Fight for Your Health
While this blog is not about Multiple Sclerosis, when readers find out I have MS, they often want to know how I manage my symptoms and what they can do to help live better with a specific disease or poor health in general.
As it turns out, the things I did when I was diagnosed and the things I do now are not mutually exclusive to MS. While I don’t have experience with other diseases, I think these ideas would work for many scenarios. I’m not offering a cure for anything here, but instead want to share hope that we have the power to heal ourselves.
Sometimes the hardest time to feel powerful is when we are sick, newly diagnosed or just feeling down.
Through MS I’ve experienced long (months) episodes of vertigo and fatigue, tingly fingers and face, and mild depression. I have been almost symptom free for more than 3 years and I attribute that to fighting for my health.
I knew I had to do something to change the course of my disease or I would continue to decline. Here are the things that made the biggest difference and I think can help you too.
- Research diets and healthy eating plans. Read The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health
and other books that talk about inflammation. Change your diet and do whatever it takes to feel well.
- Move everyday. Start where you need to start. Work within your pain levels, recognize fatigue and either stretch or walk and do something more high energy when you can
- Connect with others living well with your disease. Stay away from forums and message boards/blogs where people are complaining or rehashing all the negatives you know. Instead reach out directly to someone living symptom free or that is very active and ask them how they did it.
- Partner with your doctor. You have more to gain/lose in this relationship. Ask questions, present research, get second opinions. Be the boss of your health and your healthcare team.
- Don’t listen to the doctors all the time. You know your body better than they do. Just because this disease produces certain symptoms in some people, does not mean that has to happen to you. Just because you’ve experienced some of those symptoms doesn’t mean you always will.
- Wage war on your disease. Get to know it, research, experiment, and be vigilant. Sometimes that means resting.
- Do things you love that keep your brain or body active. Learn a new language. Take a cooking class or write a book.
- Give. Volunteer for an organization that supports your affliction or another cause that is unrelated. Thinking about someone besides yourself when you have a chronic condition is KEY.
- Reduce stress by reducing the unessential. aka … simplify your life
I hope these ideas will give you a place to start. You have brilliant opportunity to turn your life around or to continue to enjoy the benefits of health. The possibilities are endless if you are willing to do the work. Be hopeful, vigilant and kind to give yourself the best chance for long lasting health and the strength to fight when you need to.
And, if you are lucky enough not to be diagnosed with anything, still fight for your health. If you don’t, you might not get a chance to fight for anything else.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Review these ideas with a doctor and see if any or all of them make sense for you. Please share questions and ideas about how to live a healthier life in the comment section. I’d love to hear your story and I am sure it will inspire other readers.
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Hi Courtney – This is a great guide to not only fighting for your health, but maintaining good health as well.
The China Study you linked to above is such a compelling account of how our diet directly contributes to our overall health.
You’ve done such a great job of becoming informed and rearranging your life to reclaim your health. Thanks for being an inspiration.
Thanks Jenny. I’ve been inspired by others doing the same.
My brother was diagnosed just over 6 years ago with MS. He found out right after he moved to NYC to start life after college. Through the 6 years, he has imparted all of the above. And truly, a HUGE difference has been made. Now after 6 years of being on daily meds (Copaxone), it looks like he’ll be able to go off them soon. It’s amazing how some small steps towards healthy living can have such large implications. I hope you the best in your journey!!
Amazing story. Hug your brother for me!
I’m only just starting to learn how managing your OWN health is the most effective thing you can do for chronic conditions. I’m starting out on this journey, so thank you for all the encouragement.
You will do great. Experiment and keep what works and toss what doesn’t.
Two years ago, at 45 years old, I was diagnosed with heart disease after have multiple heart attacks and surgeries. I now feel like a ticking time bomb, always waiting for the next (bigger?) heart attack to strike. Instead of feeling motivated to change, I feel overwhelmed and stimyied to the point of inactivity. Totally counter-productive. I like your advice to partner with others who are in a similar situation and positively moving forward. I need to find that (most heart patients are much older than me.) Thank you for the encouragement today…
Greta, That has got to be so scary. Check out what the American Heart Association local chapter is like. They may have age based groups or events where you could connect with people in similar situations. Please keep in touch and fight for your health. xo
I am not a doctor, but I am reading Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Catherine Shanahan MD. It covers a lot of topics about nutrition. One topic of interest for me was the role of vegetable oils-including canola oil- and sugar in blood vessel damage. Everybody keeps telling us to stop eating animal fat, stick to the vegetable oils. It may be what is hurting us. Keep learning so you can find new ways to fight and stay positive.
Courtney, I’m sure you’ve probably seen this doctor at a TED conference:
http://uncommonlybrilliant.blogspot.com/2011/12/this-ladys-story-about-ms-ted.html
The link is to my blog, but it’s not about that. More important than her talk though is the link to Dr Roy Swank.
Hi Mike, Yes, That TED Talk by Dr. Terry Wahls is amazing. While I won’t incorporate all of her diet recommendations, I’ve really tried to up my daily intake of greens, especially Kale because of that.
Courtney, your spot on with the idea that your actions can relate to other diseases as well. I have diabetes and honestly didn’t start doing anything about it until I started feeling symptoms. Over the last few months, I’ve been doing exactly what you said, fighting for my health. I’ve lost 25lbs, exercise every day and have noticed a big difference in my life. Some days are still better than others, but I’m making strides and the disease essentially has little effect on my life.
Wow! Bryan – congrats on fighting for your health. I am sure making those big changes weren’t easy, and still aren’t. I am so glad you’ve seen such remarkable results. You are an inspiration!
What an inspiration and encourgement you are Courtney! Thank you for sharing your story and the tips you have learned along the way!
Thanks Andrea!
Courtney ~
Thanks for sharing. Your words are inspirational, providing advice and support. I don’t have MS, but do have fibromyalgia and degenerative disk disease and live can be daunting at times. Fighting for one’s health is more important than one often realizes. I am trying to do this. I, sometimes, encounter a “roadblock” when my husband does all he can to stop me from doing things, because he’s afraid I will hurt more for days. Frustrating for me, though I know he’s doing this out of love. I’m going to make an effort to do more — within reason — and see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed. Blessings to you!
MotherKitty, Husbands need to help and really want to “fix” things. He wants the best for you and sometimes you need to tell him what that is. Sometimes others do need to say “slow down” though, and it’s often wise advice.
Thank you for this excellent post! I also deal with chronic health problems – Hashimoto’s thyroiditis – and I completely agree with your tips. Most of these things I had to discover the hard way when I was first diagnosed, so it’s great to see others doing their part to spread helpful ideas and comfort!
When I was first diagnosed, it seemed much easier to find the negative stories. I’m glad I didn’t stop looking and was inspired by others living well with MS.
Thank you for this post. It supports my recent decision to leave my full-time job and focus on my health (with the support of my husband). I have moderate to severe roto-scoliosis and my full-time desk job is causing severe pressure point pain almost daily. With 2 kids in college it won’t be easy to lose my salary – but I realize if I don’t focus soon on my health – I will slowly lose my mobility and won’t be able to contribute financially anyway. I’ve only recently discovered your blog, and have found comfort in it many times. Thank you for your calm, zen-like writing.
Thanks Candice, I’m so glad you taking the time to take care of yourself. Once you have found a good routine and are feeling better, you can always research other work from home opportunities to contribute financially if needed. In the meantime, take this gift and make the most of it. Please stay in touch and let me know how you are doing.
Leaving my job definitely made me healthier, and much nicer too.
Thank you for posting on this subject. I battle fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and a rare condition called Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency for which I do injections daily. It is a challenge to keep house and deal with daily life day after day. I have to carefully pace myself to not go into a flare and face days in bed. Please keep up the good work and honesty. It is greatly appreciated.
Donna, It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Recognizing how to pace yourself is something that I am sure took some time. Listening to your body is a skill! Stay well and keep looking for ways to feel better. I really appreciate your feedback.
There is someone earlier in the comment thread with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – maybe you can share strategies!
I’ve had friends with a variety of health issues rave about The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health by Dr. Thomas Rau. It discusses the benefits of eating a more alkaline diet – lots of fruits and vegetables and gives specific menus and recipes. I’ve read it twice and am in the process of implementing it. My daily diet was already very similar. I’m just making a few tweaks.
Reducing acids (i.e. red meats) and drinking more water can make a huge difference.
I would also recommend The Have It All Woman by Susan Sly. I’ve met her and she’s an amazing woman. She was an uber-athlete who was diagnosed with MS. He doctor told her that she would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life shortly after having been diagnosed in her late 20′s. Well she never made it to the wheelchair and regularly runs marathons. She’s been symptom-free for many years. She’s had a rough life in many more ways than with her health and, after hitting rock bottom, totally turned her life around in all areas. She works hard to inspire other women to do the same.
Courtney,
Kuddos to you for taking your health into your own hands! Many times, that’s the only way lasting healing happens.
Don’t give away your power. Don’t leave your health and your life in someone else’s hands. It’s YOUR life. Take responsibility for it.
I am so struck by this concept in the last year. No I haven’t had anything major, except for the change in hormones which gave me enough symptoms to bring my attention to health; which I have been able to deal with holistically. In other words the western medicine idea of drugs to deal with it was not an option.
Fight for your health is such a great way to put it. With the processed food that is a constant easy in most people’s diets and the amount of stress that one tends to carry around without even realizing it…. the term is one to describe what we should be doing well.
I’m happy to say that right now my focus is on eating more raw food for one and “doing the work” in a lot of areas to. I’m so very grateful for getting to read your work and all the inspiration you provide so many others.
I’ve believed for a long time that diet is behind many of the health problems we suffer from and cannot understand why doctors don’t look from this angle first more often.
I was diagnosed with MS about 17 years ago but so far it has been very mild and I am in pretty good health. I want to keep as healthy as I can for as long as possible (including keeping the MS at bay) so I try to eat healthily, take some exercise and not drink heavily or smoke. Three and a half years ago I also became vegetarian because I heard that it was more healthy for MS sufferers (although I also agree with the environmental and animal welfare arguments too). I would seriously consider the Dr Swank/McDougall diet (from link in comments above) if I began to develop more symptoms; it seems logical to me and could certainly do no harm.
Teresa
Your story sounds a lot like mine. I have Fibromyalgia and some other chronic illnesses, I was very sick and started looking for answers and ended up doing many of the things you recommended. I still have pain and other issues but they are under control and don’t effect my life to much.
This post is especially timely for me, as I was diagnosed with lupus last month, after a year of battling a rare and severe bacterial infection (now it’s clear that the underlying, undiagnosed lupus enabled me to get so sick in the first place with something I should have been able to shake off). In fact, I first turned to minimalism blogs last year as a way to help me “do more with less” as I battled unrelentless fatigue from these illnesses, yet still wanted to maintain some semblance of the life I loved! I truly believe that the clarity that comes with chronic illness is not to be underestimated, and truly helps us focus on what is important than life, and removing things, people, etc that don’t deserve a place in our life (or a “spoon” – http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/ ). My diagnosis of lupus is so new that I am still sorting it out for myself and doing lots of my own reading and research as to how to best deal with it, changing my lifestyle and diet, etc. (Incidentally, I’m a postdoc in the biomedical sciences, so well-suited for doing my homework on lupus!) Thank you so much for this post – it really helps to hear from others battling autoimmune diseases what they’ve found works for them through experience, especially fellow minimalists.
I love your blog, thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with us!
Courtney, Not sure if you will ever see my comment since it is months after the original post. Have you ever been checked for Lyme disease? I go to a Lyme-literate doctor, and I’ve been exposed to interesting theories. There is a physician in the Seattle area who has said that he has not seen a patient previously diagnosed with ALS, Alzheimers, MS or Parkinson’s where the patient did not have Lyme. It is worth considering. It has been a long-haul for me, started with vertigo back in December of 2007, but I am about 99.9% back to normal. If I wouldn’t have been treated for Lyme, I know I would have either been totally disabled or dead by now. I did have to make changes to my diet, and I am not a quitter either. But that bacteria is nasty stuff. Anyone who has been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease should be checked for Lyme. And even if the test doesn’t prove positive (it only checks for antibodies you are creating), the Center for Disease Control does suggest that if you have symptoms of Lyme, you should be treated for Lyme. Lyme has over 40+ symptoms. Back in August of 2008 I had 30 of them… Good luck to you!