NUTRITION

"Myasthenia gravis requires a holistic approach that includes, in addition to pharmacological therapy, special attention to nutrition. Direct experience underscores the importance of a personalized diet that takes into account individual reactions and contributes to optimal symptom management. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and adopting a mindful dietary regimen are fundamental steps toward improving quality of life." (mama health)

Relating to Myasthenia Gravis

SWALLOWING, CHEWING and DRINKING

• Tips for Eating and Drinking with Myasthenia Gravis (myasthenia-gravis.com)

• Tips for Eating and Drinking When Myasthenia Gravis Makes It Difficult to Swallow (Healthline)

• Tips for Swallowing with Myasthenia Gravis (Conquer MG)

• Patients With MG Must Be Aware of Problems With Chewing and Swallowing (Rare Disease Advisor)

OTHER RELATED ARTICLES

• Nutrition & Myasthenia Gravis (YouTube video from MGA)

• Myasthenia Gravis: Eating to Combat Prednisone Weight Gain (YouTube video from Conquer MG)

• Myasthenia Gravis Diet: 4 Foods To Eat and 4 To Avoid (MG Team)

• Nutritional myasthenia gravis–friendly recipes and other diet and meal-prep tips (MG United)

• Healthy Green Smoothies (recipes) From MGFA

• 3 Proven Hacks For Eating With Myasthenia Gravis (FindMeCure)

• Eating to Combat Prednisone Weight Gain (YouTube video from Conquer Myasthenia Gravis)

• Nutrition Tips for Myasthenia Gravis (Conquer MG)

• Best Diet for Myasthenia Gravis - AmeriPharma Specialty Care

• Eating Your Way to Better Health: The Best Foods for Myasthenia Gravis (Medium)

• Myasthenia Gravis Diet: How To Eat For Better Health (Fabdelta.com)

In General: Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements, Diets & Drugs

SUPPLEMENTS

• Dietary Supplements for Immune Function and Infectious Diseases (NIH) Doctors' version

• Neurologists Share Their Views on the Benefits & Drawbacks of Vitamins & Supplements (from Brain&Life)

• Antioxidant Supplements: What You Need To Know (NIH)

• Brain Supplements That Do and Don’t Work (WebMD)

• What to Know Before You Take Herbal Supplements (WebMD)

• 10 Natural Appetite Suppressants (Verywell Health)  

VITAMINS & MINERALS

• Vitamins and Minerals  (from NIH)   

• What is Vitamin Toxicity? (VeryWell Health)

• What Are Vitamins and Can They Help Your Health? (healthline)

• What are the signs of a vitamin deficiency? (Medical News Today)

• Signs You’re Low on Vitamin B12 (webMD)

• Digestive Health and 4 Essential Vitamins (Everyday Health)

• Excess Vitamin B3 Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease (WebMD)

• Vitamins and Minerals - Health Guide (Harvard Health)

• Vitamins and Supplements to Fight Inflammation (WebMD)

*Scroll down to see additional information on VItamin D*

OSTEOPOROSIS

• Increased risk of osteoporosis in patients with myasthenia gravis (Neurology) Even for those NOT taking Prednisone

• Everything You Need to Know About Osteoporosis Prevention (VeryWell Health)

• 8 Foods to Avoid With Osteoporosis (VeryWell Health)

WHAT'S DANGEROUS / WHAT'S GOOD

• Ultra-Processed Foods and How They Impact Your Health (Verywell Health)

• Ultra-processed foods linked to higher risk of death in long-term study (News Medical)

• 7 Common Nutrient Deficiencies: Know the Signs (Everyday Health)

• Liver Damage from Medication (Verywell Health)

• How Tylenol Can Cause Liver Damage (Verywell Health)

• 6 Over-the-counter Drugs That Can Be Dangerous for Older Adults (VeryWellHealth)

• Do You Actually Need That Daily Aspirin You're Taking? (Verywell Health) Over 60? Aspirin may be harming you.

• Best OTC Medicine and Health Products | U.S. News U.S. News has produced a very comprehensive review of most over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, rated by pharmacists and dermatologists. If you ever feel overwhelmed by the choices available when you walk into a drug store (especially when you're sick), you will likely find this article quite helpful.

MORE GOOD IDEAS

• 12 most nutritious fruits  (MedicalNewsToday)

• Anti-Inflammatory Diet  (MG United)

• Dejunking Your Diet  (NIH News in Health)

• How to Count Macros: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide  (Everyday Health)  Why macronutrients are so important.

• Dark Chocolate: Is it good for you?  Also, A more scientific analysis. (both from Frontiers in Nutrition)  Also, The More Bitter, the Better (VeryWell Health) and 8 Healthy Reasons to Eat Dark Chocolate (Everyday Health)  Also, Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate (Consumer Reports)  Also, Could dark chocolate have a blood pressure-lowering effect? (Medical News Today)  Also, How Much Dark Chocolate Should You Eat to Live Longer? (Very Well Health)

• Macronutrients: How to Be Sure You’re Getting Them All (VeryWell Health)

Your Gut: Microbiome and Digestion

MICROBIOME

• What Is the Gut Microbiome? (Everyday Health)

• Lessons in Gut Health - a primer on your gut's microbiome (VeryWell Health)

• The Gut Microbiome and MG Connection  (myasthenia-gravis.com)

• Microbiome, Macro Impact (1440)

• Gut Check: Test Your Knowledge of the Gut Microbiome (Everyday Health)

• 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Gut Microbiome Starting Today (Everyday Health)

DIGESTION

• How Does the Digestive System Work? (Everyday Health)

• Myasthenia Gravis Diet: The Promising Role Of Probiotics & Prebiotics (Fabdelta.com)

• What to Know About Probiotics and Prebiotics (Everyday Health)  

• Why Is Fiber Important for Your Digestive Health? (Everyday Health)

• 9 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut — and What You Can Do About It  (Everyday Health)

• Easy Ways to Heal Your Gut (CNET)  Surprisingly good advice from a technology website.

• Legumes: The Gut-Boosting, Heart-Healthy Superfood (Everyday Health) 

• Digestive Enzymes: Types and Function (Verywell Health)

• What Are the Top Contaminated Foods? (Everyday Health)

• This Common Food Preservative May Not Be as Harmless as We Thought (Science Alert)

• What’s the Best Sleeping Position for Digestion? (Verywell Health)

• New Research Reveals Why You Shouldn’t Add a Banana to Your Smoothies (ZME Science)

Vitamin D

• The Truth About Vitamin D’s Health Benefits (WebMD)

• Vitamin D is a very important nutrient for the human body. (Everyday Health)

• Vitamin D is even more important in the treatment of Myasthenia Gravis. (Ingenta)

• How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much (Everyday Health)

• However, be aware that you can end up with toxic levels of vitamin D without careful monitoring. (Mayo Clinic)

• Could I Be Low in Vitamin D? (WebMD)

• 10 Illnesses Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency (Everyday Health)

• If you have Myasthenia Gravis then learn all you can about Vitamin D: Professional Overview - Consumer Overview (NIH)

• How Vitamin D Can Affect Your Gut Microbiome (Everyday Health)

• Causal effect of vitamin D on myasthenia gravis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study (Frontiers in Nutrition)

Living With Germs

Since most of us MGers are immunocompromised (because we take immunosuppressants such as Prednisone, Azathioprine, Mycophenolate Mofetil, Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, and Tacrolimus) we must be vigilant about not catching, among other things, airborne diseases.  This new and informative article from NIH has lots of great info on this subject.

Immunosuppressants compromise our immune systems and put us at greater risk of infections and diseases.  To protect against illness from non-airborne sources, there are other things you should also avoid.  What Not to Do When You're Immunocompromised, an article from WebMD, highlights common sources that you might not have considered but should avoid.

Germiest Things in Restaurants (WebMD)

Germiest Things in Hospitals and Doctor’s Offices (WebMD)

Public Hot Spots for Germs (WebMD)

Germy Things You Touch Every Day (WebMD)

Put the toilet lid down before flushing! (YouTube video)

Here's scientific proof, too. (AMI)

Does closing the toilet lid before flushing reduce the spread of viral and bacterial particles? (Everyday Health)

Your Keyboard May Contain More Bacteria Than Your Toilet Seat (WebMD) and probably your phone, too.

Don't forget to clean your watchband regularly. (Science Alert)

SERIOUSLY consider making your house shoe-free. (CBS News)

Another shoe-free house article.

Tips for Enforcing a No-shoe Rule in Your Home (YouTube)

Are You Washing Your Sheets Enough? (Better Report)

What Happens When You Don't Wash Your Hands (WebMD)

Leading health agencies outline updated terminology for pathogens that transmit through the air (WHO) It's still all about ventilation, distance and masking.