Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis

A guide to the Fasting-Mimicking Diet with Dr Valter Longo | S2E1

Welcome to Season 2 of Living Well with MS and thank you for being part of our growing podcast audience. Thanks to you and listeners like you, the podcast’s first season was a hit, with audience stats that landed us in the top 20% of all podcasts out there. Please keep tuning in and spread the word. Regardless of how people hear about Overcoming MS, the important thing is that they hear about it, and Living Well with MS is an informative tool to help make that happen!   On this first episode of our second season, we are pleased to welcome a very special guest to Living Well with MS, Dr. Valter Longo, the scientist behind the Fasting Mimicking Diet. Dr. Longo is a bio-gerontologist and cell biologist serves as a professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and as the director of the USC Longevity Institute. He is the creator of the fasting-mimicking diet, a low-calorie, low-protein, low-carbohydrate, high-fat meal program that claims to mimic the effects of periodic fasting. Despite the implication, this is a juicy and timely topic, so tune in to hear what Dr. Longo has to say. To read Dr. Longo’s full bio, click here.   Questions:   Thanks for joining us, Dr. Longo. Before we dive into your dietary recommendations, can you enlighten us a bit about today’s rising fascination with fasting diets? Tell us a bit about the fasting-mimicking diet and what you consider its primary benefits. What are the main differences between the fasting-mimicking diet and other fasting diets? What are blue zones? Your research shows that fasting mimicking can help people live longer, but can it also help people with MS live better? Can you tell us a bit more about 5:2, 16:8 and occasional water fasting, and is there a difference in effects between them? What should we eat between fasts? Can we drink alcohol? What is the Prolon diet? If people can’t afford Prolon, can they get some of the benefits on their own?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Our next episode is a special one, with one podcaster talking to another as Geoff Allix interviews Jessie Ace, host of the podcast, From DISabled to ENabled.

Andy McKenna is Stoked on MS | S1E14

Bio:   Since the 1980s, Andy McKenna has been a dedicated mountain biker, spending his life poring over maps, dreaming and exploring the mountains of Scotland and beyond. Turning his passion for two-wheeled adventure into a multi-award-winning mountain bike guiding and tour business in 2008, Andy is an experienced mountain bike guide and reluctant administrator who along with his wife Aneela balance their busy working lives by making sure they both takes their 'medicine’ regularly, meaning together getting out of the office, into the hills on their bikes as often as possible.   Andy has been living with MS without use of MS medication since 2007 and is the driving force behind ‘Stoked on MS’ (irony intentional) and through this hopes to shine a light of hope on the reality of leading a healthy, productive and active existence by adopting the Overcoming MS way of life.   Questions:   Can you tell us a little about yourself: where are you from? What do you do? How did you find your passion for cycling? Tell us a little about your journey to becoming an avid mountain biker. What is Go-Where?  How did your MS diagnosis change your relationship with your cycling passion? What did you do about it? What limitations has your MS introduced to your active lifestyle, and how have you dealt with or overcome them? What is Stoked on MS? How did you discover OMS and what has your experience been with its approach to MS management? What compelled you to dedicate some of your fundraising efforts to OMS (which, by the way, resulted in over GBP 70K in collective contributions to date)? If you had one piece of wisdom or inspiration to impart to someone newly diagnosed with MS, what would it be?   Links:   Stoked on MS Andy’s Cycling Tours Company Andy’s GoFundMe Page Andy’s Facebook Group (membership request required) Andy’s Instagram Andy’s YouTube Channel (cool mountain biking videos) Swank MS Foundation   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. We will be taking a few weeks off to celebrate the holidays, and we certainly hope you will too, though you can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. We will kick off season 2 of this podcast on January 15, 2020 with a very special episode on intermittent fasting featuring world-renowned expert in the subject, Dr. Valter Longo. Till then, have a wonderful holiday season and Happy 2020!  

Preventing MS in family members with Lorna Wilson | S1E13

If you’re diagnosed with MS, your thoughts naturally gravitate to your own health and what you can do to improve it post-diagnosis. Once you’ve settled into a course of action and considered positive steps you can take to improve your health outcome, such as the OMS 7 Step Recovery Program, you might start thinking about your family. Given there is a genetic component to MS, prevention in family members (and this doesn’t just apply to kids, but siblings too) is a vital topic when considering a comprehensive approach to MS management. In fact, prevention is so important that it constitutes an entire step in the OMS 7 Step Recovery Program. And there are specific steps you can take to help ensure that your genetically-related immediate family steers clear of MS.   Joining this crucial discussion on today’s episode is Lorna Wilson, who has firsthand experience with both MS and preventing it in family members. Lorna learned of Overcoming MS shortly after being diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS).  As a mother of three – with a love of family, food, travel and adventure – she enjoys life with family, friends and community. With a family keen on delicious food, the OMS diet keeps those she loves happy and well-fed while positively impacting her own health.  Lorna is focused on MS prevention and empowering her daughters to take measures for their future health and well-being.   Questions:   Tell us about the genetic component to MS. If you have MS and have children, how likely are they to get MS? How did you break the news of your diagnosis to your children? Have you changed how you act as a parent because of MS? What are they key factors in preventing children and family members from getting MS? If you follow the OMS program, should your kids and family members be following it too? Is it just diet or should they follow the other pillars? Should children follow the OMS diet to the letter? What do the numbers show in terms of reduced chance of getting MS if you are a child or sibling of someone with MS and you follow the OMS program? Teenagers can be quite rebellious in general, so what are some tips to encourage them to adopt the right lifestyle choices to aid prevention? How do you persuade children to continue with healthy practices once they leave home? Any other prevention tips for kids and family members of people with MS?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Please review our podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast listening app. On the final episode of Living Well with MS’ first season, we welcome Scotland’s own Andy McKenna, mountain biker extraordinaire, owner of a cycling trekking business called Go-Where and creator of the inspiring documentary film, Stoked on MS. Thanks to all our listeners for making Season 1 of Living Well with MS such a big success. We are excited to have you back for Season 2, launching on January 15, 2020 with a special kickoff episode on intermittent fasting, featuring world-renowned expert on the subject, Prof. Valter Longo.

Top tips for Overcoming MS-friendly holiday meals with Ashley Madden | S1E12

The holidays will soon be upon us, and we all know food is a big part of the fun. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year or any other festive occasion that you may celebrate, this time of year presents the temptation of delicious meals whose ingredients don’t always fit the dietary guidelines OMS recommends. So how do you draw the line between keeping your palate happy come holiday time versus sticking to a diet that will keep you healthy?   Well, that’s what we will discover by talking to Ashley Madden, a full-time food lover and health enthusiast. She’s a pharmacist, plant-based chef, certified holistic nutrition consultant and food photographer.  A diagnosis of MS in her early 20s triggered an overhaul of her personal and professional life and, ultimately, she traded prescriptions for plants! She shares her plant-based, gluten-free and oil-free recipes on her blog RiseShineCook.ca and creates recipes for health and wellness outlets like Forks Over Knives and Mind Body Green in addition to working on her first cookbook, to be released in the fall of 2020. Originally from Canada, Ashley has moved around the world over the last 10 years, from New York to the Netherlands, and currently she lives in Taiwan. You can learn more about Ashley and her taste bud-tempting work here and here.   Questions:   Can you tell us a little about your background and your passion for cooking? How long have you been following OMS? Has it been challenging to change your dietary habits? What are you best tips for making the transition to an OMS diet easier? Holidays can be a stressful time for meal preparation. What is some overall solid advice for reducing that pressure? Lots of holiday meals are heavy on ingredients that are not OMS-friendly, like meat and dairy. What are some tips for making holiday meals that are consistent with OMS guidelines yet still delicious? Would your tips for making OMS-friendly holiday meals differ if you’re talking about cooking for large groups versus smaller more intimate gatherings? Let’s talk about some specific holidays to see if you have any special tips or meal ideas for these: For our friends in Canada and the United States, Thanksgiving? Christmas? Hanukkah? New Year? Any other holidays come to mind that inspire any special advice? If there is one nugget of advice from your experience with preparing meals that you’d like to impart to our audience in closing, what would that be?   Recipe links:   Christmas Spice Cake:   https://riseshinecook.ca/blog/festive-vegan-christmas-spice-cake-gluten-free--oil-free   Some pudding recipes:   https://riseshinecook.ca/blog/5-minute-cashew-mango-mousse https://riseshinecook.ca/blog/vegan-chocolate-almond-pudding-5-minutes-5-ingredients   Kale Potato Pie:   https://riseshinecook.ca/blog/vegan-holiday-dinner-recipe-herbed-potato-kale-pie-with-savoury-buckwheat-crust-gluten-free--oil-free   Holiday Platter:   https://riseshinecook.ca/blog/plant-based-mezze-platter--vegan-gluten-free-sunflower-seed-falafel-balls-raw--baked   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. On the next installment of Living Well with MS, we tackle the vital topic of preventing MS in family members through a candid interview with from Lorna Wilson, a member of the OMS community who offers a firsthand perspective on taking the necessary steps to ensure her kids steer clear of MS.

Making the right medication choices with Dr Aaron Boster | S1E11

Navigating the range of medication choices for people with MS can feel like walking through a maze blindfolded. There are so many factors to consider – from effectiveness to side-effects – so we are fortunate to have Dr. Aaron Boster, an Ohio-based neurologist specializing in MS, as this episode’s guest to help demystify the sea of Disease Modifying Drugs that are presently available to manage the symptoms of MS.   Dr. Aaron Boster is an award-winning, widely published and Board-certified neurologist who currently serves as the Director of the Neuroscience Infusion Center at OhioHealth. Witnessing his uncle’s diagnosis with MS when he was 12, he and his family came to see a lack of coherence in the way MS was treated at the time. That experienced informed Dr. Boster’s drive to do things differently. At OhioHealth, he spearheads a revolutionary model in MS treatment and patient care drawing on interdisciplinary resources and putting patients and families first. Dr. Boster is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and a former Assistant Professor of Neurology at The Ohio State University, where he also formerly headed the Neuroimmunology division. Dr. Boster received his MD from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He also manages a popular YouTube channel covering all aspects of MS.   Questions in this episode include:   What are the levels that neurologists talk about when referring to medication? What does it mean to a patient if they are getting a level 1, 2 or 3 medication? Can you describe some of the most commonly prescribed disease modifying therapies that would help someone with MS make the right choice? Do you think that someone with MS should start with the mildest therapy first and then work up to a stronger therapy if symptoms progress, or use the strongest possible therapy at the outset? Do the most effective medications always have the most side-effects?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. The cascade of holidays is around the corner, and you’re probably already prepping your palate for some rich meals. On our next episode, join Geoff as he chats with Ashley Madden about OMS-friendly holiday cooking tips, just in time to ensure your holiday meals will be healthy and delicious!

Research priorities in MS with Professor Gavin Giovannoni | S1E10

Multiple Sclerosis is the focus of burgeoning medical research, which can seem like a scientific maze to the layperson. So on this episode of Living Well with MS, we are fortunate to have as our special guest one of the most qualified guides through the MS research labyrinth, Professor Gavin Giovannoni.   Professor Giovannoni is an academic neurologist based at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University London. His current research is focused on Epstein Barr virus as a possible cause of multiple sclerosis, MS-related neurodegeneration, biomarker discovery and validation, and MS clinical outcomes. In his spare time when he is not busy pursuing new frontiers in MS research, Professor Giovannoni is an avid reader, blogger, runner, gardener, husband, father, dog-owner, cook and wine and food lover.   Questions in this episode include:   What got you interested in specializing in MS? In what ways have you seen MS clinical and research objectives shifting over the past decade? Do you see lifestyle modification as playing an increasing role in patient care? Why are lifestyle factors so critical in managing autoimmune conditions such as MS? Has generally accepted clinical practice for MS care been slow to adopt some of the best practices in terms of integrating lifestyle modification into mainstream care that we’ve seen in heart disease, diabetes and certain forms of cancer? If so, why? What are the most promising research frontiers in MS today? What can we expect to see as possible outcomes of today’s MS research in the next 10-20 years? What’s the most important advice would you give today to people newly diagnosed with MS?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Our next episode will feature Dr. Aaron Boster, an Ohio-based board-certified clinical neuroimmunologist specializing in MS. Dr. Boster will discuss how to navigate the array of medication choices available for managing the symptoms of MS, and how to make the right choices. Be sure to tune in!

The world of vitamin D and other supplements with Dr Conor Kerley | S1E9

Many experts believe that vitamin D is a key regulator of the incidence and severity of MS, and this is one of the reasons why ensuring sufficient intake of this critical natural resource is one of the pillars of the Overcoming MS (OMS) 7-Step Recovery Program. So, it’s timely that this episode of Living Well with MS picks the topic apart with a guest well-versed in his own right on the topic, Dr. Conor Kerley.   Conor was diagnosed with MS at the age of 15 and fully expected to be forced to curtail his active lifestyle. He was surprised at the lack of focus on diet and lifestyle in his medical consultations, so he undertook his own research, eventually finding OMS and making the necessary adjustments to his diet and lifestyle that have kept him active, symptom-free and relapse-free to this day. Inspired by his experiences, he went on to study human nutrition and dietetics, and received his PhD from University College Dublin in 2016. You can read Conor’s full bio here.   Questions about vitamin D include:   Why is Vitamin D important in general? Why is Vitamin D especially important if you have MS? Could MS cause low vitamin D rather than the other way around? How do you measure your own Vitamin D level? What’s a healthy level of Vitamin D to have? What type of vitamin D should I take? How about getting Vitamin D naturally, from the sun? How do I do that? How do you balance the benefits of getting Vitamin D from the sun with the risks of too much UV exposure? My doctor said to take 1000 IU per week because my level is at 100 nmol. Should I follow that advice? Is vitamin D safe to take? Can you overdo it? Anything else we should know about Vitamin D? Any interesting facts, side benefits or risks?   Questions about other supplements include:   Are there any other supplements someone with MS should consider taking? Rather than taking Vitamin D, flaxseed oil and Vitamin B12 separately, should I just take a multivitamin tablet? What are the pros and cons of other supplements? Let’s go through a short list and tell me what you think: Cannabis CBD oil High dose biotin Vitamin K2 Magnesium And last but not least, everyone’s favorite and perhaps controversial topic: cannabis. What are your thoughts on its benefits and drawback for people with MS?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. Our next episode is quite the hot ticket, because Geoff will be discussing research priorities in MS with one of the foremost experts in the field, Professor Gavin Giovannoni, Chair of Neurology, Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London and the Department of Neurology, Barts and The London NHS Trust. The topic and guest promise one of the most insightful episodes yet!

Running marathons with MS with Alex Tsirigotis | S1E8

Most people, regardless of whether or not they have MS, may think running a marathon is, simply put, crazy. While exercise is an important part of the Overcoming MS (OMS) 7-Step Recovery Program, we make no claim to making everyone (or anyone) a marathon runner. Many people with MS will have symptoms that preclude them from running long distances, or indeed running at all. But inspiration is open to all, and this episode’s special guest, Alex Tsirigotis, is someone who not only runs, but has pushed his body to his limits by regularly running marathons. And the fact that he has MS is just a footnote in his story.   About Alex Tsirigotis:   Alex lives in North London with his wife and two children. He was a keen footballer (that’s soccer for our US audience), playing three times a week, when in 2012 he suffered a knee injury which kept him out of action for 6 months. During his rehabilitation he began to experience visual impairments when engaging in light physical activity. Following several medical referrals and tests, he eventually received a diagnosis of Relapsing-remitting MS in 2013. Discovering OMS shortly after diagnosis, Alex has embraced all aspects of the lifestyle for the past six years and despite not being able to continue playing football and contact sports, he developed a love for running and cycling and has successfully completed a London to Paris cycle, several marathons and an ultra-marathon, something his neurologist told him would not be possible in the early days of his diagnosis.   In his interview, Alex mentions his OMS Athens video and the OMS Strava Club.   Questions include:   How about your experience with MS? When were you diagnosed? How did you find out that you had MS? What changes did that mean for your life? What were your symptoms? When did you find out about OMS and how did you learn about it? How long was it after you started following OMS that you started to come into yourself? When did you start to see noticeable improvements? Any tips on implementing the OMS program? Tell us a little about your fascination with marathon running. How does it feel to run a marathon? Why do you do it? When you’re doing endurance exercise, do you notice any differences between yourself and other runners? Do you have any long-term side effects from running marathons? What, in your opinion, is the single most important piece of advice you have for anyone contemplating starting the OMS program?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. In our next episode, Geoff interviews Dr. Conor Kerley and dives into the world of vitamin D and other supplements. This is a key topic in MS and overall health that you won’t want to miss!

Building a daily meditation practice with Dr Craig Hassed | S1E7

Meditation is an important facet of the Overcoming MS (OMS) 7-Step Recovery Program, but many people find it hard to work it into their daily lives, while others think that it might be too “out there” for their more practical sensibilities. We are very pleased to have Dr. Craig Hassed as our guest on this episode of Living Well with MS to demystify the practice of meditation and provide very sound reasons for why you should consider its wondrous stress-relieving effects as reason enough to consider trying it. Dr. Hassed, an expert on mindfulness-based stress reduction, will also provide some common sense tips about how to successfully work meditation into your daily life.   Dr. Hassed works at the Department of General Practice and is coordinator of mindfulness programs at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is regularly invited to speak and run courses in Australia and overseas in health, professional and educational contexts. He is the author of 11 books, was the founding president of the Australian Teachers of Meditation Association and is a regular media commentator.   You can learn more about Dr. Hassed’s professional background here.   Questions include:   Is mindfulness really scientific? What happens to the body under stress? Is there a difference between long-term stress and short-term stress? Should you get professional help as well as mindfulness training if you experience anxiety or depression? Does religious faith reduce stress? Should we keep a journal? Is mindfulness the same as meditation? Is it necessary to follow guided meditations?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. In our next installment, join Geoff as he interviews Alex Tsirigotis on how he has conquered running numerous marathons in spite of having MS.

The Overcoming MS guide to getting fit with Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S1E6

You can probably feel your heart racing a bit, and that’s even before you’ve listened to episode 6 of the Living Well with MS podcast, which is all about getting and staying fit. In this episode, host Geoff Allix dons his proverbial trainers (or sneakers, depending on where in the world you’re wearing athletic shoes) to discuss the importance of implementing a balanced fitness regimen when you have MS. Joining Geoff is Véronique Gauthier-Simmons, originally from France and now residing in Portugal, is an OMS facilitator and qualified yoga instructor and yoga therapist. Véronique was diagnosed with MS at the age of 34, but through the Overcoming MS (OMS) 7-Step Recovery Program and her love of exercise found a way to make staying fit a meaningful part of her life. Since exercise is such a key pillar of the OMS approach, Véronique now helps others do the same, always hewing to her personal motto, “stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right!”   You can learn more about Véronique’s professional background here.   Questions include:   How does you decide which exercise – running, swimming, biking, weights, yoga – is right for you? If you’re not fully mobile, what kind of exercises can you do? Should one stay within their comfort zone, or push their boundaries? Is it better to watch exercise videos or take a fitness class?   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. In our next installment, join Geoff as he speaks with mindfulness expert Assoc. Professor Craig Hassed on stress relief and working meditation into your daily routine.