The way forward

We've all learned a great deal about how to live well in advocating for better MS treatments.
One important lesson I've witnessed is that healing is not about making money.  We will never heal disease if we put dollars before people.

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
Our world is insane.  We sense this, and we know things must change.  But we become overwhelmed by the immensity of the situation.

The health of our own selves, our neighbors and our world depends on our awakening to this need for change.  We cannot sit by and be passive, or wait for some politician or celebrity to fix this.  There are no caped crusaders coming.  For those who are believers, we know that our creator asks us to take care of others, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are all going to have to care.  If you've read this far, chances are you also care.  So, consider the rest of this post a bit of encouragement to keep going.

In the past twelve years, since Jeff was first diagnosed with MS, I've seen very little movement in the understanding of MS etiology, or what causes MS.  We've seen over 10 new pharmaceutical treatments come on to the market, with varying degrees of success in addressing only one type of MS, relapsing remitting.  All of these drugs are based on the unproven theory of an errant immune system which needs to be beaten down, modified, or ablated.  But not one drug has addressed the underlying loss of gray matter integrity, or neurodegeneration--- which is behind MS disease progression.  Understanding the vascular connection to MS has been underfunded, and in the case of CCSVI, only funded to be debunked.  This is because it is difficult to monetize a new, cardiovascularly focused lifestyle.  There is not one pill to heal the endothelium, or increase the brain's perfusion and lymphatic drainage.

Even with all of the negative influences of social media: the bickering, the false narratives, the hacking and use by foreign agents to create chaos---even with all of this darkness, there has been the light of connection.  People have found help for their most pressing concerns.  We've seen people care enough to share good information on wellness and lifestyle modifications, as well as the vascular treatment modalities, and this has changed lives.

Ordinary people have shown up, created the conferences, gone to the meetings, walked alongside others.  Some even made movies, wrote books, funded research,  found doctors, walked the walk and showed others an "alternative" way to treat MS.   And because of all of these efforts, those newly diagnosed with MS are doing better.  When Jeff and I meet newly diagnosed people these days, they ALL know about and implement healthy diet plans, optimize vitamin D levels and sunshine exposure, exercise, meditate, and employ good sleep habits.  They believe they can change their lifestyles and affect their health.  And they do.  We might forget, but this focus on lifestyle modification is new!  link

Here's a wonderful upcoming conference on alternative MS treatments in BC, Canada this October 19th, hosted by the Canadian Neurovascular Health Society
https://www.cnhs.ca/copy-of-2018-neurovascular-health-c

Beyond the pharmaceutical world, we've watched other wealthy and powerful corporations put their bottom line above human life.  From the fossil fuel industry, to the rise in private prisons, the industrial-military complex, the gun manufacturers, and industrial food producers.  These industries create products which are not benign.  They make money harming our bodies, our water, land and air.  They have changed our planet, perhaps irrevocably.  They make money exploiting our fears.

In my lifetime, the world's population has doubled---from 3.5 billion to over 7 billion humans.  And there will be more people coming.  Projections are for 10 billion humans on earth by 2050.  Considering a human beings' value in terms of money-making potential-- as a creator or consumer---will no longer suffice.  Dividing people into groups of good/bad, legal/illegal, white/brown, Christian/Muslim/Jew/non-believer will not work.  There will be more and more climate change refugees, as people will be forced to leave their drought stricken homelands in search of water, food, life.  Building higher walls, creating harsher penalties will not stop the flow of humans seeking survival.  They are us.

We will have to ask ourselves, how can we create a world which will sustain life, and not focus on depleting our resources for financial gain.  How can we be leaders in the change?  How can we share and care for our neighbors as ourselves?

"We need knowledge of how to share."  I highly recommend you watch this short, inspiring video.
Link to Vandana Shiva discussing the Way Forward


Encouraging YOU to find the way forward.
Joan