Managing MS

As if confronting the neurologic decline that can accompany MS isn’t enough, patients with MS are at greater risk of gaining weight than the general population. In part, weight gain can be exacerbated by decreased activity levels with increasing levels of MS disability and some of the meds, such as steroids, which can contribute to […]

People who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) often anticipate that they may have problems with their vision or with their walking but are blindsided by the possibility that MS can cause problems seemingly outside the brain and spinal cord. Everyone experiences different symptoms with their own journey and their symptoms may vary over time. 

The first question is if drinking alcohol is a risk factor for developing MS as it is for many cancers.  The answer is no one knows.  We do know that the cause of developing MS is a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Drinking alcohol may be one such factor but a definite connection has

The good news is that MS does not cause death.  However, the bad news is that because of the other health problems and risks associated with MS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society found that patients with MS live on average 6 or 7 years less than the general population. But that is only a statistic

People with MS can have relapsing MS in which there are periods with new or worsened symptoms or progressive MS in which there is a gradual decline in neurologic function without periods of improvement along the way.  It can be challenging to determine if what you are experiencing is a new flare or just worsened

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of MS.  Some of the fatigue is due to the abnormal nerve functioning related to the autoimmune attacks in the brain and spinal cord.  However, some of the fatigue is related to sleep disturbances, which only makes the MS-related fatigue worse.   Sometimes the difficulty is falling

There are many conditions that can cause symptoms that mimic what an MS patient feels.  Some may actually represent a flare while others may be due to something non-related to MS.  MS patients are vulnerable to the same neurologic conditions as the general population.   One chronic condition that causes similar symptoms to MS is

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often confront the question “Is this symptom I am having caused by my MS?”.  It’s an important question because people with MS can get the same illnesses anyone else can get-like a cold, a UTI, a rash, or even a stroke.  Making the association with MS is important because having

It’s common knowledge that MS symptoms get worse in the heat(called Uhthoff’s phenomenon). Even small increases in core body temperature can increase MS symptoms.  Some patients think they are having new flares, but in fact, it’s simply that the nervous system doesn’t conduct its messages along the nerve cells as fast in the heat.  Old

Because Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition that progressively damages any part of the brain and spinal cord (the Central Nervous System), the symptoms can be varied.  The most common symptoms include visual loss, being off balance, limb weakness or numbness, and bowel and bladder changes. Any one of these symptoms alone can be the