Medications - to take or not to take, that is the question

Tomorrow I have an evaluation at the Rocky Mountain MS Center. I had one set up earlier this month to see if I could go on Tysabri, a MS medication, but the appointment fell through and even though it was rescheduled, I'm kind of on the fence about seeing another MS doctor.

I've not had good experiences with doctors related to MS. My first neurologist made me feel small and insignificant, and all but called me stupid when I told her I didn't want to take the disease modifiers anymore. The second doctor I went to, on the recommendation of someone close to me, completely lost interest when I again explained that I didn't want to take the shots anymore. It seems to me that unless I'm willing to take the drugs, doctors have no interest in working with me.

I get it, there is all sorts of data and research that supports taking medication to slow the progression of the disease, but no one seems to care that, for me, taking the medication made me feel worse while changing my diet and exercise habits made me feel better and all but eliminated most of the MS related symptoms.

I don't get why there isn't a lot of research into the effects of diet and exercise. The doctors I've seen said, that diet and exercise can help improve mobility and over all health, but there seems to be nothing about diet and exercise when it comes to progression. All I've heard from doctors is that the only way to slow the progression is to take the meds.

Excuse me for sounding cynical, but pharmacology is a very big and lucrative business, I don't know if I trust a recommendation where the only true guarantee is that if I take it, I contribute towards making a lot of other people very rich.

I would love to find a doctor who would be willing to actually work with me, who would monitor my condition for potential progression, and who actually listens to what I have to say. I just don't know if I'm going to find that tomorrow.