Be your own advocate for your well-being. Don't be labeled because you have the symptoms called multiple sclerosis.

Be your own advocate when you see your doctor regarding the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Ask the tough questions. Always remember you are the one in charge of your care. To your health care and insurance provider you are just a number that falls under the categories "revenues and expenses". When you ask questions, expect an answer which is not evasive, ambiguous, or legal speak. If the question is not answered to your satisfaction then find somebody who will answer your question. Be a skeptic and a critical thinker. It's your life and should be treated as an important life.

I was diagnosed in the summer of 1997 with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. They came to this conclusion by two out of three test showing positive results, the third test was inconclusive. The tests that they ran were an MRI, evoked potentials, and a spinal tap. All of these test in the definition of multiple sclerosis are symptomatic and do not address any type of underlying problem/s that may exist. Four neurologist, seven years, and a lack of answers have led me to having to be my own healer.

I do not know your specific circumstances, but I can relay some of mine to hopefully offer you some insight into the questions that lay before you. The "multiple sclerosis" that I have has progressed to the point of making it very difficult for me to walk without aid and use my right side effectively. Over the course of seven years these neurologist have offered very little substance but many drugs as a result of ignorance when it comes to the management of multiple sclerosis. You end up getting grouped into a specific disease that can have a multiple of underlying problems that act as a catalyst to the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Hence, any individual attention and needs are overlooked as a result of being grouped into this disease. Every recommendation came with the statement "there is a ?? percent chance this will have a positive effect, a ?? percent chance it will have no effect, and a ?? percent chance it'll have a negative effect". You have better odds in Las Vegas. Some recommendations I followed out of my own naïveté, some were helpful, and some I was later to discover were not in my best interest. Most of the medications I am no longer on due to side effects and downside of their prologue use. Drug companies are currently trying to legally hide the information regarding the side effects of their drugs. The only medication I currently use is Baclofen, but I have been able to reduce the dosage to 1/4 of the original amount effectively. The other medications I had been on were copaxone, betaseron, amantidine etc. to name a few. The final straw was when my neurologist recommended chemotherapy on a repeated basis because they had no other answers for the management of my disease. Again, the percent chance statement followed.

Currently I am working with a naturopathic practitioner who appears to be attempting to address underlying problems. Enabling my body to help itself return to health after much neglect by removing some of the roadblocks preventing good health.

Since I have begun the work with the naturopathic practitioner my need for blood-pressure meds has disappeared, my legs are slowly becoming stronger, and the mental/muscle fatigue is improving as a result of diet, herbal supplements, and therapy. This is a journey I have just started as a result of educating myself to better understand the alternatives and through the frustrations with current AMA approved medical standards and their limitations. I am much more able to understand the needs and messages my body is sending me now that I was before as a result. Don't get me wrong, Western medicine is the best in the world when it comes to trauma, Western medicine unfortunately is not set up to address chronic or debilitating illnesses.

Throughout the seven years I have never stopped seeking a way to improve my health and overcome this illness. With the grace of God and my own stubbornness I will find the road to recovery. Don't ever give up believing you can win.

Tweet