The MS Craps Shoot
It was maddening watching him explain his success.
How, for ten years now, he has fended off the ill effects of multiple sclerosis.
I’m talking about Montel William’s recent appearance on the “Doctor Oz” TV show.
Montel was revealing his secrets for healthy living. And I began to wonder if I should follow him like a lemming….slurping herbal concoctions…getting vitamin injections…and each day, eating enough garlic to smell like a walking (or shlumping) Olive Garden!
Then, I remembered. MS is a game of craps.
What works for one might not work for you, me, or the lady in Rochester.
Don’t get me wrong—the dude looks great! But maybe his MS isn’t as severe as some.
Every DX is as unique as a fingerprint.
Why, I know people who have had MS for over 30 years and you wouldn’t know it.
On the opposite end, some are disabled within a year of receiving their MS degree.
My point is, you can’t compare yourself to Montel, Teri Garr, the people in the med ads or the person sitting across from you at the support group meeting.
You can’t–but we do. (That’s our nature.)
The best thing for us is take a little insight from this person…add some advice from that one…toss in a pinch of perspective…and adapt it to your own unique MS bundle of joy!
Certainly we can all eat a little healthier. Exercise & move what we can as much as possible. But I sure as hell am not eating five cloves of garlic a day as Montel does! My breath is bad enough! (I got “morning” breath that smells of last week!)
I was discussing medications with another MSer. He told me he was happy with the drug he was taking. “It’s working for me,” he exclaimed.
Great for him. That’s half the battle! Meanwhile, I tried the same drug for several years and still continued to decline. MS affects his hands. It gets me in the legs.
That’s the craps shoot, I’m referring to.
We have all been dealt a different hand.
Some better than others.
The key is to adapt and discover what helps you the most.
Did you see Montel on “Doctor Oz?” What did you think?
Do you compare yourself with other MSers?
If so, what do you learn from your comparisons?
Multiple Sclerosis is like a Las Vegas game of chance ( without the free drinks!).
Either you play…or you fold.
You’re a tough, gutsy person. Grab the dice and give’em a roll.
6 Replies to “The MS Craps Shoot”
Very good points. I often wonder if people look at the cover photos of “Momentum” magazine and think that MSers who climb Mt. Everest and bike across America are made bionic superheroes by having this disease.
“Want to run a marathon AND solve world hunger? Get MS!” Clearly, physical super-achievers such as Montel Williams are not as disabled as you and I. But I still get the odd comment from able people that exercising through the weakness and pain will bring back my leg function. They don’t get that the damage is in the CNS, not in the limb muscles. Doh!
It sure seems like I’m throwing the dice and losing every hand on it. But, I’ll keep gambling on it and hoping for the best. I wish I could get this through other’s heads at times. I’m now being hounded to try a new diet…which would be a great idea for anyone…but it’s not a CURE for MS!
I didn’t see Montel, but I would have avoided him anyway. I tire of his seesawing attitude of either ‘poor me,’ or the ‘look how great I did!” you’re right — we are all so different with this disease, and we can’t compare ourselves. Your gambling metaphors are quite accurate!
Peace,
Muff
Kim,
I am one of the guilty souls who think exercise will bring me back—even though I know it won’t. I spit & cuss because of the inability to do leg curls. Fifteen years into my MS–and I still think it ain’t so.
Will someone slap me with reality!
I saw Montel on Doctor Oz, and have seen him numerous times on TV. Everytime I have seen him, I study him closely, looking for that clue that reveals he has MS. I don’t doubt he has MS, but he looks too good to be a “spokesperson” for MS and since he has a high profile, he may give a false picture to people who know nothing about MS, as to what a person with MS is supposed to look like. He makes those of us with visable symptoms look bad.
I just finished editing and illustrating a book for a well-known food scientist, Woodrow Monte, PhD, in which he reveals in detail his discovery of the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. MS is on the rise, and avoiding it – and in some cases even curing it – is actually very simple. This is not conspiracy theory or snake oil; Dr. Monte is not selling any products. He He is a good man and excellent scientist who has devoted his life to helping people. His work is sound and his conclusions are undeniable in face of the evidence. Dr. Monte has been working with several MS patients who, based on his findings, are getting their lives back. One who was in very bad shape not long ago is now driving and riding her horse for the first time in six years.
The simple one and only cause of MS is exposure to methanol. It is the methanol in cigarettes that is responsible for the known link between MS and smoking. It is the methanol in Ditto machines that is responsible for the epidemic of MS in school teachers. And it is the methanol in aspartame, which is heavily consumed in diet sodas, that is responsible for the explosion of MS in the past 30 years since its approval by the FDA for use in diet sodas. Methanol is converted by the enzyme known as Alcohol Dehydrogenase Class 1 (ADH1) into formaldehyde inside the body’s most sensitive tissues. Once inside the brain, the formaldehyde quickly attaches to the myelin sheaths, and that change prompts the body’s white blood cells to devour the damaged sheaths. The myelin sheath can regenerate if it is not yet entirely destroyed – which is why MS sufferers experience periods of remission and why avoiding methanol in the diet and environment can cure MS if it hasn’t gone too far.
Dr. Monte is a food scientist, researcher, and Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Nutrition at Arizona State University. His book also contains information and documentation showing that the product’s manufacturers and their friends in the Food & Drug Administration knew the dangers posed by aspartame, yet buried the evidence and released it for public consumption despite the risk. Furthermore, they knowingly marketed it to those research had demonstrated were particularly vulnerable to its harmful effects – diabetics and pregnant mothers. Since that time, adult onset diabetes has more than doubled worldwide, with diabetics dying from the major diseases of civilization at a much higher rate than the average population. Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease, in which formaldehyde inside the brain destroys memory function, have increased 10,000% since 1981. Neural tube birth defects are up around 70% in the same period of time despite efforts to compensate with recommended folic acid.
Monte has decades of experience in food science and nutrition as a researcher, teacher, inventor, industry consultant and consumer advocate who is committed to food additive safety and the prevention of food borne diseases. Dr. Monte is a dedicated scientist with both a Ph.D. and M.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and a B.S. in Biology. He has been a Registered Dietician, Certified Nutrition Specialist AIN, professional member of the American Chemical Society and emeritus member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1985, he was chosen by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars as a Senior Fulbright Scholar.
Dr. Monte’s testimony before Congress was instrumental in the prevention of Sulfites from receiving status of US FDA GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) and the implementation of mandatory labeling for most foods that contain this dangerous additive. Through his research, Dr. Monte has been awarded 22 US patents.
He has shared his technical expertise during hundreds of television and radio appearances including a special feature on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and 60 Minutes. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and the book While Science Sleeps: A Sweetener Kills. As Professor Emeritus of Nutrition from ArizonaState University , Dr. Monte continues his study of the damaging effects of methanol in our food supply. More information about Dr. Monte and his work can be found on his website: http://www.WhileScienceSleeps.com.
Please do yourself a HUGE favor and get his book – it will save your life!