Inclined Therapy: Worse before better?
There may be some pain before gains. Not all the time with ms but usually shooting pains down legs and arms moving around rather than a persistant pain in one area, as nerve pathways open up. This is often the pattern, although some fortunately bypass the pain.

Many people reported sudden pain from cavities below the gum line from teeth that had been decayed and should have ben reporting decay back to the brain, but not just in ms, age also numbs the gums and a number of elderly people also reported a trip to the dentist to sort out nerve pains.

This was also the case with spinal cord injury, pain before recover in sci was viewed positively, as it meant that there was communication developing with the brain from below the injury site.

Good News! I'm Finally Getting Good Results.Monday, 14-Jun-1999 13:46:10Message:205.188.195.53 writes:I've been doing the inclined bed since January. I've had M.S. for over 20 years -diagnosed in 1986 as relapsing-remitting M.S. Two years ago, I had a serious attack and ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks paralyzed from the waist down-no feeling and no motion. After a couple of months of steroids and other drugs, I became able to walk first with a walker and then with a cane very short distances.I was still left with lots of fatique, weak legs, balance problems, painful pins and needles in the legs and feet, abdominal muscle spasms, incontinance, and sleepless nights. My diagnosis became secondary progressive M.S.I decided to get off all drugs(much to my neurolist's dismay).I then found Betty Iams on the computer and began her regimen of strict diet, exercise, supplements, meditation, and I've added acupuncture. It feels great to be in control. This is a lifetime regimen for me. I'd been coasting along not getting better, but not getting worse when I read about the inclined bed. I decided to try it-what could I lose? Right away, the painful abdominal muscle spasms started to subside and sleep became somewhat better. Then nothing happened. Then I started getting worse. I decided to give up the inclined bed -this after 3 months. One problem, however-I can't sleep on a flat bed anymore! Andrew wrote for me to hang in there that it was expected that I get worse before I get better. Everyday I waited. Then like Andrew said, I started getting better and better. This past month has been amazing! I even walked up and down a flight of stairs with my cane unaided. Fatigue has gone, the abdominal muscle spasms have gone, t he painful pins and needles are subsiding, leg strength is getting better so that I can walk greater distances, and balance is much better. I still have incontinance and sleep problems, but given time, I know those problems will be gone, too. One very interesting thing happened with my eyes recently. I'm very nearsighted and had my prescription for my contacts checked 3 months ago. Last week, I went back to the eye doctor's complaining that I just couldn't see. He checked my eyes again and much to his amazement, he found that they had improved greatly since my check-up 3 months ago!I wrote Andrew about this happening and he feels that sleeping on an inclined bed can help the optic nerve to regenerate and repair the damage of long term M.S.Let me encourage anyone who is trying the inclined bed to stick with it and don't think it won't work. I'm proof it can. My whole family and I are so grateful to Andrew Fletcher. Liz SteinbrueckLiz Steinbrueck


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The genetic factor in MS
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Those of you who know my family MS history know that my mother had her first MS episode when I was seventeen years old and was diagnosed with relapsing/remitting MS a few years later. She has spent the last 35 years in a wheelchair. Mother is now 80 years old and has resided in a nursing home for the past 12+ years. I was diagnosed at the age of 58 with primary progressive MS, and my youngest brother was diagnosed in his early 40's.

I have a daughter who by her choice has not been part of my life for a number of years. I had not heard from her in 12 years and had no idea where she was or how to contact her until a few weeks ago. She contacted me because she was being evaluated for MS and wanted to know the details about her grandmother's MS. She was shocked to learn that I now have it also.

She has now been diagnosed with relapsing/remitting MS. It was a tremendous blow to me as well as, of course, it was to her. She was very fortunate in finding a very well-informed neurologist. He is the first neurologist I have heard of who recommended the exact same approach as the program I follow and recommend.

In addition, several important things he pointed out to her I would like to share with you.

No. 1 ATTITUDE and SELF-TALK: He told her that her attitude and her self-talk formed the foundation of her wellness program. He stressed that her biggest enemy is the fear factor. He pointed out that many, many people live long, healthy, active lives with MS, and that her best chance of doing that was to not let a fear of what might happen enter into her thoughts or the words she says.

No. 2 MS IS NOT A DISEASE BUT RATHER A WAY OF LIFE: He encouraged her to never think of MS as a disease or illness, but to always look at it as a way of life.

I am making an effort to get this young neurologist to write something for my newsletter. The diet suggestions he gave my daughter are identical to those I recommend, together with stress reduction, avoiding fatigue, avoiding activities in the summer when it is hot, etc.

I frequently hear people with MS down-play the genetic factor because no one else in their family has MS. They totally miss the point. It doesn't matter nearly so much what went before in your family as it does the children of the person with MS. No one in my mother's family prior to her had ever had MS, but now there are four of us.

The approximate numbers are these: In the general population approximately 1 in 1000 in the US get MS. If a parent has it the numbers are approximately 1 in 50. If a sibling has it the numbers are approximately 1 in 25.

Had my daughter been in touch with me in the years since my diagnosis I would have recognized her early signs years ago. Actually she has had it longer than I have. It has taken 10 years for her exacerbations to become severe enough for a diagnosis. My son is much aware of the familial predisposition in our family, and takes the exact same nutritional supplements I do. It seems to me that if such a program helps me stay ahead of MS, it should help to minimize his chances of developing it.

What does all this mean for you. If you are a parent and you have MS, your children of any age are at a higher than average risk to develop it also. You don't tell this to young children of course, but when they are at an age to handle it, they should be made aware of their risk. It is also important that they not live in fear of developing MS, or any other physical challenge which has a genetic factor. We all came into this life with genetic predispositions. Most of the time we do not develop whatever that predisposition might lead to. That is the important message to tell sons, daughters and siblings of the person who has multiple sclerosis.

To date we do not know what the genetic factor is that predisposes one to MS. It is generally called a familial predisposition, much like those of heart disease, some cancers (like breast cancer in women), arthritis and Alzheimer's.

It is my hope that in my and my daughter's lifetime the genetic factor will be discovered so that we may have a chance of defeating it in coming generations. At the present time it is not only proliferating and becoming more prevalent, but more and more men are getting MS. 25 years ago 2 out of every 3 people with MS were women. Today it is just about 50% each men and women.



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MS study by Andrew Fletcher
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If you are not participating in the Andrew Fletcher study, why not? It is free, involves no drugs, diet or nutritional supplements, does not cost anything, and you have absolutely nothing to lose. We are far enough into the study now to be seeing many positive results. If you are not participating, here is how you get started.

You simply raise the head of your bed six inches higher than the foot, and send simple e-mail reports to Andrew from time to time reporting what changes you experience. Some have minor discomforts the first few days, but most do not report any discomfort at all. An immediate positive result is not having to get up several times each night. Most sleep all through the night, or just get up one time.

There is also a message board where you may read the results and comments of others. All of us need to use the message board to report our results from time to time so others can benefit from our experience. You may post anonymously if you prefer.

Old Link: http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb405491 Message board closed: Data from Posts from the MB Pilot Study can be found here:board:http://groups.google.co.uk/group/inclined_to_sleep_inclined?hl=en


I had my daughter immediately raise the head of her bed when she learned she has MS last week, and she had an immediate reduction in the severity of the numbness and tingling in her legs and feet. She reported that to her neurologist and he said there is much scientific evidence to indicate that the human body is designed to function vertically and not horizontally. He said he is recommending inclined sleep for all his patients.

I know that hundreds of subscribers to this newsletter are not participating in this study. I must repeat, if you are not sleeping inclined, why not? If you are participating and not sending in regular reports to Andrew, please do so. We can only get the attention of the allopathic medical world by having well-documented data. Please send Andrew your reports at the suggested intervals, even if you just write him two or three sentences. Every little bit helps.