Imagine a spice so valuable it's often referred to as red gold. And what if I told you that same spice held the potential to help you better manage multiple sclerosis? It turns out recent studies showed that when taking a supplement form of this spice and doing corrective exercise, it can help to ease depression in women with MS. So let's dive in. And my fellow MS sisters, if you want a more personalized approach to creating your MS diet and lifestyle, check out my private coaching program.

Ready to reclaim your body, mind and life from multiple sclerosis? Welcome to my MS podcast. I'm your host, Alene Brennan. Have you heard of saffron before? It's one of the most expensive spices in the world, but it turns out it might be priceless when it comes to those of us living with multiple sclerosis and depression. A recent study looked at how the spice saffron and corrective exercises can help women with MS. Seems like an odd and unique combination here, but researchers studied 80 women with MS for 12 weeks. They divided them into four groups. One group did saffron. Another group did corrective exercises. A third group did both and a fourth group did neither. They used tests to measure depression and quality of life at the beginning of the study and after six weeks and then 12 weeks. The results showed that at the end of the 12 weeks, all of the groups that did something,

but the group that did both, the saffron and the exercises, had the best results. So this study suggests that using saffron and doing corrective exercises can help women with MS feel less depressed and have a better quality of life. Sounds enticing, right? Well, this study certainly sparked a lot of interest and curiosity, both in saffron and corrective exercises. So here's what I discovered. First, saffron.

It even a subtle floral taste to dishes. You may have seen it before in paella, risotto, Indian dishes, Middle Eastern cuisine, and even desserts. Saffron is used in desserts like ice cream and cake and pastries to add both flavor and color. But outside of the culinary uses, saffron also has some potential health benefits. First, it has antioxidant properties, which can help to reverse the damage caused by free radicals. Some studies suggest that saffron is also a mood enhancer, helping to alleviate symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Saffron can also help to reduce inflammation in the body; results may vary. You likely often have to take a supplement form of it. Now, when purchasing saffron supplements, you can find them in both a capsule and a tablet form in like health stores or a lot of the online supplement companies. But just keep in mind that the quality and the authenticity of saffron supplements can vary, especially given the high cost of it. You may find some companies trying to entice you with a reduced price, but that will come with reduced quality and reduced benefits.

amazing system that they can tap into to understand any contraindications or any potential adverse reactions that you would have given any other medications that you're currently taking. Okay, now let's shift over to the other aspect of this study, corrective exercise. Corrective exercise refers to the exercises designed to address musculoskeletal imbalances. improve movement patterns, and alleviate pain or discomfort caused by postural problems, try to say that three times fast, muscular weakness, or movement dysfunctions. The goal of corrective exercise is to improve the body's functional movements, promote better posture, and reduce the risk of injuries. So to learn corrective exercises, you could work with a certified personal trainer, a physical therapist. There are even some certified corrective exercise specialists. And then you can also learn it in a lot of rehabilitation centers. And when working with somebody, they'll likely take you through a process starting with an assessment. They do a pretty in-depth assessment to understand

Many corrective exercises focus on functional movements. So movements that mimic your day-to-day activities, because the goal is to improve your body's ability to move better throughout your day, to move with less pain and to be less prone to falls and injuries. Now, corrective exercise programs typically are progressive, meaning that you start with basic exercises that may seem kind of boring, but they advance as you develop strength, mobility,

Now, some of the benefits that you can expect from the exercises are improved posture, reduced pain, enhanced functional movement, again, moving better throughout your day with less pain, restriction, tension, you know, all the different things we can experience in our body as we are going up and down the stairs or lifting the groceries in and out of the car, simply just getting in and out of the car.

And exercises; but they did the research, they got the results. So it's worth hearing about in today's MS in the News. Well, my friend, we've reached the end of this episode. Pick one lesson from today's discussion and put it into action now. It's time to reclaim your body, mind and life from multiple sclerosis. And for more resources, events and programs, head over to Alenebrennan. com. See you on the next episode of my MS podcast.