ms relapses, ms exacerbations, ms attacks
Multiple
Sclerosis is an
autoimmune disorder, where the body attacks itself, as if it is a foreign
invader. The majority of
what is attacked and damaged is ms nerves or ms neurons. The attacks, relapses or exacerbations
are all different words for describing what it is called during the periods of
time where the body is under attack by whatever is the cause of Multiple Sclerosis.
MS exacerbations,
relapses and attacks are pretty much different names for describing the same
thing. Basically relapses, attacks and
exacerbations in Multiple Sclerosis are where the myelin sheath on the spinal cord, the Blood Brain
Barrier or other nerves throughout the body are damaged, degrading the nerves
that are attacked and resulting in scarring in place of the damaged nerve
cells.
The result of the ms relapses cause our bodies
to show function less
than it could before the relapse occurred. The relapses are often followed by
some recovery from the loss of function during the relapses, where the body
appears to go into remission. MS research is helping us
to understand more of the effect of Multiple Sclerosis on
the body with relapses being followed by partial or maybe even full recovery of
what was lost during the attack.
The following things can actually trigger relapses to occur
more often:
* Over reactions to Stress - stress can not be totally avoided in
our lives, this is talking about how we react to stress after we have MS.
When we let the stress get to us or we have certain habitual reactions to
stress, like worrying, anxiousness, discouraged, depressed or if we internalize
how the stress makes us feel instead of finding ways to talk about the stress
and reduce our over reactions to stress...you get the idea.
* Upset Emotions - like being extremely anxious, depressed,
upset, angry and the like (emotions, over stimulated by stress and other
sources), the more we let our emotions take over the more stress this puts on
our bodies that can aggravate or set us up for more relapses.
* Excessive ms fatigue or ms insomnia - lack of sleep actually adds to the
stress that the body is already under going because of the effects of Multiple Sclerosis on over stimulating the nervous
system. Finding ways to reduce the lack of sleep and to help our bodies relax
more often will help to reduce the things that tend to trigger relapses.
* Lack of Exercise - this sets up those of us with
a whole host of possibilities that tend to cause more relapses, like poorer
circulation, lower levels of oxygen in the blood, a tougher time calming down
from the effects of stress on our bodies, lowered immunity, etc.
* Poor Diet - if we live on junk food, instead of
eating more raw fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, reducing or cutting
out overly processed foods, cutting out hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated
fats, etc. Lack of eating enough nutrient dense foods can contribute to more
extreme vitamin deficiencies that add stress to the body.
* Inadequate Essential Fatty Acids in diet - this is the combination of Omega 3,
Omega 6, and Omega 9 fats. We need to add more fish oils and flaxseed to
what we eat and we need to reduce several of the key stressors to our nervous
system.
* Not Relaxing or resting enough - when we are running on caffeine,
sugar and other stimulants for the majority of the time, our bodies do not have
a chance to relax, repair and replenish, which is what our bodies need to allow
our bodies to start the healing process when we have any damage to the body
that needs to be repaired. Sleep is not always restful either. We
need to find ways to help our over all systems to learn to relax. Most of
the world is more often than not in a hurry (especially in the United States) and this takes a toll on our nervous system and the rest
of our body's processes. Finding ways to slow down and get out of the
deadline oriented mentality helps our bodies in a huge way, when we are already
battling with the effects of MS on our bodies.
I have found several natural and alternative ways that help
to reduce my problems with each of the above list.
Multiple Sclerosis alternatives
We do have alternatives. These can include any of the
following:
* Yoga exercises - doing yoga helps to relax the
nervous system, reduce stress, reduce fatigue and insomnia, boost immunity,
reduce stressed out muscles and nerves, change our focus off of the stress, to
name a few of its benefits.
* Breath Meditation - this can help to calm down our over
reactive nervous system, relax the body and mind, reduce how much we tend to
run on adrenaline, reduce how much we drain off the limited amount of energy that
we have to work with each day, to name a few of its benefits.
*Juice Vegetables and Fruits - this increases the amount of
nutrient rich vegetables and fruits that we are consuming more often which
helps to reduce vitamin deficiencies, provide
our bodies with higher
nutritional value to our diets.
*Add Fish Oils and Ground Flaxseeds to
your diet - adds the omega
3 essential fatty acids that our bodies need to calm down our nervous system
and to reduce stress to our bodies on a cellular level.
* Take added supplements - for both reducing vitamin intake
of th vitamins that we are difficient in.
* Take vitamins, herbs, other supplements or other natural
remedies - to help you to be able to sleep at night. Taking Melatonin
before 9 pm (for whatever time zone that you live in) can help to
reset your wake-sleep cycle or your body clock so that it is easier for you to
sleep at night (instead of sleeping during the day).
With taking the necessary steps that will help
your body to relax, sleep restfully and reduce our over reactions to stress, we
can change things and reduce how often and how severe our ms relapses, ms
exacerbations, ms flare ups or multiple sclerosis attacks can become.
