At 56 years of age, while pursuing a successful sales and marketing career, I began to develop strange symptoms. After over two years I was finally diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Learning to help my body overcome the potentially ravaging affects of MS afforded me an opportunity to know myself at a level I probably would not have attained otherwise. I conceptualized MS as my "uninvited guest.?nbsp;

I believe that the human body was designed by the creator, or conditioned by evolution, however one sees that, to heal itself. It is easy to watch that natural healing in process when we cut our finger, etc. All we must do is provide the healing environment and necessary "tools.?

I learned that healing is synonymous with change. Healing is not just about the physical body, but rather about changing whatever one wants to change in ones life. In order to change:

1. We must first accept "what is?before we can change it. By accepting that "I am cause,?we free ourselves from, "Why me??and, "What have I done to deserve this?? Unless and until we accept that "I am cause,?we keep our body constantly on the defensive and thereby block our body’s natural healing response. This perspective prevents us from becoming victims and directs us toward taking charge of what happens next.

2. If things in our life are going to change, we must change! One of my favorite quotes by Anais Nin is: 

"We do not see things as they are…we see things as WE are.
An old Chinese proverb says: "If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed!"
3. We must get acquainted with the healer within. All healing, or change, is a self-induced inside job. "Most people do not have to look "out there?for healing…healing comes from within, its source in our very nature as living organisms.?*

Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, said, "Disease is not an entity, but a fluctuating condition of the patient’s body, a battle between the substance of disease and the natural self-healing tendency of the body."
Along my personal healing journey I developed a set of guidelines for change that anyone can use to change (heal) whatever you may wish to change in your life, whether it be a physical or an emotional challenge. My approach is purely logical ?to return the body to a state of homeostasis (perfect balance) so that healing can take place. I have learned that my body truly wants to be healthy and to get back to that state of balance.

The guidelines I developed include working with the body’s natural flow of energy, programming oneself with positive affirmations, self-talk and visualization, discovering what you "really?want, the importance of forgiveness, and learning to tap into the innate intelligence that is an integral part of who you are. 

I believe that health and personal balance are the innate, natural and normal state of being, not part of the time but all the time, for every person.

There is an old Pennsylvania Dutch colloquialism, a given, meaning that something is bound to happen. It is a given that if we hang around this planet long enough, eventually we will all develop an uninvited guest. The message I have for all is that we can learn to overcome whatever uninvited guest we may face. 

The guidelines I used and recommend are detailed in my book, From MS to Wellness, which is available by calling 800-651-3155, or from the Internet at http://www.GalaxyMall.com/info/ms. 

*Dr. Andrew Weil, Spontaneous Healing

Author's Bio: 

Bio:  Betty Iams is truly a woman of the 90’s. She has had several very successful careers. While Betty’s experience is with Multiple Sclerosis, her book, “From MS to Wellness?is a complete self-help guide to healing and transformation. Betty likes to say, “If I can do it, you can do it too.

Visit Betty at http://home.san.rr.com/iamshouse. She publishes a monthly e-mailed newsletter, Journey to Wellness, and one may subscribe at her website. Betty schedules private telephone coaching sessions with people facing physical challenges, and may be contacted at
biams1@san.rr.com.