Trauma Archives - folaketaylormd

What’s Going On In MS Land? Are You Utilizing Support?

folaketaylormd — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 02:16:22 +0000

What’s Going On in Ms Land with Dad’s Visit?

Grandpa & Whoopi are fast friends!

What’s going on in MS land these days? Well, what had happened was, my father came into town. And for almost 2 weeks, I did not record a single lesson in MS Mastery™. Welp! Prior to that, I was doing great on knocking out one module each week, and I was halfway done.

Take a seat. I promise you a happy ending to this share.

I felt alive however. I hadn’t seen Dad in 5 years, thanks to Covid, and expired visas and new rules for obtaining US visas and mega delays in the process and all of that. And I hadn’t seen him since Mom passed 2 years ago. 😢

The trip was long overdue.

What’s Going On in MS Land with Fear and Doubt?

But I was petrified of how I would handle the visit. Catering to him. Especially feeding him, since I’m on such a specialized diet (Wahls Paleo Plus).

And there’s the issue of bandwidth… Because. MS.

In fact, I worried so much that I almost made myself sick. But once I started to feel symptoms, I knew I had to course correct and fix my attitude. Only 2 things make me feel bad these days: Physical exertion or negative thoughts. I’m teaching you how to get here in MS Mastery™ by the way, and so much more as I continue to heal too. (Shameless plug!)

What’s Going On in MS Land with Marrying All the Nutrition Needs?

I decided to trust that God and the universe will teach me how to cater to him, since hubby and I had decided we would not cater out his foods due to all the cutting corners in the food services industry since lock down. My dad made a somewhat recent shift to the blood type diet and his health and numbers have never been better. His discipline in the absence of Mom has been just so admirable. Naturally, we want to support him maximally.

We decided we would also feed him organic non-gmo foods, and high quality proteins like we eat, except for our (minus me!) Nigerian foods that are not certified organic.

And do you know what happened? We started to figure it out. I don’t cook for my husband usually, He makes his own food and doesn’t put pressure on me in the kitchen. So, I hadn’t made Nigerian stew in years, and really hadn’t been eating Nigerian food because they’re hard to come by, if not impossible, as certified organic. But I figured out how to use all organic produce to make chicken stew without the habanero or any of the conventional peppers that we normally use, which is where we get the spicy pepper kick. But we can’t ever find those peppers organic.

What I did was to use a combo of red bell peppers with crushed red peppers, both organic. And it worked. Yay! I’ll spare you the details of all the dishes that I’ve made for him. how I’ve married our foods for ease of preparation, and how I get around things I can’t taste but need to make for him. 🤣

What’s Going On in MS Land concerning Asking For and Receiving Help?

17th wedding anniversary IG post! 3/29

Then I was so blessed to have hubby help out whenever I needed him to. I actually asked for help. Hubby is amazing, but that bad habit of not asking for help is a hard one to break completely free from.

Luckily for me, I’m partnered with a man who pays attention and notices things. He first noticed my one zit pop up next to my lip. Then it was my back brace that had started to make an appearance here and there (though that wasn’t so unusual), then my wrist brace. I think the wrist brace did it for him because it hasn’t come out in years. He basically marched into the kitchen and informed me that I was doing too much and he needed to do more. Then he listed what things he was taking on. Why? Because I was so exhausted by the end of the day he said, and it’s just week one, so we need a better plan.

What a blessing, in this world where close to half of marriages impacted by MS don’t make it. This from a man who has always done a lot and continues to do so. I did not really want to ask him to do as much because I was also concerned for him and his demanding job.

This extra help however enabled me to lean into Dad’s presence, his company, his emotional support. And it’s simply been amazing.

What’s Going On in MS Land with the Research on Asking For Help & Receiving Help?

Research paper…

So, what’s going on in MS land with research concerning help? Did you know that the ability to lean into family support impacts our MS course? Specifically, our ability to ask for and receive help. In fact, not asking for help from those around us is as bad as not having a support system at all on this MS journey.

How do I know this? Research supports it. And one of the traits that leads to MS is feeling like you can go it alone in life.

In this publication titled Relationship between Psychosocial Factors and Onset of Multiple Sclerosis, while doing a comparison of psychosocial factors between people with MS and healthy controls, there were significant differences in subjective support, and utilization of social support between the two groups.

So toxic and I hate to admit it but for a long time, so me. I didn’t want to “bother” people. That happens to be a trauma response by the way that stems from not feeling safe for whatever reason.

It was just a story in my head and this research proves that our perception is different, which of course leads to not utilizing the support.

All this is to say, lean into your support system.

What’s Going On in MS Land with Emotional Support?

The emotional boost of having Dad under our roof has been so good for me, the same way I feel when my brother is in town.

I’ve gotten to a point in my MS and life journey where if I’m not feeling great, I seek out human connection. I find my husband in the house and go spend time with him. He centers me. He truly is my peace and with all that my health issues have thrown at us, it is a blessing. Sometimes I go hang out with my daughter or Whoopi the dog, or both. They work too. 😃

So, if you’re one of those I can go it alone people, stop it. Rethink your stance because it does not serve you at all, and certainly not your MS course.

Let’s talk MS Mastery™!!!

As for me, I will soak in all the family love I can get, while I continue to work on MS Mastery™ at whatever pace I can muster. The real happy ending to this story is this. I have figured out how to still continue to record the rest of the course, so that I can get it to you.

In fact, I intend to send out detailed information on how to get into all the goodies I’ve been cooking up within the next few weeks. I have recorded 7 out of 13 weeks already, and about two-thirds of the slides.

And I’m so excited for all of the information that you’ll be able to glean for your MS journey.

In the meantime,

Happy MS Awareness Month!!! 🎉

And even though I wanted MS Mastery™ to be ready during our special month, here’s my gift to you. It’s how hard I’m working to get this program to you in the next few weeks.

Toodles!

Dr. Folake.

DISCLAIMER!!!

Lastly, check with your doctor before implementing anything new. I am NOT your doctor, though I am a doctor.

This is purely educational, not giving you medical advice, and it is certainly not tailored specifically to you because I don’t have enough information on you to do that.

I am Dr. Folake Taylor, and I live with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis PPMS. After 15 years in internal medicine primary care, while battling disability/ PPMS for the last 7 of the 15, I found myself diving deeper into holistic health for answers. Now I’m turning my lemons into lemonade. I refuse to allow physical and cognitive disability to stop me, from fulfilling my destiny of using my voice to benefit the world with my knowledge, which I did prior to my illness. Sharing what I have learned and am still learning about the body’s ability to heal itself, which is quite different from what I learned in medical school, is now my mission. And as I create an online self-paced course for MS recovery, I will take you along with me as the daily journey continues.

PS: Get on the waitlist for MS Mastery™ here if you haven’t already. What are you waiting on?

The post What’s Going On In MS Land? Are You Utilizing Support? appeared first on folaketaylormd.

Is Keto a Trigger Word for Vegans?

folaketaylormd — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 18:41:00 +0000

After a certain conversation in the not-so-distant past, I’m triggered by the word Keto now! I don’t know if I will ever use the word again. I’ll just say K instead. The exchange was unsettling at first, which later became interesting to me. Get a drink, and take a seat. Let’s talk.

The Wahls Protocol

A little background here. If you follow me on social media, chances are that you know my autoimmune nutrition plan is The Wahls Paleo Plus. Dr. Terry Wahls is an MD living with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). She wrote the book, The Wahls Protocol. She was able to recover by making modifications to the Paleo diet. Dr. Wahls infused her version of Paleo, with nutrient-dense good quality meat products. These contain the correct ratio of fats that is necessary to heal from progressive MS. These nutrients are not present in plants.

I need to make a distinction here. Progressive MS means that you have developed a somewhat irreversible disability. It is different from intermittent or even daily MS symptoms.

All MS types can improve on a vegan plant-based diet regarding day-to-day symptoms. A vegan plant-based diet will likely not touch your disability, with progressive MS. I first heard Dr. Terry Wahls speak on this distinction, and I have also made these observations.

To further support this, Dr. Swank’s stated that his low fat Swank Diet was not effective for those with MS who had developed a disability.

My Specific Nutrition Plan

There are 3 levels of The Wahls Protocol. Wahls Diet, Wahls Paleo, and Wahls Paleo Plus. The Wahls Paleo Plus is a modified Paleo & K with intermittent fasting. It is the most restrictive, hence it took me years to get here, because it is NOT for the faint at heart. Several times in this journey, I did give up a little and fall off the wagon.

Chia Pudding

Little did I know that saying the word K is like smearing poop all over myself, to some people. The way I understand nutrition, there are healthy vegetarians and unhealthy vegetarians. There are healthy vegans and unhealthy vegans. There is healthy K and unhealthy K. I thought everyone else understood it that way as well.

I am of course practicing a healthy Paleo K mashup. I eat a lot of good fats from:

Avocados,

Nuts (almonds and walnuts),

Coconut milk,

Healthy oils (coconut, olive, avocado oil),

Chia seeds,

Hemp hearts (seeds),

Wild-caught salmon,

100% grass-fed and grass-finished meats,

Pasture-raised poultry

Protein is moderate, and carbs are from vegetables and berries. Then comes the magic of phytonutrients from vegetables and fruits, 6-9 cups daily. No grains, no legumes, no soy, no corn, no dairy, no sugar or alcohol. These are in line with my food sensitivity patterns, and insights from symptom tracking. It has taken 6+ years to master it.

The Meat Of The Matter

Now to the actual story that spurred this write-up. I was going about my business on this fine afternoon, in one of our MS support rooms.

This plant-based vegan lady came by, on invitation by the person running this room. She gave her spiel about healing from 15 chronic conditions, but could not shake 1 last painful condition until she stopped eating corn and oils.

I commented on the impressive healing journey, and asked a follow-up question about what kind of oils. I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know the dangers of corn (which is largely GMO corn in the US and riddled with mold). Her answer was all oils.

She explained that oils clog your arteries and reduce the absorption of nutrients, and are very inflammatory. I was a little familiar with this line of thinking from Anthony Williams (The Medical Medium) about ALL oils and fats being bad for us. I take what works for me (like his celery juice), and leave the rest. There is no one size fits all. Everything works for someone, but everything does not work for everyone.

I proceeded to explain that I was on the Wahls Paleo plus which is a form of K… I believe that was all she heard. It didn’t matter what else I said about what I eat, and how my primary progressive MS course benefits from the good fats, and ketosis. Or that when I was unable to eat my nuts after oral surgery, my previously controlled MS symptoms made a resurgence. She went in on me.

While vegetable oils and other unhealthy refined oils act in this manner, it is different with healthy oils. This is as long as you avoid high heat cooking. Combined with limited carbs, you burn fat as fuel instead of the usual carbs.

This is how I control high cholesterol. My levels are better controlled while eating a diet rich in healthy fats. I explained to her that the fat is not floating around in my arteries and wreaking havoc, because I burn it for fuel. She did not digest that information either.

Her Way Or The Highway

Bowl of Salad

This young lady went off on a tangent. She first instructed me to check out PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). I educated her that I was a member of PCRM, and I went to a PCRM conference in DC in person before the pandemic. While they are vegan and I am not, I was open to all things plants.

I realized that they vilified dairy. But, refused to acknowledge that gluten is also a problem for many people with autoimmunity. Often a bigger problem. They said it was all glyphosate, and served a lot of gluten-laden foods to attendees. It was challenging for me to eat their breakfast.

I left the organization after that. Gluten is absolutely an issue, as well as glyphosate in autoimmunity. It is challenging to be vegan and gluten-free, so that’s the trade they chose to make. That is the messaging from the organization.

She told me to use my common sense and eat an avocado. That, I do that daily. She also said it wasn’t natural to hunt animals. I challenged her about why. Her tone was very condescending, with repeated use of phrases such as, “Use your common sense.” She made the most outrageous conclusions. These were completely contrary to who I am, how I eat, or what I had explained in the same conversation.

I challenged her about how she was coming to these false conclusions and beliefs about me. It all landed on deaf ears. I could imagine her thinking that I’m resistant because I lack discipline. Or I don’t want to change, so she pushed even more. None of these is even close to who I am on my health journey.

Me, Me, Me!!!

She kept asking me if I heard her say she healed from 15 chronic conditions? Mind you, she has no idea what I have also healed from, or whose healing journey I’ve been privy to. It seemed to me like she doesn’t get challenged frequently. I surmised that most people probably defer to her and her inflated view of herself.

Once I realized she was presumably lumping me in with the mayo-eating K folks, I made it very clear that I wasn’t one of those. I eat actual whole foods.

This has got to be the most bizarre conversation I have had in my entire life. A space that is normally positive, and certainly on Clubhouse. It was like I wasn’t speaking English, because she could not hear me. At all.

She kept offering to help me with my food sensitivities because I said I didn’t tolerate vegan protein like legumes. In the same conversation, she admitted that like me she could not eat gluten, and had to soak and rehydrate her nuts. This is in addition to avoiding corn and oils, and being plant-based vegan, thus avoiding all meat products. So, she has a lot of food restrictions herself. But she couldn’t understand why I would have any other food intolerance, other than the ones she has. I explained that I didn’t need her help because I had my gut and health on track. And I am healing just fine from food intolerances already.

The Art of Bullying

Nobody else stood up to her, even though they sent me messages later. I learned that she gets in trouble even in vegan rooms, because of her approach. This is how bullying goes unchecked. People watch things happen and stand back, because it’s not happening to them.

The important thing is, I told her off, which was a first on Clubhouse for me. But it felt good that I stood up for myself. I told her to not be so condescending and rude, and to watch her tone. And to not make assertions about things she doesn’t know. Then I bid the room farewell, dropped my mic, and exited stage left. 🎤

Is Keto a Trigger Word?

I was pinged into another vegan plant-based room right after and as soon as I got there, the first thing I heard was harsh instructions for someone to “…stop that Keto rubbish…” I’d probably been on Clubhouse too long that day, I thought, so I left. This is why I normally don’t go into plant-based vegan rooms. Many (not all! 😆) are extreme and self-righteous. No other way can be right for someone else. It has to be their way. A colleague of mine referred to them as the “Vegan Mafia!”

The next morning, I came upon an IG Live in which Dr. Terry Wahls was a guest of a nutritionist in the UK, Rosemary Ferguson. This IG Live gave me an insight into how triggering the word K is for some people. Rosemary mentioned that she does not use the word K to describe the Wahls Paleo Plus. This is because of reactions she’s gotten in the past. Dr. Wahls also agreed. You can watch this insightful IG Live here.

That’s when it clicked for me. The word K is the devil of nutrition plans to plant-based vegans. They had no room to understand how it could ever make sense. Or the fact that it is actual medical therapy for seizure disorder.

It certainly is therapy for me, as my brain heals from primary progressive multiple sclerosis PPMS. When they heard the word K, the picture in their head was someone chugging down mayo and spoonfuls of oil or fat! 😂

So, is Keto a trigger word? I believe it is, for plant-based vegans. I learned something new from this interaction. And certainly, I’m triggered by the word Keto now.

The Fear About Keto, And What I Do Differently

I cycle in and out of ketosis, by eating more fruit (other than berries) on the weekend. Or on a day when I’m home in a controlled environment (in case it causes more inflammation). I do try to vary my fasting times daily as well.

These modalities help maintain metabolic flexibility. Will I always be on this plan? Probably not year round, as Dr. Wahls does not do it year round either. But in my healing journey right now, my body has spoken. When my body speaks, I listen.

If care is not taken, staying on K indefinitely can put the body under undue stress. This can cause the thyroid to slow down, and adrenals to kick into high gear.

The Morale Of The Story

Listen more than you speak. 2 ears. 1 mouth.
Be open to other opinions.
Don’t be so confident of you and your methods, that nobody can have a different opinion for their life and body. You end up being a complete jerk. Something else can work for someone else, and also be right.
Do not be quick to judge folks you are meeting for the first time.

In Conclusion

Everything that lady is doing is probably right for her. But I would love for her to get to a place where she sees that it isn’t necessarily what is right for everyone. Because, we are all different. This lady does not have MS, by the way.

It was important for me to speak up as a trauma survivor. I need to consciously stop being the “bigger person.” Or “the person that walks away without stating her side of the story,” the majority of the time. A lot of things we learned about humility are often the same things that diminish us. It does this a little bit more each time we let someone walk all over us.

Trauma come in different forms. This kind of bullying and verbal onslaught is a form of micro-trauma. It builds up, and can erode yor self-esteem over time. That is, if you let it.

Please leave me a comment below if this spoke to you, or if you’ve had a similar experience, and share how you handled it.

🧡 🧡 🧡

Dr. Folake.

PS: March is MS Awareness Month!!! And it’s about to be LIT.

PPS: If you haven’t already done so, do check out my Gifts to you and the free Resources page.

I am Dr. Folake Taylor, and I live with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis PPMS. After 15 years in internal medicine primary care, while battling disability/ PPMS for the last 7 of the 15, I found myself diving deeper into holistic health for answers. Now I’m turning my lemons to lemonade. I refuse to allow physical and cognitive disability stop me, from fulfilling my destiny of using my voice to benefit the world with my knowledge, which I did prior to my illness. Sharing what I have learned and am still learning about the body’s ability to heal itself, which is quite different from what I learned in medical school, is now my mission. And as I create an online self-paced course for MS recovery, I will take you along with me as the daily journey continues.

The post Is Keto a Trigger Word for Vegans? appeared first on folaketaylormd.