BeewellwithMS discusses brain health and increased in prevalence neurological brain condition such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and how our brain works living with MS and what is the connection with our thinking, emotions, physical and general health.
10 March, 2025 Guests Interviews and Charity events
Join us for a special episode of the BeeWellWithMS Podcast as we celebrate Brain Health Awareness Week! 🧠💡 Host Dr. Agne Straukiene sits down with MS warriors to share powerful stories of resilience, expert insights on brain health, and practical strategies to manage Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 🔬 What You'll Learn: ✔️ Messages of hope & encouragement from the MS community 💙 ✔️ Understanding brain health in MS: Primary & secondary prevention 🧠 ✔️ Lifestyle changes that support brain function & slow MS progression 🏃♀️🥦 ✔️ How diet, supplements & neuroplasticity impact MS symptoms 🍎💊 ✔️ The role of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) in protecting brain health 💉
Welcome to this very special be well with MS podcast episode where we are going to discuss and celebrate the Brain Health Awareness Week, a time dedicated to understand, protect, and strengthen our brain, especially for those living with multiple sclerosis. The episode is so special because I'm bringing my community of be well with MS, my followers, my fans, people living real lives with multiple sclerosis who are going to share their tips and tricks and some inspirational words to you who are newly diagnosed with this condition. So stay tuned and watch this episode. For this occasion, I launched the campaign reaching out to people with MS and patient organizations, asking them to share their short messages for those who are newly diagnosed. Their words are filled with hope, encouragement, and wisdom. And while I couldn't share every single message, I want to say that your words matter, your thoughts matter, and I read all of them, and each of them touched my heart. So thank you so much. Today, I have chosen a few beautiful messages to share with you. Those messages I couldn't include. Please know that everything you said to me offline or messages that you texted me personally, all your words matter. And truly appreciate your time and your kindness in contributing to this campaign. This episode is deeply, deeply personal to me because I've been running this podcast for the last five years since 2020. And over the five years period of time, the conversations, learning, connecting with people who trust me, who listens to every single episode, and there are so many. I really truly would like to connect with you, and it's obviously challenging to do that when we're talking about the hundred of thousands people who visits my website on a regular basis. And I'm deeply grateful for every single soul that has joined me in this mission. So thank you so much. To each of you listening today, thank you too and watching me now on YouTube channel. Thank you for being part of this community. It's truly matters a lot to me, and sharing your stories is something that is really heartfelt deeply inside me. I'm sure that it will echo with many other people who are going to watch and listen to you. So believe that MS is not death sentence. It's the whole life ahead of you and, just waiting to be embraced. And we are here to support you and uplift your spirits and remind you that you are not alone. Before we hear of those living with MS, let's talk about something that is very important and empowers us all, how we can protect our brain health both before and after MS diagnosis. Brain health is the foundation of how we think, how we listen, how we feel, and MS is our brain disease that requires constantly to be adopting, creating new pathways to compensate for damage. There is nothing permanent. Everything is changing. The brain is being injured. The brain builds new network. We call this neuroplasticity. There is a constant flow as the whole life. Nothing is that thick here. So even if you are experiencing an attack, a relapse, a new change on MRI scan, don't you worry. But what you do now in terms of your lifestyle, how you look after your body is super important. And so let's go into detail and discuss that. The stronger and healthier you are and the healthier your brain is, the better we can manage MS. Reduce disability progression and maintain a good, good quality of life. So that's why we talk about the two key aspects of the brain health. The primary prevention, which means that lowering the risk of developing MS, And the secondary prevention is protecting the brain after the MS diagnosis is made to slow down the progression, to reduce that activity, to enhance the function in your upper limbs, lower limbs, to improve your balance and coordination. While we can't prevent MS entirely, we now understand that certain risk factors play a big role in how the MS is gonna evolve. So low vitamin d levels are strongly linked to MS risk. So if you haven't started your vitamin d supplementation, please do. And if you have family members who's got MS and you don't have MS, please take the vitamin d. It's a high dose that I do recommend. Try not to exceed more than five thousand international units a day. That the safest zone to be because the higher dose may increase calcium level. And if you would like to prevent from hypercalcemia and some soft tissue injuries, so take the vitamin d with vitamin k together. So daily sun exposure, that's the cheap in particular, if you're living in a very sunshine countries where you can have a sun exposure daily, that's wonderful. You just go with a cup of tea or coffee outside, sit in the and enjoy the weather and the sun for fifteen minutes before you apply the UV protection. So EPV virus is one of the triggers for MS. A lot of heated discussions around that EBV is one of the potential causes of MS. While there is no vaccination yet, the future research will change the whole landscape in MS. I'm pretty sure. Strengthening immune system is super important through the gut. So microbiome, your good quality agnostic diet that is suiting you individually. It's very flexible, and you're gonna enjoy the foods that you're exposing every day. Good quality of sleep and the stress management may help to reduce the impact of viral infections and also could prevent from getting MS. Healthy weight, healthy body, healthy mind. Smoking doubles the risk of getting MS and also accelerates the brain shrinking. Quitting is one of the most most powerful things that you can do to protect your brain. And also be mindful in terms of the alcohol that you consume. If it is daily, that is happening every single day with moderation, there is a fine line of becoming alcoholic. That's true. Obesity in adolescents increases the risk of AMET. And in particular in the childhood, if your child is with obesity and overweight, be careful because that could potentially change the immune system and metabolic health. People with obesity are at higher risk of developing autoimmune disorders such as MS and have more inflammation. Mediterranean diet, rich of omega three. Okay. So fish oils, extra virgin, olive oil, which is vegetables, fruit, legumes, beans, etcetera, and full of on antioxidants and full of fiber and supports healthy immune system and your brain. Chronic stress weakens the immune system and may contribute to MS development. Okay? So you need to learn if there is anybody in this world that doesn't know what mindfulness is, what cognitive behavior therapy is, and how to meditate and how to improve the quality of sleep, it's really a huge disadvantage living life without knowing how to help yourself from the stress perspective because stress is all around us. Every single day, we are exposed by this stress. But how do we cope with it? What's the strategies do we have to implement in our day to day living? That's an art. That's something that every single person on this earth needs to learn. Now let's focus if you already have multiple sclerosis. What's your role now? What do you do? What's your mission to protect your brain health and slow down the progression of MS? Every small habit counts. Okay? Quite often, people are aware of the healthy living healthy lifestyle, but changing the habit is something that people do struggle. And, also, people do struggle with having a bad habit every single day they expose themselves. They so much get used to that bad habit, and then it becomes a really problem to know what's life without it in a way. Okay? So if I'm smoking every day, but I'm drinking, it becomes a norm to me, and it becomes so normal feeling to be a bit under the weather and drowsy and maybe off balance and and a bit of a with a brain fog. But, actually, learning new habits, improving your lifestyle that brings you into the different dimension, and you get used to that wellness. And each time then you expose yourself with the smoking and drinking and all these kind of junky foods, you feel really bad. So this is where you need to be into this kind of let's call this a zone, feeling good. And the b zone is all these kind of cheating things that may happen on occasions. But if you can manage to 80% of your lifestyle, that is brilliant, you feel good, you're full of energy, this is where you need to be. So if you have a MS, your mission is to protect the brain and slow down progression. How do you do this? First of all, everyone talks about this. It's disease modifying therapy. Without the therapy, only lifestyle, only diet is not sufficient enough. In particular, if you had a very highly active MS. I'm talking about the new episodes, new relapses, multiple lesions, new lesions occurring on your brain scan. With a lifestyle, very, very challenging to achieve the good results and remission of MS. So it prevents from brain atrophy and in particular, super powerful if you started in the early stages of your condition and your diagnosis. So the earlier you're diagnosed, the earlier you start disease modifying therapy, the better the outcome. Regular MRI scans is important if you are on the middle grade of the medicine, usually tablet form, injectables, in particularly very careful attention to your imaging and and having regular appointments, not missing appointments is important because that's how we identify if your disease is active, we're still getting worse, more brain atrophy, more shrinking, more lesions in the brain. That's how we know whether you responded to the drugs or the lifestyle. If you've chosen to be on the good quality of lifestyle to prevent your disease activity, I think you you have to be careful and have regular MRIs. Exercises. At least two to three times a week, thirty minutes, you should be moving. It doesn't need to be something that is that Olympics are prepping for their championships. No. It's walking. It's yoga. It's it's some level of the aerobics, gym, anything, any movement. Our bodies are built to move overall, so that benefits the long term health. Anti inflammatory diets, what are they? They are usually Mediterranean diets. So if you ever been in Greece and Italy, in Spain, you know what they eat. Try to replicate their cuisine in your kitchen. That's the safe place to be. Okay? So they they are rich of omega three. They are rich of the antioxidants, polyphenols like berries and turmeric, and there's different other fermented foods that contribute to your gut health and your brain health at the same time. Even without relapses, MS can progress. So we call this a smoldering. It's a diffuse, slow, chronic progression that we don't see often on MRI scan, but people come to my clinics and say, I haven't had any relapse. My MRI scan is not showing any new lesions. I am getting worse. What what is it? Why I'm feeling that the way I'm feeling? Why I'm so fatigued? Why I've got this brain fog? Why I'm not feeling energetic and good in myself? So so that could be a potentially smoldering MS. There is no specific cure or treatment for smoldering MS, but optimizing the disease activity with the available disease modifying therapies and also complementing that with a lifestyle approach. I noticed that people who are on the healthier side, they have often less disease activity. They develop fewer lesions, if anything, in contrast to people who are smoking, drinking, not sleeping on the under constant stress all the time, overweight and obese. So tracking your cognitive function, mobility, and fatigue are key symptoms to detect whether there are some changes in your body that requires a bit of attention to address that early and adopt management strategies to make you feel better. Quite often, people who come to my clinics and say, I've got fatigue and brain fog and there's different things, but I say, what do you do to help yourself? Well, I'm sitting on the sofa watching TV all day because I haven't got an energy to do anything else. Well, that's where we need to start. You know? So, you know, the more you are sedentary, the more you're sluggish, and the more you have slower metabolism and hormones disarranged in your body, the worse you're gonna feel. As simple as that. Learning new skills is important. I encourage people to play the brain training game, staying mentally engaged, and protect the the cognition is important. You know? Whether you want to learn a new language, whether you want to travel a little bit, learn some new culture mentality, meet new people, learn what are they like, what lives they're living. You know? So anything like that that stimulates your thinking, encourages you to engage with people and respond to people and and produce your language to summarize their struggles or maybe wins in their life is how you maintain their brain function at the level that you need to for day to day living. So the goal is to prevent your brain from having any impact of the environment and any impact of the genetics because there are some epigenetic that lifestyle influences our genes. I'm not gonna go into deep on this topic. It's a separate episode where you can influence your genetics too by implementing healthy living, healthy lifestyle. So the more you are present, aware of the situation, your habits, the more you're gonna protect your mind and the body. Now it's time. So exciting to listen to people with MS and their real stories and what they have to share. In a short messages, I hope is gonna be uplifting, inspiring. It was truly, truly amazing to receive all these kind messages from various different coolness of the world who who are living within us for many, many years or a few years at least, and they're sharing their words of encouragement. They're real people, real stories, real experiences, and real strength. It is gonna be passed on to you now. This is an amazing opportunity to those who are newly diagnosed. The diagnosis of MS hasn't just changed my life. It's actually improved it. I know it's not often you hear that being said, is it? Maybe you've never heard it been said before. Maybe I'm the first one to say it, but it's been my lived experience. And yet, MS has thrown the unimaginable at me. It really, really has. At my sickest, I had no feeling from my chin down. My husband was spoon feeding me. I'd lost the vision in my right eye. And yet, I was being told that it's a progressive disease and I'll get progressively worse. This was what was to be expected. Thanks to changing my diet and lifestyle and getting to the many root causes of what was driving the progression of the disease. My life, my health has significantly improved for which I'm very, very grateful for. I would go as far as to say that I feel healthier, happier now than I ever did before the diagnosis of MS. So that's what I mean when I say life, you know, an MS diagnosis didn't just change my life, it actually improved it. Maybe it can improve your life too. Have a wee think about it. Do something positive about your health today. I'm Evelina from Lithuania, and I'm 24 years old. Almost one year ago, I was diagnosed with MS. Of course, it was a shock for me. I asked myself, why me and what's gonna happen? I want to have husband. I want to have children. I want to do a career and live a good life. And I was a person who always cared more about others than about myself. And actually, my life became better with a mess. Yeah. It sounds crazy, but I started to love myself. Now I put myself in the first place. In this situation, my family helped me the most. I understood how rich I am. I started to value time that I have. And everyday problems became no longer problems. Therefore, I became optimistic. So my life is becoming better, and this summer I'm getting more and more. So my advice for you is to concentrate on yourself and, live your best life. Live every day like it's the best day of your life and follow successful people who have MS to see the good examples. I'm Evelina from Lithuania, and I'm 24 years old. Almost one year ago, I was diagnosed with MS. Of course, it was a shock for me. Of course, I asked myself, why me, and what's gonna happen? I want to have husband. I want to have children. I want to do a career and live a good life. And I was a person who always cared more about others than about myself. And actually, my life became better with a mess. Yeah. It sounds crazy, but I started to love myself. Now I put myself in the first place. In this situation, my family helped me the most. I understood how rich I am. I started I started to value time that I have, and everyday problems became no longer problems. Therefore, I became optimistic. So my life is becoming better, and this summer, I'm getting married. So my advice for you is to concentrate on yourself and, live your best life. Live every day like it's the best day of your life, and follow successful people who have MS to see the good examples. Hi. I'm Eleanor, and I'm from Hampshire in the South Of England. My message to somebody who is newly diagnosed with MS would be to really try and process the emotions that you're going through. You know, we all experience this in different ways. You might feel sad or confused or scared or even relieved. I know I felt relieved when I was finally diagnosed after a few years of symptoms and not knowing what it was. But I think it really benefited me to allow myself to feel those feelings and kind of grieve for the life that I thought that I would have, that it was now going to be different. But also, different doesn't mean bad. It doesn't mean worse than you thought. It is just different. And, actually, MS has brought so much to my life that I don't think I would have without it. You know, it's it's allowed me to kind of live with uncertainty. And, you know, it's it's made me evaluate other areas of my life and my health that were perhaps not doing me any favors, and just build a healthier and happier life for myself. And I live at a slower pace now, and I I love that. I love appreciating the small things and, you know, not taking anything for granted. It's really opened my eyes to the world around me and made me see things that I didn't see before. So, yeah, just because it's going to be different, it's not necessarily going to be worse than you thought. And I know that it might seem scary right now, but things will pick up. And before you know it, you'll be years down the line making a message for newly diagnosed people, because you went through that. You know? And it's been three and a half years for me, and I feel so much more confident, happier than I did three and a half years ago when I got that diagnosis. Sending love to anybody who is going through a diagnosis at the moment It's not an easy time, but just a message to say that it's not gonna be like that forever. Hi. I'm Wim from Belgium, and I was diagnosed with PPMS at 49. It was both confronting and confirming, finally explaining the minor mobility issues I had for years that gradually worsened without a clear cause. From the moment I was diagnosed, I choose to stay positive and focus on lifestyle changes. I adapted my diet and praised the importance of mental well-being through Tai Chi and meditation, and prioritized movement, cycling, Nordic walking, gardening, and so on. Anything to keep active. Most importantly, I focus on enjoying life's big and small moments with my wife, whose support and positivity mean the world to me even when things get tough. For me, MS isn't an end. It's the start of a new way of living full of opportunities. As Marlene Smates beautifully puts it in her book, I see it as a mercy gift. So also you grab the opportunities and make the most of them. I Every year, seven thousand people in the The UK hear the words, you have MS. I remember when I first heard those words. I was confused, scared. The only people I ever knew with MS were Montel Williams and Annette Funicello. Montel's talk show was part of my childhood. I just remember him talking about the pain, like serious, life changing pain. Like, it shook me. I knew I was gonna be in for a rough ride. I also knew I had to expect the unexpected. And if I can go back, I tell myself a few things. First, I say, trust your gut and follow your fear, because your fear holds the map, like the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. That fear made me change my diet. It made me start my YouTube channel. It made me keep creating videos even when it was hard. Second, learn how to turn poop into flowers. MS is the poop. The flowers are the connection and the community I've built with thousands of people who get it. No MS, no flowers. The first few months were no joke. Optic neuritis, fatigue, balance problems with no clear answers. Plus a spinal tap that left me on bed rest for two weeks. Yep. But I got through all of that, and the moment that I knew that I could handle this was when I got off the bed rest and I promised myself that I was gonna do all of the things that I had been previously avoiding. That's when I started my YouTube channel and it's a place where 7,000 people with MS feel seen, heard, and understand. What's one myth that I wish was busted early on? The fact that MS is incurable. Sure, there's no magic pill that makes it all go away, but you're not stuck. A big game changer for me is meditation. Two, sometimes three times a day, I stop everything, close my eyes, focus on my breath, and that helps relieve some symptoms. The biggest game changer, the MS community. Even if our symptoms aren't the same, y'all get it, and that understanding is priceless. And now for this Brain Health Awareness Week, we get a chance to speak to the next 7,000 people just starting this ride. How about you share what you've learned so they don't feel as lost as we did? Because no one should have to figure this all out alone. My name is Phil See, and I'm from Seattle, Washington, USA. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2,002, and at that time, it took my ability to play my musical instruments away from me. As you can see behind me, there are a few different musical instruments there, and I play all of them. But I was unable to then because my left arm and hand went weak on me. But I didn't give up. I kept trying, despite it. Even though I'd lost coordination as well, I kept trying and inside of a year I got it back. If you're newly diagnosed with MS, first of all know it's not a death sentence. You can live quite a long time even though you've been diagnosed with it. But the main thing is that I would suggest, like I did, change your diet, Get rid of red meats from your diet. And whatever you do, don't give up. If you've lost an ability in one of your limbs, don't give up. We all have this neuroplasticity process, natural process that our brain uses to heal the nervous system. We all have it, so don't give up. And by not giving up using the same limbs, you can get that ability back again. So good luck with your journey. I'm a better musician now than I was before I was diagnosed. So there's hope, and, you know, you have a new normal now. But don't give up or in to MS. Thank you. It's Brain Health Awareness Week, and we're supporting the Be Well with MS campaign. I'm Nick, and I work at the MS Trust. We're proud that doctor Agnes Trakina is our ambassador. You can head over to our website where we have lots of free resources on brain health, like our staying smart series. Plus, you'll find lots of other helpful information for anyone impacted by MS. So let's share the message of community this Brain Health Awareness Suite, and don't forget to listen to the latest Be Well with MS podcast. Thank you. Hi. I'm Leanne, and I work on the Love and Well team at the MS Society. We deliver monthly themed webinars on topics chosen by the MS community, and this includes managing fatigue, stress, and balance on MS. Our webinars have expert speakers and people living with MS who share their tips and their experience. We also deliver newly diagnosed webinars, and we deliver this in partnership with MS Together and our MS nurses from the helpline. You can find out more about our virtual events on the MS Society website. Before I wrap up this episode, I want to take a moment to speak on behalf of someone truly special, someone who tried really hard to record her message but found herself caught in a storm of emotions, frustration, and the sheer realness of living with MS. Deborah from London was diagnosed in November 2022. And while three years may seem like time to adjust, the truth is MS doesn't come with a manual. There's no set time line for acceptance, no clear path through the anger, the grief, the exhaustion of having to keep going when you don't even recognize the road you're walking on. She didn't want to lie to you. She didn't want to put on a fake smile and say, oh, I'm fine because some days you won't be fine. Some days it's not inspirational. Some days it's just annoying, just messy, just unfair. And today for her was one of those days. She tried to sit down and introduce herself, to say her name, where she's from, when she was diagnosed. Simple things that somehow felt impossible because MS has a way of creeping into the smallest moments, stealing words from your mouth, joy from your celebrations, ease from things that once felt effortless. In the middle of recording, she smudged her beautiful makeup because of tears. She spilled it on her favorite trousers. She got distracted, frustrated, pissed off at MS, at life, at the fact that even trying to say a few words felt like climbing a mountain she didn't ask to climb. And then, in the same breath, she joked about her top looking great on her skin tone, about craving a pack of haribo, about not celebrating her birthday because why bother? And that is real MS. It is the push and pull between anger and laughter, between wanting to disappear and wanting to be seen, between saying I'm fine and knowing you're not, but also knowing you'll find a way through somehow. Deborah, you are not alone in this. And to anyone listening who feels the same way, who feels stuck between grieving their old life and trying to build a new one you are not failing, you are feeling, and that is human. You don't have to be the inspiring story today. You don't have to have the perfect words. Some days you just exist and that in itself is enough. So Deborah, if you're listening know this, even without your voice in this episode, your presence is here, your truth is here, and you are seen. Makeup smudged, trousers stained, frustration unfiltered, you are seen and your story is just as valid, just as powerful, just as needed as the ones wrapped in optimism and hope. Because sometimes the most powerful message is simply this, multiple sclerosis is hard and it's okay to say that. As I collect my thoughts and wipe away my tears, I find myself overwhelmed by the sheer power of the human spirit. Listening to these voices has been nothing short of humbling. Every word, every story, every piece of wisdom you've shared today is a testament to something greater than MS. It is a testament to resilience, to love, to the unwavering determination to live well with multiple sclerosis. What I heard today was not just about a diagnosis. It was about transformation, about rediscovering life, about choosing joy in the face of uncertainty, about taking back control when it feels like everything is slipping away. I heard the echoes of pain, of fear, of confusion. Yes, those moments are real. But beyond that, I heard something even louder. I heard strength. I heard defiance against despair. I heard gratitude for life in its purest rawest form. To Maria who was spoon fed by her husband, unable to feel anything from the chin down. And yet today, she stands not as a victim of MS but as someone who has rebuilt her health, reclaimed her life, and found happiness she never knew before, her story tells us that even in our darkest hours, there is light ahead. To Ivlina, who once feared her future, her dreams of love, family, and success seeming suddenly fragile, only to realize that MS gave her permission to finally put herself first, to love herself, to see the richness of life that was always there. And now as she prepares to walk down the aisle, she carries with her not just a bouquet but the realization that happiness is a choice, a practice, a daily commitment. To Elena who reminds us that different doesn't mean worse, that sometimes an MS diagnosis forces us to pause and actually see life. The slow walks, the deep breaths, the moments we once rushed through. And in that pause, in that shift, she found clarity, peace, and a new kind of beauty in the world around her. To Wim, who embraced multiple sclerosis not as an ending, but as an opportunity, who turned to movement, meditation, and a life filled with purpose choosing every day to celebrate the big and small joys. Your story is a call to action reminding us that our bodies may change, but our ability to adapt, to embrace, to choose joy never disappears. To Damien who first heard you have MS and thought only of Montel Williams and Annette Funicelow of pain, of hardship, of struggle only to discover that within the fear lay the map to transformation. That fear led him to build a YouTube channel to create, to connect, to turn MS into a community, into purpose, into flowers blooming from what once felt like nothing but ruins. To Phil, whose MS took away his ability to play music but not his spirit, who refused to accept that loss and through sheer perseverance, not only regained what was taken, but became a better musician than before. His message is clear. Don't give up. Neuroplasticity is real. The brain wants to heal. You are not broken. You are rewiring. And to the incredible teams at the MS Trust and MS Society who dedicate their work to ensuring that no one faces this alone, who remind us that support exists, that resources are out there, that together we build bridges where MS once put walls. I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being here, for listening to this episode, for believing that life with MS, it's still full of meaning, possibilities, and hope. This podcast is more than just a platform. It's a space where people come together, share, remind each other that we are stronger than MS. To every single person who has followed me on the media, who listens to the Be Well with MS episodes for the last five years, I do appreciate that. You're amazing. I love you. Everything is so nice to know that each time I check my stats and I can see my stats are increasing with the downloads and listeners. It's it's an amazing reward for me doing this on the spare time and and trying to encourage people to share their wellness and to give that hope. Every single listener contributing their beautiful words to this episode, I see you. I hear you. I'm so grateful for you. If today's episode resonates with you, please share it with people who may need to hear this, may benefit, and spread this positivity, support, and awareness together. Until next time, stay strong, take care of yourself, and remember, your brain health matters. Bye for now.
5 March, 2025 Easy Explained MS by Dr Agne Straukiene
MS fatigue is more than just tiredness—it’s a crushing, invisible exhaustion that affects millions living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In this powerful episode of BeeWellWithMS Podcast, Dr. Agne Straukiene shares a fictional yet realistic story of Dolores, a lawyer navigating life with MS fatigue. 💡 What You'll Learn: ✅ What is MS Fatigue? Why it happens & how it differs from normal tiredness ✅ Real-Life Challenges: The impact of fatigue on daily life, work, and mental health ✅ Expert Insights: How neurologists explain MS-related fatigue ✅ Fatigue Management Strategies: Energy conservation, medication, exercise & lifestyle changes ✅ How to Raise MS Awareness & Take Action 🎥 Watch now & step into the life of someone living with MS!
This short story, Walk in My Shoes, MS Patient story through the eyes of neurologist, is fictional account created by MS neurologist doctor Agne to raise awareness for MS awareness month as part of be well with MS podcast. While the character and story may not be real, their struggles are. If you live with MS, you may see parts of your own journey in this story, the frustration, the invisible battles, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward because awareness leads to action and action leads to change. Hi. I'm Dolores, and this is my story. I used to thrive under pressure. Early mornings, late nights, every minute accounted for. As a lawyer, I built my reputation on always showing up, but then my body stopped cooperating. I'd wake up after a full night sleep and still feel drained. Coffee didn't help. Pushing through didn't help. I'd sit in meetings struggling to focus as exhaustion wrapped around me like a fog. Colleagues said I looked fine, but they didn't see me collapse on my couch after work, too tired to make dinner. One day, I fell asleep at my desk. My boss asked if I was okay. I wanted to say, no. I'm not. But how do you explain a tiredness that never goes away? MS fatigue isn't just feeling tired. It's an overwhelming invisible exhaustion that doesn't improve with rest. Unlike typical fatigue, it's caused by nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting how energy is used and restored. Hi. I am Agni. Dolores experience is something I hear from many multiple sclerosis patients. This fatigue isn't just feeling tired. It's an overwhelming invisible exhaustion that doesn't improve with rest. For many patients, it's one of the most disabling symptoms impacting work, relationships, and self esteem. The good news, management strategies exist. We recommend energy conservation techniques, prioritizing tasks, taking strategic breaks, and pacing yourself. Exercise and physical therapy can help strengthen endurance. Medications such as amantadine or motofenol in the morning are available for some cases, but healthy lifestyle adjustments, good quality of night sleep, and good hydration are key. If you're struggling with MS fatigue, know that you're not alone. Your challenges are real, and your strength is undeniable. Advocate for the support you deserve whether at work, at home, or in your health care journey. Small adjustments can lead to big victories, and every step forward is a win. You are more than your fatigue, your resilience, your passion, and your story matter. Keep going. This zone's own thin and freighter on the hill. Each step I've taken and show some weight, I feel. The road is winding sharp with stones that bruise. You'll never know unless you're walking in my shoes. Walking in my shoes feels heavier than rain. Every step I take is dipped in joy and pain. You could try them on, but they never fit you. They carry stories only I have been through.
28 February, 2025 Guests Interviews and Charity events
Transforming MS Management with Diet: The Power of Fasting Mimicking Diets in Multiple SclerosisCan nutrition play a key role in managing Multiple Sclerosis (MS)? In this episode of BeeWellWithMS Podcast, Dr. Agne Straukiene speaks with Dr. Ellen Fallows, a GP and lifestyle medicine expert, about how diet and lifestyle changes can help manage chronic diseases like MS.🧠 Topics Covered: ✅ How lifestyle medicine is transforming healthcare for chronic conditions ✅ The role of nutrition in MS management and autoimmune diseases ✅ The fasting mimicking diet (FMD) – science-backed benefits for MS and inflammation ✅ How dietary interventions can impact neurodegeneration and brain health ✅ Practical strategies to implement a fasting mimicking diet for MS💡 Can Fasting Help People with MS?
Hello, and welcome to Be Well with MS podcast. I'm your host, Ragnar Strokeena. And today, we are going to talk how to manage chronic conditions and empower people to lead healthier, happier lives. Joining me is truly, truly inspiring guest is doctor Helene Fallows, a GP doctor and lifestyle medicine expert with passion for making healthy living more equitable and accessible. Doctor. Palau's impressive background includes board certification in lifestyle medicine, a postgraduate diploma in obesity and weight management, and leadership in pioneering projects like NHS low calorie diet, pilots for type two diabetes. In today's episodes, we will dive into how lifestyle medicine transforms health care, what it means to prioritize whole person health, and the practical steps we can take to reverse chronic diseases. We'll also discuss innovative nutritional strategies like fasting mimicking diets and their potential for auto autoimmune diseases such as MS. So welcome to this episode of LENON. We would like to learn a little bit more. Could you just start, telling our listeners a little about you yourself and your journey into lifestyle medicine and how how it has shaped your approach and practices at g doctor. Thank you, Agnes. That was such a kind introduction and for the opportunity to be here. Yes. As you say, predominantly, I'm a GP, and I like to frame GPs as, expert generalists. I think, really, sometimes, well, our role perhaps is poorly understood. Sometimes people think we just deal with coughs and colds, and in fact, less and less are we dealing with things like that, and we're dealing with really complex chronic comorbidities. So what we mean by that is people with lots of very, complicated and different conditions and and affect the whole of their body. So we look at the whole person, and and that's that's really who I am. And I come from a long family of GPs. There there's I'm one of seven, and I think about five of us are GPs. So I live and breathe general practice. And so that's the first, thing about me, and I and I'm very passionate about general practice. But, yes, my my journey to being a slightly different GP, I guess, at the moment, although I hope in the future that that the type of GP that I am will become much more common because I I'm seeing what it feels to me and the evidence I think is also, starting to back this, that this approach where we address the root causes of, poor health or mental health, poor physical health, lifestyle medicine approaches is becoming more effective and just such a nicer way to practice. And I went into it having been the the lead in my practice for type two diabetes. And I went to lots of courses, unfortunately, often sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, where I learned to give people more and more medicines, particularly more and more insulin, and it made their numbers better. But I remember seeing people, the patients were not happy with me. They were expressing that they were feeling worse. They'd gained weight. They didn't like these treatments. They were very, very burdensome. And in fact, although certain numbers were getting better, for example, their blood sugar, other numbers were getting much, much worse, particularly their weight and their mood and things like that. Things that really mattered to people. They were feeling more tired, things like that. And at the same time as as learning about all these new medicines, we were very lucky in the practice I was working at to be a site for a research project where nurses were supporting, people to change the quality of the foods they ate and try to help put their diabetes into remission. And I at that point, you know, reversal of any long term condition wasn't something I'd really learned about or thought was possible. I was teaching people and talking to people with diabetes as if it was a long term progressive condition. They would inevitably end up on these treatments like insulin injections, and there was nothing that really they could do, much about. So as this trial was running, my main job was undoing the what I've been doing before, which was prescribing. So I had to stop a lot of medicines, and then the nurses would do the most important work, which was supporting people with, what really matters, and that's what people are putting into their mouths four or five times or more a day. And I saw some unbelievable changes, things that I'd never managed myself with all the pills and potions that I had in my toolboxes. So people were losing weight, their moods were improving, their joint pains were getting better, their diabetes was going into remission, which means normal blood sugars off any medicines at all. It was only a pilot trial. It's subsequently gone on to a larger scale trial now. But then at around that time, there were many other research projects we're looking into that. For example, the direct trial where people were provided with total diet replacement that was low calorie to result in the same sort of thing. So at that time, I think it's rather intoxicating to make people actually feel better rather than just your numbers look nicer. And so that led me into looking at a lot of, research in this area and trying to see if I could support people using this approach, which it turns out is called lifestyle medicine. Wonderful. I I think that's very, very inspiring journey of yours, Helen, I have to say, because you don't look, you know, at the particular one condition. I think, your approach is more holistic whole person. It's very, very inspiring. And when we talk about the whole person health, what does that concept mean to you? And how does it differ from traditional approaches in primary care? Because we all are very, very busy, and I'm sure that GP practitioners are very, very busy too. So how does that differ? You know? How what what is it that you do differently in your clinics? Well, I I think many GPs, when we're allowed the time, when we get the resources to do our job properly, we have always worked like this. I think, unfortunately, we've had computerized systems which measure very sort of analog outputs that, you know, well or not this blood test or that, then we get forced to practice like this. But I I think, ultimately, what we're trying to to do is bring this back and say, this is also important. This looking at the whole person, asking what matters most to them, starting with that rather than perhaps being driven only by guidelines or, worse still, the pop up that comes on my up on my computer, which is driven by our earnings that that prioritize, you know, financial incentives or that prioritize economic incentives that have been driven by the government. It's amazing if you actually look at what drives how we prioritize what we do for people in our consultations. It's actually rarely what people are saying they really want. I might be practicing guideline driven care. And although guidelines are very useful, I think they have to be put into the context of somebody's life, you know, what's important to them. And and if they're saying to you, I I don't want to be here. My life's not worth living. Well, there is absolutely no point in perfecting their blood sugar or, their blood pressure because that's not really the biggest issue at the moment. So it's really about trying to distill. And and as an expert generalist, that's what we do all the time. I think there are GPs out there doing this, unsung heroes, all the time, every day, in unbelievably difficult circumstances of exhaustion and overwork, with people who've waited months to see us with six or seven problems. An expert GP GP will will will very quickly try to get through all of that to work out what matters most to somebody. And in the context for your listeners, I have a lot of patients, unfortunately, now with MS, and they but they also happen to have many other conditions as well as it tends to hit sort of later on in life when we've collected a few other things. And, actually, MS might not be or the symptoms of MS might not be their their main issue at that time. It may be something to do with their family or, psychologically. So it may not necessarily be a neurological symptom, for example. So it's about looking at the whole picture, the whole person. I think, we always tend to blame underlying chronic conditions for one or another symptom. I think, looking as a whole, MS gets really worse if people become systemically unwell, emotionally unwell. I like this metaphor, of of the orchestra. If if the instruments are playing in harmony, so you can create this symphony, you know, of of the tunes, of the music. And if there is a a one single instrument out of tunes, though, you're, of course, you're gonna get a discrepancy of that sound and the music that we're trying to achieve. So I think it's amazing what you do, and then in terms of the looking and measuring and prioritizing what matters most to that person and getting into the history and understanding which of the underlying pathology is the driver of that symptom or a syndrome that in some cases, Could you share your thoughts on how health care providers can can do better to identify and address these priorities? I'm sure that there there will be some GPs listening to this, episode, and and I'm trying to sort of understand, You know, I I just give you a bit of a a background. When I was, just starting practicing clinician, I figured out that I can help to certain degree in people with MS or any other underlying neurological condition that but then there is a an element how how to get engaged and and people who are alone activation. How how can I help them to make their smart, healthy choices in their lives? Are we is it health care providers or primary care doing the right things at the right time? And and is there anything that we could do a little bit better if, let's say, we have extra fifteen minutes for the consultation? Yeah. Good question. So how do we practically do this? I mean, I think before we talk about anything that you and I can do, I I would always want to say that the most important thing that can can be done in terms of improving people's health outcomes is actually a step outside of our consulting room and and ensuring that the most emphasis is placed on policy changes and public health. So and, actually, you know, individual clinicians can play a role in this. We're we're a trusted voice. We can represent our patients partly because of what we've experienced with being with them, and we can help assimilate where the research is going. But I think rather than talking always about our sort of niche interest area, it's about saying, actually, what makes it easier for people to live better lives is if they can afford it, if they can have access to green safe spaces, if they can actually get healthy food. And this is becoming increasingly difficult in The UK where, you know, higher rates of food poverty, people living in these play these sort of food deserts, things like that, air quality, water quality. This is where rather than spangling new drugs, sometimes I think we need to be pushing policymakers to being looking at more carefully is actually addressing the root causes before people get to us. But when people have got to us and that piece has not worked effectively enough, then there is a structure that we teach at the British Art of Lifestyle Medicine where I am the vice president. We have a fabulous learning academy and and, core accreditation qualification now. I've just finished editing a, textbook of of lifestyle medicine with Cambridge University Press, and a number of other authors, including Richard Pinder from Imperial College. And in this, we teach this structure that fits beautifully with the Western medical model. So we're not talking about us being kind of complimentary alternative. This is proper mainstream evidence based medicine. We're talking about So you would take your normal history as a doctor. And so, you know, if you're as a patient, you experience that by somebody asking you quite open ended questions about what's going on for you, how can I help today, and then drilling down to ask more questions about people's symptoms and going through the different parts of their body? And then you would often ask questions like, do you smoke and do you drink? Any alcohol and who's at home with you? And the lifestyle medicine history kind of follows on very neatly from that. What did you eat yesterday? Was that a usual day for you? When did you last eat a green leafy vegetable? Questions which try to assess quality of sleep. Do you wake up feeling refreshed? What time do you go to bed? What time do you wake up? Is it easy for you to all these sorts of things. And questions about, people's, quality of their relationships, how physically active they are, whether they're engaging in in excess use of social media, social media that makes them feel down, all of these sorts of things, tech addiction. There are now validated questionnaires we can use. They're sometimes a bit too long winded for a consultation because they've been developed in the research space. But I I believe we're going to get to a point where we can get somebody to answer all these questions on an NHS app, and then the the clinician can actually have a look at those things before you get into the consulting room. And then we can ask, you know, really what matters most to you about all of those things you went through. And often people will identify things like, actually, I'm really worried about my sleep, or now I've answered those questions, I realize I'm I'm drinking a lot of sugary beverages and and maybe I should talk about that, Oh, I wanna talk about smoking. And and you find out from the person where they want to start with all of that. And, again, you know, if it's actually, I'm feeling like life's not worth living, then really that's probably the most important thing. And and then you go you go through that. And, unfortunately, a lot of that is being missed, and I'm seeing, you know, really, really terrible quality diets contributing massively to things, for example, like a Meyer of interest of type two diabetes. People drinking three bottles of leucosate a day, who when I give them a bit of support around that, they almost they didn't need insulin anymore. You know, things that seem really obvious, but we're just not asking in a medical consultation because it hasn't historically been part of our, way of of asking questions. It hasn't been nutrition, for example, or even sleep quality hasn't been part of our training. And, actually, historically, it hasn't really been a problem for humans until the past, maybe, I don't know, fifty to eighty years where our food environment has drastically changed. Our working patterns have drastically changed. Tech and social media have really entered our lives in a way that's probably, for some people, going to be harmful. So medicine just needs to catch up and and start actually measuring this stuff as well as just somebody's blood pressure or their pain score or all that sort of thing. So there is a tried and tested way of asking these questions, assessing these areas for people, coming up with a shared plan that starts with what matters most for the person, and then finding ways to support them. It's not always about educating people because often people know what they need to do. It's just they haven't had the right support, and that would then we're talking about things like health coaching, group consultations, social prescribing, actually prescribing food for some people or healthy start vouchers or food vouchers. You know, we need to think more innovatively around options beyond just prescribing pills for people, and that's starting now. We're seeing, you know, the social prescribing movement. In America, they've really got to grips with, food on prescription, which I think is increasingly going to be needed because there's no point in telling somebody you need to eat more whole foods if they literally cannot access those foods, where they are. Yeah. Totally. I I think, in such a beautiful way, you you presented all the issues and challenges at the moment, living crisis and and how we provide the care that we need to catch up in medicine because the whole world moves so so rapidly, and we just sort of are trying to sort of implement some changes. But, you know, are we successful, to a certain degree? And I think we will come to that point, but I think hence, why we're talking today to highlight the issues and and then gradually, by British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and other organizations that mainly focus on the lifestyle medicine could help us to change the culture, change the mentality, how we provide, how do we approach. And and let's move into maybe, a bit of a management of the chronic diseases and lifestyle medicine, what in concrete terms people could do to help themselves. And maybe, Melanie, you have any sort of, an examples that you helped and transformed the management of the chronic diseases by implementing the lifestyle. Maybe majority of your patients are type two diabetes. Some of them are MS. Have you have you got any sort of example to share, to the audience to inspire people that this is real, this is happening, and people are really changing if they are changing their their approach to living? Any sort of a social prescribing activities from your practice, Helene, that you could share examples that people being incidentary, obese status, they moved into walking, eating healthy. Any any examples? Yeah. So nothing's overnight. But then none of the medicines that I prescribe have ever, caused people to suddenly come back and go, well, that's it. I'm fixed. You know? They're really well, I can think of a handful perhaps that do do that. You know, I think prednisolone can have such an amazing effect for for some people, but then we know how many terrible effects that long term that they have. But I can't think of many medicines. So I think, you know, we've got to be clear that lifestyle medicine approaches, so supporting people with lifestyle is is often not an overnight fix. It's a gradual thing, which again is why, GPs can do this so beautifully because that's what we do. We see people throughout their life, and sometimes it's enough just to plan that idea that, yes, have the medicine now, but did you know I've had people with similar issues to you who've made incredible changes? And now I have a lot of experience with supporting people and and feel that I can say that. No. It's not just from research studies, but it's actually from experiencing people making these changes themselves. And and it's incredible how resilient and able people actually are, in to to make changes. I've I've seen it across the breadth of both people facing very difficult circumstances and deprivation to people who are very wealthy. I try not to have preconceptions about who might be able to make changes, and I try and mention it and offer it to to everybody. But for some people, it's just planting that idea that if this medicine doesn't work for you, then if you want us to come back and talk about other options that don't include medicine, then then then do come back. Or if that's something you're interested in, we could talk about a few things today. I could send you something to read about, and then you could come back and we could take it further. Or and I guess I work in a very progressive, brilliant surgery. We have a health coach. We have a social prescribing link worker who can help people with things like green gyms and, other things that are going on in the community that come and go, and I can't always keep up with, but they're very good at engaging people with and supporting them to join in. And in terms of thinking of particular, cases and areas, and I mentioned the one couple of cases I've had now of people who were drinking gallons of of sugary drinks. And and I think, the issue with type two diabetes is because your blood becomes so syrupy, you you start to feel very, very thirsty and, because the sugar in your blood kind of draws out more liquid from you so you pee more. You feel very thirsty. And, unfortunately, people then can quench their thirst with sugary fluids, which then causes a vicious cycle. So it's been unbelievable how quickly actually just removing those free sugars from somebody's diet has meant that they they literally reverse their diabetes within months. You know, I there's a couple of standout cases in my mind that I think about where I I just couldn't believe that that could happen so quickly. And I think for those people, they were experiencing acute glucose toxicity. I think I think there is a a separate condition there that is literally you've poisoned yourself with too much free sugars, which, you know, is interesting. But the area that I get so much hope from actually is for people with mental health issues because, you know, I've long felt, sensed that, antidepressants didn't really work. Now the evidence suggests that is probably the case, that they do have a role, but it's probably really for only for people with moderate to severe depression. And even then, there are quite significant side effects that we didn't underestimated. They're harder to get off than we thought. They're definitely overused. So I I think there's a large consensus now. It it's not just me thinking that, but, that's confirmed my experiences on the ground. And so I've always felt quite a loss of how to support people with depression because that's a large part of of what we see as GPs. And, also, there's massive long waiting lists for, talking therapies, and they tend to be quite short lived. And, again, I I don't tend to see incredible results from people coming back going, well, that that six sessions of talking to somebody has really fixed everything. But actually talking to people about nutritional interventions for, depression has been really exciting because the data is showing that literally within two weeks of changing improving the quality of your diet, it's actually shown to change structures in your brain, such as the hippocampus and amygdala, and that people can notice real differences very, very quickly, which, you know, I I was reading the research and thought, this can't this can't. But then encouraging people to come back and see me and and let me know how things have changed. And, okay, their their depression wasn't fixed within a couple of weeks, but, certainly, we're noticing things like my energy had improved, my sleep had improved. I feel now I can I can send people out of that initial consultation with a lot more optimism and with a lot more options, with things to look into that don't just include medicines? Because many of my patients now are starting to access this information themselves, which gives me great hope. So they come in saying, look. I I tried angiosoibrosis in the past. They haven't worked for me. I'd like to talk about other things, and then we can, you know, explore those together. And and I'm really optimistic about that. It's really exciting. I feel like I have more tools now. I just wanna reflect a little bit, for people with MS. Sugar is a big, big problem. I see that in my practice. You know, when you ask and interview people, how many spoons of sugar do you use for a cup of tea throughout the day? You know, they say seven. And then, you know, do you do you consume sugar in throughout the day? They say no. So so there is a bit of a ignorance in terms of, you know, what do we do as a habit? Like, all these energy drinks, caffeinated drinks, they are full of sugar. And in multiple sclerosis, yes, I know very much Everyone knows that people with MS suffer with a lot of fatigue. And when they get this sugar in, they get a bit more energetic. But then you have a sugar crush. You know, your your your sugar reached the peak, and then it sort of crushes down. And that's that's as an experience, you get a deepened fatigue level after that in in immediate, sugar crush. So so I think being mindful in bringing that awareness into the day to day living is super, super important. And and and then you mentioned about the emotions and, well, you know, the depression and antidepressants. It's really fascinating to learn that, but the exercises, the the healthy eating actually nourishes the brain, changes the chemical, and improves the memory, improves the level of energy. And it applies not just diabetes, but also multiple sclerosis or any other chronic diseases. So so maybe let's dive into more practical, aspect of the a bit about dieting, and I think you had a particular passion about the nutritional approaches such as, fasting mimicking diets. Could you explain what these are and how they may benefit people with autoimmune conditions. Yes. Thank you, Agne. It's a very, very exciting area. I think possibly still in its relatively early days, but there's enough robust science to know that there's something going on here that's very exciting. And I think just to take us back a a small step to what you were talking about in terms of fatigue, I'm very interested by fatigue because, actually, if you listen to patients, this is something they come to us with the most. Fatigue, pain, and, mood issues are probably the the top concerns if you actually ask people what matters most to you, and yet that's probably those two things, fatigue and pain, are the most poorly researched, I would suggest, and we have the least options to help people. And because the other group that I see a lot of are women in the perimenopause and menopause and also, tends to often be more women, but, long COVID. And I think there are lots of crossovers here with the an autoimmune type picture and what's maybe going on with MS. Now I'm not an expert in MS. I support people with MS as a GP, but I'm very interested in the science that I'm starting to read around the role of mitochondrial health, immune health, and that link with fatigue. And also it has many, parallels with what I'm hearing from my patients with obesity. So people with obesity, they're, again, the the number one thing they talk to me about is I'm tired. I'm tired, yet we know they have excess energy stores on them. So or in their bodies. So so they're the state of excess energy stores, but an inability to access that. Now that again, you know, intuitively must be something to do with those power cells in our body, these mitochondria that are the these little, organelles, so tiny things within ourselves that manage the way we burn the energy. We use our glucose and fat to create energy that can be used for movement and brain function and immune function. So our immune system is the most energy consuming part of of our body, And if we're not able to make enough energy for that, you can imagine that it would go astray, as we see in autoimmune conditions like MS, like what we're thinking along COVID maybe in part, an autoimmune type condition. And as we see a lot of during the perimenopause, as we lose that, immune regulating function of our sex steroids, so estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. So mitochondrial health is is appearing more and more in this sort of scientific research, isn't it, around what might be going on here for people with, autoimmune conditions or conditions which cause fatigue or conditions where, a metabolism is not working as effectively. And that, speaks to this this concept of fasting mimicking diets because the main thing they seem to do is improve the health of our battery packs, of our mitochondria and our cells. So fasting mimicking diets are exactly what it says on the tin. It's, eating in a way that mimics fasting. So it means that you get the health benefits that you see with eating nothing, but you get to eat a little bit. You get to eat something. And the reason this is so exciting is because there are risks with fasting. And we're talking about what intermittent fasting. So not starving. So not stopping to eat for long periods of time. And I think a lot of your listeners have probably heard about intermittent fasting. So whether that's having two days a week where you eat less or little or just restricting the time over which you eat or skipping a few meals and not snacking. I think for for many of the people I see, particularly people with metabolic disease, so that means with obesity or with type two diabetes, actually, they're eating all the time. So from the minute they get up until very late at night, there is no period of time when their gut has been rested or their insulin hormone levels are dropping to normal. We're in a constant state of being fed, and that is very abnormal for humans. We've had periods of time where we have had to fast because of of this sort of hunger gap that we see in the year. Actually, normally, in The UK, this is it's this period of time when we've eaten all our stores and we're waiting for spring. And naturally, many cultures would support people to deal with that through religious and cultural beliefs, which included fasting. So fasting over Lent, Ramadan fasting. There's many, many, cultures that religions that support people with fasting because it it it was a necessity. But it turns out we've sort of evolved to to probably gain benefit from these periods of time that we've now lost. So these these fasting mimicking diets have been really heavily, researched by professor Volta Longo, who's a professor in Italy who also works with institutes in America. And he's run a number of of studies now where he tried to work out how can you get the benefits of fasting without the risks, which can include, disturbances in our salt balance, loss of protein and muscle mass, feeling just generally awful when when you're doing it. And so he tried to work out what are the key parts of fasting that trigger the pathways in our body that seem to be useful. And it seems to be that there are it's a critically low level of certain amino acids, and I think these are methionine and leucine. It's a a certain level of calories, which I believe is under 800 calories. So it's a loss of of certain animal protein amino acids. And so it's a plant based, low calorie, but also low carbohydrate diet because you also need to go into what's called ketosis. And ketosis is when we start burning fat instead of sugar and producing ketones. And the wonderful thing about ketones is that they seem to sort of suppress your appetite and make you a bit more alert and motivated, which I I didn't believe. I was reading all of this thinking, this is rubbish. I was somebody who's you know, as a busy doctor, I would be eating all the time and, you know, you need to eat to give you energy. And I thought, if I've got to have a go at this, because if I'm going to support patients to do this, then I I need to know that what it feels like. And I was a real skeptic. I have somebody who just can't function without breakfast, but trained myself gradually to miss breakfast and just have lunch and dinner, and then, experience day fasting, which was uncomfortable initially. But when I passed through that into what's known as the ketone producing phase, Unbelievable effects on my mental clarity, ability to get work done, motivation, energy, which which, you know, you'd think would be the opposite. If you're sort of starving, you'd have less energy, but unbelievable, which is exactly what the science says it should do. And it kind of makes sense intuitively again because if you were in a period of time where you couldn't get food, rather than sort of hiding away in the back of your cave, you needed to get out there and and seek food and be more motivated. Whereas if you're in the fed state, you need to be kind of you can kind of chill out and relax and and feel soporific and maybe even a bit depressed and low after a while if you're constantly in the fed state. My experience was aligning with what all the research seems to be saying. And this dietary package now, this fasting mimicking diet is is available commercially. There's a company called Prolon and Alnutra who create this. It's now been tested in many, what we call, gold standard scientific ways. So these are the randomized controlled trials where you have a group who use them and a group who don't or something similar, and then you try and tease out what exactly the effects are, and they seem to be absolutely profound. So there are studies done now in in rodents and animal models and in, numerous groups of patients with different issues. The thing that excited me the most was the one that was done for there's there's a trial for people with rheumatoid arthritis, which is another autoimmune condition, and for people with m m s. These are relatively small trials, and I don't believe they've been, replicated yet, but they were very, very exciting because, for some of those patients, they saw complete remission of symptoms. And this is just from five days of going on these low calorie, low specific amino acid, and low carbohydrate diets, which I've tried now. I've done numerous cycles of this fasting mimicking diet package myself, and it's a bit boring. You know? They're eating these they're soups shakes. They're whole food soups and shakes. They don't have emulsifiers in and all these other nasty things that you often get in these types of diets. I mean, yeah, but by day four or five, it's a bit boring. And I'm looking forward to eating whole food, but I don't feel hungry. And I feel unbelievably energetic, and my mental clarity is the best it's ever ever ever been. So it's it is doable. And and and as a doctor trying to supervise a couple of my patients now doing these, I feel, feel confident that they're not likely to run into severe nutritional deficiencies because you get multivitamins with them and omega three supplements. So we we can be sure that they are going to still minimize any risks. Now there are risks and, you know, people on particularly blood sugar lowering medicines and blood pressure medicines with complex medical issues must not do this on their own. I mean, there could be fatal side effects, particularly from low blood sugar and low blood pressure. So if you're on many medicines, if you're trying for a baby, if you're pregnant, if you're breastfeeding, you must must get, medical supervision before you because they're they're, you know, they're public publicly available now, you can purchase. But the website is very clear about the need to get support for often stopping medicines, but do not do that on your own. You know, get get medical support. But the but the trial data is very, very exciting. Yeah. I I looked into, well, FMDs, which is fast mimicking diets in multiple sclerosis, and I can all only echo that, some of the studies suggest that, through that diet, people have reduced inflammation. Because of this fasting element, it decreases some circulating motor sites, altering metabolic health as as Alan just have ex described. It can also help with, enhancing neurogenesis, genesis, which is producing more cells in the hippocampus, which is our memory and cognition, mood enhancer, and regulates, our emotions. The only benefits I see out of this, and particularly very powerful if people have obesity and and overweight. Also looking into MS specifically, you know, from FMDs, it it helps with, with their symptom management, improves the the quality of life, diminishes their fatigue, and numerous amount of studies that that reported that effect. So really very powerful. Obviously, you have to be cautious and careful if you have some conditions that would be contraindicated to go on this diet. And, Alan has listed very nicely, also, if you have some gastrointestinal problems, you know, like, I don't know. He's feeling really, positive and some erosions and ulcers, you know. So maybe this needs to be postponed until you are fit and well. So just to add to that pool of information. So you mentioned, a few sites that people could go and read. Are there any other, information that people could get from the their own GPs and the social prescribers about the this particular diet? So to address that point, no. I I suspect not. This is very, very cutting edge. I I hope that it's going to become something that that will be available to people potentially in the future on the NHS. I mean, I work with a of another slightly similar program that's the, part NHS Path to Remission Program. So if you're somebody with type two diabetes under the age of 65, not yet on insulin, you can get support with a meal and shake diet that's under 800 calories, that can help put put your diabetes into remission, but that is actually quite different from this. This is actually only a five day intervention. If you have, quite significant active disease, you might have to do those five days once a month. People with a high risk for disease or or maybe just have well managed type type two diabetes or well managed MS or MS remission, then you do it maybe once every three months. People are high risk once every six months, people who just want to be well once every year. And and what's so unique about this diet compared to and it's not really a diet. I would say it's a it's a medically supervised nutritional intervention, and it's incredibly powerful. So it's five days only, and the rest of the time you do need to eat well, and that's a whole food, ideally plant based diet. So it it does differ from what's at the moment, and I suspect most clinicians have not yet heard about this. But what's so exciting about what it seems to do and from this is mainly from the rodent studies, is it improves mitochondrial health. Because and and professor Volter Longo describes this really well in his book, actually. And and, you know, this is a hypothesis. We we it needs still further testing, but what seems to, he thinks, happen is that we have nutrient sensing pathways in our body. So they sense our environment through what we eat, and these are conserved throughout all organisms. So they've been studied in little fruit flies and nematode worms and things like that. And what happens is when these pathways are switched on by low calorie, low specific amino acids, and and, ketones, is that they signal to our body we're in a state of caloric deficiency. We're in this sort of famine situation. There needs to be less of you. You need to have less cells. There needs to be less of you. And so your immune system is is triggered to go round your body and make less of you, to eat up bits of you. So we have cells which go round macrophages and so on, you know, that literally eat up ourselves and make less of us. And what they do is they don't eat up the nice new cells that are healthy. They selectively eat and get rid of your dodgy and old cells. And this is given, obviously, as we always do in medicine posh words, like autophagy. It just means to eat yourself. Auto phagy means to eat. Auto means of of yourself. So autophagy. And it also, importantly, triggers mitophagy. So mito is of the mitochondria, phagy is to eat. So your immune system goes around and eats up your dodgy and aging mitochondria. So that's what happens about day three or four in this, fasting mimicking diet. Your body gets signals you need to be you need to be a smaller person. Not smaller in terms of fat tissue necessarily, although that does happen, but smaller in terms of fewer cells that require energy. And then when you gradually refeed on ideally a healthy diet, so you start going back to normal diet, your stem cells in your body so these are cells which have the ability to turn into anything you might need, so an eyeball cell or a or a skin cell or a lung cell or a liver cell, they start to wake up and go, okay. We're back into we don't need to make less of a cells. We need we can go back to having as much as we were before. So they remake new cells. And so you are literally and this sounds like Moe and I heard about this, some bonkers kind of, like, wonder drug, and I don't like this, like, you know, rejuvenation thing. It sounds like, some cosmetic thing. But literally, that's what it appears to do. Your stem cells wake up and produce new fresh cells. So once you've gone through a round of fasting mimicking diet, you literally rejuvenate. So markers of aging drop back per cycle on average about six to eight months. So for people with autoimmune disease, what we hope it's doing is getting your immune system to munch up and take eat up and get rid of those dodgy immune cells which have gone awry, that have aged, whatever word you want to use, that have accidentally recognized your pancreas for type one diabetes, your joints for rheumatoid arthritis, or your myelin sheaths in multiple sclerosis, you know, the the kind of insulating bits around your nerves. So incredibly powerful. And this speaks to the power of what food does to our bodies. It turns on and off millions of genes all over our body, and we do this to ourselves, eating four or five times a day quite often. So this this sort of feeling that a medicine can be really powerful, but food is like not doing anything is is not correct. It's one of the most powerful things to do, which is why when you do this intervention over five days, it is incredibly powerful. So you do need some supervision, particularly if you're not otherwise fit and well because it is profoundly changing your body over those five days. But in the same way, that's super exciting because what we're seeing in the literature and what I'm experiencing with it, I've had two people with autoimmune conditions now who felt so desperate that their biologic agents haven't worked. We tried everything. Their specialist had tried everything. They they were like, I want to try this because I've run out of options. Profoundly impactful for them. Not on the first, round. They had to do a couple. But each round, they've they noticed their energy improving, their pain levels going down, sensory symptoms improving, and so on. Very exciting. Needs bigger testing, particularly in The UK population, but, you know, we're on that. Yeah. And just listening to you, Elena, it is such a comprehensive, explanation at the biology level, at the cell and molecular level, what happens in our body when we are consuming food that fit our body needs. And, you know, you mentioned the mitochondria, which is our energy supplier organelle, and and that plays a role in multiple sclerosis pafagenesis such as microglia activation, which is a driver element of the smoldering MS. We're talking now a diffused chronic progressive inflammatory process that not necessarily is visible on our conventional MRI scan. And, you know, people come in and they report, progressive MS symptoms. And that comes from the dysfunction of the mitochondria. So how to booster that mitochondria and then explain in a beautiful way, you know, what's which steps should we take, what proactive step should we take to nourish that element within our body and and boost our biology that would allow us to live longer, healthier lives? Because this in particular diet is also very powerful in longevity medicine in in the lifespan. So so I think, there's no brainer not to think and reflect. But just anything to add, Elaine, on this? Yeah. So exactly as you were saying, Nick, that, you know, there's never going to be one quick fix. And, I think although the faster mimicking diet is incredibly powerful, you know, the rest of the time, you know, if we're going back to shift work, poor quality sleep, eating ultra processed with junk sugary foods, you know, high stress levels in activity, it's probably not going to be able to reverse those damages. So, you know, we we have to address and look at all of those factors, but, again, not feel a terrible overwhelm. Just picking one thing at a time. And sometimes, I I don't know about your experience, but when I'm trying to support people, if you're so exhausted trying to make change is incredibly hard, People's lives start falling apart. Their relationships start breaking down. All the things that we need in order to make those changes, you know, being able to earn an income, have a have a healthy relationships that are sustained, all of that starts to break down. So, you know, sometimes we just need to get to the place where somebody's got enough energy to be able to make a single change that that can can be sustained, might be needed. And that's where, you know, a five day fasting mimicking intervention can just sometimes give people the clarity of mind to just get some energy in order to make that next first step, which is different for everybody. So, again, sleep is a is such an underestimated, contributor. You know, shift work is a massive health risk. It's a cancer health risk. It's an autoimmune risk. Use of social media in a way that can keep us awake at night, that can make us feel low, that can be addressed now. And there are quick wins for some of those things. You can get app blockers that can block you off all of your sites for a period of time. So social prescribing, you can get support to join groups where you can be walking outside. Because I think a lot is talked about in terms of physical activity and people can feel they have to go to the gym and do crazy workouts, but there is it's interesting how there's some studies coming out that for if you're not done physical activity for a while and you're relatively unfit, if you then go and do some really hardcore workout, then actually that's a real stressor on your body. It disrupts your sleep, and and it can actually not be very helpful or you sustain an injury. So I try and encourage people just to do anything that can be active, and most often, that's just going for a walk with a friend in nature. That's win win win. You're you're building a, you know, good quality relationships. There's something very mindful, meditative about going for a walk. We know there are additional benefits for walking in nature that even come from observing the fractal patterns in nature, getting some vitamin d on your skin, some of the chemicals that are secreted by trees that are ought to be good for us. I mean, terpenes sort of a you know, their their their simple walking nature can be far better than going to a gym, where particularly at the moment, you're probably gonna pick up COVID or flu. You know? But if that's your thing, great. Hot and cold therapy, sauna, cold plunge, cold showers even. There are lots of just one things that, lovely, Michael Mosley talks a lot about in his life. So he's another, sort of one way you can go for some resources, some books, and podcasts that can give you more inspiration, that can keep you on track, rather than going crazy on one thing, perhaps at at one time, particularly if it's something you don't enjoy. Mhmm. Beautifully said. Well, I I can only well, I can't agree anymore to Curtis. And maybe to enjoy your sunshines in the mornings and sunsets in the evenings just to stimulate that melatonin in your retina and get the good quality of sleep. So, such a enlightening episode and conversation that we we have, today. Ellen, and I just wanna maybe thank you for your time and insights. And, also, where can listeners connect, with you and learn more about your incredible work? So I'm on, LinkedIn and Instagram. I'm under Ellen Fallows. But most importantly, it's to to, look up the British side of life lifestyle medicine. So we're The UK's number one charity that, educates clinicians, but also we have the voices of lived experience group where we try to hear from encourage patients to join us and people to join us. You can even come to our conference. We're an incredibly broad group of grassroots clinicians of all backgrounds. So we're talking about nurses, health visitors, health coaches, physiotherapists, all the way to hospital doctors and pharmacists, policymakers, public health, and obviously people who are living with, conditions such as MS. So look us up, come to our conference. We often have a fabulous speaker who speaks about, their journey putting and keeping MS into remission through a lifestyle medicine approach, this holistic approach. Wonderful. And to our audience, thank you for tuning to this episode of Be Well with MS. If you enjoyed this discussion, please subscribe, leave a review, comment, share with people who would benefit from these insights, and let's continue prioritizing whole person health and creating a future where healthy living is accessible to everyone. Until next time, stay well, stay connected, and remember, small changes lead to extraordinary transformation. Thanks for being with us today. Thank you, Helene, for joining me today. It's been a pleasure. Thank you, Agme. Thank you.
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Show Host and Founder
Hi there! I’m Dr. Agne Straukiene, a neurologist, researcher, and MS specialist. As the host and founder of the #BeewellwithMS podcast, along with expert guests, I share knowledge to guide your MS journey. My commitment to MS care was recognised in 2022 with an International MS Brain Health Team award. I am a certified Brain Health Ambassador for the European Academy of Neurology (EAN).
I am co-creator of tools like the MS Infoflex database, MS Connect app, MS Patients Know Best, Augmented reality motor function assessment in MS (Strolll). I strive to simplify MS self-management.
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