I only have the first part of this series done this evening, but I’ll definitely have the second part up by the end of this week!

I started following this protocol loosley right after my diagnosis in April 2018. Up to that point, I’d been eating a vegetarian diet, half decent, half junk food. I’d probably had dairy ten times in the past year…and that’s exactly why I’ll never say I’m 100% vegan, plant based, or OMS. I let life happen. When MS happens, you really learn to let shit go. So if I want birthday cake, I’m gonna have a piece – that I’ll eat three bites of, and give the rest to Phil, but still.

Back to the protocol; Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, or OMS, was written by Dr. George Jelinek, who has MS, for his mother, Eva, who also had MS. It’s a fairly simple protocol, with seven steps, that he breaks down very well in his book. It has SO much information,and is my go-to when google fails me.

Plant based plus seafood, or a ‘seagan’ diet, is what I’ve tried to follow since diagnosis, and it has really worked wonders for me. Adding seafood into my diet was a nightmare, though. I really believe that all earthlings have the same right to life, and I hated the idea that I was ingesting something that had once been alive…but everyone following this protocol swears by it, so I decided if it was going to be between me and the crabs…well, I have a pretty guilty conscious, let’s just say that.

The most obviously noticeable change is the lack of muscle spasticity. I had a twitch above my left eye that had been driving me crazy for months. I hadn’t eaten any crab in almost a year, but within an hour of eating sushi, that twitch was gone. I think almost everyone, myself included, thought it was a coincidence and that it would be back the next day. I don’t get that twitch unless I go more than a couple days without eating crab, and it’s been almost 5 months now.

I try to get in as many veggies as I can every day. Whole fruits and veggies, along with potato tacos and crispy cauliflower and other delicious plant based recipies. Sometimes I do really well, and stick to my meal plan and get a wide variety of fresh foods regularly. Sometimes I’ll have a healthy drink and a banana and those are the healthiest, or only, things I eat that day. This is one of the biggest things I need to change, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s the main reason I call it OMS-ish; I haven’t had meat (except crab) in over a year, and I’ve had dairy maybe 10 times in that year…but if I’m at a family get together or another special occasion, if I want a piece of cake or a slice of pizza, I’m going to. If I feel like crap, I’m not pushing myself to eat 6 cups of veggies and chug down a healthy drink.

Life happens; that’s why it’s OMS-ish.

I do have one trick for this, though. I used to freshly juice veggies and fruits daily. That takes SO much time and effort – the chopping, the juicing, storing, cleaning, etc. It was just too much for daily stuff. So, I decided to try ‘juice cubes’ I juice weekly or every 10 days if I’m being lazy. I’ll fill up an ice cube tray with it, and throughout the week, add two or three cubes to one of my ‘healthy drinks’. That’s just a scoop of whatever organic greens I get on sale, with a little magnesium and spirulina. I know it’s not nearly as good as fresh, but I’m fine with it for now.

I do take Vitamin D and try to get some safe sun exposure like the book recommends. My Neurologist also recommended the Vitamin D to me at my first appointment. I take a higher dose than he initially recommended, after clearing it with him of course. Always check with your Dr before adding or changing any supplements! These can seriously interact with medications you may be on.

As far as exercise..I try really hard to stick with a routine, but again, life. I am pretty good about going on walks in the evening with the pups – when I’m really on my game, body weight exercises and progressive weight lifting is my thing. I try to do that at least three times a week. If I’m trying to be real fancy, I’ll do some tai chi. I did just invest in some fancy Five Below equipment (for those of you who don’t have one of those close, everything is $5 or less, so it’s not fancy at all) so I hope that’ll spur me to get into a better routine! I really notice a difference in how I feel if I slack off for too long.

I’ll get into the rest of the book later this week – if you have read this book, or follow this protocol, let me know!! I’m always eager to learn new tips and tricks to following this lifestyle.