Book Review: Wahls Protocol

An integrative approach to healing chronic auto-immune conditions by a doctor, researcher, and sufferer of progressive multiple sclerosis whose TEDx talk is already a web sensation.

Like many physicians, Dr. Terry Wahls focused on treating her patients’ ailments with drugs or surgical procedures—until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000. Within three years, her back and stomach muscles had weakened to the point where she needed a tilt-recline wheelchair. Conventional medical treatments were failing her, and she feared that she would be bedridden for the rest of her life.

Dr. Wahls began studying the latest research on autoimmune disease and brain biology and decided to get her vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids from the food she ate rather than pills and supplements. Dr. Wahls adopted the nutrient-rich paleo diet, gradually refining and integrating it into a regimen of neuromuscular stimulation. First, she walked slowly, then steadily, and then she biked eighteen miles in a single day. In November 2011, Dr. Wahls shared her remarkable recovery in a TEDx talk that immediately went viral. Now, in The Wahls Protocol, she shares the details of the protocol that allowed her to reverse many of her symptoms, get back to her life, and embark on a new mission: to share the Wahls Protocol with others suffering from the ravages of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions.

What I Say: Upon my diagnosis I had several people reach out with advice. I had more than one person send me the TED Talk link for Dr. Terry Wahls’ video. I did watch the video (seen in my Nutrition Consultation blog post) and I downloaded The Wahls Protocol onto my kobo to start researching how to handle my MS sidekick with proper nutrition. I spent the past two months reading through this book. As it’s very scientific-based it took me a while as it definitely overloaded my brain with information. I am not completely following the diet entirely but am adapting principles slowly into my meal planning. It would be a shock for my body to go complete Wahls Paleo Plus so I’m definitely working on adapting meal planning ideas from the first diet level. There are three in total covered in the book. Wahls Diet, Wahls Paleo & Wahls Paleo Plus.

1. I’ve added daily seaweed consumption for Iodine

2. I’m trying more organ meat in my weekly protein consumption

3. I’m trying to increase my green vegetable consumption up to the 9 cups a day that she recommends. I’m probably at 4-5 right now. Kale salads for the win!

4. I’ve added more sulphur vegetables like onions & mushrooms into my diet.

If you suffer from an auto-immune disorder I highly recommend reading this book and seeing if you can take on one of three of her diet options into your lifestyle. She also covers toxic load, exercise & electricity, drugs, stress & recovery. I appreciate her research & way of writing about it so that it makes sense. I’m also going to be researching other MS diet books to compare. We are all unique in our makeup and we each need to find what works for us. What’s great is that Dr. Terry Wahls has received funding for clinical trials and has preliminary results on her site.

Happy Reading & Researching!

MAS Technology at Soul 7

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There is so many different kinds of technology at Soul 7 that I’ll continue to feature a different machine individually as talking about them all at once is too much information for one blog post. So far I’ve described my first appointment there and the Ondamed machine. Another machine I’m being treated with at Soul 7 is the PEMF MAS mat.

PEMF Treatments are meant to aid your body to rebalance cellular dysfunction.

PEMF devices have been approved by the FDA to reduce pain and tissue swelling, fuse bones and treat depression. There is also a double blind, placebo trial on pub med showing PEMF treatment can alleviate MS symptoms but also calls for more research as it doesn’t state if the patients are on conventional drugs as well or not.

Benefits Quote on Soul 7’s Website Include:

Reduced pain
Improved energy
Accelerated repair of bone and soft tissue
Relaxed muscles
Mind/body balance
Reduced effects of stress on the body
Improved circulation, blood and tissue oxygenation
Better sleep quality
Balance blood pressure and cholesterol levels
Uptake of nutrients
Cellular detox and regeneration

The MAS bed stands for Magnetic Systems. They have created devices that generate frequencies and waveforms that utilize pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) to support optimal health and wellness in humans and animals. The mat supplies the 7.83 Schumann resonance frequency and allows a wide variety of frequency and wave forms. If you would like to read about the origins of the machine and how it’s utilized in other countries please go here.

I’ve had 3 treatments on this bed.

First Session: Intro session – 30 min with Guided Visualization Number 1. The bed does not vibrate so you can’t feel anything like the Neuro Muscular beds. Although this was a very relaxing experience with the guided visualization and I passed out after 1 minute.

Second Session: Because I’m having ankle tightness from injuring it back in Sept/Oct, Bob decided to treat me with the sport frequency program 12 in addition to everything I’m going through for MS. This frequency is used to treat acute injuries & chronic diseases. It definitely helped a bit with tightness and I’m also seeing a chiropractor & acupuncturist. I was treated on this bed week 5 during my visits so also heard the Number 5 Guided Visualization which had to do with facing fears. I came mid day so I wasn’t too tired and stayed awake through the whole visualization.

Third Session: Program 1 was used on me for this session which is a broad spectrum for treating many nervous system disorders from Depression to Fibromyalgia to MS to Nerve Inflammation to Spinal Cord Injury & Insomnia. This was the following week so I was listening to Guided Visualization 6 which I fell asleep during the first 5 mins and don’t remember the session at all. The guided visualizations are still being absorbed by my subconscious and since these are the best naps ever if anything I’m reducing my stress & boosting my immune system with each visit.

MS Drug Decision

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My biggest stressor this past week was deciding whether or not to go on conventional medicine. My neurologist Dr. Baskind & I had originally discussed options in my first appointment after my diagnosis. We discussed the IV, self-injections & oral treatments. I am not a candidate for the IV treatments & I immediately knew I didn’t want to take self-injections so we discussed the oral options. I couldn’t make a decision until my insurance company approved me for any of the three oral treatments. We submitted drug prior authorization forms on Dec 17 and a month later finally got a decision from the company that I was approved for Tecfidera or Aubagio.

I wanted a second opinion on my diagnosis and treatment so I asked my family doctor to refer me to the MS Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital. I received an appointment on January 20th with Dr. Selchen. I discussed drug options with his resident & himself at the clinic and was given a different viewpoint on Tecfidera & Aubagio than my primary neurologist. It was explained that the drugs are both first-line defence drugs for MS so that’s why I wasn’t approved for the third, Gilenya that is available. You can only get approval for that drug if one of the first two is not effective.

There are actually so many different ways to treat MS, from disease-modifying therapies to steroid treatment during an attack (which I received), to medications that just manage symptoms. I watched the video below to help me make my decision of going on Tecfidera or nothing. At 6:39 he mentions patients losing track of the purpose of the drugs and focusing on the side effects.

I don’t believe I’m losing track of the purpose of the drugs when I’m considering the risk factors of any of these drugs. I wish there was an institution that actually studied anti-inflammatory diets & supplementation. I understand how lifestyle can give MS patients a great quality of life with no side effects. That is a simple concept for me to grasp. The challenge is that no one is studying food or supplements in clinical trials to help prove that this can actually manage the disease. There are only case studies at this time. It’s frustrating that natural, holistic treatments are not even included in the decision-making process. This video actually makes me mad in terms of how they portray healthy alternatives. But that’s another blog post in itself.

To make my decision between Tecfidera or no conventional drugs at this time I had to write down the pros & cons to make my own education decision and eventually it was fuelled by a whole lot of gut.

Option # 1 – Drug: Tecfidera

Pros:

1. 50% effective – could slow or stop new lesions from forming

2. May have no side effects at all

Cons:

1. Common side effects: diarrhea & flushing (annoying yet manageable and not long term)

2. Another common side effect could be feeling sick all the time. I would have to avoid people with colds & flu as my immune system would be changed. I don’t want to live like that. I want to boost my immune system so that it is healthy instead of living with potential constant colds.

3. I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant on the drug (I’m not pregnant!). I would need to stop the treatment if on it when I’m ready to be a mother. It also makes me hesitant to be on a drug that would cause birth defects in a future child should it still be in my system.

4. If I am able to manage the disease naturally I’ll never know if I could because I’d be on the drug as well.

5. The drug is fairly new so doctors don’t know the long term risk of being on the medication.

Option #2: No Drugs – Holistic Treatments Only

Pros:

1. No side effects – Better quality of life

2. Allowing my body to heal itself

Cons:

1. I may not be able to halt the progression of the disease naturally

My gut is telling me to wait. I am clearly risk-averse to the potential effectiveness & risk of side effects. There are fewer cons with natural holistic treatments than with conventional medicine. I want to see if I can manage the disease naturally. I’ve been told I have a mild case of the disease based on my MRIs. I will not cut off Tecfidera as an option but I’d like to see how my next set of scans go and if or when I have another attack I will then try a conventional drug treatment but for now the poor effectiveness of the oral drugs & side effects cause me to choose natural treatments.

This decision is obviously the best one for me. I wanted to share my perspective but if you are an MSer who finds this blog please ensure you are doing your own research and seeing the right specialists for you and making the right decision for you. This is such a confusing disease and the treatment options are not an easy decision. Here’s to clarity and gut feelings being honoured.

Meal Prep with Purpose

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This week I needed to add a couple more things into my weekly meal prep to ensure I’m getting certain vitamins & minerals.

I had a head of cauliflower that I hadn’t used yet. I opened my Tone It Up Frisky Fall nutrition plan edition & found an awesome soup recipe called Bowl of Sunshine (page 29) to make this Sunday night. It was super easy to make.

I’ll break down the nutritional content & why I made it.

Cauliflower: Vitamin C, Vitamin K – Since my immune system is a bit messed up right now I need to ensure I’m constantly boosting it with Vitamin C. Vitamin K aids in blood clotting, brain health & bone health (all good things to consider)

Onion: Sulfur or Sulphur is a mineral element essential to glutathione production in the body that boost the immune system. I’ve also found research that it aid’s in body electron transport, proper insulin function & detoxification in the body. The Wahls Protocol which I’m reading does a great job of explaining this and got me eating more onion & mushrooms.

Curry, Turmeric, Black Pepper & Cayenne Spices: Turmeric is imperative for me to get for anti-inflammatory properties & absorbion is made bio-available with black pepper!

Sources: Internet Research & Wahls Protocol

The soup was amazing. There is an option to top with Avocado which I may try tomorrow!

For the past two weeks, I’ve been also buying a head of cabbage & stir-frying it with onions & mushrooms as one of the side dishes that I can add in a tupperware with chicken or steak or fish.

Cabbage also is high in Vitamin C & K & the onions & mushrooms give me the sulphur I need.

Happy Meal Prepping!

People’s Reactions to a Public MS Diagnosis

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When I decided to make my diagnosis public I didn’t realize how many people would reach out to me. To be honest, I was a bit shocked at the number of incoming public & private messages. No one wants to comment on my races or food prep as much LOL. Some of the messages warmed my heart, some upset me, some made me cry happy tears from the support and some made me really, really angry. I think a broad spectrum of reactions & feelings is ok due to the volume of sentiments I received. I know I’ve made my life quite public when I made the decision to share my health journey with others. My goal in being open was to gain support from my tribe & to hopefully help another newly diagnosed MS patient in the future as they navigate their journey.

After receiving something that can be perceived as bad news there are several different ways people react. I’ve been grouping them into buckets to process where to spend my time in responding. It’s been overwhelming to write back to everyone. I’m definitely the kind of person who wants to make sure I’m responding though since someone has taken the time to reach out. For me I’ve had to choose who to respond in depth to and who to just thank and file away.

First off you may have noticed that I called this perceived bad news. If you have been following my blog or social media for a while then you know I’m uber positive and optimistic at how I attack life. I think it’s apparent by how I call MS my new sidekick or a new obstacle to tackle or a new way of living and something that I just have to deal with. It is how I personally need to deal with my diagnosis. I flip things immediately to the positive because that is how I “get through” things. So keep that in mind as I categorize those who have reached out and my reactions as such.

The objective of this blog post is to make others aware of what they can potentially expect if they announce a diagnosis and also to those who hear a diagnosis and want to reach out. Just think about your audience whenever you say something about someone “going through” something vs. what you would want to hear. Grief processes are very very different for everyone and we all deal with things differently. So please just keep in mind how you choose to react when you reach out to someone going through something in the future. Take cues from them. Overall I’m beyond grateful for the support, I’ve voiced my concern on what I don’t want to hear and have been thankful for every single message sent my way.

Those Who Know Me From Social Media

These sentiments just basically echoed everything I put out on social media. “You’ve got this!” “If anyone can handle MS it’s you”, “You are going to continue being the amazing Alpha Female that you are”, etc. These statements confirmed one thing for me that my tribe on social media gets me. Those that love to see what I post on a daily basis love me for my positivity and optimism and echoed it right back. Thank you for all your support and boosts of uplift. I can’t even begin to thank everyone for the support you gave me over the past month and a bit. When I’m blue and ask for pictures of my Instagram #theface warmed my heart so much!

The Opinion / Advice Givers

While some of this advice was useful I got a broad spectrum of opinions & advice on how I should tackle MS. I’ve read all the messages and filed things under I should look into that or woah that’s crazy who are these people? I’ve been so grateful for all the articles & book suggestions. I’m even reading Wahls Protocol because of several messages. I think it’s just the volume of messages I’ve received that were overwhelming but no one how many private messages I’ve received. I’ve bookmarked over 100 links to read. Everything is being examined with a grain of salt and slowly being processed. The advice-givers who told me I immediately needed to get acupuncture or look into this specific treatment were scrutinized and filed or deleted. I have to take everything into consideration and then do what my team of professionals and I believe is best. I’m grateful for these messages despite how overwhelming they became.

The Woah Is Me Reaction

These are the ones that angered me and hurt me. I get that in the face of grief the immediate reaction is to say “I’m so sorry” or “THAT’S SO HORRIBLE!” It just made me so mad. I don’t need or want pity. I’m not sorry so I don’t want you to be for me. There are so many worse things in the world that I could be going through. I truly believe that because I’ve gone through having to call off a wedding that this obstacle was so much easier to move into a positive mindset. I’ve already had a massive storm in my life. This is just a new blip. So I don’t need sadness because I’m so focused on being happy. I felt responsible to bring people out of their sadness if that’s what they portrayed to me. I even got messages from people who thought I was dying! To those, I had to explain the severity of my diagnosis. If you don’t understand something please take the time to google before reaching out to the person. I do wonder… do you think someone’s sad reaction is based on them thinking “what if this happened to me?” I think it’s best to look for cues. There are 4 stages of grief: denial, depression, anger & acceptance. I moved to acceptance within the span of one day and that’s what I put out into the world. If you are supporting someone in another phase then perhaps they want the sorry. Me? I never wanted to feel sorry about this 🙂

The Practical Help Offers

These were amazing. I had friends who offered to catch me at races next summer or take me grocery shopping if I was dealing with exhaustion (a symptom). Although I got a ton of offers from acquaintances that I hardly see that said “let me know if I can do anything for you” they are just so vague and non-committal that I would never tell a stranger “hey you know what? Today my hand went numb again, can you pick me off of my condo floor while I cry?” I do love how much support I received on offering to do things for me but a vague offer just came across as very empty and standard like they felt the need to say it vs. wanted to. I know I’ve been guilty of saying this in the past so I’ve definitely learned that in the future I’ll offer something practical vs. something vague and hope they take me up on the offer.

As always, these opinions are mine and mine alone. I have no clue if they come across negatively, not my purpose at all. I just wanted to open up the world of what I went through in terms of people’s reactions to news like this.