Managing Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

An unpredictable disease that affects the nervous system, multiple sclerosis can be debilitating. Learn about the disease process, the different multiple sclerosis symptoms and how it can be managed.

 

The myelin sheath is the part of the body that provides the insulation or covering for the nerves which then leads to the proper conduction of impulses along the nerves. When a person is suffering from multiple sclerosis, there is degeneration of the nerves in the central nervous system, particularly the brain and the spinal cord. This causes the myelin to disappear, leaving the nerves unprotected. The impulses then become slower and the nerves become damaged which affects how the person functions.

 

The cause of multiple sclerosis is still unknown and researchers are still trying to find it out. It is believed to be an autoimmune disease wherein the body's immune system is altered thereby attacking its own cells and organs. This commonly occurs in people who are between the ages of 20 to 50, affecting more women than men. It can also pose a risk if you have a family history of this disease and if you are suffering from other disorders that were found out to have a certain link to MS such as Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that cause infectious mononucleosis.

Lupus Disorder: Understanding Mild And Severe Symptoms

Lupus is a chronic condition which affects the immune system, causing your immune system to mistakenly attack your body. The disorder is more common than you may think; it is thought that there are around 1.5 to 2 million people living with Lupus in the US alone. The most commonly affected group is; women aged between 15 and 45. African-American women tend to be most severely affected by the symptoms. Lupus is a medical condition which affects millions of Americans.

It can be very difficult to diagnose in that the symptoms can vary from case to case. A lot of the symptoms can also be associated with other afflictions; this can often lead to a misdiagnosis or a delay in the correct diagnosis itself. The symptoms will be dependent on which systems in your body have been affected.

Lupus is currently incurable, however early detection can mean that the condition is more manageable than it was in the past. The symptoms are known as flares and can range from being mild, to symptoms which are more severe. No two cases are the same, but there are some common symptoms to each class.

This list is not exhaustive but mild symptoms include fever, sensitive skin more prone to bruising, numbness particularly in the fingers and toes, malar rash which is also known as a butterfly rash which tends to affect the face; especially the cheek and nose, dry eyes and chronic fatigue.

Again this list is not exhaustive but more severe symptoms include chest pain; which may cause breathing difficulty, organ damage, memory loss, clinical depression, severe joint pain and permanent skin lesions.

The goal with any Lupus diagnosis is to catch the condition as early as possible. Medical professionals can be hesitant to provide a diagnosis due to the complex and varied nature of this autoimmune disease. Despite this there are approximately 15,000 new diagnoses each week in the United States. The condition is incurable, medical advances however have allowed physicians to prescribe treatments which can help manage the symptoms.

If you are concerned that you may have Lupus, it is very important to visit your doctor at the earliest opportunity. A quick diagnosis can mean that the related manifestations be treated more effectively. If you are diagnosed you should keep in regular contact with your doctor so that the success of the treatment can be maintained and monitored.

What Are Weight Watchers Seeing?

Many obese people are non-believers. A study presented to the American College of Emergency Physicians questioned 450 randomly selected emergency department patients at the University of Florida. Fifty-three percent of overweight/obese men didn't believe their weight was a problem. Among women it was 38%. Among only obese patients 30% didn't see their weight as a health issue. In fact, 70% of the patients who had been told by their health care provider that their weight was unhealthy didn't agree. It seems that overweight/obese patients need to fear health consequences before they lose weight. They need to see the "big picture".

Obese people's brains might crave fattening foods. In a study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, MRI scanners monitored the brains of 5 obese and 9 non-obese people while researchers changed their blood sugar levels from normal to low. As the participants were being shown pictures of low and high-calories foods, the obese participants had less brain activity in the prefrontal cortex – where inhibition is based. That implied obese people have a harder time resisting the urge to eat – especially when their sugar levels are below normal. It seems weight loss requires more than being "levelheaded".

Moving to a better neighborhood lowers the risk of obesity. That was a finding of "Moving to Opportunity", a mid-1990's HUD program in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. Some single-mother households in poor neighborhoods were helped to move to areas where poverty was below 10%. Approximately 10 years later the rate of morbid obesity was about 20% lower for the women who had moved. Those women had greater access to healthy food, safer environments for outdoor exercise and less stress. The program's primary goal was to see how the move affected families. Improved health was a "move in the right direction".

Finally, liposuction may help the heart. A study presented to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons looked at 322 consecutive patients who had liposuction and/or tummy tuck. Although 78% were in the normal-to-overweight range and only 22% were obese, patients' triglyceride levels had dropped an average of 43% three months after their procedure. Triglycerides (fats in the blood) have been linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease. There was also a decrease in white blood cells, suggesting fat removal reduces inflammation – also linked to cardiovascular disease. As more research is necessary, many are left to "weight and see".