Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Health & Fitness:Fitness
Welcome to Living Well with MS. This is the second episode with Professor George Jelinek in our short series '10 minutes with George', which marks the 10th anniversary of the charity Overcoming MS.
Some people see the Overcoming MS Program, which Professor Jelinek created, as needing an 'all or nothing’ approach. George explains how and why some people make exceptions to following the program. You can also watch this episode here.
Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Professor Jelinek’s bio.
Make sure you sign up for our newsletter to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. And if you’re new to Overcoming MS, visit our introductory page to find out more about how we support people with MS.
You can listen to part one here.
Bio:
Professor George Jelinek developed the Overcoming MS Program and founded the Neuroepidemiology Unit at the University of Melbourne's School of Population and Global Health which continues to research its benefits.
George’s Story:
When George was diagnosed with MS in 1999, he was determined to do something. His mother had died as a consequence of her MS, which spurred him on to sort through the medical literature on MS. His career as a Professor in Emergency Medicine and his background as Editor-in-Chief of a major medical journal gave him the tools to do this.
It became clear to George that remaining well after a diagnosis of MS is more than just a possibility. He found that with a commitment to the right lifestyle changes, there is a real probability that many people with MS can live long, healthy lives, relatively free of the usual problems associated with the illness. These lifestyle recommendations are now referred to as the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) Program, which he detailed in his book Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis.
George has remained free of further relapses, as have many people who follow the OMS Program.
Selected Key Takeaways:
What you do most of the time matters more than an occasional slip-up
(4:50) “Your health in 20 or 30 years’ time will reflect the whole range of things you've done and your daily activities over all that time. And that's true, in general, in any illness. The occasional slip up in that context is essentially mostly irrelevant.”
Look inward if you're struggling to stay on track with the Program
(7:10) “If there's an inner struggle going on around [sticking to the program], then trying to get some help and understand what that struggle is about is useful... Is it related to not valuing oneself, not valuing one's health? [Or] because of perhaps the way we've been brought up? There are all sorts of different reasons why not placing yourself and your own health as important in your life would manifest in not doing everything that you can to try and stay well.”
The support of a partner is crucial
(9:51) “When partners came to the retreats, we would often find that their highly sceptical attitude at the beginning of the retreat was replaced with a total commitment by the end. Not only to support their partner but to do everything they could for their own health, because they would come to realise how important it is to stay well for themselves.”
While Overcoming MS isn’t currently holding retreats, we do invite partners to play an active role in supporting the PwMS in their life by adopting the Overcoming MS Program.
Related Links:
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Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Fraser Quin | S6E11
Webinar Highlights: Accessible Movement for the Overcoming MS Community with Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S6E10
Sticking with the Overcoming MS diet with Kim Venter | S6E9
Webinar Highlights: Your opportunity to ask a qualified nutritional therapist about the Overcoming MS diet with Sam Josephs | S6E8
Mindfulness with MS Nurse and Overcoming MS Facilitator, Sue Tibbles | S6E7
Advanced cell therapy for progressive MS with Dr Stefano Pluchino | S6E06
Change your life, for life with health coach Laura Crowder | S6E05
Webinar Highlights - Mental Health and Wellbeing with MS with Michelle Overton | S6E04
Career and Employment with MS with Yasmin Neves | S6E3
Overcoming MS Charity Updates with CEO Alex Holden | S6E2
Motivation to follow the Program with Claire and Nev Dean | S6E1
Sophrology for MS with Audrey Zannese | S5E38
Dying Well with filmmaker Krystina Christiansen | S5E37
Webinar Highlights: Ask a Neurologist with Dr Aaron Boster | S5E36
Webinar highlights: Guide to the Overcoming MS Diet with Gillian Robertson and Ashley Madden | S5E35
Ask Jack – Cooking with Tofu | S5E34
Oils and Fats with industrial chemist Mike Newton | S5E33
Autoimmunity with Dr David Bilstrom | S5E32
Webinar Highlights Breathwork with Dr Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S5E31
Mindfulness and Self-compassion with Melanie Lown | S5E30
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