Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory Foods

Did you know you could be making your multiple sclerosis worse by the things you eat? Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease meaning the body attacks itself. This can show itself by making it more difficult for you to do things (walking, talking, thinking, being alert, etc.). The foods you eat either contribute to inflammation or minimize the inflammation in your body. Inflammation is worsened when you eat inflammatory foods like:

- trans fats (including partially hydrogenated oil)
- harmful saturated fats
- white flour
- white sugar
- processed foods
- high fructose corn syrup
- fruits and vegetables with high pesticide contents

These foods should help decrease the severity of disease symptoms by fighting inflammation (including the fatigue we all feel with multiple sclerosis):

- walnuts and other nuts
- whole foods
- whole grains
- fatty fish
- organic food and produce

Isn't it worth it to at least test this idea with your multiple sclerosis? What do you have to lose? Better overall health?

Multiple Sclerosis and Prescription Drug Coverage

Multiple Sclerosis and Prescription Drug Coverage

I am in awe at all the non-illness related problems associated with having multiple sclerosis.

1) there is the chronic disease part of having multiple sclerosis
2) there are the nasty shots and other drugs that all have side effects
3) there is the unexpected nature of multiple sclerosis where you never know what is going to happen
4) there is the part where you become unreliable because of the unpredictability of the disease

But now there is the lack of good quality prescription coverage if you are on disability, can not work or do not have spouse prescription drug coverage. I do Medicare Part D counseling on behalf of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I see the awful horrors all of the time. You can pretty much bet that your out of pocket costs with Part D are going to be between $4500 and $5500 annually if you have multiple sclerosis.

That is not necessarily spread across all months equally. How are people who can't work due to disability expected to fork over $5000 in prescription drug costs alone, when they have multiple sclerosis? It ceases to amaze me.