Mindfulness and Self-compassion with Melanie Lown | S5E30
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Release Date: 10/11/2023
Webinar Highlights: Resilience following Overcoming MS with Dr Rachael Hunter | S6E17
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, the podcast that empowers you to take control of your health and wellbeing. Today we’re sharing the highlights from our webinar on ‘Resilience following Overcoming MS’ with the fantastic Dr Rachael Hunter. Rachael is a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer in clinical and health psychology at Swansea University. She's an OMSer herself and wrote the chapter on resilience in the She gave us so much interesting information and many helpful tips - we hope you find this really useful in bringing resilience into your own life. Let us know what you...
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Nutritional Therapy with Bristol Ambassador Jenna Cox | S6E16
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Jenna Cox as our guest! Jenna is a nutritional therapist who lives with MS and is an Ambassador for the Bristol, UK Circle. In this episode, she talks about dairy alternatives, calcium and bone density on a plant-based diet and probiotics for the gut microbiome. Topics and Timestamps: 00:58 Jenna’s MS diagnosis 05:12 Adopting the Overcoming MS Program 09:19 Jenna’s work as a nutritional therapist 12:22 Diary-free swaps for milk, cheese and other products 15:16 Calcium and bone...
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Webinar Highlights: Overcoming MS with ‘talkhealth’ and Dr Jonathan White | S6E15
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
In this episode, we’re sharing highlights from a ‘talkhealth’ webinar: ‘TH+ Expert Webinar with Dr Jonathan White: Overcoming MS’. In the webinar, Overcoming MS medical advisor, Dr Jonathan White speaks about the evidence and benefits of the Program, his personal MS journey and making healthy changes for life. ‘talkhealth’ is a patient-centric online health community based in the UK, that provides a full range of support services. Topics and timestamps: 02:25 Intro: Jonathan’s MS diagnosis and Overcoming MS journey. 09:27 The importance of a...
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Following and supporting Overcoming MS as a couple | S6E14
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Jane and Ian Airey-Regardsoe as our guests! Jane is a member of the Southwest, UK Circle and her husband, Ian is cycling to France as a fundraising challenge, supported by Jane, to benefit Overcoming MS. They chat about adopting the Overcoming MS Program as a couple, their fundraising challenge and why they’ve chosen to support the charity. Watch this episode on YouTube . Topics and Timestamps: 01:22 Jane’s MS diagnosis and Overcoming MS journey. 06:49 Adopting the Overcoming MS Program as a partner. 10:08 Tips for...
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Highly Sensitive People and MS with Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Rachel Burn | S6E13
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Rachel Burn as our guest! Rachel is a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and follows the Overcoming MS Program. In this episode, Rachel talks to Geoff about who should work with a therapist, how to choose a therapist, how to unpack our emotions and how to know if you’re a highly sensitive person. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:46 Rachel’s background and her MS and Overcoming MS journey. 08:14 Who should work with a therapist? 09:49 How you should choose a...
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Accessible Live Music with Bee Grzegorzek from Attitude is Everything | S6E12
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Bee Grzegorzek (she/they) as our guest! Bee is the Inclusive Communities Manager for UK-based charity, Attitude is Everything, which connects disabled people with music and live event industries to improve access together. They talk to Geoff about making a festival safe and enjoyable, her top tips for finding accessible venues and red flags to look for in a venue’s accessibility. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 00:56 Introduction: What is Attitude is...
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Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Fraser Quin | S6E11
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we explore topics relating to living a full and healthy life with multiple sclerosis. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Dr Fraser Quin as our guest! Dr Quin is the Executive Director of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM), a charity that promotes the role of lifestyle medicine in improving people’s health and wellbeing. He speaks to Dr Jonathan White about the role of lifestyle medicine for people with MS, the importance of sleep and how healthcare professionals are training to support their patients with lifestyle medicine. Topics...
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Webinar Highlights: Accessible Movement for the Overcoming MS Community with Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S6E10
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
In this episode, we’re sharing highlights from our webinar ‘Accessible Movement for the Overcoming MS Community’ with Dr Véronique Gauthier-Simmons. Véronique is a qualified yoga therapist who follows the Overcoming MS Program and supports Overcoming MS as a facilitator. She discusses the benefits of exercise, how to make it more accessible and how to stay motivated. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:01 The benefits of exercise. 07:09 How you can set SMART goals to stay motivated to exercise. 12:40 How you can modify...
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Sticking with the Overcoming MS diet with Kim Venter | S6E9
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Kim Venter as our guest! Kim is a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor, and nutritional consultant. She is also currently training to become a facilitator for Overcoming MS. In this episode, she discusses how to switch to a plant-based diet, how to make your healthy habits stick and her experience starting disease-modifying therapy. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:04 Kim’s diagnosis and MS journey 06:45 Switching to a plant-based diet....
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Webinar Highlights: Your opportunity to ask a qualified nutritional therapist about the Overcoming MS diet with Sam Josephs | S6E8
Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis
In this episode, we are sharing highlights from our webinar, ‘Your opportunity to ask a qualified nutritional therapist about the Overcoming MS diet’ with Sam Josephs. Sam is a qualified nutritional therapist and Overcoming MS facilitator. In this episode, she discusses fasting patterns, tips for Overcoming MS-friendly meals on a budget and how to prevent weight loss. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 02:40 Can fasting help you reduce inflammation? 05:58 How much calcium is safe for you with high doses of vitamin D3? 08:11 Comparing benefits: flax oil...
info_outlineWelcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Melanie Lown as our guest. Melanie is a mindfulness teacher, has an M.A. in Psychology, and follows the Overcoming MS Program. She talks to Geoff about her MS diagnosis, the power of mindfulness and the importance of self-compassion.
Watch this episode on YouTube here.
Topics and Timestamps:
01:30 Melanie’s introduction and MS diagnosis.
03:58 Balancing self-advocacy with compassion for healthcare professionals.
07:07 Using a diagnosis to discover your purpose.
09:48 Discovering Overcoming MS.
12:02 Our lived experience is as valid as datasets.
13:29 DMTs and COVID.
16:31 The growing popularity of mindfulness in Western medicine.
21:45 Meditation physically changes the brain.
23:33 Depression and spiritualism are opposite sides of the same neural pathway.
27:54 The awakened brain vs. the achieving brain.
29:39 Activating the parasympathetic nervous system with self-compassion.
33:39 Emotions are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
35:44 Mindfully choosing your healthcare team and treatment.
42:22 Tips to incorporate mindfulness into your lifestyle.
47:54 Non-judgmental awareness.
More info and links:
- Visit Melanie’s Website or follow her on Instagram: @welcometothemat.
- Melanie’s Recommended Meditation teachers and guides:
- New to Overcoming MS? Visit our introductory page
- Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub
- Visit the Overcoming MS website
Melanie’s Recommended Books:
- The Awakened Brain by Dr. Lisa Miller
- Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
- How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
- Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
- Cured by Jeffrey Rediger
- Learned Hopefulness by Dr. Dan Tomasulo
Melanie's Recommended Scientific Articles:
- Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American psychologist, 60(7), 678.
- Miller, L., Bansal, R., Wickramaratne, P., Hao, X., Tenke, C. E., Weissman, M. M., & Peterson, B. S. (2014). Neuroanatomical correlates of religiosity and spirituality: a study in adults at high and low familial risk for depression. JAMA psychiatry, 71(2), 128-135.
- Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Gameroff, M. J., Sage, M., Tenke, C. E., & Weissman, M. M. (2012). Religiosity and major depression in adults at high risk: a ten-year prospective study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(1), 89-94.
- Portnoff, L., McClintock, C., Lau, E., Choi, S., & Miller, L. (2017). Spirituality cuts in half the relative risk for depression: Findings from the United States, China, and India. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4(1), 22.
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