It is possible to stay well after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

My mother died of MS in 1981. Towards the end of her life, she was totally incapacitated, unable to feed or care for herself. I was diagnosed with MS in 1999. I was determined that this was not going to be my fate. Fortunately, my career as a Professor in Emergency Medicine and background as Editor-in-Chief of a major medical journal gave me the tools to sort through the medical literature on MS, giving appropriate weight to the various pieces of evidence I found. What I found startled me. The literature is full of answers. It is clear that remaining well after a diagnosis of MS is more than just a possibility. With commitment to the right lifestyle changes, there is the real probability that many people with MS can live long, healthy lives relatively free of the usual problems associated with the illness. 

Since 1999, I have adhered to the lifestyle package I put together from the medical literature, described on my website http://www.takingcontrolofmultiplesclerosis.org. So have many other people with MS, including those who have read my book, and those who have attended MS retreats in Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Auckland I have run with my wife Sandra and others. I remain free of further relapses, as do many of the people who keep in contact with me. I now bring this evidence to a wider audience through the website. The website also has links to many other useful resources for people with MS. What I offer is a rigorous scientific assessment of the medical literature unbiased by the common conflicts of interest that arise from relationships with drug companies or the desire to sell products. My aim in searching the medical literature has always been to find sound science that supports the potential for people with MS to recover.

It is easy to be disheartened when faced with the constant stream of bad news we seem to get from mainstream medicine about MS, much of it related to very powerful immune modulating drugs and their serious side effects. I used to find that when I reviewed the medical literature on PubMed (which I have done twice weekly for over 10 years now), I would feel depressed for hours afterwards because of the bleak picture the articles painted for people with MS. I don't find it so hard now; faith that you can be well gradually turns into belief as you stick to this lifestyle, and it becomes the way you live, and you stay well. I hope more people can stay well using this approach.