MS in the stormy modern world
MS in a real world
I am in the midst of my own version of an 'MS flaret.' I have episodes of parathesia - numbness- and local limb weakness. I realize though, that my problems are my own fault, a result of dietary non-compliance. Two days ago, in preparation for St. Valentine's Day, I went to See's candy and bought a two-pound box of mixed chocolates and nuts. I decided to get sugar-free dark chocolate for myself. OK. The only problem was the size of the box of chocolates for my wife. Why two pounds instead of one, if that? Why a box and not a token ammount? Why not an inedible gift?
This, however, was not the real problem. In line waiting to pay, I picked up a bar of See's darkest chocolate and two pounds of peanut brittle, all of which I started eating while waiting for dinner. Mein Gott. My bedtime sugar was over 300. I have taken care of enough patients to know losing feet is the least of the problems with diabetes. Killing the kidneys or allowing a series of microinfarctions of the brain are real possibilities in poorly controlled disease. These and all problems of diabetes result from accelerated atherosclerosis. The take home lesson: follow the restraints of the Simple Diet I previously described, look-upable as the Paleolithic Diet, essentially fruit, vegetables, raw nuts, good oils, water and fish or the leanest meat.
When I am compliant, when my weight has dropped about 10% from my current 230 lb, my diabetes goes away. I sleep through the night, not having to rise twice to micturate.
Diabetes also causes foot numbness. Numb feet do not respond normally to injury and our natural repair mechanisms are impeded by relative occlusion of small vascular passages which result from atherosclerosis. This sluggish blood supply injures nerves, hence the numbness, and injures hair follicles. Diabetic feet lose their hair.
Physician Cure Thyself. Following a diet designed to control Diabetes also ameliorates the symptoms of MS. Period. My MS improves significantly with this dietary restraint. So will yours.
