Hello,
Just wondered if anyone else is following the OMS programme?
Ive been following it since September and am very optimistic that it will help control my ms symptoms and its progression.
I had a bad reaction to Tecfidera last week and have been told by my neurologist to stop taking it. I have therefore made the decision to take a more natural route and not take any more DMDs.
Had anyone else made a similar decision.
Annabell
OMS? OMS? what`s that then?
pollsx
I gather it’s not practicing yoga then…? What is it and what does it involve?
Hiya
OMS stands for Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis? It’s a 7 step programme devised by Professor George Jelinek who has ms.
Its very interesting and makes a lot of sense to me. It basically advocates a healthy lifestyle and avoiding foods which cause inflammation. You can read about it in detail online.
I sent of for his book which I received free of charge, (apparently an anonymous benefactor has donated money so that the books are free for anyone with ms who is interested).
Annabell
It’s not yoga, but he does believe in mindfulness meditation. As we all know stress can trigger an ms relapse.
There are guided meditations on the OMS website.
All the information is free to look at!
I think for me it makes sense.
Annabell
I only eat fresh fish, fruit & vegetables, so guess it’s pretty similar to https://overcomingms.org/, or a Mediterranean diet, and take plenty of exercise.
While I firmly believe eating a healthy diet will make you feel better, I doubt it will have any impact on MS progression and understand Professor Jelinek still takes a DMD, so it is a big gamble with your health to go drug free.
Have you discussed other treatment options with your Neuro?
Annabell,
I am glad that you are finding it beneficial.
I have been following it for about three months now and I certainly feel better for it. I have PPMS and whether it is actually slowing down the progression is impossible to say. I combine this diet with exercise, three doses a day of CBD paste and various supplements such as Vitamin D3, B12 and Magnesium. The combination has certainly worked in alleviating some of my MS symptoms.
I was already a vegetarian therefore the transition to a vegan diet was probably a lot easier. There are plenty of very good vegan recipes available and so many ready made products nowadays. Gone are the days of TVP misery. Flax oil is good but very expensive.
I also have the book. It is useful although you can probably skip quite a lot of it as I am sure you are up to date with a lot of the thinking behind this diet.
Best wishes
Alun
Most of it in principle. The diet was too extreme for me to stick fully long term. I do bits. however I do take 10,000 iu of vitD a day, morepa platinum and do a bit of meditation. 10yrs and counting
That’s really good.
I was vegetarian before so the diet wasn’t too difficult to follow. It’s just a bit awkward going out for a meal.
Ive had ms for 11 years officially but probably quite a few years longer.
Best wishes
Annabell
Hi Rosie,
Just wondered if you have read his book?
Annabell
Following this thread with interest, as I often think about supplements and other therapy’s.
What I’m a tad confused about is the supplements that many people with MS take.
At the moment I only take D3 as a supplement, and only because my neuro advised it and because there seems to be a glimmer of light that MS could be down to a deficiency in vitamin D.
However, when I was first diagnosed I hit the Internet for as much info as possible, and it wasn’t long before I found masses of info regarding supplements that we as MS sufferers should be taking, two that stood out were Magnesium & B12, so for me it seemed a no brainer to stock up on both these supplements.
So I was now taking B12, D3 & Magnesium for well over a year, however when I mentioned to my neuro what supplements I was now taking, he along with his his team and also my own GP all basically said I was wasting my money on both the B12 and Magnesium.
Simply put by these “professionals”, your body will just flush out any excess vitamins that you do not require, so if your B12 is in the normal range any extra is flushed away rather than absorbed and used, the same goes for Magnesium.
I know Magnesium has helped people with cramps ect, so if it is a help than obviously keep taking it, but I’ve also read that D3 will not absorb correctly unless Magnesium is also taken, so therefor you must take the two for D3 to work.
I recently put this to my dietician, who totally threw this suggestion out as nonsense !
Again if your deficient in B12 then obviously it needs boosting, but if you’re in normal range, extra supplements will be of no use at all.
That is how it was all explained to me, yet the general rule of thumb, at least on the Internet and forums, is that these two supplements in particular are a must for anyone with MS !!!
I can fully understand the need for taking supplements if genuine tests reveal you need boosting, but I do wonder are we taking supplements just because it seems to be the “thing to do” ?
What is the truth, it’s so confusing ?
I’m not opening an argument against taking supplements, I’m basically asking do we listen to our neuro’s, when they say you’re wasting your money, and also rely on actual test results to see if supplements are actually needed, or go with what the general census seems to be, after all it has been said many times doctors and neuro’s should listen more to what their patient is telling them.
I’ve often thought that perhaps if MS professionals spent some time reading posts on MS forums on how we are really affected and how certain meds including supplements either help or seem not to help, then maybe they as profesional would have a far better understanding on this crappy illness.
Rant over, sorry for going on and on !
Hello Jactac
I decided to ask my neurologist and gp for monthly vitamin B12 injections after doing my own research on the internet.
My neurologist was open minded and said that years ago all ms patients were offered this but it had not been clinically proven.
It definitely helps my fatigue and by the end of the month I know the injection is due because of how I feel. I know some people may be sceptical and may suggest the “placebo” effect but I know how I feel!.
You may find the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis website interesting.
Best wishes
Annabell
Annabel see even if it is placebo. That effect can be as much as 40%. Vit b12 is very difficult for people to absorb that’s why they give injections. If you are vegetarian or vegan you will need them as you can only get it from animal fat. I sometimes take high strength under the tongue ones.
I was under the impression that one of the first things a neuro will check when a person shows symptoms of MS is their B12 levels, as this could be the reason for their symptoms or because some people with MS do indeed have low B12 levels.
I would be surprised that your own neuro & GP just offered you B12 because you felt it would help without first checking your levels and secondly finding that you do actually need a B12 boost.
My point is, taking extra B12 with normal levels is, as my neuro & GP explained pointless as it wont be absorbed.I know a few family members & friends who have B12 injections and they all have low B12 levels to start with.
My sister and first cousin both also have MS, and like almost all people with MS both suffer with fatigue, however my sister who I would describe as having “normal MS fatigue” is having B12 injections as her levels are below normal, yet my cousin who I would now describe has having cronic fatigue, sometimes bedridden, is not offered extra B12 , purely because her levels, like mine are within normal range.
Thank you Bonniescotsgirl for your kind message.
Its good to have had a couple of positive and supportive responses.
I wish you every luck in your ms journey
x
Im surprised that your neuro didnt consider other DMDs if you had a bad reaction to one. As I understand it, modern DMDs can make a big difference. Good diet etc is on top of that.
She probably will!
Of course good diet is important but the OMS programme is much more than just a diet.
Im afraid it’s too complex to explain here.
My understanding is the same as yours. My GP decided to check my B12 levels, found they were low, did another test to check that I didn’t actually have pernicious anaemia (I didn’t) and prescribed injections on the grounds that my levels were low for no obvious reason and that restoring them to normal might just help me feel a bit betterl.
Alison