diet and MS (again)

We know you shouldn't be too quick to believe everything you read online. This is why Snopes exists.

But this is particularly true if you use the interwebz to research a chronic health condition.

God knows I've talked about this on here often enough, and not just in relation to the cult-like mania of people who follow certain lifestyle choices.

I've weirdly found myself talking about the OMS diet quite a bit recently, with friends and family. Recently, Mrs D met up with our old friend and colleague I've mentioned before - who has now been diagnosed with MS - and she is doing incredibly well on the OMS diet and staying healthy which is brilliant. She's had a hard enough time dealing with a diagnosis which is the same as that which killed her mother. So more power to her.

Obviously it didn't work for me - whether my relapses were down to increased stress after losing my job and the related anxiety, or Tecfidera not working out for me, I don't think OMS helped. So I've been meat-free ever since.

So imagine my complete lack of surprise when I noticed this link doing the rounds at the weekend:

http://meatheals.com/category/nervous-system/multiple-sclerosis/

That's right. Eating all the meat and nothing but all the meat is the only way to go for a healthy life with MS now!

Oh. You didn't know? Where've you been?

Anyway it was good enough for Elvis, right? Didn't do him any harm did it?

Wearyingly predictable though this might be, it was obviously only a matter of time, right? Truth be told, I'm a little ashamed that I didn't see it coming.

I'm sure that the MS Society and MS Trust are looking into this already. But if anyone from either organisation is reading this (and really, why wouldn't they be?), please can you do some robust research into the possible benefits (or otherwise) of diet.

This sort of 'solution' is so attractive. The tools to take control of this aspect of our lives are so readily available that it's no wonder people are willing to try something - anything - like this. There might be something in it (and how great would that be?) but at the moment, no-one really knows.

So currently, vulnerable people with chronic illnesses are effectively experimenting on themselves.  

Happy Birthday, The Internet! The unruly and untrustworthy stepchild of sensible and measured discourse! 

the simplest option

the blogger’s complaint

The work I've been doing has gotten crazy recently. Hence the extended radio silence. I knew it was coming but still it was surprising nonetheless.

The festival I've been working on opened last week. My contract is for a set amount of days over six months so I don't have a huge number of days left. The festival itself finishes mid-April but they want me to do some work on the evaluation. So the number of days I'll be working each week will necessarily get fewer.

There have been a number of long days and weekends which I guess is par for the course. But it doesn't stop my family worrying that I'm heading for a crash.

On the other hand, my work on the FUMS podcast is like a dream come true. I love it and I feel like I'm pretty good at it - Kathy tells me so, anyway.

Coming up the pod will be featuring interviews with people with MS from around the world, talking about their diagnosis and treatment stories. Obviously Kathy is based in the US so her intention is to show how F'd up their health system is. She started off by interviewing me and this gave me a good opportunity to bang on about the NHS again.

I really enjoyed chatting with Kathy and I'm a shameless self-publicist. So I'll undoubtedly share it here once it's published. Although obviously you should already have subscribed to the podcast,right?

I just hope I don't hate the sound of my voice so much that it's the shortest interview yet. Or at the very least very presenter-heavy.