Unless someone you know well or love has Multiple Sclerosis, it is probably safe to assume your knowledge is limited to a few facts. Multiple Sclerosis, or its common acronym MS, is a chronic, progressively debilitating, incurable disease. MS occurs when the immune system attacks the myelin, a sheath or covering that protects nerve fibers. The nerves in the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve are damaged by this disease, which then leads to scaring, also known as sclerosis. The nerves begin to work improperly causing numbness and tingling. Other symptoms include muscle weakness, feeling fatigued, trouble walking, and chronic pain.
When my sister was diagnosed with MS, her symptoms were unusual. Her vision became blurry and colors, especially blue and red looked dull and faded. She was diagnosed with Optic Neuropathy, which can indicate an onset of Multiple Sclerosis. However, Optic Neuropathy can be caused by other illnesses too, so at first we didn’t think she had MS. Her doctor ordered an MRI and it revealed that she had multiple lesions on her brain, which were affecting her optic nerve. Lesions are inflammations of brain tissue and they show up on an MRI.
My sister has decided to manage her MS strictly through diet and a healthy lifestyle. There have been extensive studies done that indicate that the consumption of certain nonsaturated fats and unprocessed foods can slow down the progression of MS. So far, her MS has been managed entirely by it. My sister does not eat sugar, meat, dairy, or anything processed. The success of this diet has put her symptoms on the back burner.
MS can be hard to diagnose because it could just as easily be a pinched nerve, vitamin deficiency, lupus, or stress-related disorders. Unfortunately, there is no fool-proof test to determine the presence of MS. As many as 10% of the people diagnosed with MS don’t have it. To be sure you should consult a neurologist or an MS specialist.
My sister is not the other person in my family who has MS. My first cousin Sarah was diagnosed at age 26. She has more lesions more frequently. She has had two kids since finding out. Sarah went into remission while pregnant both times. In some instances when women have babies they stay in remission indefinitely. Unfortunately, Sarah relapsed after both babies.
The correlation between sex hormones and magnetic resonance imaging lesions is not being studied. The objective is to determine if sex hormones play a role in the pathogenesis of MS. They have put serum estradiol and progesterone in patients right before their menstrual cycle. The result shows that patients with high estradiol and low progesterone levels had a significantly greater number of lesions than those with low levels of both of these hormones. Patients with high estrogen and progesterone levels had a significantly low number of lesions on their MRI. The conclusion is that estradiol and progesterone may influence disease activity in MS. If further studies confirm these results, it may be possible to develop therapy by altering levels in hormones.
There are many helpful treatments to help manage MS, such as Corticosteroids, ACTH(adrenocorticotropic hormone), intravenous immunoglobulin, and plasma exchange. My cousin takes the first one, which is a steroid. Many other drugs help with MS but these are the ones that cause fewer side effects and help you to feel better faster. Researchers are working hard to find a cure, and many believe it is not far off.
In conclusion, MS used to be a depressing, sad disease that caused crippling muscle degeneration. Now there are good treatment options that slow and in some cases reverse the effects of the disease. As I said before my sister manages hers just with diet and my cousin takes medication. We hope for a cure soon so my family and others do not have to suffer anymore. MS is strong, but we are STRONGER. Let us find a cure!
Works Cited
Pregnancy and remission with MS, http://ms.about.com/od/livingwellwithms/tp/ms_pregnancy.htm
Diagnosing MS, Signs, and symptoms http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/multiple-sclerosis-diagnosing
Medications for MS http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/tc/multiple-sclerosis-ms-medications
Hormones affect MS, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Changing your diet for MS, www.overcomingms.org