I haven’t been on here for a while as I was unable to log on and in too much pain to find out how to.
However I have been told that MS and Celiac disease are very common. I am wondering if I am gluten intolerant because I recently had a bad bout of nerve pain after eating some sandwiches. I have not been eating much bread lately as I’m trying to keep the weight down. This pain in my back seems to come through to the chest and I have been suffering off and on since diagnosis, along with ‘the hug’.
Can anyone tell me if they have been dx with this. I have several friends in my branch who have it.
Hi Wendy, I have done lots of reading on this and there is a lot of evidence to suggest that gluten and diary should be avoided by people with MS. I cut them both, along with sugar, out of my diet two months ago and am finding it fine. I do have the odd treat but on the whole ts pretty manageable and if there is even a small chance it might help then it is worth it for me.
Thank you for your reply, amylou, I have read on the net that people with MS and R.Arthritis (my mum had that) should be tested for Celiac disease. I belive that was an American site. Anyway like you I have decided to try and cut out Gluten where possible. I also try and stay clear of dairy products and sugary things but it’s difficult. Thanks anyway.
Ask your GP for a gluten intolerance test and dairy, most of us are lactose intollerent to a degree. A good healthy diet is the best advice for anyone MS or not. Coeliac disease is a serious condition and should be ruled out by a simple blood test if you are concerned.
Hi Wendy. Recently it was pointed out to me that our bodies are not designed to tolerate gluten very well. Scientists have said that it will take thousands of years for us to evolve to tolerate it. I have also read that if a person without any medical conditions were to cut gluten from their diet, they would feel better… Gluten promotes lethargy! I think because we generally have toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. Most people will have pasta for dinner as well. You can see where we’d have a prob.0
Suzie I read similar re gluten. I am not missing it at all, and I have lost 5 inches from my waist, my body has totally changed shape just from cutting gluten, which I wasn’t expecting! I used to eat a LOT of gluten though, as you say, cereal and toast and pasta so it has been a big change for me.
Thank you to all of you for your replies, whilst I don’t think I am Gluten intolerent, I have felt better for cutting down on it, so will continue to do so. It could all be psychological I suppose but anything’s worth a try.
l know l am much better if l do not eat any grains/gluten and keep to a very low carb diet. l have problems with over-active bowel.
l read a post, on here, a few weeks ago about Barry Groves - who has written books on this subject - Natural Health and Weigh Loss -
Eat Fat and get Thin - and Trick and Treat. You can google him and find out more. Knowing what l should be eating and doing it - is my problem. Gluten/carbs make me feel very lethargic - also gives me tummy ache. Look him up. l am very greatful to the lady who mentioned
Barry Groves - but l shall say no more - because there is always someone ready to ‘pounce’ if you come up with anything that is
controversial. But, l can say that l and some of my friends have really felt so much better not eating bread/flour/cereal etc. There is a chapter on MS in his books.
Is anyone out there doing the MS Recovery Diet? I’ve been on it since diagnosal 4 months ago so it’s very early days but I’ve haven’t felt so good for years .I would love to know if anyone else is trying it so that I can swap ideas about supplements, recipes, progress etc
At the moment I’m adding to it from two other sources… the BestBet Diet and Professor Wahl’s Paleo Diet.
Basically that means I’ve completely eliminated Dairy, Gluten,Eggs, Legumes and Yeast. I’m minimizing Saturated fats,red meat, sugar and caffeine.I’m eating loads of oily fish, grass fed chicken and wild meat,nuts, seeds ,and fruit and vegetables.
Needless to say I’ve lost 2 stone and as an extra bonus my skin is clear (I’ve had Rosacea for years) and my hot flushes have stopped BUT I await to see if I can possibly have found a way to conquer the real demon.
Thats wonderful news Patricia! Very proud of you for sticking it out - I would really love to hear how you have been doing now, as its been a while since you posted this previous comment.
I was diagnosed with MS in 1997, and recently I found myself using a walking cane. Well, this was a wakeup call! I started (1 month) with a gluten and lactose free diet. The most obvious so far, was weight loss (5 lb),which is great as I need to lose the weight. I have a question to the use of lactose-free milk and cheese? is it ok or should I avoid it altogether?
Has anyone who cut this noticed their symptoms improve or general m.s improve? My difficulty is eating with the family as I love us to all eat together and I love my milk in cereal and coffee? Would not want to eat different meals to my husband and son, sets a precedence for my son that we don’t have to eat Athens same meal if that makes sense? X
I eat paleo (no grains/sugar/dairy/legumes) and over time my whole family eat like this too. I do get some milk and biscuits etc for the kids but in general our meals are meat/fish and veg. We are all much healthier for it! I think its good for them to learn how important diet is, there is so much evidence now that diet can affect diabetes/cancer/immune issues etc.
Its hard to tell if it helps the MS as you don’t know what you’d be like otherwise, but it can only do you good to eat a clean diet free of processed foods and inflammatory ingredients such as gluten. I’ve been doing it 18 mths, it was a HUGE sacrifice for me, I loved all my bready foods, but I’m used to it now, and I’d not go back.
I don’t miss milk in cereal cause I can’t have cereal either! I have grown to love black coffee
I did the Best Bet diet (no gluten, no dairy, no saturated fat, no legumes, no beer) for almost five years. In that time my MS changed from a disease that caused a slow decline in my physical abilities to a disease with relapses and quite a big loss of function after each relapse. I gave up the diet because it was so much harder to cook good, varied meals when there were so many things I couldn’t use (we ate together as a family). And because I couldn’t believe it was helping me. I think it’s worth trying these exclusion diets, if you’ve got the time and energy. But they definitely don’t help everyone and the people who find they do nothing aren’t always so quick to post about all the time they wasted following them.
I haven’t been diagnosed but over the last 10 years I’ve had some MS symptoms (nystagmus (wobbly eyes), tingling face, etc). I did the brown rice and beans diet for a month, lost tonnes of weight, nice. Then I saw this forum and the link to Dr Wahls video. So for the last five weeks I’ve followed the Paleo diet, almost to a tee, bar one black coffee per day and wine once a week.
Anyway I feel okay except… first my teeth really hurt, obviously not getting the calcium, and now even though I take a calcium supplement and drink almond milk, I do find sometimes they still hurt a bit. And I do wonder, if my teeth are sore, then my bones must be suffering too!?!
Also, I take supplements. For years it was just magnesium and thiamin which almost cured the nystagmus, two pills a day. no big deal. But then on reading some books about the Paleo diet, and talking to the woman in the health food shop, I upped this to include lots of the B vits, and now I am on about 5 pills a day. Not so many, except my mouth is permanently dry, I can’t stop drinking water. I think I might cut these pills down to one a week or so and get back to just two pills a day.
Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this.
I’m afraid I can’t tell you if the diet is ‘working’, as I didn’t really have any serious symptoms at the moment - except a numb foot which I still have but I think that might be something else.
