system. Just ask my 💩😂.

Exercise & Fitness

I’m not obsessively obstacle course racing basically every weekend. In 2015, the year after my diagnosis, I totally was on a mission to prove that I was stronger than MS. Unfortunately I wasn’t stronger than adrenal fatigue.

I’ve learned what type of exercise and amount is actually better for my body than extreme pushing. It’s funny how a disease can show how to treat our bodies a little bit better than we might have been. 

Sleep

I prioritize sleep. Those 8 hours 🙌🏻🙌🏻 are my secret weapon. The only time I’ll sacrifice sleep is when I find a new Netflix series I’m obsessed with. Just ask Mike what happened at the end of November when I discovered the Last Kingdom. I may have stayed up a few nights just to watch a few episodes!

Managing Stress

I’m still figuring out the whole stress thing although I’ve got a multitude of tactics to calm me down should I start working up an anxiety sweat. However, I’m still prone to get easily overwhelmed to situations. I’m just a little better at focusing on my breath, getting present and not taking on the feeling of overwhelming responsibility in certain situations. 

Reduce Toxic Load

I’ve done a good job at eliminating my exposure to toxins to keep my immune system un-confused. I truly believe that if we give our bodies an environment to thrive in our immune systems can function as they should instead of attacking parts of our own body.

We’ve got a Santevia Water system at home, I order grass-fest, hormone free meat from truLocal, we buy organic produce as often as possible. All our cleaning products are made from simple ingredients and essential oils. I’ve switched over all my beauty and makeup products to ones that rank well with the EWG to name a few things. 

But the last piece of the puzzle…

Doing vs. Being

I’m still figuring out how to DO less. After being challenged 3 years ago by my naturopath to not be superwomen I pondered the glorification of doing things. 

So while the wheels started turning, I cut a few things out of my life, I always go back to my overachiever ways. I’m truly addicted to achievement. 

I love my achievements. And I’m proud of them. To be honest, they are a way I see me leaving my legacy on this world so I don’t want to stop them. 

I know how to take care of myself as I go after my goals but I’ll still fall into the burn out trap every now and then. I just recently did it again.  

In October, I started a new full-time job, I launched Organized Brides, announced that I was co-hosting Believe NYE 2019 (Yoga NYE Event) and I threw myself back into my dōTERRA business after taking time off for the wedding and honeymoon and hit burn out by the end of the month. 

I still haven’t grasped the concept that it’s ok to DO less and that it doesn’t define my worthiness or world acceptance or love. To be honest, I love that I still have something to learn. Otherwise this life would be pretty boring and I’d feel like I’d hit a level and that I didn’t need to grow anymore.

So as I move through December my focus is on making space in my life so that I can DO less. My body, my addiction, needs this next.