Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month


June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness month. Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease specifically neuromuscular. My dad was diagnosed with MG a year from January. My family and I had never heard of MG at the time of his diagnosis. It was scarey because my dad had been experiencing symptoms such as double vision, drooping of his eye lids, and fatigue for months before he was diagnosed by a neurologist. The next several months were spent researching MG. Hearing that this disease is treatable but uncureable was discouraging. My family prayed together and asked the Lord's guidance on treatment. Fast forwarding to now, my dad has experienced a lot since then from visiting Mayo Clinic, testing different medication, and experiencing and MG crisis. He is now doing so much better. We are praying he will go into remission. I know the Lord has his hand over my dad.

I try to help my dad in any way that I can. When he began taking Prednisone, a steroid, I educated myself on the side effects of the medication. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and increased appetite are a few of the possible side effects. To help my dad, I began cooking low sodium and low sugar foods. I created healthy snacks for him as well to cope with the increased appetite.

This month I want to bring as much awareness as I can about MG. I am visiting news stations in the South to share about my dad's disease and the foods that I prepare to help him.
This morning I shared my recipe for my low sodium/low sugar BBQ Pulled Pork Tenderloin on Birmingham's ABC station. My dad was born and raised in Memphis, TN and loves his bbq. This recipe allows him to enjoy his bbq.

BBQ Pulled Pork Tenderloin
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground thyme
¼ tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. canola oil
½ onion, sliced
1 cup apple juice
BBQ sauce
2 (8 oz.) can no salt added tomato sauce
½ cup all natural apple juice
2 Tbsp. sweetened dried cranberries
about ½ cup good quality aged balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbsp. honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towel.
In a small bowl, combine the next five ingredients. Rub the spice mixture over the pork.
Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with the canola oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Once hot, place the tenderloin in the skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side to form a crust and seal in the flavors. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Top the tenderloin with the onion slices. Pour the apple juice and water in the skillet and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for about 4 hours or until the pork pulls apart with a fork. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Using two forks pull the pork apart.
For the BBQ sauce, combine the tomato sauce, apple juice, and cranberries in a small saucepan. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Process the tomato mixture in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and honey and cover with a lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. If more sweetness is desired, add more honey.
Serve the pulled pork with the BBQ sauce.
Serves: 4-5 ppl

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for bringing more awareness to this terrible disease. Please consider doing a cookbook with some of the proceeds going towards a cure! Praying that your Dad stays strong!

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    1. My Myasthenia Gravis (MG) symptoms started at the age of 51, I have had countless plasma exchanges as my veins are bad. I also needed Hickman lines inserted. I have been on azathioprine, mycophenolate (CellCept), methotrexate and none have worked. I'm currently done with my herbal remedy I purchased from multivitamin cure which has totally cured my condition with a surprise after almost four months of their usage, I was discouraged and never thought I would be myasthenia gravis (MG) free today,to me the best way to get rid of this condition is multivitamin cure herbal recommendation because all medications I used never worked include mycophenolate (CellCept),contact the multivitamincare .org today Call Us (or SMS): +1 (956) 758-7882  to learn more about Myasthenia Gravis (MG) herbal remedies options.

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  2. My mother was diagnosed with a similar autoimmune disease, dermatomyositis...it affects the muscles and skin. It hit her upper arms, thighs and throat muscles. There is no cure for it either. Prednisone and other steroid type medicines to treat it and LOTS of physical therapy and she was able to eat, walk & talk properly again. I have added you and your family to my prayer list. Peace.

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  3. I was diagnosed with MG over a year ago after nearly 15 months of suffering. Whitney, you must do a cookbook for us mgers. While I am trying to eat & prepare better foods it isn't easy.
    I remember you and was routing for you to win Master Chef, so I know you are a thoughtful and fabulous chef.

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  4. I am very sorry to hear about your dad but there is hope! There is a natural CURE for almost any type of disease, especially the ones that big pharma claim that are incurable like Myasthenia Gravis.

    I know this because I have helped several people in Kenya with cancer (wheat grass juice being the silver bullet as well as a balanced diet, High blood pressure (beet root juice), diabetes (wholesome rich organic foods diet, spices and herbs).

    Big pharma like Mayo Clinic is in the business of business and their goal is to push drugs that 'treat' the disease and not cure it. Most of the time, the side effects of big pharma's drugs are far much worse than the original disease that they were intended for.

    please visit this website http://www.myasthenia-gravis.beatautoimmunedisease.com/ and do more research on natural cures for MG, you will be surprised how ease to beat these diseases that western medicine doctors can't figure out.

    You may also want to check out my blog http://healthylivingkenya.wordpress.com/for some healthy food recipes that I recommend strongly for boosting health and immunity

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  5. Whitney,

    The work you are doing to help spread awareness about MG is awesome! Thank you for sharing! My mom has MG and I am so excited for your next cook book to come out with your MG friendly recipes, I already own your first one!

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  6. I was diagnosed of MG 2 yrs ago at the age of 25. WOW the MG is terrible there is no word for it. i thought it was it end of me after all my IVIG treatment failed (had 4 of them) my side effects were & still are very bad Oh Goodness i really dunno, we need to find a cure I am 27 yrs of age today and I am weak, lazy, etc... i had my surgery on May 8th 2012 after my Doctor told me i wasn't doing well and the surgery was my last chance after i lost so much weight they had to give me so much steroids before the surgery I was 32KG (around 66 or 70 pounds) Now I'm getting off the steroids it side effect of the withdrawal is not fun and I gain so much weight no word for it because i don't even eat that much.Whitney thank you for spreading awareness about MG.

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  7. I would like to know the difference between MG and CMS. I don't know which one am suffering from but for sure I have one of these diseases. I have severe weak muscles and get tied easily, a doctor in Aga khan indicated I may be suffering from MG and put me on steroids, however, became more weaker than ever. I also need to know where I can consult about this conditions in Kenya. My dad has similar problem and as a result got stroke with paralyzed arm and leg and can no longer talk. Could it be MG or CMS?
    Thank you in advance

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  8. Its disheartening to hear about your dad's story whitney but the way you managed this disease is commendable. One of my uncle is also suffering from this disease & our story is also somewhat related to yours. We also didn't have any idea about the disease until he was diagnosed with this disease & he is still dealing with it. Also there are some lifestyle changes that one could employ in order to combat this disease. Some are listed in this link below which I found while researching - http://goo.gl/ObefS2

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  9. Several myasthenia gravis drugs including neostigmine, pyridostigmine, cyclosoprinetc are recommended but they have severe side effects. Greveton, herbal product offered by Herbs Solutions By Nature is the best treatment available for improving quality of life. Thymectomy is also sometimes done but it is a highly invasive surgical procedure.

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  10. Speaking as someone who has battled MG for 28 years, I would like to caution others to consult their physicians and be very cautious before trying any type of alternative treatment such as herbs. MG is known as the "snowflake disease" because it doesn't affect any two people the same way. What works for you might cause severe issues for another person. God bless!

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  11. Myasthenia Gravis Natural Treatment read about the Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis. Natural Herbal Treatment for Myasthenia Gravis with Herbal Product Greveton Natural Supplement for chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease. The goal of Treatment is to manage Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis.

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  12. I had myasthenia gravis since 2015. I got medically discharged out of the Army, a job I loved well. My heart had 5 myasthenic crises, 3 being severe enough to be ventilated or require CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) helmet. I have had countless plasma exchanges as my veins are bad. I also needed Hickman lines inserted. I have been on azathioprine, mycophenolate (CellCept), methotrexate and none have worked. I'm currently done with my herbal remedy I purchase from totalcureherbsfoundation .com which has totally cured my condition with a surprise after almost four months of their usage, I was discouraged and never thought I would be myasthenia gravis (MG) free ,to me the best to get rid of this condition is totalcureherbsfoundation com treatment because all medications I used never worked include mycophenolate (CellCept).

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  13.  I'm 59 years old and female. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with COPD and I was beyond scared! My lung function test indicated 49% capacity. After having had flu a year ago, the shortness of breath, coughing and chest pains continued even after being treated with antibiotics. I've been smoking two packs a day for 36 years. Being born without a sternum caused my ribs to be curled in just one inch away from my spine, resulting to underdeveloped lungs. At age 34 I had surgery and it was fixed. Unfortunately my smoking just caused more damage to my already under developed lungs. The problem was having is that I enjoy smoking and don't want to give up! Have tried twice before and nearly went crazy and don't want to go through that again. I saw the fear in my husband and children's eyes when I told them about my condition then they start to find solution on their own to help my condition.I am an 59 now who was diagnose COPD emphysema which I know was from my years of smoking. I started smoking in school when smoking was socially acceptable. I remember when smoking was permitted in hospitals. It was not known then how dangerous cigarettes were for us, and it seemed everybody smoked but i was able to get rid of my COPD lung condition through the help of total cure herbal foundation my husband bought, totalcureherbsfoundation .c om has the right herbal formula to help you get rid and repair any lung conditions and cure you totally with their natural organic herbs,it class products at affordable prices because how awful it is with this lung dictions . I wish anybody who starts smoking at a young age would realize what will eventually happen to their bodies if they continue that vile habit throughout their life, certainly total cure herbs is the formula to get over Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

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