http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRcZZROphLM&feature=player_embedded

Here is a wonderful article from Dr. Mercola that explains the dangers of consuming foods with added sugar. Did you know high fructose corn syrup is in almost every pre-packaged food on the market. And with the economy taking a turn for the worse, the amount of added HFCS is probably increasing, because HFCS is a common way to reduce manufacturing costs.Oh, and something Dr. Mercola didn't mention about sugar? Sugar contributes to an acidic environment within the body. When the body is to acidic it becomes ill and cancer cells thrive. Ideally,most people should strive to maintain a slightly alkaline body environment. One of the easiest ways to cut acid in the body and increase alkaline is to cut out all sugar and use a touch of lemon juice in your drinking water once or twice each day.Here's the article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/26/Sugar-May-Be-Bad-But-This-Sweetener-Is-Far-More-Deadly-Part-2.aspx

Did you know inflammation causes or contributes to most of the diseases that effect Americans? That’s right– Heart disease, stroke, arthritis, asthma, migraine, type 2 diabetes, allergies, ADHD, multiple sclerosis, fibroneuralgia, and gingivitis are all diseases of inflammation. In fact, the majority of conditions ending in the suffix “itis” are caused by inflammation. Now, that doesn’t mean that if you control inflammation your MS will just go away. But it’s a good bet that the pain, stiffness and possibly even some balance problems will be significantly reduced.There are several ways to reduce inflammation. You could, of course take a pill designed for just that purpose. NSAIDS are popular pain relievers, and they work primarily by reducing inflammation. But, they can be dangerous. Did you know that more people die of side effects of NSAIDS than of HIV? Additionally, over half a million people a year develop some sort of complication from the use of NSAIDS.A better way to control inflammation is to watch what you eat and take supplements of those substances known to reduce inflammation in the body.Omega 3 oils found in deep sea fish. I include mercury tested salmon in my diet 3 – 5 times a week.Cayenne pepper- I take 3 cayenne pepper caps with each meal. Some people have to take this between meals because it upsets their stomach or makes  food taste bad. Don’t be afraid to experiment to find when it works best for you.Saint John’s Wart – In addition to being  great for MS related depression, St Johns also helps reduce inflammation.Switch from vegetable oil to olive. Yes, it’s more expensive. but most vegetable oils convert to an inflammation causing chemical when broken down by the body.Eat more green leafy veggies, nut butters, avocados and macadamia nuts they all have anti-inflammatory abilities.With simple dietary changes, we can manage our MS and make our lives just a bit easier.

Recently I received an email from a woman asking if I have ever tried LDN or Low Dose Naltrexone. 

I thought I'd mentioned LDN here before, but I guess I haven't. LDN is used by people with many different types of autoimmune disease to modulate the immune system.  

I've been taking LDN for about 4 years now and have seen many benefits.  The two most important benefits, for me, are a decrease in balance problems and elimination of optic neuritis.  Plus, I notice a solid increase in energy and decrease in ms related fatigue with LDN.

I take regular LDN breaks to allow the medication to flush from my system so that I can compare how I feel on LDN to how I feel off LDN. I always feel better with the LDN.

There are several places around the web to find good information on LDN. 

The Low Dose Naltrexone website linked above is probably my favorite. If you want to talk to real, live people who use LDN for a variety of autoimmune conditions check out LDN_Users@yahoogroups., or the group I moderate, mscured@yahoogroups.