“It got hot, real quick” Heat and MS.

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It was a beautiful day by anyone’s standards, except a runner.
72, mostly sunny, perfect early summer day in June. But to me, it felt 90 degrees and scorching. It was 2013 and I was running the B.A.A 10K. I was in the middle of my running “career” and onto my 2nd or 3rd 10k. Everything started out just fine, music was pumping in my ears, adrenaline flowing through my legs,
“I got this” I thought. 
Until I hit Commonwealth Ave. 
For those of you unfamiliar with Boston, Commonwealth Ave is a fairly straight, uncovered, stretch of pavement. And this was where the majority of the 6.2 miles were ran. 
It got hot. It got hot, real quick. 
Heat and MS
One of the most well known symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, at least to us MSers, is heat intolerance. Being exposed to heat, whether it is from being outdoors, being in a hot shower or exercising, can make MS symptoms temporarily worse, which is called a pseudo-exacerbation. Once our bodies return to normal temperature, the symptoms dissipate and return back to their normal state. During a pseudo-exacerbation there is no disease progression happening either, however, while the symptoms are being felt, they feel very real! In fact, back in the day before MRI’s and modern medicine, doctors used to use the “hot bath test” to diagnose MS! In this test, individuals who were suspected of having MS were put in a hot bath to see if their symptoms increased. As unpleasant as an MRI is, I’m sure that would be much worse!
Doctors believe this occurs because heat causes the nerves, who already are damaged, to preform their functions even less effectively. When body temperature increases, even by a quarter or half a degree, the electrical signals sent between demyelinated nerves are even further negatively impacted.
Some of the most common symptoms that individuals experience when in the heat are:
  • Fatigue
  • Blurry Vision (Uhthoffs  Phenomenon)
  • Pain
  • Cognitive Difficulties
Strategies to Manage the Heat
Sometimes being in the heat is unavoidable, so being prepared is the best thing you can do! Here are some tips for beating the heat!
  • AC is your friend! Staying in the AC during times of high heat or humidity is sometimes a must. Or having a nicely air conditioned house or room to come back to is important. When I didn’t have central air my doctor gave me the hint to make one room an “AC oasis” that is cool 24/7, which should be your bedroom, so you can sleep comfortably too.
  • Have ice water, or Popsicles  on hand all the time! Ice water will bring your core temp down asap.
  • Have a personal fan/personal water mister that you can bring with you EVERYWHERE.
  • When working out, be smart about your environment. Chose indoor areas that have AC. If you must workout outside, pick morning or evening times when it is cooler.
  • Try cooler/cold showers to bring down your body temp too. I really like this after a workout, this helps to bring my body back down to a normal temp quite quickly!
  • There are tons of personal cooling vests or articles of clothing that you can purchase that can help for longer term cooling as well.
My Experience
My hubby and I like to go to the beach all the time. Like one summer, we went on a beach tour and went to a new beach each weekend. So to say I’m “used” to the heat is an understatement, but it still get’s to me!
What I’ve found the most helpful for beating the heat is having a place to run back to that provides shade, whether that is an awesome beach tent or big tree, something that provides relief from the sun’s rays is key. I’ve found that sometimes in the shade it feels 10 degrees cooler than when in the sun. I also like to have a cooler with ice water with me. Yes, this means lugging a cooler to the beach, but in order to make my beach time fun, this is a necessity. My last thing that is key? Running in and out of the water. Obviously this isn’t always do-able if you’re not at the beach, so bringing some way to apply cold water, either a personal mister or cold towel or even having AC handy is important.
By the time I hit the turn around point, I felt like I was going to pass out. Looking back on it, I had no business finishing this race. But, I’m stubborn. And I was even more stubborn back then. 
Thankfully, my sister ran 99.9% of my races with me, and she was right there by my side. She didn’t know it, but she gave me the strength to keep going and in my mind, was there in case I passed out. 
By the time we hit the home stretch, I told her to go on ahead (she was great at sprinting to the finish) and I came behind about a minute later. My hubby (boyfriend at the time) was also there, at the finish line. He took one look at me, yelled at the medics, “GRAB HER”. 
I was stumbling to the finish, barely able to see, my legs were numb and tingling (at the same time, totally weird feeling) and I couldn’t feel most of my body.
Against my overheated, belligerent will, I was thrown in a wheel chair and carted off to the medical tent. I fought the entire time, stating I was “fine” and I just needed to “walk it off” (ha!).
My core temperature was 106 degrees, I was dizzy, confused and fighting the nurses. They tossed me in an ice bath for what seemed like an eternity (to me, as well as my then boyfriend and sister) and I thankfully didn’t have to go to the hospital. I think I told them I had MS, and that everything was much worse because of the heat, but I don’t really remember too much else of the conversation. 
Obviously both the act of running and the heat got to me that day. But I think the heat was the most impacting factor. I was a well conditioned runner at the time and the distance had previously given me no issues on 50 degree days.
The only things gained from the experience was a new shirt and a healthy respect for rising temperatures. 

I’M ALISSA!

I help women who have also been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis make specific and personalized diet, lifestyle & subconscious changes so that they can begin to heal their body, reduce disease symptoms, and return to a life they love.hey there,

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“I can’t even make a cup of tea” Fatigue

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I think I’ve said this in every group I’ve run and with every client I meet with.

(A gross oversimplification disclaimer)
But this:
people pleasing, being all or nothing, perfectionist (I could go on)

Is (part of) why we got MS.

These patterns we play out each day are the hardest thing to change- and they also keep us with high stress, high MS symptoms and feeling like crap in our bodies.

Changing these patterns takes awareness, focus and support- all of which you get in Holistically Healing MS.

•If you want the ability to say NO when you’d usually just say yes.. (stop overriding yourself)
•If you want to be ok with putting your needs first (cause I know you’re not lol)
•If you want to finally feel like you’re good enough and doing enough (cause you are)

Join us in HHMS. Along with lifestyle strategies, we go process the emotional burden all those patterns have- which helps to move through them.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you the link.

18 8
Open
I think I’ve said this in every group I’ve run and with every client I meet with. (A gross oversimplification disclaimer) But this: people pleasing, being all or nothing, perfectionist (I could go on) Is (part of) why we got MS. These patterns we play out each day are the hardest thing to change- and they also keep us with high stress, high MS symptoms and feeling like crap in our bodies. Changing these patterns takes awareness, focus and support- all of which you get in Holistically Healing MS. •If you want the ability to say NO when you’d usually just say yes.. (stop overriding yourself) •If you want to be ok with putting your needs first (cause I know you’re not lol) •If you want to finally feel like you’re good enough and doing enough (cause you are) Join us in HHMS. Along with lifestyle strategies, we go process the emotional burden all those patterns have- which helps to move through them. Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you the link.

I think I’ve said this in every group I’ve run and with every client I meet with.

(A gross oversimplification disclaimer)
But this:
people pleasing, being all or nothing, perfectionist (I could go on)

Is (part of) why we got MS.

These patterns we play out each day are the hardest thing to change- and they also keep us with high stress, high MS symptoms and feeling like crap in our bodies.

Changing these patterns takes awareness, focus and support- all of which you get in Holistically Healing MS.

•If you want the ability to say NO when you’d usually just say yes.. (stop overriding yourself)
•If you want to be ok with putting your needs first (cause I know you’re not lol)
•If you want to finally feel like you’re good enough and doing enough (cause you are)

Join us in HHMS. Along with lifestyle strategies, we go process the emotional burden all those patterns have- which helps to move through them.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you the link. ...

18 8

At some point you have to start trusting the things you’re doing will help and stop jumping to a new thing each week.

Giving up gluten one week?
Then dairy the next?
Maybe jumping into an exercise class a week later?

At some point you gotta pick 1-3 things and stick with them long enough to give them time to make changes in your body!!

Not just a day or week either.

Yes change can happen fast, but usually not that fast. You need to stick with things for long enough to see if they’ll help.

Often you give up before it has a chance to shift anything.

If you’ve been bouncing from thing to thing, throwing random things at the wall and hoping they stick, hoping something will move the needle an inch so you feel even a little bit better..

My course Holistically Healing MS is for you.

This is the place to find what works for you, to decrease your MS symptoms.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details.

6 2
Open
At some point you have to start trusting the things you’re doing will help and stop jumping to a new thing each week. Giving up gluten one week? Then dairy the next? Maybe jumping into an exercise class a week later? At some point you gotta pick 1-3 things and stick with them long enough to give them time to make changes in your body!! Not just a day or week either. Yes change can happen fast, but usually not that fast. You need to stick with things for long enough to see if they’ll help. Often you give up before it has a chance to shift anything. If you’ve been bouncing from thing to thing, throwing random things at the wall and hoping they stick, hoping something will move the needle an inch so you feel even a little bit better.. My course Holistically Healing MS is for you. This is the place to find what works for you, to decrease your MS symptoms. Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details.

At some point you have to start trusting the things you’re doing will help and stop jumping to a new thing each week.

Giving up gluten one week?
Then dairy the next?
Maybe jumping into an exercise class a week later?

At some point you gotta pick 1-3 things and stick with them long enough to give them time to make changes in your body!!

Not just a day or week either.

Yes change can happen fast, but usually not that fast. You need to stick with things for long enough to see if they’ll help.

Often you give up before it has a chance to shift anything.

If you’ve been bouncing from thing to thing, throwing random things at the wall and hoping they stick, hoping something will move the needle an inch so you feel even a little bit better..

My course Holistically Healing MS is for you.

This is the place to find what works for you, to decrease your MS symptoms.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details. ...

6 2

At one point I wanted:

•To be able to comfortably go on a walk again with my boyfriend (now husband)

•To not feel like an anxious mess every time I thought about the future (and potential disability)

• To not have waves of pain coursing throughout my body

I don’t want those things anymore,
because I have them all.

No, I’m not totally cured of feeling anxious about the future, and I still have days (like today tbh) where I feel like a load of 💩

The difference is:
I can manage all the symptoms
and anxiety
and feeling like 💩
better and differently than I did before, using all the tools I have accumulated over the 15(!!) years I’ve lived with MS as a patient and practitioner.

And these are the tools I share with my clients.

And the tools I share with you inside my Holistically Healing MS course.

This course is an 8 week journey into supporting your MS body so that it can begin to heal.

I know you have the same dreams as I did,
I know because you’ve told me we’ve talked about them 🤩

I want you to have those things too.

Holistically Healing MS waitlist is closing tomorrow, comment HEALING and I’ll add you to the list.

14 6
Open
At one point I wanted: •To be able to comfortably go on a walk again with my boyfriend (now husband) •To not feel like an anxious mess every time I thought about the future (and potential disability) • To not have waves of pain coursing throughout my body I don’t want those things anymore, because I have them all. No, I’m not totally cured of feeling anxious about the future, and I still have days (like today tbh) where I feel like a load of 💩 The difference is: I can manage all the symptoms and anxiety and feeling like 💩 better and differently than I did before, using all the tools I have accumulated over the 15(!!) years I’ve lived with MS as a patient and practitioner. And these are the tools I share with my clients. And the tools I share with you inside my Holistically Healing MS course. This course is an 8 week journey into supporting your MS body so that it can begin to heal. I know you have the same dreams as I did, I know because you’ve told me we’ve talked about them 🤩 I want you to have those things too. Holistically Healing MS waitlist is closing tomorrow, comment HEALING and I’ll add you to the list.

At one point I wanted:

•To be able to comfortably go on a walk again with my boyfriend (now husband)

•To not feel like an anxious mess every time I thought about the future (and potential disability)

• To not have waves of pain coursing throughout my body

I don’t want those things anymore,
because I have them all.

No, I’m not totally cured of feeling anxious about the future, and I still have days (like today tbh) where I feel like a load of 💩

The difference is:
I can manage all the symptoms
and anxiety
and feeling like 💩
better and differently than I did before, using all the tools I have accumulated over the 15(!!) years I’ve lived with MS as a patient and practitioner.

And these are the tools I share with my clients.

And the tools I share with you inside my Holistically Healing MS course.

This course is an 8 week journey into supporting your MS body so that it can begin to heal.

I know you have the same dreams as I did,
I know because you’ve told me we’ve talked about them 🤩

I want you to have those things too.

Holistically Healing MS waitlist is closing tomorrow, comment HEALING and I’ll add you to the list. ...

14 6

I was talking to a client this week and she talked about how mad she was that she has a chronic illness.

How frustrated she was that she has to “manage this dumb disease” and “has to pay attention to everything she does”.

She also went onto say that she really wants to do all the helpful things, but just can’t get out of these stuck and frustrated feelings.

I get it- I definitely remember feeling similar feelings years ago. And I’m sure you’ve been here as well and might still be there at times.

I wanted to share the reframe that really helped her:

I told her, instead of focusing on “managing your disease”,
what if you thought about how you can set your future self up for feeling better/success/health.

Take the disease totally out of it.
What is 1 thing you can do to help your future self today?

She paused for a moment and I could almost see the light bulb go off in real time (one of my fav moments lol).

She said: that feels so much better and more doable.

If you’ve also been struggling with frustrated feelings about “managing your disease” these are the types of conversations we’ll have in Holistically Healing MS.

Yes I’ll be sharing about diet strategies, movement to help symptoms and stress management techniques, but we’ll also dive deeper into your feelings about it all.

Over the many years I’ve been working with clients, I’ve discovered that these thoughts, feelings and beliefs you have about yourself and your health are the biggest thing to stand in your way.

And when you have support to work through these feelings, you’re able to feel so much better faster.

Only those on the HHMS waitlist will get the presale price, and the opportunity to join the waitlist is dwindling (waitlist gets access next weekend!).

Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to the list!!

11 2
Open
I was talking to a client this week and she talked about how mad she was that she has a chronic illness. How frustrated she was that she has to “manage this dumb disease” and “has to pay attention to everything she does”. She also went onto say that she really wants to do all the helpful things, but just can’t get out of these stuck and frustrated feelings. I get it- I definitely remember feeling similar feelings years ago. And I’m sure you’ve been here as well and might still be there at times. I wanted to share the reframe that really helped her: I told her, instead of focusing on “managing your disease”, what if you thought about how you can set your future self up for feeling better/success/health. Take the disease totally out of it. What is 1 thing you can do to help your future self today? She paused for a moment and I could almost see the light bulb go off in real time (one of my fav moments lol). She said: that feels so much better and more doable. If you’ve also been struggling with frustrated feelings about “managing your disease” these are the types of conversations we’ll have in Holistically Healing MS. Yes I’ll be sharing about diet strategies, movement to help symptoms and stress management techniques, but we’ll also dive deeper into your feelings about it all. Over the many years I’ve been working with clients, I’ve discovered that these thoughts, feelings and beliefs you have about yourself and your health are the biggest thing to stand in your way. And when you have support to work through these feelings, you’re able to feel so much better faster. Only those on the HHMS waitlist will get the presale price, and the opportunity to join the waitlist is dwindling (waitlist gets access next weekend!). Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to the list!!

I was talking to a client this week and she talked about how mad she was that she has a chronic illness.

How frustrated she was that she has to “manage this dumb disease” and “has to pay attention to everything she does”.

She also went onto say that she really wants to do all the helpful things, but just can’t get out of these stuck and frustrated feelings.

I get it- I definitely remember feeling similar feelings years ago. And I’m sure you’ve been here as well and might still be there at times.

I wanted to share the reframe that really helped her:

I told her, instead of focusing on “managing your disease”,
what if you thought about how you can set your future self up for feeling better/success/health.

Take the disease totally out of it.
What is 1 thing you can do to help your future self today?

She paused for a moment and I could almost see the light bulb go off in real time (one of my fav moments lol).

She said: that feels so much better and more doable.

If you’ve also been struggling with frustrated feelings about “managing your disease” these are the types of conversations we’ll have in Holistically Healing MS.

Yes I’ll be sharing about diet strategies, movement to help symptoms and stress management techniques, but we’ll also dive deeper into your feelings about it all.

Over the many years I’ve been working with clients, I’ve discovered that these thoughts, feelings and beliefs you have about yourself and your health are the biggest thing to stand in your way.

And when you have support to work through these feelings, you’re able to feel so much better faster.

Only those on the HHMS waitlist will get the presale price, and the opportunity to join the waitlist is dwindling (waitlist gets access next weekend!).

Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to the list!! ...

11 2

My reality has changed a whole bunch over the years.

I started out with only a few symptoms. But I could get through the day.

Until all of a sudden I couldn’t.

All within a few years I went from “fine” to:
Having horrible symptoms, had 3 relapses and found myself with “aggressive MS”

This was not ok with me.

Eventually, I took my life into my own hands and rethought how I did most things.
I realized I had to make some changes, or else idk what else was gonna happen to me.

So I did.

I changed my diet.
I changed how I worked out.
I changed my job in the name of stress management.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you want this transformation for you too (I know it’s possible) I’m launching my signature course: Holistically Healing MS in a few weeks.

This is the course you need to get started on this path for yourself.

Only the waitlist is gonna get the pre sale price…
Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to it!!

49 9
Open
My reality has changed a whole bunch over the years. I started out with only a few symptoms. But I could get through the day. Until all of a sudden I couldn’t. All within a few years I went from “fine” to: Having horrible symptoms, had 3 relapses and found myself with “aggressive MS” This was not ok with me. Eventually, I took my life into my own hands and rethought how I did most things. I realized I had to make some changes, or else idk what else was gonna happen to me. So I did. I changed my diet. I changed how I worked out. I changed my job in the name of stress management. This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you want this transformation for you too (I know it’s possible) I’m launching my signature course: Holistically Healing MS in a few weeks. This is the course you need to get started on this path for yourself. Only the waitlist is gonna get the pre sale price… Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to it!!

My reality has changed a whole bunch over the years.

I started out with only a few symptoms. But I could get through the day.

Until all of a sudden I couldn’t.

All within a few years I went from “fine” to:
Having horrible symptoms, had 3 relapses and found myself with “aggressive MS”

This was not ok with me.

Eventually, I took my life into my own hands and rethought how I did most things.
I realized I had to make some changes, or else idk what else was gonna happen to me.

So I did.

I changed my diet.
I changed how I worked out.
I changed my job in the name of stress management.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you want this transformation for you too (I know it’s possible) I’m launching my signature course: Holistically Healing MS in a few weeks.

This is the course you need to get started on this path for yourself.

Only the waitlist is gonna get the pre sale price…
Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to it!! ...

49 9

This is the reality I lived, I want you to experience it too.

No, this is not a quick fix.
No, these results wont happen overnight.
No, this won’t cure you.

BUT-

Yes, you can have your life back.
Yes, you can feel better than you do right now.
Yes, your current reality doesn’t have to be a forever reality.

My success years ago was all thanks to the diet changes and the work I put in to know exactly how to eat to support MY body and MS at the same time.

Yes it took a few months, but what it gave me back was my life- and that’s priceless.

I’m spilling all the beans on what this process looks like and how to do it in my upcoming Masterclass:
5 Secrets To Creating Your Own MS Diet.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

14 5
Open
This is the reality I lived, I want you to experience it too. No, this is not a quick fix. No, these results wont happen overnight. No, this won’t cure you. BUT- Yes, you can have your life back. Yes, you can feel better than you do right now. Yes, your current reality doesn’t have to be a forever reality. My success years ago was all thanks to the diet changes and the work I put in to know exactly how to eat to support MY body and MS at the same time. Yes it took a few months, but what it gave me back was my life- and that’s priceless. I’m spilling all the beans on what this process looks like and how to do it in my upcoming Masterclass: 5 Secrets To Creating Your Own MS Diet. Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

This is the reality I lived, I want you to experience it too.

No, this is not a quick fix.
No, these results wont happen overnight.
No, this won’t cure you.

BUT-

Yes, you can have your life back.
Yes, you can feel better than you do right now.
Yes, your current reality doesn’t have to be a forever reality.

My success years ago was all thanks to the diet changes and the work I put in to know exactly how to eat to support MY body and MS at the same time.

Yes it took a few months, but what it gave me back was my life- and that’s priceless.

I’m spilling all the beans on what this process looks like and how to do it in my upcoming Masterclass:
5 Secrets To Creating Your Own MS Diet.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!! ...

14 5

This is my vision for the masterclass I’m hosting next Monday.

I want this to be an interactive experience where you learn how to best take care of yourself and MS symptoms through the food you’re eating.

Instead of:
- feeling hesitation and confusion around what foods are best for MS
- not making changes because you’re afraid you’ll do it wrong
- saying no again to going out to eat with friends

Find the freedom and confidence you’ve been looking for.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

11 3
Open
This is my vision for the masterclass I’m hosting next Monday. I want this to be an interactive experience where you learn how to best take care of yourself and MS symptoms through the food you’re eating. Instead of: - feeling hesitation and confusion around what foods are best for MS - not making changes because you’re afraid you’ll do it wrong - saying no again to going out to eat with friends Find the freedom and confidence you’ve been looking for. Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

This is my vision for the masterclass I’m hosting next Monday.

I want this to be an interactive experience where you learn how to best take care of yourself and MS symptoms through the food you’re eating.

Instead of:
- feeling hesitation and confusion around what foods are best for MS
- not making changes because you’re afraid you’ll do it wrong
- saying no again to going out to eat with friends

Find the freedom and confidence you’ve been looking for.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!! ...

11 3

Do any of those hit home?
If yes… comment MASTERCLASS below.. I got you

14 3
Open
Do any of those hit home? If yes… comment MASTERCLASS below.. I got you

Do any of those hit home?
If yes… comment MASTERCLASS below.. I got you ...

14 3

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