4 Factors in an Attack
Studies indicate that the frequency of the disease attacks is doubled upon being subject to stress.
MS Disease
Heat
The ambient heat, especially if accompanied with the humidity, may be highly disturbing. Severe heat may cause serious muscle weakness, though some MS patients are not hurt by heat and may enjoy hot bath.
We should be ware that even a tiny increase in the central temperature of the body may not be tolerated by the patient and makes him/her suffer from problems. Take highly form yourself before being in contact with significant heat and until you are not sure how you would react. Do not enter hot bathtub or sauna, unless there is somebody around to pull you out if needed. Merely a couple of hours cooling down would let you come back to normal condition in case you found out the worsening of signs and symptoms resulted from heat.
The most common symptoms appear due to heat in the MS patient include vision weakness and mist. Anything increasing the central body temperature would intensify the symptoms of the patients and/or emergence of new ones. This is because transmission of nervous waves is highly sensitive to increased temperature.
Prevention of Heat Effect
- Wear linen and light colored clothes in hot weather,
- Drink a lot to compensate for the lost liquids of your body,
- Do not go out in hot season as much as possible and rest in cool areas.
- In case of a need to go out in hot season, use cool clothes and avoid being exposed to direct sunlight.
- Avoid being in hot areas, specially hot and humid ones such as hot bath, sauna, severe sunlight and heavy exercises.
- Studies indicated that those patients who are highly sensitive to increased temperature are well react to the decreased temperature, in a way that they may prevent intensification of their symptoms by drinking a glass of cool drink or sucking ice.
- Embark with diagnosing and treating in case of any temperature emerges.
The sentimental and physical stresses and being exposed to hot weather shall be avoided as much as possible, as increased body temperature, fatigue and stress intensify the disease symptoms.
Stress
Mental and physical stresses, whether chronic or acute and of sudden nature, may intensity the disease. According to the studies, frequency of the disease attacks is doubled while being exposed to stress.
It seems that stresses cause releasing certain substances into the body while these substances may affect the disease through affecting immunity system.
Fatigue
Fatigue means revocable loss of physical or mental abilities which may occur automatically or after physical or mental activity.
Fatigue is both a sign of MS disease and its intensifier and is different from normal fatigue; for instance, the severity of this type of fatigue is more than a normal one. It is usually felt in the morning and is intensified gradually during the day and does not often removed with a short rest.
This fatigue is due to the destructive effects of the disease on the motion and sensory nervous cells and therefore it is logical that the disease symptoms are intensified or new symptoms are developed due to the same.
The most common causes of fatigue include: heat and humidity, heavy food, food allergy, heavy activity, smoking, hunger and loss of blood sugar, stresses.
Preventing Fatigue
- Exercising to the extent that we are not tired and feel heated.
- Avoiding heat,
- Avoiding hard work (at home/ workplace),
- Resting between working,
- Laying down and placing the legs above the body level,
- Establishing regulation in sleeping,
- Avoiding hunger, heavy and sweet meals,
- Do not forget to have breakfast
Impacts
According to the available statistics, 10-15% of the people suffering from MS report the initiation of their disease after impacted brain or spinal cord, while 50% of the same attribute the recurring of the attacks to such impacts. It seems that impact results in changes in the brain or spinal cord textures, while new symptoms are appeared considering the previous damages resulted from the disease itself in such positions.
Why we should know MS intensifiers?
We should be aware that in case of failure to timely diagnose and rectify, not only these intensify the disease, but are also able to generate/ intensify other intensifiers; for instance apart from being able to intensify the disease, stress and depression cause one to feel the existing pain more severely or suffer from sleeping disorder, and as mentioned earlier, both of these two issues are disease intensifiers.
Therefore, sentimental and physical stresses and being exposed to the heat shall be avoided as much as possible, as increased body temperature, fatigue and stress temporarily intensify disease symptoms.
Correct and balanced diet plays a positive role in preventing MS progress. It is better that MS patient take benefit from certain low animal fat diet with unsaturated fats, herbal oils and linoleic acid.