Of late, I have been watching the TV series Alone, wherein ten contestants trained in survival techniques are sent each season into one or another forbidding locale to test their skills, each hoping to be the last man, or woman, standing. As can be readily imagined, this challenge tests both the physical and mental strength of each survivalist to the limits as well as their knowledge and prowess in hunting game, utilizing the resources of the land, constructing a shelter, and so on. The contestants are scattered miles apart from one another, and so relationship, arguably the most challenging element in human endeavor, does not enter into the equation. Thus the title, Alone. It is an interesting, fairly entertaining series for the picture it draws of the frailty of even the stronger and more able of human beings in opposition to the awesome and unforgiving power of nature.
But aside from all that, what caught my attention in a particular episode was the statement of a young woman with multiple sclerosis. After being diagnosed, she tells us, she was in very bad shape--bedridden, couldn't walk, was in a wheelchair--but then finally 'got hold of herself' and, through willpower and the use of various herbs and green healthy legumes, got back to 100 percent good health, such that she is now able to take part in this demanding TV challenge.
What's this? You mean to say I've been suffering with MS all this time when I could have just been eating leaves and granola while telling myself to "buck up".
Well, hmm, I'm sorry to tell you, honey, but if there were an herbal, dietary cure for MS, we would all be chowing down herbs and vegetables by the fistful. In fact, however, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, there is no dietary practice that can treat or cure MS.
Most of us who have hung out with this disease for a considerable time know that in relapsing/remitting MS we will suffer an attack, incur damage from that attack, and then gradually recover function, especially in the earlier years. I suffered my first serious attack of MS in 2007--had no feeling in my feet, little feeling in my legs, was often confused and spaced out. By 2010, I felt fine, moved with my family to Bali, and during my first few years here suffered no symptoms of MS that I was aware of--such that I, too, confidently declared myself free of the disease all together--and I hadn't eaten a single herb or quaffed a single magic potion.
And then came the next serious attack.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad this young woman is feeling well. I was glad to feel well too, and I made the most of it while I could. Nonetheless, it seems somewhat irresponsible to leave the TV viewing audience with the impression that MS is perfectly treatable, moreover curable, through healthy eating.
But aside from all that, what caught my attention in a particular episode was the statement of a young woman with multiple sclerosis. After being diagnosed, she tells us, she was in very bad shape--bedridden, couldn't walk, was in a wheelchair--but then finally 'got hold of herself' and, through willpower and the use of various herbs and green healthy legumes, got back to 100 percent good health, such that she is now able to take part in this demanding TV challenge.
What's this? You mean to say I've been suffering with MS all this time when I could have just been eating leaves and granola while telling myself to "buck up".
Well, hmm, I'm sorry to tell you, honey, but if there were an herbal, dietary cure for MS, we would all be chowing down herbs and vegetables by the fistful. In fact, however, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, there is no dietary practice that can treat or cure MS.
Most of us who have hung out with this disease for a considerable time know that in relapsing/remitting MS we will suffer an attack, incur damage from that attack, and then gradually recover function, especially in the earlier years. I suffered my first serious attack of MS in 2007--had no feeling in my feet, little feeling in my legs, was often confused and spaced out. By 2010, I felt fine, moved with my family to Bali, and during my first few years here suffered no symptoms of MS that I was aware of--such that I, too, confidently declared myself free of the disease all together--and I hadn't eaten a single herb or quaffed a single magic potion.
And then came the next serious attack.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad this young woman is feeling well. I was glad to feel well too, and I made the most of it while I could. Nonetheless, it seems somewhat irresponsible to leave the TV viewing audience with the impression that MS is perfectly treatable, moreover curable, through healthy eating.
2 comments:
Yes we would all be doing that if it were a cure. It is probably a healthier diet for her but cure probably not so much.
Amen
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