cooling ms

Can anything help with cooling ms down from the over reaction of those with Multiple Sclerosis to Heat?

Because of the problems that people that are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis have with Heat, it can make it very difficult to survive the summer months. It isn't just a problem with overheating, in my case of Multiple Sclerosis, I have a problem where I don't sweat like I should and the cooling that is achieved as the sweat evaporates, that normally helps my body to cool off is working and can not be of much help to cool my body down, as it should be.

Problems with Multiple Sclerosis heat can be such a problem that it can become more threatening to our over all health if it is not addressed and a way is found that can help cooling ms related heat problems.

Ways that I have found that do help with cooling ms heat problems down include the following:

* cooling vests

* cooling hats

* ice packs

* staying in air conditioned buildings, rooms, etc. can help, but in some cases of Multiple Sclerosis, air conditioning can actually aggravate other Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, like ms nerve pain, ms spasms, or the air conditioning can sometimes over stimulate the reaction to cold, causing extreme chills, tremors, odd sensations that come and go either on the skin (anywhere) that sort of moves around randomly or it can cause an over reaction to cold.

* drinking lots of very cold or ice water (this can only be done to a certain point, since not sweating much doesn't help and there a limit as to how much water can be drunk in one day).

* wetting the head and the skin with cold water - this can be done using a wash cloth or a towel where water is put on the head, neck, arms, legs, etc. This helps the body to cool off as the water evaporates. Using a fan to help speed up the evaporation of the water can also help to speed up the cooling process.

* towels can be saturated with water and frozen in the freezer and placed around the neck or over the head to help cool down the body.

* ice neck wrap - there are few kinds of these that can be purchased that can be frozen and wrapped around the neck, that tend to get colder than just wetting a towel and freezing it.

* ice necklace - I'm not sure if there is something like this on the market that can be purchased, but I have heard of people making something like this out of necessity. My mother made something like this for me at one point, depending on what you make it out of, it ma or may not hold up to being frozen and thawing out over and over again.

* Installing ceiling fans in certain rooms in your house can also help with helping to relive the problems that those of us with Multiple Sclerosis have with dealing with heat.

It is very important that once we are diagnosed with ms that we find some way to cool down, since heat stress is a more serious problem that can happen if we can't find a way to cool off. Passing out because of being over heated is a real possibility for those of us with Multiple Sclerosis.

Warm rooms and going out side during warmer temperatures should be avoided.

I do better with using ice packs wrapped in a towel and placed on the head or the neck or with freezing thinner towels (like hand towels or a little bigger) and wrapping them around my neck and rotating which towels I wear around my neck and the ones that are in the freezer.

Purchasing cooling vests can be a more expensive way to go for find a way to address cooling ms related heat problems.

Being over heated with Multiple Sclerosis can sometimes also contribute to the feeling like you can't catch your breathe. Humidity can often cause this type of reaction too.

If you can't afford to run the air conditioner as much as you may need to during the summer months, I recommend going to the library, a mall or some type of store that keeps their air conditioner colder during the summer months. But this may be difficult to do, since you have to go outside to go somewhere to be able to get to air conditioning somewhere else.

Which ever option that you choose cooling ms heat-related problems, it is a necessary and vital step for those with Multiple Sclerosis.

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