Prevention and Various Treatments of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), also known as an invisible disease since others do not see anything superficially wrong with the individual, from their appearance alone. MS is a debilitating disease; my mom was diagnosed with MS when she was only 19 years old. I have gained a lot of knowledge on this condition from spending days with her at doctors’ appointments, to going with her to her monthly infusions. Although, her case is not as severe as her friend’s. My mom can still walk independently and perform daily tasks by herself; although in the summer (because of the heat), her condition makes it hard for her to enjoy outdoor events and play games with her family. When body temperature rises, symptoms seem to worsen. Although nothing may seem wrong with her on the outside, she is struggling internally. But she has a huge support system behind her.

In a typical body, the neurons in the nervous system have a conductive, fatty coat-like sleeve over them, this sleeve helps send impulses and communicate with the brain and spinal cord; helping speed up signals and send them smoothly. But with MS, that conductive coating that covers the neurons is being “eaten away” and destroyed by the body’s immune system. This occurs because the immune system detects the myelin sheath as a threat and acts to rid the body of it; categorizing MS as an autoimmune disease. This aggressive degeneration further leads to communication problems in the brain and spinal cord, affecting the entire body since signals cannot be sent or received properly.

Classic symptoms of MS are numbness, weakness, and/or tingling in one or more limbs of the body. Vision problems, commonly loss of vision in one eye (rarely both), blurry vision, chronic fatigue, and dizziness can also occur. Sometimes patients will present a tremor and have trouble with performing coordinated movements. Having problems with balance is another very common symptom of MS; bowel and bladder issues may also develop.

These symptoms arise if the myelin sheath (protective coating) on the neurons is destroyed, leaving the neuron exposed. If the neuron is exposed, damage can occur directly to itself since there is nothing to protect it anymore. The signals that are trying to be sent will be dramatically slowed down or even blocked all together due to this degeneration; therefore, communication in certain areas of the body and the brain cannot occur anymore (sensory input or motor output). Commonly multiple symptoms will occur on one side of the body. For example, with vision loss/blurriness, part of the myelin sheath on the optic nerve has been damaged severely, causing vision problems/loss. A lot of the times there can be months of remission with MS, months with no symptoms; sometimes remission can last up to years. Then an attack will happen, where symptoms appear back with vengeance, maybe even developing new symptoms. The common progressive symptom with most MS cases is problems with mobility, either balance issues or difficulty walking for extended periods of time.

The cause of MS is unknown. Scientists and researchers think that genetics may play a role in the disease or that maybe even environmental factors may come into play, although there is no scientific evidence to prove or disprove this theory. It is proven that women have a higher chance of developing MS, and the chance is even higher if someone in your family has been diagnosed with the disorder. There have been recent studies done that point towards contracting a virus in childhood or adolescence, such as a strain of the herpes virus, can later correlate with developing MS. Although with all these speculations, there is no clear cause that has been determined yet.

There are multiple treatment regimens that are used to help control the symptoms of MS, although there is no cure. There are oral medications, medications that need to be administered intravenously, shots, etc. Immunosuppressants are a common course of action, since MS in an autoimmune disease; by suppressing the immune system, damage is often halted or slowed. If a patient is on an immunosuppressant for an extended period of time, other complications not related to MS can occur. Such as contracting the John Cunningham (JC) virus, later possibly leading to the viral disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). This can occur when the immune system is suppressed for months to years on end, they are more apt to get sick and catch pathogens. The JC virus is a very common virus, the normal body typically fights it off with no problem, but with a compromised immune system it becomes harder to fight off and the JC virus can reactive itself; causing PML which is a lethal infection that causes swelling of the white matter of brain.

Other treatments of MS include corticosteroids, when the symptoms are severe patients are considered to be in a “flare up” or “attack”, corticosteroids are often used to calm the symptoms down instantly and provide relief. Stem cell transplants are a relatively new method to help control this disorder but has only been used in severe cases. Commonly, MS patients have to visit their neurologist relatively frequently to monitor the disorder and discuss what is working and what is not; maybe to change medications or treatments. The specialists recommend staying out of extreme heat to minimize the severity of symptoms. Physical therapy may be prescribed to help balance and coordination, or even just to stay in good shape. Swimming is one of the recommended activities, since it keeps you cool and promotes exercise. Vitamin D supplements are commonly recommended as well, deficiency in this vitamin can worsen symptoms.

Many websites claim that herbal remedies “cure” MS, and automatically, educated individuals can catch the hoax right off the bat, since anyone who knows about MS or has had medical training, knows there is no cure for it. But many people, even patients themselves may fall victim to the falsified websites in hope of “curing” or even lessening the dramatic symptoms. A common remedy that is tried is simply eating healthy or free of carbs; many websites claim that just by simply eating clean or trying the detox shake fad, will rid you of your disorder. This is completely false in the sense that clean eating will reverse the effects and your disorder will disappear. Although by eating healthy you will drop pounds, and this may help your mobility difficulties and the foot pain may diminish minimally. But there is no scientific evidence to show that just by eating clean, the disorder will be into complete remission. There is no evidence that explains by eating healthy, the myelin sheath that has been degenerated and destroyed, will regenerate itself or grow back.

Since scientists and researchers have not found a cure for MS yet, so there is no specific treatment plan used to “get rid” of the disorder. Most MS patients will never have to use a wheel chair/assistance and can carry on with daily tasks. But people who choose not to manage their symptoms progress aggressively and undoubtedly will end up using a wheel chair or some sort of walking assistance. Patients who choose to manage their symptoms have a much better outlook on life, although MS does not shorten the lifespan, it will only debilitate motor function. Those people maybe even become paralyzed with extensive damage. There are no prevention strategies to keep healthy from MS, since there is no way to contract it, or prevent from developing the disorder.

Not a lot of people are aware or familiar with this disorder, since it is not fairly common, or seen from physical perspective. There is no way to “stay clear” from MS, nobody wants to develop this horrid disease, but there is no way to prevent it. This disorder teaches individuals to be mentally tough, it is very frustrating since there is no cure or treatment, management is all you can do. I know my family and I stay hopeful and positive in nature, in hope that there is a breakthrough and a medication will be developed to deliver my mom and others relief.