What does the Best Life with Multiple Sclerosis mean?
Looking for the cause of your MS is like peeling an onion. The MS Toolbox can help you start peeling with purpose.
When I started Best Life with MS, part of me worried that it sounded cynical. How can you have the best life when you have a chronic disease?
When we’re diagnosed, we start looking at the causes. Looking for the cause of your MS is like peeling an onion. There are physical things, emotional things, and mental things.
As we peel back the layers, there’s more and more we discover, including our unique best life.
Have you ever wondered whether MS is happening for you, not to you?
MS is not just a physical disease
We're not a malfunctioning body with a set of symptoms.
We're also a mind that is curious and intelligent, with memories and abilities, and a capacity to repatch around damaged myelin without realising it.
We have 100 trillion synapses in our brains. That's more than the number of stars in the entire Milky Way galaxy. Our brains are more powerful than any computer in the world.
We also have an emotional world. We've probably had relationships that have gone sour, others that have given us copious joy, friendship, or laughter.
We're forced to learn the art of relationship pruning so the weeds don't choke us and block out the sun.
If we have physical, psychological, or emotional trauma, our body holds the score until we deal with it. When we do, a great weight is lifted.
Our nervous system may be in constant fight/flight/freeze mode. If there's anything that will make an old MS lesion start flaring, it's stress and emotional pain.
And we're a spirit having a human experience. We are unique. Never before in the history of the world has there ever been You. You were meant to be here. So why are you here?
We have more control than we realise
It's now relatively easy to stop MS attacks — through diet and lifestyle, and with the highly effective drugs now available.
Genes don't determine our level of disability or disease progression. It's all of our little choices that do.
Open the MS Toolbox
BODY
The body compartments are food, exercise, and sleep.
What chemicals and toxins can I remove from my diet?
How can I eat more fruit and vegetables every day?
How can I move in a way that's appropriate for my age? For example, the weights and cardio workouts are fine if you're in your twenties. They're not right if you're in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s.
What movement do I enjoy?
How can I get a good night's sleep every night?
MIND
Mental health, mindset, mindfulness, learning, and working in a flow state.
How can I live more mindfully every day?
How can I reduce stress and worry?
What can I learn that will give me excitement?
How can I make my work more satisfying?
HEART
Relationships, emotions, and stress, healing old wounds, shedding and nurturing healthy relationships, and unhelpful beliefs.
What relationships drain my energy?
What people or institutions do I need to give less or more to?
How can I meet my personal needs as well as my family's?
What emotional wounds am I still carrying?
What beliefs are holding me back?
SPIRIT
Staying connected to the essential You. Using your strengths, talents, and joys.
What gives me meaning and joy?
What did I love doing as a kid?
What have I always wanted to do or be in my life?
What am I here for?
These questions aren't quick or easy. They take time. They are our life's work. But you might find one small thing you can do today.
This is an edited extract from Best Life with MS, published on 27 May 2025.
I recently broke the video course into smaller chunks so it’s easier to absorb and implement. The new Food Medicine for MS 21-Day Challenge has been released! Just a heads up, if you’re a paid subscriber, you can have access free of charge.
Shoot me an email if you have lost your COUPON code.