New MS diagnosis? Start Here.

So what happened when you were diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis? How did you respond? How did others respond? How has that changed who you were the day, or even the minute you were diagnosed? Because something changed, didn’t it? Did your anxiety go up? Did you start to self-doubt? Did you panic about the future? Did you start to worry about a job, getting married, having babies, or what your friends would think?

I’m no psychologist but I do counsel people every day (as a healthcare provider trained to do so) and, I do have my own life with MS to navigate, so I can honestly say I get it. Now get over it.

You are still the magnificent person you were before you were put in the MS box.

Your New Life Mission – Climb out of the MS Box!

The reality is that everything that everyone, including most neurologists, think, or know, or think they know about MS has changed. THAT’s exciting. When we all tap into that, collectively, life with MS can change – for everybody.

What has changed? Well as a Naturopathic Doctor a lot of this knowledge has been understood for a very long time, the fact that science has come full circle with it is…you guessed it, exciting! If you’re wondering why your neurologist isn’t as excited as I am don’t hold it against them, it takes a long time for leading edge science to be integrated into the current medical model.

Changes in Science that make MS manageable; here’s a few…

• Supercharged food science is moving to centre stage as first line therapy for MS
• More and more MS is referred to as “immune-mediated” vs autoimmune. I love this – it is so much more accurate and so much more manageable.
• New brain science tells us that the brain is constantly creating new brain cells (neurogenesis) and has the ongoing capacity to change for the better (neuroplasticity) which leaves “healing the brain” wide open to possibility and plausibility.
• The brain’s glymphatic system clears away neurotoxic debris which complicates neurological conditions while we sleep! This is especially important to those with cog-fog, particularly if it is worse in the morning.
• The new science of Epigenetics makes your diet, lifestyle, exercise and your thoughts, patterns and beliefs absolute “treatment” priorities.
• Our scientific model has reunited the mind and body! (good news, since they were the ones that separated them in the first place). Understanding the seamless transition between our thoughts, behaviours and beliefs and the physical manifestations of those makes Mind-Body medicine a HEALING POWERTOOL.

That’s some profoundly significant stuff when it comes to managing multiple sclerosis wouldn’t you say? And it is all available right now!

So how do you get on the other side of the MS horror show? Change the optics.

People think I am nuts when I say this is an exciting time to be diagnosed with MS. But it is! You should have seen the generalized pity-party when I was diagnosed in 1985. Thankfully my neurologist, Dr. George Ebers, didn’t push me down that rabbit hole, neither did my family.

Life may change for you…it already has, you have a new awareness. It is possible that change may come in other ways too. Accepting that this diagnosis is real is a good place to start. Believe it or not, acceptance is the key to embracing the power and possibility that will allow you to step up and start building a lifestyle that will support positive change; put together an amazing support team that meets your needs and; let MS fade into the background of your life. I call it living beyond the diagnosis, and I see people do it all the time. You can too.

Address your fears first.

Acknowledge them, honour them, and let them go. They will probably come back because that’s what the mind does, but the more you release their grip, the easier it will become. Essentially you are retraining your brain!

A little exercise I learned from my own therapist I call “And then what?” It all starts with one of those nagging fears. Bring it into your consciousness and then ask yourself , “and then what?” And with every answer, continue to ask “and then what” until you can’t ask that question anymore. It is a powerful exercise in unpacking and disarming your fears and reducing their hold on you.

So this is where every cliché I have ever heard is rushing into my mind; live your best life, dream big, be the change you want to see, create change in your world. Here’s a new one from me.

Let MS be a PART of your world, but not ALL of your world.

Despite everything, recognize your magnificence and lead with that. Examine your thoughts, patterns and beliefs, they may be limiting, and are probably not entirely yours. Most likely they were downloaded to you by well-intending parents, teachers and other authority figures. So, replace them with your own.

Instead of googling supplements to take for multiple sclerosis, google things that will help you with your mindset reset because that’s where a great life despite the diagnosis begins. Things like energy psychology, neuroplasticity exercises to change behaviour, self-compassion, emotional freedom technique, mindfulness, meditation and MS – remember that mindset-reset is KEY.

Jeepers, when I think of what the “experts” told me in 1985, I could have probably found a big old rock and crawled under it. But I didn’t. I defied every horrible prediction they made for me – then! NOW, watch out! This is a whole new world for those of us diagnosed and living with Multiple Sclerosis, no matter how long you have been diagnosed or how advanced your condition.

Now, time to roll up your sleeves and read my Four Cornerstones of Healing For MS blog to start building a lasting foundation for long-term health.