[brandonc]

Are there certain foods that you guys find flares up your MG?

[DesertFlower]

Originally Posted by brandonc

Are there certain foods that you guys find flares up your MG?

Yes, but I haven't figured out the details yet. In general, anything in a package or a can bothers me. I don't know if it is the preservatives or some other food additive that bothers me, but something does.

Anything with MSG is really bad, it makes my legs give out on me.

When I eat meals made from fresh food my MG gets a little better. It seems like nuts and green leafy vegetables make me feel best so I have started carrying around various nuts to snack on when I feel weak, and I am in the process of learning to cook with more green stuff. I can feel an energy boost when I eat sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Makes me wonder if I have some kind of mineral deficiency.

Like I said, I haven't really figured this out but I know that what I eat makes a big difference in how I feel.

The best thing is to keep a record of what you eat for a while combined with how you feel and see what works for you.

I hope this helps.

[mrsD]

Autoimmune disease can be connected to gluten intolerance.

Here is a very complete website to study:
http://sites.google.com/site/jccglutenfree/

jccgf is a member here too, and you can PM her with questions, and also visit our gluten forum here. There are blood tests for this and if you have GI symptoms, eventually a doctor will want to do a scope and see the lining. There are also stool tests, that can determine your genetic contribution. Not all gluten intolerance is frank Celiac in presentation. Many acquire gluten intolerance over time. One trigger in studies is implied today, and that is use of NSAIDs. If one is intolerant to gluten there can be malabsorption of nutrients, due to the nature of this inflammation. So secondary nutrient losses is common with this.

Whole seeds and nuts are good providers of essential fatty acids, and magnesium. They are called germinal foods, containing many trace elements needed by a new plant to get growing. So they are very nutritious for us too.

MSG is very bad for anyone with a neuro problem. It cannot be handled by the body easily (we are designed to consume glutamate that is bonded to proteins --and slowly absorbed into tissues). MSG is a potent fast acting glutamate and also triggers the NMDA receptors which are pain gatekeepers. MSG is also neuroexcitatory in the brain. Many restaurants use MSG heavily to make the food more "flavorful" and the result can be tough on the body. Many soups canned and in restaurants are heavy in this. Progresso now makes a MSG free soup, which is really nice.

Whole foods like fruits and vegetables contain natural antioxidants which act like anti-inflammatories in the body. So these are beneficial for anyone with a neuro problem.

So, yes, the answer to your question is that you can investigate diet and may see some symptom improvement, less fatigue and more energy.

[Kathie Glenn]

I have one question - why don't doctors tell you all of these when you are diagnosed? It seems like less time and money would be spent by doctors, patients and insurance companies if there was a comprehensive medical consult where the patient would go from doctor to consults - to talk about meds, nutrition and exercise. Wouldn't we all be better off and the doctors would see and hear less from us. Guess I am a little grumpy today.

Kathie Glenn

[mrsD]

Originally Posted by Kathie Glenn

I have one question - why don't doctors tell you all of these when you are diagnosed? It seems like less time and money would be spent by doctors, patients and insurance companies if there was a comprehensive medical consult where the patient would go from doctor to consults - to talk about meds, nutrition and exercise. Wouldn't we all be better off and the doctors would see and hear less from us. Guess I am a little grumpy today.

Kathie Glenn

Basically it is because they are not trained in this aspect of life.
Dr. Weil who graduated from Harvard himself, is a vocal advocate on training doctors in nutrition. Some places are making an effort. Tufts university is one. Another is U.C. San Diego (where Vit D research is being made public) and U.C San Francisco where the Dept of Endocrinology is researching obesity and nutrition.
This video comes from U.C. SF and is a lecture being given to medical people there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

I myself discovered many nutritional things myself, when we started with our first computer over a decade ago. I search and learn every day. Most doctors will not take that time, and also have internal prejudice about the internet. Many specialists do not like having their patients search the net for answers. Some very special ones like you see on Mystery Diagnosis on Discovery Health TV, are the exceptions. That program illustrates very painfully how long some patients go before being diagnosed correctly. There is one segment of a woman who went 10 yrs and saw many doctors and not one diagnosed her low B12. That is a sorry example of the quality of medical care in this country.

You have every right to be grumpy and angry! I get that way too!