It is thought that lower blood levels of vitamin D put an individual at risk for developing MS. And it also looks like vitamin D can also be used as a protection and in myelin repair once MS has been diagnosed. So to say vitamin D is important in Multiple Sclerosis is an understatement.
When first researching facts about MS, one of the interesting things you learn is that the further away from the equator you live, the more prevalent MS is. At first it seems to be mind-boggling, but when you really think about it, what is closer to the equator? Sunlight, therefore vitamin D.
This seems to corroborate the theory that higher vitamin D levels throughout your life serve as a protective factor against MS. Also, individuals born in May have higher MS rates as well. The thought is that the mother was pregnant during winter months, when Sun and therefore vitamin D exposure is lower.
But why are these things true?
Well, as with most things, all the literature says the reason is “unknown”, but I call BS on that.
Vitamin D is crucial for many processes and conversions to happen within the body. It is one of the building blocks of a stable immune system and it is needed for calcium homeostasis, among other reactions.
There are always numerous studies going on that involve MS. Many of them are investigating the role of vitamin D in MS, either in looking at how vitamin D can affect the development of MS or using vitamin D to treat MS.
In one study out of Ohio State University, one doctor is looking at low vitamin D levels in early life and whether or not that increases the risk of developing MS later in life.
In another study out of Johns Hopkins University, a doctor there is looking at the effectiveness of high-dose vitamin D supplementation as compared to Copaxone.
So you want to add more Vitamin D to your life? Great choice! There are several ways to go about this. First being obvious, the sun!
Heading out for 15-30 minutes a day will be very beneficial. And, if you go out earlier in the day, you’ll be helping out your circadian rhythms as well, bonus!
Second, there’s food. Unfortunately not many foods contain vitamin d. But a few that do are cod liver oil, swordfish, salmon and tuna.
Third, you can supplement. Talking to your doctor to test for your current blood levels will help you figure out how much you need to take in supplement form. Many people take around 2,000IU a day.
Vitamin D has been making headlines in the treatment of Covid-19 in recent weeks. Research is showing that having optimal levels of vitamin D is important if you contract covid.
A recent study in the journal Nature compared those with asymptomatic covid to those with severe covid. They found that 97% of the people in the severe group had a vitamin D deficiency as opposed to 33% in the asymptomatic group.
What’s even more important is the fatality rate. The fatality rate in the lower vitamin D group was 7 times higher than those with optimal vitamin D numbers.
Now don’t come at me with correlation isn’t causation. I know. However, since it seems like vitamin D is correlated with a more severe case of covid and it’s a fairly easy thing to modulate, it wouldn’t hurt to be mindful of your vitamin D level.
For a few years now I’ve been taking a daily vitamin D supplement. I have been taking anywhere from 2000 to 6000 IU drops sublingually.
I prefer drops over pills because drops bypass my digestive track and get right into the bloodstream, for much faster and more effective absorption.
I also try to get outside for at least 15 minutes a day, without sunscreen. It was easy in the summer, but now we’re getting into the colder months it’s harder. But I’m doing the best I can!
Vitamin D delivered in a pill and vitamin D delivered by the sun are two different forms of vitamin D and both are beneficial! Vitamin D via pill alone just won’t cut it. Sunlight is absolutely necessary as well.
Unfortunately, sunlight has received a bad reputation and everyone feels as though we need to block it out every time we go for a short walk. In reality, this is just not the case.
I’m not saying go lay outside for hours unprotected and bake away, but being outside for 30 minutes without sunscreen will actually give you a lot of benefits!
Hopefully in the near future some of the research studies will come back with a definitive answer about high-dose vitamin D therapies and how we could possibly prevent MS and other diseases with vitamin D earlier in life.
But as for me, I know my current supplementation isn’t hurting anything, so I’m going to keep on keeping on with my drops and lazy strolls in the sun.
Previous Post
Neurology 101follow along on Instagram:
I don’t want you to spend the years I did in pain, feeling numb and tingly, being exhausted- and having to do all the research.
Let me make it easier for you.
Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details.
We start next week!!
I don’t want you to spend the years I did in pain, feeling numb and tingly, being exhausted- and having to do all the research.
Let me make it easier for you.
Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details.
We start next week!!
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.
Everything I say is without judgment, cause I used to do all of this too.
Only sticking with something new for a week, getting so excited for it helping, then changing it up cause “it didn’t work” by the end of the week.
But in reality I never gave it a chance.
This roller coaster has to stop!!
Join me in HHMS to hop off the coaster 🎢
Everything I say is without judgment, cause I used to do all of this too.
Only sticking with something new for a week, getting so excited for it helping, then changing it up cause “it didn’t work” by the end of the week.
But in reality I never gave it a chance.
This roller coaster has to stop!!
Join me in HHMS to hop off the coaster 🎢
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.
Don’t get me wrong, there are def days where I feel like a MS trash pile, but those days don’t outnumber my good days anymore.
This is what is possible for you, I know it.
Because I’ve been there too:
- feeling exhausted, in pain, brain foggy and all tingly
- feeling like I was stuck like this forever
- feeling completely out of control and lost
But now:
- my daily symptoms aren’t really daily anymore
- I know that sometimes I won’t feel great or even might have a relapse- but I know I have tools to care for myself so it’s not my forever
- feeling trust in myself and the future
It took me years to get here.
And I’ve put what I learned in those years into Holistically Healing MS.
This is an 8 week course to start your MS healing journey.
Join me and get your life back.
Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you a link to learn more
Don’t get me wrong, there are def days where I feel like a MS trash pile, but those days don’t outnumber my good days anymore.
This is what is possible for you, I know it.
Because I’ve been there too:
- feeling exhausted, in pain, brain foggy and all tingly
- feeling like I was stuck like this forever
- feeling completely out of control and lost
But now:
- my daily symptoms aren’t really daily anymore
- I know that sometimes I won’t feel great or even might have a relapse- but I know I have tools to care for myself so it’s not my forever
- feeling trust in myself and the future
It took me years to get here.
And I’ve put what I learned in those years into Holistically Healing MS.
This is an 8 week course to start your MS healing journey.
Join me and get your life back.
Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you a link to learn more
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.
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!!
I’d love to support you over the 8 weeks together!!
Imagine how good you could feel by Thanksgiving.
Comment HEALING to join the waitlist
I’d love to support you over the 8 weeks together!!
Imagine how good you could feel by Thanksgiving.
Comment HEALING to join the waitlist
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!!
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!!
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!!
Do any of those hit home?
If yes… comment MASTERCLASS below.. I got you
As Featured In:
