Seed cream — and the PK Protocol

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I have lately added some new oils to my life, one a particularly brain-healthy one called PC, or phosphatidylcholine. My doctor told me to be particularly careful about brand here, and not to substitute cheaper versions for the PC oils made by Body Bio, Xymogen, or Nutrasal. Rather than using something cheaper, the doc said to take as much as I could afford of a good brand.

PC oil is a highly refined replacement for something you body naturally produces. It has similarities to, but is NOT the same as, lethicin and unlike the waxy candle-tasting beads of my fab ’70s childhood  when my grandmother took that stuff with everything — and shoved it into me too if I didn’t disappear fast enough — PC oil is water-soluble, and apparently very hard to make. Continue reading Seed cream — and the PK Protocol

LDN and pain relief — the nettle and the sting

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About three years ago, I fell on some black ice, landing  hard on my palms and one knee. I healed quickly and didn’t think much more about it. However, since, during times of low atmospheric pressure–as in an impending storm, I find that the pain comes back, twice so far, much worse than it was in the original fall.

The first time this happened was extremely painful. I squirmed my way into the car to see my doctor, who prescribed an opiate with many warnings. I took it. Nothing happened–like taking air pills. I had to call back and point out that LDN was an opiate blocker.

Oops. Continue reading LDN and pain relief — the nettle and the sting

Med-making day

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Today, I made a custom mix of supplements, some Ceylon cinnamon capsules, and the usual biotin test tubes. Here’s a slideshow about making capsules. I get my supplies at bulksupplements.com; I get the cinnamon from Penzey’s.

Yes, my medicine tray is a masala dhaba, a traditional stainless-steel Indian spice tray with seven cups and a lid. (Pfft to those “day-of-the-week” ones from the drugstore.)

A perfect TENS

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TENS machine

My knee hurts today–I was in the “palliative” drawer, which I emptied for the previous post.

But this thing usually does the trick. TENS stands for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation” and it can greatly help with those MS pains that show up just about anywhere. Then they start hopping around like a barrel full of monkeys. Continue reading A perfect TENS

Compounded medicine and insurance

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Oh, crap. There’s a quiz today. Answer key below.

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Pharmacy benefits managers. Commonly called PBMs.

They sound like such nice people, right? They manage your benefits to shepherd you to optimal health. They do their very best to save you money and improve the quality of your care. Through drugs.

No matter how effed-up your condition. Or despite what your OWN doctor (who by the way, spent about a decade in med school) thinks you need to help you. Continue reading Compounded medicine and insurance

#brainmaker: “Brain Maker,” A new book by Dr. David Perlmutter

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Click for a link to this book on Amazon. Well worth the effort!

I downloaded David Perlmutter’s new book, Brain Makerˆfrom the e-collection at my library. Then I read it. All of it. Every word.Then I went to bed. All that happened between 3pm and 11pm last Sunday. You might say I was motivated to read this book.

Looking at the blurb on the promo image above tells you the essential message of the book: protect your gut’s microbes: protect and heal your brain. Continue reading #brainmaker: “Brain Maker,” A new book by Dr. David Perlmutter

LDN is my best friend — and my drug of choice

Posted on by mscellenea
prescription bottle containing low dose naltrexone

In mid-2010,  I had been diagnosed with MS for about 18 months. After a year of very bad health, including a low-grade fever, extreme fatigue, highly elevated liver function, and what looked like the start of jaundice, I stopped going to my neurologist, stopped taking my traditional CRAB MS med, and switched to a mixture of enzymes, probiotics, and low-dose naltrexone, better known as LDN. That was the year I left the world of traditional medicine, insurance, and embarked on an active search for a different kind of care.

I had been reading a lot about multiple sclerosis, learned of some people who were altering their health with diet and off-label drugs. Low-dose naltrexone was one drug frequently mentioned as helpful to those with MS. Continue reading LDN is my best friend — and my drug of choice

Exiting the healthcare superhighway

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https://flic.kr/p/bnLhCW Image by scootiepye. All rights reserved. Check out her Flickr photostream; it’s awesome. Even though it’s gotten awfully full of feathers lately.

I am very appreciative of the number of readers I have from the UK. I apologize that this post might make no sense to you. In the US, national health care is pretty bare-bones. Most people get their primary care from their employer, who contracts with one or more private health insurance companies. You select a plan, and contribute a small amount per month for the level of care you choose for yourself and your family. Continue reading Exiting the healthcare superhighway