Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis

Eating and Breathing for Optimum Health with Graham and Annette Henry | S5E10

Welcome to Season 5 of Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, we are pleased to welcome nutrition educators and breathing instructors Annette and Graham Henry!  Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Annette and Graham’s bio. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS. Bio: Graham and Annette Henry are the founders of Henry and Henry, Plant-Based Nutrition Educators and Breathing Re-education Instructors. Their health challenges that led them to become experts Both British, they relocated to Germany in October 2020 and now live in Berlin. They have each resolved their own particular health challenges via a dietary approach. For Annette, this was initially endometriosis, and later on chronic fatigue. For Graham, it was obesity, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. Their training as whole food plant-based educators Becoming increasingly aware of the impact of diet on our health, Annette and Graham were motivated to learn more about a nutritional approach to managing and resolving chronic conditions, realizing that this would also have knock-on benefits for planetary health. As a result, they both trained as whole food plant-based educators and now apply their knowledge and passion to not only help others transition successfully to a more plant-based diet as a route to improved health but also as a means of contributing to a more conscious and compassionate world. Becoming certified breathing instructors Annette and Graham recognise that the journey of self-realisation and the key to resolving health issues doesn’t always follow an obvious and linear route and that it requires continual revaluation and adaptation. Thus, when one of them self-diagnosed a breathing issue, realising that diet is only one piece of the puzzle, it prompted them to investigate the science of breathing and how the way we breathe can affect our physical and cognitive health. As a result of their findings, they have now become certified breathing instructors, helping clients to resolve and better manage a range of health conditions and to improve performance. Henry and Henry Annette and Graham run regular events, classes and workshops on whole food, plant-based nutrition and breathing. Further details can be found on their website at https://www.henryandhenryeu.com Key Takeaways: Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics “Prebiotics are the fibres that we eat, that we can't actually do anything with, but our gut bacteria can. That's their food and that’s what they thrive on. Probiotics are the healthy gut bugs that we have. So, the prebiotics are for the probiotics (our gut bugs). Then the postbiotics are the byproducts of that nutrition, that the bugs eat, [and] that release all sorts of wonderful chemicals in our body - short-chain fatty acids – which we now know, have so many health benefits. How to transition to a plant-based diet “I would say that taking smallest steps is better for most people, because they can handle that better. It may be a case of changing one meal, making sure your breakfast is plant-based every day or a different meal or whatever [meal you choose], and increasing it [and] looking at swaps.” Breathing for health “The Buteyko Breathing Method is really for dealing with health conditions. If you're breathing incorrectly, then somewhere in your health, things will not work quite as well as they could. It could be more obvious things such as asthma and anxiety. Sleep can be extremely impacted by [breathing incorrectly], as I'm finding out and it’s just starting to get exciting because I am actually finally sleeping a little bit better. [There] are all sorts of other areas too, that you might not imagine, [for example] your posture is impacted by your breathing.” Related links:  Henry and Henry is an Affiliate Organization of Plant Based Health Professionals UK Salus Fatigue Foundation is a non-profit organization which inspires people affected by fatigue to live happy and healthy lives. Listen to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #21 with Friends Reunited cofounder Julie Pankhurst Reach James Nestor’s book Breath Learn about Buteyko Breathing Don’t miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here. 

Ask Jack - Dining Out at Restaurants | S5E9

Welcome to Season 5 of Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode we are pleased to welcome professional cook and writer, Jack McNulty as our guest! You can submit your questions for Jack anytime by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Jack’s bio. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS. Bio Jack’s career Jack McNulty has been involved in food and cooking most of his life. He’s walked many paths during his culinary journey, including transforming himself from an interested home cook to a professional chef with classical training. He has worked for talented and knowledgeable chefs in high-end restaurants in Switzerland, Italy, and France. Jack operated his own catering business and cooking school for 15 years, while also finding time to write about cooking. Jack’s current activities include operating myfreshattitude.com – a website dedicated to providing healthy vegan recipes and useful vegan cooking instruction and techniques. He also writes and distributes a weekly international newsletter – VeganWeekly – to inspire people to cook healthy vegan food. Jack and Overcoming MS Jack has followed the Overcoming MS lifestyle since 2009. He has actively worked on providing recipes and information to the Overcoming MS website, was the contributing editor to the Overcoming MS Cookbook, and authored the ‘Eat Well’ chapter in the latest Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis Handbook.   Key Takeaways The Overcoming MS diet will help manage inflammation “If you look at it just purely on the dietary portion of the Overcoming MS program, if you follow the guidelines, it gives you a good chance of - over time - getting back to some sort of base level. And that may take somewhere between five and seven years for a lot of people. I know it did for me, it was around seven years before all my symptoms just vanished. The goal is to promote health in your body. So, [if] you want to decrease inflammation, you want to ingest foods that are going to play a role in decreasing inflammation.” It’s helpful to research restaurant menus ahead of dining out “If I'm going to a place I've not been, I turn to the internet first to see if there is a menu online. Maybe by looking online, you're just already going to say, ‘well there's only one thing I can have on this menu’ and that might not be good enough. But it's also possible that there are some possibilities here and you have some questions already in mind before you even get to the restaurant that you could ask the server.” Don’t stress if you eat something by accident/not by choice when eating out “Over the years, having an experience like that [eating something by accident/not by choice when eating out] is not going to have a huge impact. Now, having said that, I think it's probably not a good idea to just say, well, it's accepted because Jack just said so. I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that sometimes those things come up and it's better to just not stress about them and then just go ahead and enjoy it and move on. And next day, be twice as healthy.” Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Related Links:  Read  the Overcoming MS Handbook Download the Overcoming MS Chef cards Listen to previous “Ask Jack” episodes S3E34, S3E35, S3E38, S3E41, E3E48, S4E51, S4E53, S4E65 Don’t miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Family friendly Foods with Sam Josephs Webinar highlights | S5E8

Welcome to Season 5 of Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, we are sharing the highlights from our ‘Family friendly Foods’ webinar with Nutritional Therapist Sam Josephs. In this episode, Sam shares how to incorporate easy, family-friendly Overcoming MS recipe ideas into your everyday life and social gatherings. This webinar was recorded in June 2022 as part of our Finding Hope with Overcoming MS webinar series. You can watch the whole webinar here or the podcast highlights on YouTube here. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Sam’s bio.  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS. Bio: Sam Josephs believes passionately in diet and lifestyle intervention as a powerful preventative approach to all chronic health conditions, including MS.  Sam’s qualifications and career Since graduating from BCNH (UK College of Nutrition and Health) in 2008, Sam has been working in her North London clinic seeing clients on a 1-2-1 basis. She has also worked as a pastoral and clinical tutor for BCNH, and appears annually as a guest lecturer at both BCNH and the Institute of Optimum Nutrition, training upcoming nutritional therapy students in a variety of conditions, including MS. She has presented to many MS support groups, was an expert panelist at the MSLife Expo in 2016 and has worked as a retreat facilitator for Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis. She is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist, a full member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and is also registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) – the only register for Nutritional Therapy recognized by the Department of Health. Sam’s personal life Her husband was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2002 which has shaped the direction of Sam’s career and gives her the compassion and unique hands-on knowledge to support so many others with the condition. Above all else, Sam enjoys nothing more than a trip to the Farmer’s Market, or a good greengrocer and is a keen and experimental cook for her family and friends. Key Takeaways: Making your own veggie burgers is easier than you think “A lot of store-bought meat substitutes contain a long list of ingredients or the cheap oils like palm oil. But they are pretty easy to make yourself. Essentially all you're doing is rinsing a can of beans, adding some dried oats, or some leftover cooked rice from the day before, or a chunk of bread which you can toast if it's maybe a bit stale and blitz it up into breadcrumbs. Maybe add an egg white, and then just put loads of herbs and seasonings and flavors in it. And if you just mix it all up together in a blender, then it will make some really nice patties.” Healthy snack dips are easy and delicious   “Dips are a great thing to have in the fridge for sandwich breads, picnics, but also when the kids get home from school. Rather than KitKats and crisps, they could just grab a carrot and stick it into a nice dip. It's essentially just using a dollop of soy yogurt, either blended up with a tin of fish (smoked mackerel works really well) or a tin of beans and blitz it all up together with a handheld mixer, and presto, it's a dip!” Children take family eating habits with them into adulthood “If we make those changes, and we set them in stone at home in the family, when the kids grow up and live alone, and go off to college or get [their] first job, [they’ll take those healthy habits with them.] So switch things like white bread to brown, try to switch white rice to brown or whole grain cereals, switch out from something like Frosties every day, to having porridge once a week, or a nice muesli once a week, just changing the routine [can make a difference for them].” Related Links:  Listen to Sam’s previous episodes of Living Well with MS:  o   S1 Episode 3: The OMS Diet in a Nutshell (Part 1) o   S1 Episode 4: The OMS Diet in a Nutshell (Part 2) Watch the original Webinar recording here   Don’t miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

The Art and Science of Fasting with Steve Hendricks | S5E7

Welcome to Season 5 of Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode we are pleased to welcome Steve Hendricks, the author of The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting as our guest!   Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Steve's bio.  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS.  Content Warning: This episode mentions a study involving data on attempted suicide. If you are having thoughts of self-harm, please reach out to someone. Find a list of hotlines here. Overcoming MS has a mental health hub with resources for managing anxiety, uncertainty and stress.   Bio:  Steve’s career: Steve Hendricks is a freelance reporter and the author of the new book The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting. He’s also the author of two previous books, one of which, The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country, made several best-of-the-year lists. He has a website with information about his books and an extensive list of FAQs about fasting.  Steve's personal life:He lives in Boulder, Colorado (USA), with his wife – a  professor of family law – and  his dog, a border collie cross.     Key Takeaways:   A longer daily fasting period helps our body make repairs and reduce leaky gut syndrome  13:38 “The longer we give our bodies each night to do all this work, the better it does them. If we narrow our fasting window too much, our body will not be able to make these repairs. Chronobiologists biologists, who study the timing of our bodies, think that it's highly likely that our long eating windows and narrow fasting windows each night are one of the contributors, in addition to our cr@ppy diet, to leaky gut syndrome.”    Clinical observations have shown fasting can improve many conditions, including MS!  24:36 “We have more than a century of clinical observations from fasting doctors, across multiple generations [and] multiple countries, (mostly in the US, Germany, Russia) who report very credibly many cases of reversals of cardiovascular disease through prolonged fasting. I'm talking fasting for a week, two weeks, sometimes up to 30-40 days, depending upon the condition. Cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema and acne, asthma, allergies. It's a very long list. Fasting doctors routinely report that prolonged fasting is good for autoimmune diseases.”    Research into the benefits of fasting for people with MS is very promising  50:00 “Valter Longo found that fast mimicking diet cycles not only prevented the demyelination and damage to the axons in mice – which  are the parts of the nerve that conduct impulses – but  also began to remyelinate some of the stripped off myelination on those same parts of the nerves. In consequence, the mice did better on motor tests, they did better on mental tests. And here's the sleeper headline: 20% of these mice appear to have been cured. All their symptoms were gone. So, a pretty moderate amount of fasting cures MS in mice.”   To hear our latest tips and news about living a full and healthy life with MS, make sure you sign up to our newsletter   Related Links:   Visit Steve Hendricks’ website SteveHendricks.org   Buy ‘The Oldest Cure in the World’ from Bookshop.org or Hive.co.uk Read Steve’s article ‘Starving Your Way to Vigor’ in Harper’s Magazine on fasting here: https://harpers.org/archive/2012/03/starving-your-way-to-vigor/ Find out more about Michael Mosely’s 5:2 diet: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/ Read the Buchinger Wilhelmi fasting clinic interview with Francois Wilhelmi de Toledo here: https://www.buchinger-wilhelmi.com/en/interview-winterson-and-francoise-wilhelmi-de-toledo/ Listen to Valter Longo on Living Well with MS here: https://overcomingms.org/resource/podcast/s2-episode-15   Don’t miss out:    Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   Support us:    If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Over a decade of Overcoming MS with Renee Coffey | S5E6

Welcome to Season 5 of Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Renee Coffey as our guest. Renee has been following the Overcoming MS Program for over 10 years. She talks about her Overcoming MS journey, her story that was published in the ‘Overcoming MS Handbook’, and her advice to those just starting out on the Program.   Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Renee’s bio.  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS.  Bio:   Renee started on her Overcoming MS journey shortly after her first MS episode in 2011 so has been following the Overcoming MS program for over 10 years.   Renee’s career and personal life In her day job, Renee works full-time as the Deputy CEO of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, a role and cause she cares deeply about. Renee is mum to two boys, aged 7 and 9 and gets to share two older children with her partner Jason - wonderful young women aged 20 and 21.  Renee’s lesions have disappeared and/or shrunk Three years ago, following a routine MRI, Renee was told there was no disease progression. Also, one of the lesions on her spine had disappeared, and one had shrunk to just millimetres. Last year, Renee received the great news. Not only is there no new disease activity, but now the two lesions in her brain have disappeared as well.   Renee’s passion for Overcoming MS Renee is passionate about her Overcoming MS journey and credits her good health and so much of the richness she experiences in her life to the Overcoming MS program and community.  Key Takeaways:   MS Symptoms are varied and sometimes confusing, mimicking other conditions “The itching was across one of those bands around my torso, on one side. My GP clued up on to that pretty quickly. Once he tried a few things, and that didn't work, he actually gave me a referral to a neurologist, which for me was quite surprising because I thought I had been bitten by a spider. Then, I started thinking maybe I had shingles or something like that. As far as I knew, a neurologist was just for your brain, so I was thinking, ‘hang on a second, that seems like an odd referral.’ But I googled the neurologist and he was a specialist in MS.”  Following the Overcoming MS Program will improve your overall health and wellbeing “The Overcoming MS program has brought so much more to me than the absence of decline. I actually think it has brought a lot of richness to me, by way of just changing my outlook on my health and my wellbeing and putting that at the front and centre of what I do. I am definitely a much healthier person now, in a holistic sense, than I was before my diagnosis. I love the way I eat. If you told me tomorrow that I could take a magic pill and you'll cure my MS, I would not be running straight to a cheese platter or digging into a steak. I couldn't think of anything worse.”  Renee hiked part of the Camino de Santiago (an ancient Pilgrim route through Europe) with her family “If you had told me 10-plus years ago that I was even going to want a hike 215 kilometres, I wouldn't have believed you. But I think that's part of this change. I never played team sports before my MS diagnosis, I never had any level of fitness or any interest in any kind of fitness activity or outdoor activities. And so that's all come from this much healthier view on holistic health.”  To hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS, like Renee has done, make sure you sign up to our newsletter   Related Links:  Read the Overcoming MS Handbook   Read more about how to prevent MS in family members  You can hike part of the Camino de Santiago while fundraising for Overcoming MS   Don’t miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.  Support us:  If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here. 

Webinar highlights from Ask Aaron with Dr. Aaron Boster | S5E5

Welcome to Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, we are sharing the highlights from one of our ‘Ask Aaron’ webinars, where neurologist, Dr. Aaron Boster, answers questions about MS from the community. Dr. Boster covers a range of fascinating topics such as fasting, menopause and gut health.  This webinar was recorded in March 2022 as part of our Finding Hope with Overcoming MS webinar series. You can watch the whole webinar here or the podcast highlights on YouTube here.  Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Dr Boster’s bio. Keep in touch: Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS.    Dr. Aaron Boster’s Bio:   Dr. Aaron Boster is an award-winning, widely published, and board-certified neurologist specialising in multiple sclerosis (MS) and related CNS inflammatory disorders. He currently serves as the Director of the Neuroscience Infusion Center at OhioHealth.   Why Dr. Boster chose to become a specialist in MS  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 experience informed Dr. Boster’s drive to do things differently.   Dr. Boster’s career   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 has been intimately involved in the care of people impacted by MS; he has been a principal investigator in numerous clinical trials, trained multiple MS doctors and nurse practitioners, and has been published extensively in medical journals. He lectures to both patients and providers worldwide with a mission to educate, energise and empower people impacted by MS.   Dr. Boster’s education and personal life  Dr. Boster grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended undergraduate at Oberlin College. He earned his MD at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed an internship in Internal Medicine and Residency in Neurology at the University of Michigan, followed by a two-year fellowship in Clinical Neuroimmunology at Wayne State University.   He lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Krissy, son Maxwell, and daughter Betty Mae.    Selected Key Takeaways: Embracing exercise is an important step to improve outcomes for MS “I would encourage the entire family to embrace exercise, when it's nice outside, you go for a walk and kayaking and canoeing and what have you. We have excellent data that people impacted by MS who exercise as part of their lifestyle end up less disabled at the end of their life as compared to they didn't. And so we want to help instil those important, very, very important behaviours in a young person as early as possible.”  Intermittent Fasting is recommended and is safe for MS  “Within the last year, I've become very interested in not just what PwMS eat, but when they eat. When they eat turns out to matter. It's my opinion that intermittent fasting specifically is a bio-hack, not just for people impacted by MS,but for [all] humans. And it's my opinion that intermittent fasting is very safe in the setting of MS.”   What to consider when thinking about alternative medicine  “When someone wants to consider alternative medicine, which I will define as something that I was not taught in medical school, it doesn't make it good or bad. It just means I wasn't taught about it. An example might be acupuncture. I was not trained in acupuncture, which doesn't mean it's not real. It just means I don't know much about it. So, when I'm presented with something that is alternative, then I'm okay with it as long as three rules are met. The first one is it can't be too expensive. ... The second thing is it can't be dangerous. ... And [the] third is it can't be instead of something that I know works.”   Related Links:  Dr. Boster was on three previous Living Well with MS episodes: S1E11: Making the Right Medication Choices   S2E17: Lifestyle Choices and their Impact on MS    S3E43: Let’s Talk About (and MS) Check out Dr. Boster’s popular YouTube channel covering all aspects of MS.    Don’t miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by  emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS.    Support us:  If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here. 

MS Advocacy and Accessible Fashion with Roxy Murray | S5E4

Welcome to Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, Geoff meets MS and disability activist, Roxy Murray.  Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and bio. You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel here. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS. Roxy Murray’s bio: If you're keen on driving inclusivity, Roxy's story will be of interest to you. Roxy Murray (@multiplesclerosisfashionista) is a London (UK) based MS and disability, and body positivity and activist. She is also a podcaster, voiceover artist, fashion stylist and the designer of sick and sickening (@sickandsickening) clothing, a brand created to celebrate disabled and invisible illness warriors. She focuses her attention on creating better representation, consideration and inclusion within the MS narrative for people of colour and the LGBTQIA Community. Roxy’s Social Media Through her social media, Roxy combines her love of fashion and art to empower others on their journey, whilst they navigate through life with a disability or invisible illness. She creates videos and Instagram content that celebrates and brings visibility to the beauty of the community with her hashtag #WeAreNotInvisible. She also focuses her attention on helping others take steps to release grief and openly talk about her own mental health battles. Roxy’s podcast She highlights real unfiltered stories and talks about taboo subjects like disabled joy, sexual empowerment and much more on her podcast (@sickandsickening_podcast). Selected Key Takeaways Accessible fashion is adaptable, so that it suits every body, every shape, and every person’s needs Sometimes that might be an adaptable sleeve, it might be magnetic fastening. Jewellery is a big one for me, I find it really hard to clip in the little clips around the neck. You can get ones [fastenings] that are just magnetic so it's easier to pull on and push off for someone that wants to be chic and fashionable and look good, but they want to be able to dress themselves. Then Barbara Met Allen is a new TV show chronicling the UK’s disability rights movement It's more inclusive it's more accessible and people that are disabled are being allowed to tell [their] own stories, which is really special. So, you have a story of when Barbara met Allen and together, after the disability rights generation movement in America, it came over here. They were looking for their own accessibility revolution. There’s no need to desexualize disabled bodies I'm a 34-year-old, unapologetic Aries. I'm going to stand up, be proud and look fabulous. I've literally walked a runway show with a mobility aid, and was like, “I'm going to wear underwear and be fabulous and show people we can be disabled and be sexual and be good and curious and gorgeous”. Related Links: Connect with Roxy on Instagram Roxy's podcast: Sick and Sickening on Apple Podcasts Myelin & Melanin podcast: myelinandmelanin.com Alinker walking bike: www.thealinker.com/ Unhidden Clothing: unhiddenclothing.com/ Watch 'Then Barbara Met Allen' on Netflix: www.netflix.com/gb/title/81406123 The ADAMS study: app.mantal.co.uk/adams Listen to our podcast with Mitzi Joi Willams: S4 Episode 50 Find out more about Dominic Shadbolt’s The MS Guide: dominicshadbolt.com/ Watch Education on Netflix: www.netflix.com/gb/title/80197526 Hot Octopus adaptable toys: www.hotoctopuss.com/uk/en/ Listen to our podcast with Aaron Boster on MS and : S3 Episode 43 Follow Dave Walsh: www.instagram.com/sitting_bull_uk Follow Yazzie: www.instagram.com/yazzietalks/ MS Together www.mstogether.org/ Don’t miss out:  Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

In conversation with Associate Professor Michelle O’Donoghue |S5E3

Welcome to Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Dr Michelle O’Donoghue, OMSer (someone following the Overcoming MS Program) and co-editor of the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis Handbook, as our guest.  Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Michelle’s bio.   Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS.  Michelle’s bio:  Career  Dr Michelle O’Donoghue is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician in the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She is the inaugural recipient of the McGillycuddy-Logue Distinguished Chair in Cardiology.   Dr O’Donoghue earned her medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. She subsequently completed a Master’s in public health degree at the Harvard School of Public Health.   MS diagnosis and Overcoming MS  Dr O’Donoghue was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010 and adopted the Overcoming MS Program (diet and lifestyle changes) shortly thereafter. She has lived free from clinical relapses since that time.  In 2022, Dr O’Donoghue, Professor George Jelinek and Associate Professor Sandra Neate published the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis Handbook that they co-edited together which provides an accessible overview of the Overcoming MS Program created by Professor Jelinek, including empowering community stories.   Selected Key Takeaways  Overcoming MS offers hope and a way to change the trajectory of MS   “I think that when people first get a diagnosis [of MS], they envision that it is a course towards progressive deterioration, and progressive symptoms, and then that course can't be modified. And so, for me, it was so exciting, and it gave me so much hope, to feel like there was some ability that I might have to change that trajectory and that's a big part of why I adopted the Overcoming MS plan.”  It can take time to come to terms with an MS diagnosis and it may take time to fully embrace the Overcoming MS program   “I came across Professor Jelinek's book about Overcoming MS and the first time that I read the book, it didn't initially resonate with me as much as it did when I picked it up several months later. When I look back, I think to myself, ‘why was it that I didn't initially embrace his suggestions?’ I think that there are many reasons for that. One of which was, I was still just in an initial denial in general about my diagnosis and I was going through the different phases of grief really to cope with that, and my initial reaction was denial.”  Following the Overcoming MS Program will improve your overall health   “Professor Jelinek appropriately emphasizes that all elements of the program are equally important. I try to remind myself of that on a regular basis. At the end of the day, I think that [for] anyone who's considering the Overcoming MS program, I would encourage them to recognise that it's a win-win. Following a predominantly whole food plant-based diet, adopting stress management strategies, and making sure that you deal with any mental struggles that you may have, face those demons. I think it leads you to a better place overall.”  Related Links:   Read the Overcoming MS Handbook: Roadmap to Good Health: https://overcomingms.org/overcoming-multiple-sclerosis-handbook-roadmap-good-health Read the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis book: https://overcomingms.org/resources/overcoming-multiple-sclerosis-book Find out more about Roy Swank’s research on a low saturated fat diet for people with MS https://overcomingms.org/latest/swanks-paper-looking-effect-low-saturated-fat-diet-ms Don’t miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS.  If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here. 

Webinar highlights from The Overcoming MS Handbook: Roadmap to Good Health | S5E2

Welcome to Living Well with MS, the Overcoming MS podcast where we explore all topics relating to living well with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this episode, we are taking you back to the launch of the ‘Overcoming MS Handbook: Roadmap to Good Health’ with Professor George Jelinek, Dr Jonathan White and Dr Phil Startin. Together they discussed how the new book was created, the highlights from the book and answered questions from the community. We were excited by the arrival of the new book, as it provides an engaging overview of the Overcoming MS Program combined with stories from the community. This webinar was recorded in February 2022 as part of our Finding Hope with Overcoming MS webinar series. You can watch the whole webinar here or the podcast highlights on YouTube here. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and George, Jonathan and Phil’s bios. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS. Professor George Jelinek’s Bio Professor George Jelinek developed the Overcoming MS Program and founded the Neuroepidemiology Unit at the University of Melbourne's School of Population and Global Health which continues to research its benefits. George’s Story: When George was diagnosed with MS in 1999, he was determined to do something. His mother had died as a consequence of her MS, which spurred him on to sort through and assess the medical literature on MS. His career as a Professor in Emergency Medicine and his background as Editor-in-Chief of a major medical journal gave him the tools to do this. It became clear to George that remaining well after a diagnosis of MS is more than just a possibility. He found that with commitment to the right lifestyle changes, there is the real probability that many people with MS can live long, healthy lives, relatively free of the usual problems associated with the illness. These lifestyle recommendations are now referred to as the Overcoming MS Program, which he detailed in his book Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis. The new book in this podcast episode is a newly launched accessible overview of his findings. George has remained free of further relapses, as have many people who follow the Overcoming MS Program. Dr. Jonathan White’s Bio Career: Jonathan went to University of Glasgow Medical School, graduating in 2008 (MBChB). He completed a further five years of training in Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (MRCOG). He works at the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine and has a special interest in early pregnancy and recurrent pregnancy loss. In April 2022, Jonathan was awarded “Doctor of the Year” at the inaugural Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Awards. He contributed to the new book in this podcast episode. Overcoming MS and personal life: Jonathan was diagnosed with RRMS in October 2015 and has been following the Overcoming MS Program ever since.  Dr. White assists Overcoming MS as a medical advisor and event facilitator. He lives on the North Coast of Northern Ireland, is married to Jenny and father to Angus and Struan. His interests include the great outdoors, cycling and running (reluctantly), reading, rugby, film and spending time with his family. Dr Phil Startin’s Bio Career and Overcoming MS: After a DPhil in Quantum Physics, Phil left his academic roots for a more peripatetic career in management consulting, initially with Price Waterhouse. After years of travelling around the world for both work and pleasure, including a two-year assignment in Geneva, he was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) in 2007. Phil discovered Overcoming MS in 2011, and coupled with his earlier discovery of mindfulness meditation, it awakened a whole new area in his life. With training and supervision from Bangor University, he now teaches an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course to people with MS and to the general community on a pro-bono basis. He is also a trustee for MS-UK. Personal life: Phil lives in Arrochar, Scotland with his American wife, Cristina, whom he met over a weekend at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Phil’s completely convinced that the Overcoming MS program and mindfulness have positively affected the trajectory of his condition. Selected Key Takeaways The new book gives different perspectives from the Overcoming MS community Professor George Jelinek said: “After what seems like quite a long time of bringing this message to people, I’m hearing the message come back to me through the filter of all of these different people's lives and experiences, joys and sorrows. It's just a wonderful read for me to sit down and say that all this has been happening in our community and that people have worked out ways of adopting and maintaining this program, many of which I've really never considered given that I've got only my own particular view of the world.” Overcoming MS supports the use of medications alongside lifestyle changes Dr Jonathan White said: “I think sometimes the medical community thinks it’s “us or them” [with] lifestyle or medication and that could never be further from the truth. I personally have always chosen to use medication as part of my way of managing MS and I wouldn't change that. But nor would I change using lifestyle to manage my MS. Undoubtedly for many people medication has many benefits and is a huge part of your armor and protection against this disease. But why ignore the underlying things that caused the problem in the first place, you know, stress, lack of exercise, low vitamin D levels, poor diet and processed and altered fats and animal fats in your diet?” The Overcoming MS program is relevant for both relapsing and progressive forms of MS Dr Phil Startin said: “By following the Overcoming MS program, you absolutely can make a difference [to your MS], you can change the trajectory of that condition, and you can improve your quality of life. Through neuroplasticity, you can even recover some functions. The Overcoming MS program is just as relevant for us with a progressive form of the condition as it is for those with those newly diagnosed and with a relapsing form, possibly even more.” Related Links: Overcoming MS Handbook: Roadmap to Good Health Watch the original webinar Don't miss out: 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. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Make sure you also sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Functional Medicine with Magic Barclay | S5E1

Welcome to Season 5 of Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome holistic health practitioner and expert Magic Barclay as our guest!  Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Magic's bio. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS. Bio: Magic Barclay is the lead practitioner and founder of ‘Wholistic Natural Health Australia’, a holistic health practice. She also is a host of the podcast “A Magical Life: Health, Wealth and Weight Loss”. Magic’s life changed when she faced multiple life-threatening conditions and at the same time, found herself divorced and raising her two children alone. She decided to find the root cause of her health issues and that set her on a path of life-changing learning that affected her whole family. Magic is a Master Practitioner in immune health, mould toxicity recovery and Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology (the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body) of trauma. She tells us that she is a “mum of two amazing humans and two gorgeous furbabies, a grower of organic food for her family and a passionate native gardener”. Magic’s mission is to help people heal naturally, reconnect to the environment and reach their own potential. She mainly works with women aged 45-65 who feel unheard or misled by mainstream medicine and anyone who wants to bring their health back to basics. Selected Key Takeaways: The purpose of functional medicine Functional medicine involves looking at the systems of the body. It looks at what each system does and how it works with the other systems. We often say, "no system works alone." We particularly look at the root cause because if you don't look at that, then other issues keep arising. Belief in yourself is a powerful part of healing If people don't believe in themselves, they're not going to get well. We see a lot of people just given diagnosis after diagnosis, label after label, and they start believing that's who they are. Magic believes that this is a really awful way to live because you're a person, you are not the label that was given to you by your doctor. You are still a person. So, what they do in functional medicine is uncover: Who is that person? And who do [they] want to be? Reduce stress by acknowledging the stressor isn’t forever If you find yourself around people that increase your stress, don't be around them or decide to be around them for five or 10 minutes. Give yourself a time cap and tell yourself after 10 minutes “I'm out of this situation and I'll be okay”. If you find you are stressed by work, a doctor's appointment or driving, either take yourself out of the situation, find an alternative, or give yourself a time limit so that you know internally it's not forever. And don't sit there thinking, “I'm so stressed,” as your body hears that and guess what? It replies, "Really? This is a low level of stress, you want to be stressed? I'll raise the bar." Related Links: Magic’s Wholistic Natural Health Find out more about PNEI and Dr. Gabor Maté https://drgabormate.com/ Make natural laundry detergent from horse chestnuts/ conkers/ buckeyes https://wastelandrebel.com/make-laundry-detergent-out-of-chestnuts/ Parkinson’s protein from gut to brain https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/tracking-spread-parkinsons-proteins-gut-brain The Blood Brain Barrier in MS https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8395058/ Th1 and Th17 response in MS https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5491887/ Don’t miss out: Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Make sure you also sign up to our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.