Does this mean I can't have anymore lamb? 11/10/2009
 So I just may be losing my mind but I've become a candidate for joining a diet study. OHSU is conducting this study on the McDougall Diet which is an extremely low fat, vegan diet. I'm not one to believe a diet is going to change my life or even the ultimate course my MS will take. I do however think it's a no brainer that a healthy diet and some good old fashioned exercise is bound to make anyone feel better, awesomely diseased or not. Every single day I think about the changes I need to make in order to just be more healthy, and my diet is like, number two on that list. This could definitely be an amazing opportunity to learn some sweet skills in regards to being more healthy, and it also offers the chance (if included in the actual "diet" portion of the study) for two MRI's over the course of a year, free of charge. This is huge, since we all know how ridiculously expensive the MRI's are. With the MRI's researchers are hoping to make some correlations between the diet and any physical effects on the brain, however I am skeptical on the reliability. Much like the disease modifying drugs, do we ever really know whether it's the meds or just the course our MS chooses to take? Anyway aside from this researchers will also monitor participants about every eight weeks and measure possible changes in mood, memory, and fatigue. I am much more apt to believe that these are things a good diet could definitely improve. I think I mentioned that the study is one year long. There would be 52 participants, and only half will be chosen to partake in the diet. The other half of the participants will maintain their regular diet throughout the year, but will still make visits to the clinic every eight weeks for testing to measure their mood, memory, and levels of fatigue. I do not believe the MRI's are included in the non-diet portion of the study, but I'm hoping that's not the case. Did I mention there's like a boot camp for this diet? So if randomly chosen to be included in the "McDougall" portion of the study, you are flown to Santa Rosa, Ca. to spend ten days learning the ins and outs of preparing foods. The trip is completely payed for, or obviously I wouldn't even be considering this. I have to say the thought of ten ays away from home surrounded by a bunch of health nuts is just a wee bit terrifying, but I think the benefits would far outweigh any "inconvenience" that a completely free trip might bring my way. I'm still waiting to hear back after sending in papers for the release of my medical files and what not, so time will tell whether or not this really happens. I'm hoping I get into the study, although there's a little part of me that wouldn't be totally crushed if it doesn't happen. I suppose this is the same part of me that really loves things like lamb and chocolate. Yep. Lamb. Chocolate. Sorry vegans. CommentsTue, 10 Nov 2009 23:09:32 That all sounds cool and I kinda wish I could do that too... Leon Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:15:08 Yep, I know what you mean. Leave a Reply |
