Meds
Prescription medication has been an interesting discussion topic in the MS community for the past 10+ years. It wasn’t very long ago when patients were having to inject themselves with medicine. Currently, while some patients require infusion treatments, it seems the majority are able to take their medication orally.
For myself, I started taking Aubagio, a gentler medication designed to reduce the number of relapses I could have. The routine is quite straightforward; each month, my medicine is delivered to my front door, and I receive a reminder to have my blood checked shortly after. I take one of the tablets before going to bed every night. For me the side effects are manageable; low energy and fatigue in the mornings, along with some hair loss.
A big discussion point within the MS community has been focused on whether or not you can manage your symptoms with proper diet and exercise. The key being if you can focus on eating an anti-inflammatory diet (dairy free, gluten free and processed sugar free) you will be able to put your body in a position where it can reduce relapses. If you can continue to stay active, like I talked about in a recent blog, it may also help keep some of your symptoms to a minimum.
I know that if I can avoid it, I would prefer not to use prescription drugs, but it will come down to what my MRIs reveal and whether or not my mix of the two (lifestyle and medication) was the best choice.
When I first began my journey, I came across Dr. Terry Wahls and the regimen she has medically proven and personally demonstrated how improving our diet may assist with our symptoms and relapses. I also came across a documentary called ‘Living Proof,' about a Canadian man named Matthew Emrby, who was diagnosed with MS 20 years ago and lives a healthy symptom free life, without drugs, thanks to his father's research on dietary strategies.
Feel free to take a look at a couple resources about diet and exercise below:
· The Wahls’s Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls www.terrywahls.com
· MS Hope www.mshope.com
- Jesse