The Drug Test

Hello, dear reader!

It sometimes seems, every time you turn on the TV, there’s a million adverts waiting for you, advertising the latest cheap and easy way to get healthy and wealthy.

 Everything from the latest pre-packaged diet regimes to the latest gadget designed to improve circulation, drop those last few pounds, roll back the iniquities of age, get more sleep, or just having that edge we all sometimes need, the ads are endemic (pun intended).

It makes it hard to know what to believe, which is where a little research comes in handy.

The Brain Drain
I do, of course, have a vested interest in personal health. Some five-and-a-half years ago, I was diagnosed with MS, a cheery little disease that eats away at the myelin layer of my brain and causes, among other things, brain-fog, bouts of lethargy and fatigue, and the possibility of further complications popping up on a random basis, depending on what part of my brain it decides to eat next.

There is no cure.

What does exist, however, is a number of ways to manage both the symptoms and the progress of the disease itself.

The Pointy End
At present, I, or my rather lovely wife, Tina, administer injections of a drug called Brabio into my stomach and/or thighs three times a week. It’s become something of a ritual in our house and Tina has become far more proficient with the pre=filled syringes than any normal person should. Really, she would make a nurse blush. (and I’m not just saying that because she’s going to stab a needle into my gut, later tonight

So, that’s the official NHS mandated treatment for what ails me, but what else is there?

Well, off my own back, and without the supervision of my MS nurse (Naughty boy that I am), I did some internet research. Using solid resources such as the MS Society, and found that vitamin D supplementation is highly recommended, especially for people in the UK where summer tends to happen on a random Wednesday afternoon sometime between May and October. So, let’s add that one to the list.

The Acid Test
The next font of wisdom I consulted was my own sainted mother, who mentioned the benefits of supplementing one’s diet with multivitamins. Now this is not specific to MS, but it makes sense to make sure the rest of the wonderful machine that is Mark, is working as well as it can.

I then, I believe, caught a section on the mid-morning magazine programmes on the telly which had a section on my malady (It’s amazing how being diagnosed with a condition pricks the ears up to mentions of it. Re-watching House has been tremendous fun. I’m thinking of starting a drinking game). Said programme recommended the use of high-strength fish-oil, so on to amazon I went to buy some.

The last two pieces of my self-medication jigsaw, I owe to social media. Alpha-Lipoic Acid which is currently under clinical trial by The MS Society as an antioxidant that may (may) aid in protecting nerve cells and stopping those overly helpful immune cells entering the brain and spinal cord. Electrolytes drinks can help keep the body hydrated and ensure that levels of such things as potassium are where they should be. Both things that can help manage symptoms.

Bright & Clear
Now, is all this a little airy-fairy-pie-in-the-sky-wishful-thinking? Perhaps. I mean it’s not as if I’ve taken this regime on without doing at least some research into both efficacy and possible side-effects, but the drugs are available at a reasonable cost and taking five tablets a day and the odd sip of electrolyte drink is not putting me out any. If it helps to keep me sharper and brighter, (and that is an 'If') then it’s worth it.

Of course, time will be the ultimate arbiter of the efficacy of this new regime and, as with all forms of supplementation, one has to be wary of the placebo effect, but, in the first few months, I think I am a little more able to think clearer and perhaps even do more. I’ve not tested this in any way scientifically, and with the electrolytes (which I only discovered last week) it is far too early to say. I’m reading more, though, and writing more regularly, too. I even managed a few clues in the Independent and Guardian cryptic crosswords. And that’s without looking at the answers!

As I say, time will tell, and I’m confident it will never be a cure-all. I know I’ll still be prone to those sudden debilitating onsets of MS tiredness if I overstretch and I’ll still run the risk of future relapses. If the drugs help, even a little bit, however, then I think my new regime is one worth persisting with.

Who knows, perhaps The Verve were wrong.

Until next time.

***

Hey, folks! If you would care to take a look at some of my more creative writing, then the links below will transport you to the magical worlds of a few anthologies my short (and in two cases, very short) stories have been included in. Feel free to check ’em out!

New Tales Of Old: Volume 2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TMVTX9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Death Ship

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs

https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w

Reaperman

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A

Pestilence

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pestilence-Revelations-Black-Ink-Fiction/dp/B09MDLZGHY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654090896&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1

The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Musketeers-Cthulhu-Court-King-Louis-ebook/dp/B09YQKQQB7/ref=sr_1_18?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654091002&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-18