You are a survivor!

Wait! You didn’t know you were a survivor? 😃

Well, you are. Let that sink in. The fact that you took this quiz to learn how to get better despite all you’ve been through tells me you are a survivor. Somewhere deep down, you think you can feel better. Scratch that. You know you can feel better.

That means you’re exactly my kind of person.

Someone who doesn’t sit back and let life just happen to them, but is willing to go the extra mile, to change the course of their health.

Let’s break this down…

Gut issues in MS encompass challenges such food sensitivities, intolerance, and gut dysbiosis (imbalance in gut bacteria), which all lead to increased inflammation.

This inflammation then shows up as symptoms ranging from seemingly localized gut symptoms like belly pain, constipation, the runs, to more generalized effects such as increased pain, increased fatigue, or even precipitation of a relapse.

Gluten & dairy are particularly known to have bigger consequences such as a relapse or a serious worsening of MS symptoms, in those who can no longer tolerate these foods in even a small amount.

Sometimes we know what these food items are, but didn’t realize that ingredient was in the food, due to cross-contamination.

Other times we fall a little short in our ability to say no to these foods that we used to love, but that no longer love us.

And yet at other times, we don’t even know what foods are causing us to feel bad, or even that our worsening symptoms are from food.

Sometimes we immediately know that something is not right in our gut

Other times we develop constipation or the runs a little later.

Sometimes the effect is immediate enough to be able to relate to the likely offending food.

Other times, there is such a separation in space and time that we cannot make a connection.

Gut health goes far deeper than just gut symptoms

The gut is closely linked to our immune status, and it is thought that a breakdown of the gut integrity in a process known as a Leaky Gut is what eventually triggers the process of autoimmunity

The gut is also closely linked to our mood, as brain neurotransmitters are made majorly in the gut. In fact, 90% of our serotonin is made in the digestive tract. Serotonin modulates mood, cognition, memory, reward, learning et al.

When our gut appears to betray us in this fashion, it is challenging to come to terms with, because food is such an integral and vital part of life.

People connect over food. Cultures merge over food.

When we are no longer able to partake in food like others around us, it can be very isolating and extremely challenging.

Well-meaning friends and family members try to talk us into eating with them.

The same could happen at work.

This is not an easy space to be in, whatever end of the food challenges spectrum you fall into.

But first, who am I?

Hey there 🥰 My name is Dr. Folake Taylor, and I’m an internal medicine doctor, turned MS Recovery Expert & Educator. In 2021, I stopped practicing medicine, to help women with multiple sclerosis thrive with fewer symptoms, and less disability, through a holistic lifestyle and identifying root cause.

I live with primary progressive multiple sclerosis PPMS, diagnosed in 2016, after several decades of misdiagnosed symptoms. I was already disabled for 2 years by the time of diagnosis.

By applying holistic modalities, I was able to recover from needing a scooter and a walker for mobility while away from home, to now being able to walk without those assistive devices.

I have also been able to de-escalate medication reliance to include stopping Ocrevus under the supervision of my neurologist.

Subsequently, I created an online program & membership platform, to help disseminate the knowledge that I have acquired over the years of my recovery, so that other women, especially with progressive MS, will have an easier time accessing the information that they need, to aid in their recovery.

There was no real blueprint for primary progressive MS, and I had to hunt and peck all over the “interwebs” to find the information that I needed, and put them all together. Moreover, the people with PPMS that I read about were tired of living and looking for ways to end their life.

Not encouraging at all…

That was when I decided that I would figure out how to get better, and be here to raise my child, who was 6 years old when I first got disabled in 2014.

I am convinced that it is my mission to walk this path, so that others do not have to also walk the same convoluted, challenging, and tortuous path.

And I strongly believe that nobody should depend solely on conventional medicine to manage their MS symptoms in this day and age.

Now on to the good stuff…

Here are a few recommendations…

 Because most MS symptoms are somewhat related to inflammation in the body, anything one can do to reduce inflammation, as well as combat oxidative stress, helps improve physical function.

If you just asked, “What is oxidative stress?” No worries, I will break that down in a resource that you will soon have access to (hint: open your emails from me!). I digress.

As a good place to start, there are tweaks we could make in our lifestyle, such as ensuring we are eating the right foods & taking the right supplements. 

In addition, there are specific recommendations based on what the exact physical limitation is.

Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant & detox foods (mostly veggies!!!)

Turmeric Curcumin

Ginger

Garlic

Onions

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Brussels Sprouts

Kale and other leafy green vegetables

Brightly colored vegetables that look like the rainbow

Fruit, especially berries

Good quality proteins

“Let food be thy medicine. And let thy medicine be food” — Hippocrates

Gut healers (Pssst! The gut is the second brain!!)

Bone broth

Collagen

Probiotics

Prebiotics (soluble and insoluble fiber to feed probiotics)

Digestive Enzymes

Apple Cider Vinegar

Brain healers

Good fats such as-

Avocado

Salmon

Coconut oil

Olive oil

Avoid highly inflammatory foods

Gluten

Dairy

Reduce or eliminate

Processed sugars

Processed foods

Other Gut Supplements

Phosphatidylcholine (for brain & mitochondrial function)

Omega-3 (brain function & inflammation)

Omega 6 (brain function & inflammation)

Vitamin D3+K2 (bone health, pain, immune function, brain function)

Magnesium Chelate (magnesium malate/ glycinate; good for constipation)

FOS (Fructo-oligosaccharide), inulin, chicory fiber (all prebiotics)

Turmeric (antioxidant & anti-inflammatory)

Hydrate

With WATER!!! This helps your body function & detoxify

Lemon water is great first thing in the morning

Rehabilitate

Brain exercise (apps such as Lumosity, crossword puzzles)

Regular exercise HIIT-high intensity interval training (or modified to moderate)- and weight training if able, and not just aerobics. Exercise is great for combating constipation.

Reduce stress

Get 8+ hours of sleep every night

Yoga

Pray/ meditate

Practice gratitude

Mindfulness

Breathwork

Create & enforce boundaries

You don’t have to do all the things. Pick what can fit into your lifestyle and work on it.

Now, if you’re a super-achiever who already does everything I just recommended, yay you! There’s a lot more where that came from. Trust me. 👌🏾

DISCLAIMER!!!

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

I am purely educating and 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.