Raw diet / gluten free diet

[SoCalGirl2007]

After doing well for many years the past 1-2  have not been as good. I've struggled with weakness/ stiffness / nerve pain in my legs, poor sleep, and fatigue. I changed from rebif to tysabri in June but I don't see any improvement yet. I cook pretty healthy, eat lots of fruit and veggies, rarely eat red meat, etc My chiropractor has suggested that I try a raw and gluten free diet to see if it might help. Has anyone had any success with a major diet change?

[ihaveqs2inUSA]

Hi.  I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2001.  For years, I was having these weird pains across my abdomen - it was like a had on a belt that was way too tight, with very sharp stabbing pains in my right side.  Previously, my medical team took out "adhesions" a couple of times.  In 2001, they took out my appendix and my right ovary.  (One of my doctors told me:  "Well, at least you can stop worrying about whether or not you have appendicitis.")  While they were doing all of the post-surgical testing (primarily for cancer<which they have ruled out repeatedly), they found that I had/have Celiac Disease.  After that, over the years, because of my abdomen pains, my doctors have also taken out my:  gallbladder and uterus (hysterectomy).  I STILL have pains in my abdomen, although they are nowhere as painful as they used to be.    

One thing I will say is that finding gluten-free foods has become SO much easier.  It is a good thing I am alive now and not 100 years ago - finding gluten-free foods has become SO much easier.  

Let me just make you aware that my official diagnosis is:  "Celiac Neuropathy, POSSIBLE MS".  My doctors have told me that I either have MS, or something that is doing a very good job mimicking MS.  (They have also told me that they have ruled out Cancer, because if it was Cancer, I would have been dead by now - then they laugh.)  So, now that you know my background, I will comment.

So now, I eat gluten-free.  And I stick to that about 99.999999% of the time.  One of my friends call my diet:  "The Mediterranean Diet- Modified".  I tend to also eat raw, but I do NOT stick to that 99.999999% of the time - I just do it as much as I can.  This is "MY" diet.  As long as I am successful at sticking to "MY" diet , I feel pretty good.  If I fall off the wagon, I am going to feel it within the next 24 hours - bad.  

So this works for me.  This has come about after years of fine-tuning it.  And after all of these years, it has become easier for me.  I feel better - that is just it.  I feel better because of my diet.

WHAT is so hard about it???  I hate cooking 2, sometimes even 3, different meals for my family and myself.  It can be downright exhausting.  Planning ahead helps.  (Sometimes I fantasize:  the kids have grown up, I have divorced the spouse and kicked him to the curb after being unfaithful to me all these years, and have a refrigerator chock-FULL of gluten-free foods that I can EAT!)  Now, sometimes I get so hungry, because there is nothing in the house that I can eat!   Planning ahead really helps.

But, I definitely feel better sticking to my modified diet.  You need to find out what works for YOU.


  

[immisceo]

If you have MS, the person to listen to is your neurologist, not a chiropractor. They push all manner of flimflam, and are in most cases not qualified to make suggestions regarding medical conditions. I agree with JJ. If you want to go this route, see a dietician (NOT a nutritionist. Pretty much anyone can call themselves that).

As Alex said, eating a nutritious, balanced diet is good for all of us. But it's a compliment to our treatment, not an alternative. Tysabri likely won't 'improve' things as such as it doesn't work on symptoms. But hopefully it will stop/slow down progression.

Reassessing your diet is a great idea! But you needn't do anything drastic and restrictive, especially as it sounds like you eat well already. Just take a common sense approach that you can stick to indefinitely.

[supermum_ms]

I personally don't believe a raw or gluten free diet, is truly beneficial for people  unless they specifically have an allergy or intolerance, and in regards to MS the research has not been able to prove the anecdotal claims, that diet does cure or even improve 'MS'.

We as a family follow a predominantly old fashioned natural diet - free of additives, chemical, artificial colour, flavour, preservative etc kids are lactose free and use natural body/hair products too. I have over 20 years experience dealing with dietary restrictions and I really know how much of a dedication focus you need to stick to any form of restricted diet, definitely not something i'd ever recommend anyone do on their own!

It may help somewhat to keep in mind, that there really isn't anything apart from brain plasicity that is expected to partially or fully repair pre-existing/established lesion damage. You only changed your DMD a few months ago and to expect to see improvements already is most probably way too soon, and due to the nature of this mysterious beast, there is still the potential for some of your (years) old issues to not be able to improve any more, effectively becoming apart of your new normal......

Cheers..........JJ
  
PS: If you really are wanting to try the raw, gluten free diet, please make sure you do it under the guidance and constant monitoring of dietician who knows what they are talking about!

[HVAC]

You can always try it. I did a high glutethion diet  for several years and was gluten free. I got cancer anyway. It did not change my MS symptoms. Eating a balanced diet never hurts. In my life times there have been so many different diets I do not know what to believe.

Alex