I was diagnosed with MS back when I was 14. I’m now 24 so it’s been a good 10 years.
I was on Avonex between the ages of 14 and 20, but then I stopped the medication as I had had no relapse throughout the six years. Well, four more years have passed without a relapse, until August, when I had a minor relapse again.
So I am now looking into medication options. Looks like I’ll be put on Copaxone (would love to hear about your experience with it, if anyone’s got some?).
I also changed my diet completely and have been vegan since August. Has anyone else found that eliminating animal based food from their diet has helped with MS?
Anyways, wanted to share my story and discuss a bit about veganism & about Copaxone. So just putting it out here.
Yes definitely helps. I am following the Overcoming MS plan by Professor George Jelinek which incorporates a vegan diet with fish, mindfulness meditation, Flax seed oil, vitamin D, exercise and medication if needed.
It is worth researching it online or sending off for his book which is sent free of charge to anyone with ms. He has ms himself.
I cannot help you with Copaxone as I am not taking any medication other than supplements. I have Progressive MS.
However, I have been following a dairy free diet for over a year now, but supplemented with oily fish once or twice a week. Of course, it is not a vegan diet but very close to it. I did not change from a carnivore’s diet as I had been a vegetarian for over thirty years, which made the transition a lot easier. If you are a fan of salads, nuts, beans and grains then you will be in food heaven.
The vegan diet has certainly helped me with alertness during the day and, behind the scenes, I hope that the dairy free option will help to suppress the worst excesses of my faulty immune system. I just feel a lot healthier with the diet. I presume you have looked at the Swank diet and the Jelinek approach to MS? I can supply the links if you have not.
The choice of recipes and products is so much better now than forty years ago, when I was your age. I am happy to share some of the specific things I eat in my diet, plus the supplements I take, if you are interested.
I am sorry that you were diagnosed with MS at all, especially being so young, but I am glad to see that you are taking ownership of your condition by changing your diet. I am sure that someone with RRMS who has taken the vegan option will come forward with some insights that may be more helpful.