Hi! This is my first post here... My husband and I were zoning a few years ago; made a major move from the south to the north and got out of the habit. A recent bout with trigeminal neuralgia pain made me curious about the OmegaRX Zone book; we got it, read through it, then started the program again with my diagnosis of MS. Have any of you with MS decided to work with the zone and pgfo instead of going the ABCR route? Frankly, I'd like to give this a try for a while first. I already feel a ton better since I got back in the zone Nov 11. Any thoughts are appreciated... Thanks! cheryl[/i]

welcome, can't help much. but have you considered getting an EPA/AA test. that would help you assess your fish oil requirements.... Charlie

We haven't gotten any blood tests yet; I was going for that 30-day benchmark. I would have liked to have that before we got started, but I was sort of anxious to get moving with it. Have you had that done? I need to check the book again, but I think that's the one only done through certain labs? Tks... cheryl

No, I haven't had it done. Costs about $300 in the US. It's worth looking into. The Sears newsletter in August(?) had testimonial from a fitness instructor that tells about it. You can probably find it on the main site. Charlie

Hi clh, [quote:e978280d8d="clh"]Hi! This is my first post here... My husband and I were zoning a few years ago; made a major move from the south to the north and got out of the habit. A recent bout with trigeminal neuralgia pain made me curious about the OmegaRX Zone book; we got it, read through it, then started the program again with my diagnosis of MS. Have any of you with MS decided to work with the zone and pgfo instead of going the ABCR route? Frankly, I'd like to give this a try for a while first. I already feel a ton better since I got back in the zone Nov 11. Any thoughts are appreciated... Thanks! cheryl[/i][/quote:e978280d8d] While I have no direct experience with MS I do have contacts with considerable experience. They inform me that High doses of PGFO are the preferred solution. If you are prepared to email me at zonewhitelight@hotmail.com I will forward your email to those that can better advise you. White Light

[quote:f4977609b8="clh"] Have any of you with MS decided to work with the zone and pgfo instead of going the ABCR route? Frankly, I'd like to give this a try for a while first. I already feel a ton better since I got back in the zone Nov 11. Any thoughts are appreciated... Thanks! cheryl[/i][/quote:f4977609b8] All I know is that My wife's sister (in Leeds, UK) has MS. And her doctor prescribed for her (the equivalent of) high Doses of Fish Oil. When my wife asked her if it helped, she said, "I couldn't do and I wouldn't do without it." And a friend of mine at work, her friend also has MS, he also has been taking high Doses of Fish Oil (Mighty Bites, I believe), and he too, wouldn't do with out it. Now before WL jumps in and says I am no authority, I am not claiming to be, I am only reporting the thoughts of two people I know!

Hi John, Not looking for authority here, just opinions and experiences, and thanks for sharing that info. Do you know if these people choose to not take the medications? I wonder if the Dr. will have a fit.. Tks again! cheryl

[quote:f36fb67ad4="clh"]Hi John, Not looking for authority here, just opinions and experiences, and thanks for sharing that info. Do you know if these people choose to not take the medications? I wonder if the Dr. will have a fit.. Tks again! cheryl[/quote:f36fb67ad4] My sister-in-law is taking all of her medications. However, she used both Fish Oil and her meds to get symptoms under control, so she can qualify for the new Beta Inerferon treatment. She only redcently qualified and started the new Beta Interferon treatment and its too soon to tell whether this has any effect, yet.

Thanks, John - I guess I'll soon find out what "qualified" for means. Haven't gotten that far yet... Tks... cheryl

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS Here are a few of my notes on this disease and treatment. They are simplified to make them understandable. I hope they help. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. Basically your body's immume system begins attacking the myelin sheath of your nerve endings particulary in your brain. The origninal cause of this confusion of the immune system is most likely a Herpes virus (HHV6). It is possible other viruses could be similarly responsible (possibly chickenpox and measles). The herpes virus resides in the nerve base and moves to the nerve endings initiating a herpes episode (blisters etc). MS episodes are usually preceded by some form of viral attack and especially a herpes episode. Herpes is spread by contact with blisters containing the active herpes virus. The most likely method that Herpes reaches your brain is through 1. Contact with the active herpes virus (blisters) through your fingers 2. Subsequent contact with the mouth. Nail biting is especially implicated in MS (Which could explain the higher incidence in women. More women bite their nails than men). Leading expert on advanced hygiene Dr Kenneth Seaton suggests that the confusion of your immune system could be caused when protein in the fingernails, mucus, dead skin and other proteins similar in constitution to the myelin sheath in your nerves are ingested with the active herpes virus. If the virus takes up residence in the nerve endings of your brain then this could lead to your immune system confusing the myelin sheath of the nerve endings in your brain with the virus which has been ingested with these proteins similar in constitution to the myelin sheath. The overactive immune response in autoimmune diseases like MS is usually related to bad eicosanoids called cytokines which regulate immune response. Continuing inflammation, which can result in further and continued damage is related to the bad eicosanoid PGE2 which has been found in elevated levels in patients with MS and depression. (The two diseases are linked. Depression is very common in MS patients). TREATMENT. FISH OIL Large dosage of pharmaceutical grade fish oil is usually an effective treatment for MS. Recommeded dosage is around 2-4 teaspoons or 8-16 capsules of pharmaceutical grade fish oil (5-10 grams of omega 3 fatty acids). Doses are usually more effective if increased sympotmatically (if your symptoms don't disappear increase the dose) and in severe cases a dosage as high as 20grams of omega 3 fatty acids a day may be appropriate - twice the maximum dose listed above. Dosage should be maintained indefinitely to ensure symptoms do not reappear. Basically you take the minimum dose of fish oil required to be free of the symptoms of MS and depression. It is important to note that ceasing intake of fish oil is likely to result in the return of MS symptoms. In the absence of an AA/EPA test (which is recommended) you can get a guidline on your dosage for pharmaceutical grade fish oil with a simple cholesterol test you can have at your local doctor's. Divide your triglycerides(TG) by HDL. You should aim for a TG/HDL ratio of around 1. If it is more than 1.5 you probably need to take a higher dose of fish oil. Higher than 2 and you definitely need more fish oil (also look at diet, exercise etc.) HOW FISH OIL WORKS The fish oil can work in two basic ways. The EPA in fish oil is the major building block of good eicosanoids and can slow down your body's production of the bad eicosanoids like the cytokines and PGE2. EPA can reduce levels of bad eicosanoids by inhibiting an enzyme called delta 5 desaturase which is required for their production. The DHA in fish oil helps repair nerve endings, and lay down new brain tissue. Remember it is damage to the myelin sheath in the nerve endings that is the primary cause of MS symptoms. DIET The original and very effective Swank diet for MS was based on fish and eggs as protein sources. No milk or dairy. No red meat. No wheat products or sugar. Very similar to a zone diet. Over a 35 year period (an impressive length of time for any study) 95% of patients on the Swank diet never progressed to any form of disability. I believe a zone diet which incorporates the elimination of dairy, wheat, sugar and most red meat not only coincides with a Swank diet but should be more effective by reducing levels of the bad eicosanoids implicated in MS (the cytokines and PGE2 in particular). In my book From Depression to Glorious Health which you can dowload free at www.geocities.com/glorioushealth I describe a zone type diet designed for MS and depression patients. But any zone diet should be effective if it eliminates: dairy - the peptides in milk have been found to be molecular mimics of self antigens in myelin wheat products and sugar linked to cadidas (see below) limits red meat and egg yolks (egg yolks, red meat and especially the fat in red meat are high in arachadonic acid the building block of bad eicosanoids) CANDIDAS Candidas is common in MS patients (often due to courses of antibiotics taken for viruses like herpes) so the elimination of sugar and wheat which tend to feed this bacteria and taking a daily dose of an acidophilus/bifidus capsule between meals should help restore intestinal flora. VITAMIN C The herpes virus (and many other viruses) can respond to large, frequent doses of vitamin C especially if the does are titrated to bowel tolerance at the onset of early symptoms. Suggested dosage is 4-30 daily doses of 250mg-1500mg of vitamin C with bioflavinoids (powder in water). Cold sores are often eliminated with large doses of vitamin C. HYGEINE Stop biting your nails. Any reinnoculation of the virus could potentially worsen the MS condition. Avoid contact between your fingers and your mouth. Use kitchen utensils to eat. Clean your fingernails with clean zone soap from www.advancedhygieneproducts.com to reduce any chance of reinnoculation and to reduce the chance of picking up other viruses which can lead to an MS episode. Avoid contact between your fingers and your eyes and nose for the same reason. Perform facial dips once or twice daily to prevent the development of respiratory viruses. EMOTIONAL HEALTH Excess stress can lead to the excess release of the stress hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol leads to an overproduction of bad eicosanoids like PGE2 and cytokines. So learning basic relaxation methods and dealing with emotional distress effectively is essential for the MS patient. The negative thinking spiral is common to MS and depression. Sharing problems and feelings with someone objective and various forms of therapy (cognitive therapy etc) are recommended. EFT (emotional freedom technique - a method for relieving negative emotions is highly recommended. These are covered in more detail in From Depression to Glorious Health (free download www.geocities.com/glorioushealth ). SLEEP Sleep onset and quality can be poor in patients with MS and depression. This is related to low levels of serotonin, the "feel good" hormone, which is converted to melatonin the "sleep" hormone. The good eicosanoid PGE1 is responsible for the release and uptake of serotonin so increasing levels of good eicosanoids with diet and lifestyle should help improve sleep. Getting 15-30 minutes of bright sunshine in the morning and limiting exposure to bright lights at night (red light is allright) can help improve sleep patterns and quality of sleep. Also consider supplementing with 3-6mg of melatonin a half hour to an hour before bedtime to help with sleep onset and quality. EXERCISE Exercise can help reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and help increase insulin sensitivity both of which can help increase the production of good eicosanoids. Repetitive exercise like walking or jogging also helps release the feel good hormone serotonin. Exercise and stretching in the morning can help improve sleep quality at night. Some strength building exercises (push ups, abdominal crunches and squats) are recommended along with some aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, dancing). A total daily exercise time of 25-45 minutes is probably a healthy goal you can work up to gradually. Performing EFT (the method for relieving emotional distress) while exercising is highly recommended. CONCLUSION Of all these therapies diet is probably the most effective at halting the progression of MS and pharmaceutical grade fish oil is probably the most effective at reversing the physical symptoms of the disease. Larger doses of fish oil will probably be necessary if the other guidelines are not being met. Hygiene, emotional health, sleep and exercise should all be undetaken seriously to achieve excellent long term health. It should be noted that depression can be considered an early symptom of the more serious symptoms of MS in the MS patient since both diseases are linked to the bad eicosanoid PGE2. So to be symptom free from MS you also need to eliminate any symptoms of depression. The book From depression to glorious health is highly recommended and free. Kindest regards, Andrew Cavanagh

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all this information. There is so much to digest, so quickly... I figured the smartest thing to do first was get back squarely in the zone, then the fish oil, then work on other dietary issues, exercise, etc. I appreciate this as well as the link to your website... Tks! cheryl

Hi John, ![quote:87bb2ad1f2] Now before WL jumps in and says I am no authority, I am not claiming to be, I am only reporting the thoughts of two people I know![/quote:87bb2ad1f2] IMHO your post was exactly what was called for White Light

Cheryl, You're very welcome. You're also right on track. The zone diet and pharmaceutical grade fish oil are quite likely the most important treatments for MS. The disease can respond to high doses of pharmaceutical grade fish oil alone so don't be afraid to experiment with higher doses. If you have any questions feel free to email me. My email address is on my web site. Kindest regards, Andrew Cavanagh