Welcome!
Hi … my name’s Ken Bull and I live in subtropical Australia. I have MS, diagnosed last year but according to the neurologist I’ve had it much longer (17yrs in fact, when I was wrongly diagnosed with ciguatera fish poisoning*). I’m an active researcher – it’s a passion of mine, and I have post-graduate qualifications in research – and I enjoy writing. I’m a lawyer by qualification, but an artist by interest – in ceramic sculpture and portrait painting. But more importantly I think I can help you with MS, which is the intention of this regular blog site. So, thank you for reading and welcome to installment number 1 of www.kensmsrecovery.com.
For some time I have been emailing my thoughts and accumulated research to a group of people I met when I attended a 5 day retreat run by Professor George Jelinek and Dr Ian Gawler at the Gawler Foundation in scenic bushland Victoria, about 1.5 hours drive outside Melbourne, Australia. Ian Gawler is Oz’s most pre-eminent and prominent cancer survivor (who’s cancer-free 30yrs after being given 3 months to live), and the foundation he set up is supported by some of our biggest corporate and philanthropic institutions. It flourishes as a cancer-survival and related lifestyle centre, but twice a year runs an excellent retreat on MS. The time I attended there were several people who’d traveled down under from the UK, USA and mainland Europe … which is testimony to how well regarded on the world stage Gawler retreats are in “taking control” of MS. Certainly for me it was life-changing … in that fears I went there with were diminished with knowledge – reminding of the old adages firstly that “knowledge is power” and secondly that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” (the sunlight in this case being knowledge of how to take control of, rather than to figuratively battle, MS … with a little double entendre on vitamin D).
I thought however I’d take my research and knowledge to a wider audience by doing a blog – and by doing so I hope to be able to provide you the reader with some useful information on MS. Please understand I’m not medically trained – that’s not my skill set – but by pointing you to research and developments, and giving some details of what I have learned on my journey with MS, I hope I might assist you to gain knowledge on how to arrest the irreversible slide of this condition.
As we know there are 2 big ticket items on MS – firstly it’s incurable and secondly it’s considered progressive (tho’ the latter might depend on your definition of “progressive”) 
. From what I’ve learned however, and from what I believe, it is incurable at the moment and, very importantly, I believe that its progressive descent can be held at bay by diet, exercise and lifestyle. In my forthcoming short blogs I intend to point you to research from various websites which detail steps towards making MS curable in the hopefully-near future, and to information I’ve either found or had shown to me which convinces me that the downward progression of the condition can be halted.
I have found a number of sites which I hope you might find interesting, and to which I’ll point you if you were to read my blogs. For the moment however I’ll leave you with the following:
- firstly George Jelinek’s excellent website www.takingcontrolofmultiplesclerosis.org (Professor Jelinek being one of the co-presenters of the MS retreat I mentioned above … note that George, a medical academic, has MS and his mother had MS);
- secondly a website on how the brain’s ability to repair the myelin sheath possibly holds the key to why there are stable interludes in Relapsing Remitting MS, and how that gives hope generally – http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701102908.htm;
- and thirdly one of the many (many!) practical youtube video clips by LA-based UK comedian Jacalynn Flax, who has had MS for 30 years. This one deals with leg lifts and foot exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAaSDkFQBZ0&feature=related.
And I guess that will do for my first foray into blogland! I hope you enjoyed reading, and if you were inclined to travel I’d strongly recommend the MS retreats run by the Gawler Foundation in Australia (www.gawler.org).
Best wishes, and I hope you wish to keep reading my blog
KB
*as for ciguatera, I see that Wikipedia states it is often misdiagnosed as MS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciguatera#Symptoms). I had the reverse situation and, being philosophical, in many way I’m glad that was the case – because in 1992 Dr Roy Swank had not published his groundbreaking research in Lancet, and those who have built on his work so well (such as George Jelinek who I have mentioned above) had not themselves been diagnosed with MS nor commenced their journey to help others.
Thanks Lisa .. that’s truly inspiring thanks .. I also feel a particular condition of mine has improved in the short time (9 months) I’ve been on the diet etc – and from everything my research has been telling me I’m confident that I can hold, at least if not improve, my mobility from where it is now. A bonus is that everyone I meet says “man you look well” … KB
Kia ora Ken – nice to see your blog. Yup, I’ve been to couple of the MS retreats, at the Gawler Foundation and at the Mana retreat here in beautiful New Zealand – have to say that the food at the Mana was definitely yummier
– and I haven’t looked back since. I have adopted the lifestyle changes that the Professor recommends and can say that, after nearly 3 years, I have not only stabilized but in some cases actually reversed some of my ms symptoms…! MS runs in my family; my grandmother and aunt likely died from the symptoms; my mother is confined to a wheelchair and has her life completely managed for her; and me? I am back zooming around on my motorbikes, healthier and fitter than I have ever been. Who needs drugs? Hmm, maybe I’d better re-phrase that last comment, rock’n’roll and all that… L
Hi there Ken,
Due to the no fats diet (hubby and I are VERY strict on that) the weight has disappeared, which on a small frame is very scary, but I am going to try to eat more often, even if the snack is a carrot or celery stick. I am glad to say that I still don’t take any drugs and simply rely on the diet and exercise (relaxation is a little hard to come by, but I am trying) 
Again, great to see the web site, and without a doubt recommend EVERYONE go to the Gawler Institute in Victoria Australia – it will save your life!! Wishing you lots of love and happiness to you and the fam, R
Great to see the site is up and running! Well done! I look forward to reading the comments from other survivors of MS and the like as well as the great links that you have. Well thanks to George and Ian and the support from the group I have never felt better
Congratulations on starting the blog. I look forward to reading and knowing that you are actively trying to beat this thing. Keep up the good work KB.
Hi Ken, Love the blog and look forward to reading more.
I hope you don’t mind but I posted your link on Facebook in the group “Fight Multiple Sclerosis” so more people with MS (or with family and friends with MS) can click and read your blog. Cheers, Amie
Fab Blog – Im interested in reading more! Ive read Georges book and have my name down for Mana next year – cant wait. I’m a kiwi – dx 5 weeks ago. Those exercises looked perfect! Look forward to reading more – maybe you can email and let us know when you blog? Kindest Regards, Suzy
Rhiannon .. lovely to hear from you and to know you’re well. While (certainly!!) you have no need to “diet” in any conventional weight-loss sense, the great benefits of watching what you eat on an MS diet are, as we know, immense. Please give my warm regards to the chef (Richard)
best wishes KB
Dankeschön Herr von Trost
Thanks Amie .. great idea.
Will do Suzy. And any chance anyone gets to spend a week in the Coromandel area of NZ should be seized with alacrity! (bewdiful place). Incidentally I think George has a book coming out soon – Feb possibly – overcoming MS. Best wishes, KB
Hi, I agree with you that diet, exercise, vitamin D, etc can all greatly improve MS. Please see my web site at http://intelligentguidetoms.wordpress.com. On my site I document my own story and the stories of three others who have used diet, exercise, etc, to overcome multiple sclerosis. I think you will find my 11 rules for beating MS to be helpful too. All the best! Rebecca
Rebecca .. that is an *excellent* website of yours – i hadn’t been aware of it (or indeed of yourself) before. Congratulations – and I’d very much recommend to anyone who’s reading this blog to take the time to click onto Rebecca’s site and read there also. Best wishes and stay in touch, KB
Ken
Well done; what an altruistic gesture and of course you do have the writing gift. And thanks for letting me in on your blog. I’ve known you for yonks and have myself had MS patients during my years as an acupuncturist. Seeing you once a week at tennis I never suspected you had beginnings of MS; it’s so insidious and like others I mistook some of your signs as idiosyncratic. I’ll have to dig around my notes gathered through my consultancies over the past few years about institutes that have MS as a part of their research program (the work is usually at the unpublished state and obviously not publicised at this stage). There have been some interesting developments at the Qld Brain Res. Institute at UQ I believe. Anyway Ken, nice work and keep up your art .. Bill
Thanks cobber .. yes it’s an insidious thing all right (but beatable methinks). That brain research stuff etc could be very interesting .. best wishes my dear ol’ tennis and portrait friend, and regards, KB
Hello Ken, I am one of the people whose story is on Rebecca Hoover’s website. I saw your post on Rebecca’s site, with your web address, so I came to investigate! You certainly express yourself very well – you are very eloquent and obviously well-educated! I did notice, however, that several of the links down the right hand side of your page just lead to another copy of the home page. I presume this is just because the site is so new that you are still completing these! Anyway, I look forward to reading more in time! Congratulations on your site launch and I wish you continued success with your MS diet – it’s definitely worth all the effort. Cheers Julie
What Ken’s introductory biography fails to mention is how he excels at tennis. He is the best tennis player I have ever met and is an inspiration to all at the “Brennan Rules” tennis club!
Very kind Ian .. but regrettably past tense is more accurate these days (kind nevertheless)
All the best, KB
Julie .. hi .. i read your own story on Rebecca’s site and it’s pretty inspirational stuff. We’re obviously on the same journey – and I’d recommend medical specialist George Jelinek’s book to everyone reading this, and encourage them to take the same dietary etc path. Yes the blog site is not 100% complete but getting there. Very best wishes, KB
hi Ken, we met on the dog path the other day. i must mention a dear friend of mine who has been living with MS now for more than 20 years. When she had a stroke about 20 years ago and was diagnosed, she chose a more holistic form of therapy, including massage and raw food diet, to great benefit. i will forward her your blogsite, keep up the great work!! (funny thing, she was diagnosed with that fish poisoning last year, coincidence or what?) .. Alannah
Alannah .. hello, and thank you for reading my blog! and yes that’s quite a coincidence – ciguatera is from tropical fish so i guess we eat more of them owing to our geography. As for MS I’ve put some links on the RH column. In one of them I’ve mentioned the George Jelinek book that’s coming out in February – I much recommend his work, as diet etc is enormously therapeutic for MS (as your friend is no doubt already aware). Best wishes, KB
KJ – Love the website and know you can beat this – It is an amazing support group you have going. All the best – Gaz
Thanks for letting me know about this, Ken. What a nice surprise!
Thanks Gaz .. i can feel the love from oklahoma comin’ at me
.. and I do believe (on very good grounds) that the effects of this thing can be reduced enormously on the “Jelinek” diet. Thanks again little bro’
Thanks Diane .. more blogs to follow!
Watching with respect and friendship
thanks cobber
What you think about news – GOPers Hold ‘Prayercast’ to Ask God to Stop Health Reform? Wanna hear your opinion
What a great read – thanks. Can’t wait for the next blog
Anke
Thanks “Insignia”. I guess that GOP is the grand ol’ party (US political shorthand for the Republicans)? Well, my view on health reform is on a comment I did recently on Rebecca Hoover’s excellent MS blog site (see link on this page). In summary I’m in Australia; I get my Copaxone free (worth $1400 a month) on public health; I have private health cover; and I don’t see it as any detriment to my civil liberties to have a functional universal public health care system. That should suffice as some answer, but see my comment on Rebecca’s site. As for religion, I don’t denigrate people’s religious beliefs .. I also don’t believe that God (should you be religious) takes sides in domestic politics. All the best, KB
Thanks Anke. Appreciated if you like the site that you might pass it around. Best wishes, KB
hi ken wonderful website great to read about so many people doing so well on the diet following professor jelinek & professor swank’s recommendations. Where would we all be without all you wonderful people helping us see the light. Well done and all the very best! kind regards Suzanne
Hi Ken … We meet on the Kedron Brook dog track from time to time. Yesterday, you mentioned your website, and the programme that you are on which is underpinned by Professor George Jelinek’s theory that diet is key in curing MS. The book I mentioned (which sounds as if it has a similar proposition to Jelinek’s) is called “The pH Miracle” by Dr Robert O. Young (Ph.D. in microbiology). The book describes the proposition that a diet that is too high in foods acid-in-digestion (i.e. a typical modern diet) leads to a host of diseases, including MS, chronic fatigue, over-weight, asthma, skin conditions, cancer, diabetes and many more. The theory is that the high acid-in-digestion diet causes the overgrowth of microforms (principally yeasts, fungus, moulds), of which Candida is a particularly nasty villain. There are other books out there on the importance of pH balance in diet, but this one sets it out clearly, and whilst it describes the science, is easy to read by the layman. After cleansing (100% Vegan), the diet is 80% Vegan. The book includes about 140 pages of recipes, which is useful if you’re struggling with how to eat Vegan. Good on you for setting up this website. Keep up the good work. Cheers … Niall
Hello Niall .. thank you very much for that information. The more I learn about MS (and I have been on a steep learning curve in the last year – or perhaps I should rephrase that as a steep learning curve for someone without any medical or scientific background) the more I’ve come to appreciate the likely causes of the disease, AND the best ways of dealing with it, are multifaceted. And of course being unable to turn back time it’s the dealing with it that I’m interested in. Diet is one of the effective ways to do this I believe (coupled with exercise, meditation, vitamin D etc) – and you’re right that Professor Jelinek (and indeed Ian Gawler of the acclaimed Gawler Foundation) advocates an alkaline diet over an acid one, and the use of probiotics. I’ll certainly read that book (indeed in the next week or so). Much appreciated that you have gone to the time and effort to inform me of it .. thanks & regards, KB.
El moo – great site! You know my own personal struggles with excess weight and asthma and reading some of the stories on here is making me consider taking up some aspects of the diet. Will talk soon “old school” on the phone.
Yes Mr T, there’s a lot in acidity and alkalinity – not just for MS but for a range of conditions. Indeed cancer (which is an increasing threat to the population at large) is seen by Ian Gawler as largely preventable by diet, in the main – and alkalinity is a big part of that. In that regard the book Niall recommends (in his comment above) looks like a highly worthwhile read. All the best amigo, KB.
Hi Ken, We met at the dog park at Stafford/Gordon Park last week while you were “skiing”. George Jelinek is my guru for guidance on coping with MS and I’m happy to hear he will have a new book out shortly. I’ve had MS for 30 years, undiagnosed for 10 years so I can understand the frustration with GPs who on the whole have little knowledge of MS; blatant symptoms are disregarded. I think getting sunshine daily is very important as well as staying away from meat. When staying on Sunshine Coast I spend lots of time on the beach and feel much better for it. I love your blog. I am going to attempt to learn to sail soon. There is a place called “Sailability” which caters for people with disabilities and they have special dinghies for beginners with sails; even severely disabled like limbless folk. I’ll let you know how I go but by all means spread the word about Sailability.
Hello Mirelle, and thank you for your flattering comments re my blog! Yes I’m in the process of writing something on walking and mobility and will mention my ski poles. You’re obviously doing something very well in managing your condition, and the vitamin D sunlight and meat-free diet (both highly recommended by George) are, I imagine, at the heart of that. “Sailability” sounds an excellent idea .. tho’ as for me I get seasick in the bath.
See you again soon, best wishes KB.