SOME
DIETETICAL SUGGESTIONS IN MYASTHENIA GRAVIS (MG)
BY ZOLTAN LELKES
MEMBER OF THE HUNGARIAN MYASTHENIA GRAVIS GROUP
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
BY ZOLTAN LELKES
MEMBER OF THE HUNGARIAN MYASTHENIA GRAVIS GROUP
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
I would like
to express thanks for your attention, and I would like to say something
of my life experience with MG and how to cope with it.
MY MEDICAL TREATMENTS & OWN EXPERIENCES:
My first gastrointestinal symptoms and MG problems (after the crises) started after a stressful period of university studies and sport in 1990. I underwent thymectomy in 1991 and after several plasmaphereses, I was treated with mestinon and steroids. While this settled the symptoms, my overall state of health was bad, and, despite some improvement, I was not able to practice some of the sports that I had enjoyed before being diagnosed with MG.
I suffered greatly from MG symptoms from 1990 (age 22) to 2001, mainly from ocular muscle weakness, ptosis, diplopia, facial muscle weakness with difficulty chewing, as well as leg and arm weakness. In 2001, I changed some essential things in my way of life with regard to nutrition, building an individual nutritional program as I went along. I improved slowly, step by step, and after 2 years, in 2003, I completed the Budapest Marathon (42.2 kms).
I have had a lot of very strange MG symptoms upon eating and drinking in large quantities. But until 2001, I had not heard about connections between nutrition and autoimmune diseases (mainly MG). I asked myself if changing my food intake habits could have an effect on my MG.
As a first step, I started to monitor my nutritional intake by writing down the main composants of foods and liquids which I consumed. Firstly, I stopped consuming cow’s milk, and drastically reduced my intake of foods and liquids which contain refined saccharose. I also cut down on foods which contain white flour and pork meat.
For 1-1.5 year, I made a list of what I ate and drank and monitored my MG relapses concomitantly. The same kinds of food (pork meat, saccharose, milk, alcohol etc..) were not always associated with relapses of the same severity. Foods that gave me the most serious relapses were those which contained saccharose and cow’s milk together. On the basis of my nutritional experiences together with the monitoring of my MG symptoms from 2001, I have been able to cope with my MG.
To conclude, I would like to share my experience with you regarding the following observations which play an important role in my MG and which I deem worthy of consideration: the following foods help me: whole grain cereals (especially because of the fibre, and the grain triticum spelta), enough liquid (without saccharose and alcohol), large amounts of vegetables, fruits, oat, brown rice, millet, barley, extra virgin olive oil. Mostly fish, with sometimes pork or chicken meat.
My new nutritional program is helping me stay in good shape as a sportsman. And, of course, I can help our MG Help Team. Motto: Motivate patients towards a healthier life style
I usually publish experiences and suggestions in the Hungarian myasthenia gravis newspaper (“Myasthenia News”) and was invited to speak at a Hungarian science university and on the Hungarian Radio (How I could run the marathon despite having MG).
I believe that my health keeps improving due to my nutritional self-control. Best of health to everybody!
MY MEDICAL TREATMENTS & OWN EXPERIENCES:
My first gastrointestinal symptoms and MG problems (after the crises) started after a stressful period of university studies and sport in 1990. I underwent thymectomy in 1991 and after several plasmaphereses, I was treated with mestinon and steroids. While this settled the symptoms, my overall state of health was bad, and, despite some improvement, I was not able to practice some of the sports that I had enjoyed before being diagnosed with MG.
I suffered greatly from MG symptoms from 1990 (age 22) to 2001, mainly from ocular muscle weakness, ptosis, diplopia, facial muscle weakness with difficulty chewing, as well as leg and arm weakness. In 2001, I changed some essential things in my way of life with regard to nutrition, building an individual nutritional program as I went along. I improved slowly, step by step, and after 2 years, in 2003, I completed the Budapest Marathon (42.2 kms).
I have had a lot of very strange MG symptoms upon eating and drinking in large quantities. But until 2001, I had not heard about connections between nutrition and autoimmune diseases (mainly MG). I asked myself if changing my food intake habits could have an effect on my MG.
As a first step, I started to monitor my nutritional intake by writing down the main composants of foods and liquids which I consumed. Firstly, I stopped consuming cow’s milk, and drastically reduced my intake of foods and liquids which contain refined saccharose. I also cut down on foods which contain white flour and pork meat.
For 1-1.5 year, I made a list of what I ate and drank and monitored my MG relapses concomitantly. The same kinds of food (pork meat, saccharose, milk, alcohol etc..) were not always associated with relapses of the same severity. Foods that gave me the most serious relapses were those which contained saccharose and cow’s milk together. On the basis of my nutritional experiences together with the monitoring of my MG symptoms from 2001, I have been able to cope with my MG.
To conclude, I would like to share my experience with you regarding the following observations which play an important role in my MG and which I deem worthy of consideration: the following foods help me: whole grain cereals (especially because of the fibre, and the grain triticum spelta), enough liquid (without saccharose and alcohol), large amounts of vegetables, fruits, oat, brown rice, millet, barley, extra virgin olive oil. Mostly fish, with sometimes pork or chicken meat.
My new nutritional program is helping me stay in good shape as a sportsman. And, of course, I can help our MG Help Team. Motto: Motivate patients towards a healthier life style
I usually publish experiences and suggestions in the Hungarian myasthenia gravis newspaper (“Myasthenia News”) and was invited to speak at a Hungarian science university and on the Hungarian Radio (How I could run the marathon despite having MG).
I believe that my health keeps improving due to my nutritional self-control. Best of health to everybody!