Let me start by saying that even if you do not follow any of what helped me, I hope this takes away the fear that you are helpless from developing MS or any autoimmune condition. Even if you do have it (which you probably don't), you won't automatically end up in a wheel chair or forever disabled. Just remember that one piece of knowledge, if nothing else.

I have suffered from health anxiety for years, but was completely oblivious. Even when friend suggested "hypochondria" I dismissed it because there had to be much worse cases than mine. Plus, in my mind, I knew this wasn't just anxiety, after all, I didn't FEEL anxious. Meanwhile. I'm in the middle of getting my Master's degree right after living in a foreign country for the past 6 months, but I was not having panic attacks, so I convinced myself I wasn't anxious.

I was wrong.

I hit many breaking points, only to be reassured by doctors that I didn't have MS like I feared. Since I have epilepsy, I've seen a few neurologists and even they confirmed I didn't have it. But I also thought about how many people had to doctor hop to get a diagnosis and how dismissive doctors can be. It just kept going and I really didn't want to live anymore. I hated the fact that I couldn't let it go, that nothing was going to reassure me. I thought I'd live my whole life like this and I couldn't wait for the end.

At the lowest point I can remember, just this past December, I went to the urgent care because I had a painful prickling sensation in my left foot and it wouldn't go away. My skin was also crazy sensitive to temperature changes. I asked if I could have Gabapentin, just to help with sleep so I could function at work. She said no, that I just needed to exercise and stretch. I told her I would love to do that, but I wasn't sleeping at night, so I was tired throughout the day, I'd come home and nap and it was a vicious cycle I needed help to break. She still said no, that I needed to feel my feelings and cry it out. I get what she was saying, but the fact that she dismissed my anxiety and wouldn't help me at all was a turning point. I decided that no doctors could help me anymore. They wouldn't prescribe anti-anxiety meds, they wouldn't recommend anything but exercise and all my labs came back normal, except for my iron levels that "weren't low enough to cause the symptoms I was describing."

Finally, I saw an ND, who I felt comfortable admitting that I had health anxiety. I also told her about my symptoms; tingling in my legs, always being cold, brain fog, weakness in my right side, weird skin sensations, and a dozen other small, vague issues. She asked if I had my thyroid levels checked and I said yes but they were normal. She checked them anyway, along with my vitamin D and iron levels. It turned out I did have a thyroid problem: Hashimoto's Thyrioditis and really low levels of Vitamin D. She didn't tell me much about the symptoms, but said that following an anti-inflammatory diet would help. She didn't specify which one though. I got some thyroid meds and some hope.

Three months later, when I stopped seeing her regularly and not doing acupuncture, the anxiety returned and my annual visit to my neurologist didn't reassure me like it used to. I hit another low.

It was then that my therapist recommended a psychiatrist because she thought I might have OCD. That was the biggest turning point in my anxiety relief journey. After some research, I discovered the world of health anxiety and everyone was in the exact same boat as I was! And thousands of people had the exact same fears as I did too! That helped a lot, but it was a stepping stone, the real healing came with the psychiatrist.

She happened to specialize in functional medicine; She integrated diet, supplements, and medication. She ran extensive blood work and found that while I was in "normal range"of a lot of things, I was not in the "functional range." That is to say, anything outside the normal range are extreme cases to the point of being a critical health issue. You can have "normal ranges" but still be deficient in things! She gave me supplements to balance deficiencies that were specific to me, as well as sleeping aids and resources about a few different diets that help people with autoimmune conditions like mine. They are: the Autoimmune Paleo/Protocol (AIP), the Wahls Protocol, the GAPS diet, and the Selected Carbohydrate diet (SCD).

Even though I don't follow it, I want to point out the Wahls Protocol because it is targeted toward those with MS. The author, Dr. Terry Wahls, was diagnosed with it and was in a wheel chair within two years. She then started focusing on functional medicine, and developed a lifestyle/diet that allowed her body to heal, allowed her to walk again, and now her MS is in remission. Sure, she will always have MS, but her body is no longer attacking her nerves. She has stopped it from becoming degenerative!

Anyone can follow her protocol, although I'd recommend not reading the book because it might be difficult when you are still dealing with your health anxiety. Lots of trigger stories, especially for me. But the fact that it was even possible to stop it from being debilitating was a revelation. Even if I did have/develop MS, I could 100% manage it.

Previously, I had totally dismissed the idea that diets do anything for anxiety. I went on Whole30 a while ago and it did absolutely nothing for me. No weight loss, same old anxiety, and I really just hated the food. BUT, I was willing to do anything when AIP was suggested, and it was a lot more restrictive than Whole30. I was ready to uproot my life if it meant I could calm this anxiety.

So, with some supplements to help my anxiety and the advice to follow the AIP diet, I set out to change my physical and mental health.

After a week on the diet, I could suddenly regulate my body temperature again. The tingling went away. And negative thoughts became easier to dismiss. After a few weeks, I realized I no longer worried about having a degenerative disease. And if I did, I knew how to manage it.

Now, I still get those thoughts, but with an amazing group of medical professionals and a kick ass therapist, I can dismiss those thoughts easily. I have also realized that sugar triggers my anxiety like nothing else.

So, in summary, my advice is the following:

1. Eat a real food diet. Seriously, do it. Look into the Autoimmune Protocol, SCD, GAPS, and the Wahls protocol. You can actually prevent disease from forming with these diets and heal the imbalances that happen with chronic stress.

2. Avoid sugar. Its hard, I know! I was a sugar addict. I had a serious problem with emotional eating and I always needed the energy boost. It was a viscous combo. If you start with a real food diet, sugar is taken out automatically, with natural substitutions available. Stay away from candy bars!

3. Get a referral for massage therapy and/or physical therapy. These two additions have contributed greatly to healing. It turned out I actually did have weakness on my right side, but only because I was over compensating with my left. My whole body was tense from anxiety and it cause a lot of muscle and joint dysfunction. I've improved greatly through relaxing problem muscles and strengthens those that got lost along the way.

4. Find a good Nautropathic doctor or functional medicine doctor in your area. I cannot recommend this enough. They will actually listen to your whole story, both physical and mental. The good ones aren't dismissive and will get to the ROOT CAUSE of your mental and physical issues. Not just tell you to exercise (although they will tell you to do that, but only when you are ready). Sometimes you'll have to shop around to find the right one, but once you find them, your life will change.

5. Meditate. This is hard when you have anxiety, your mind is racing like a thought train and all you can do is focus on your heart beating a little too fast. Go google self compassion and listen to her intense anxiety guided meditation. It's saved me while freaking out on the bus and feeling like I had no way out. Plus, there are TONS of studies supporting the benefits of meditation. When you are anxious, you are stressed and stress leads to a lot of problems. Look up "leaky gut"! It's a thing!

6. Supplement when docs won't help. I am reluctant to recommend this, just because you should only supplement under the guidance of a trained professional, but if you don't have access, google "alternatives for xanax and anti-anxiety drugs."

7. Prioritize sleep. This is HUGE. It was hard for me because I had insomnia for so long, and i still struggle with falling asleep. But having a good night's rest helped me look forward to the rest of the day and gave me the energy to do low impact exercises again.

8. Practice self care! Take those epsom salt baths that everyone talks about, get yourself a message, a facial, a deep conditioning treatment. Go pet an adorable animal. Start writing your "morning pages", sit out on your porch with a special beverage. Do something that makes you feel safe, comfortable, and separates you from anxiety. TREAT YO SELF.

Also, take magnesium! When you are stressed, your body uses it and it gets depleted quickly. Get "Natural Calm" from Amazon or your local health food store (be careful, it is a sleep aid).

YOU CAN DEFEAT ANXIETY! YOU REALLY CAN!