What is Multiple sclerosis?

This disease (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) where the body's own immune cells attack the nervous system. With this disease, inflammation of nervous tissue causes the loss of myelin, a fatty material that acts as a sort of protective insulation for the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.

This demyelination leaves multiple areas of scar tissue (sclerosis) along the covering of the nerve cells, which disrupts the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain, producing the various symptoms of multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Under normal circumstances, nerve impulses throughout the body pass along nerve fibers, which connect to one another at synapses.

A fatty substance called myelin insulates the nerve fibers and facilitates the smooth transmission of high-speed messages between the brain, the spinal cord and the rest of the body.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the myelin (a fatty substance which covers the axons of nerve cells, important for proper nerve conduction) degenerates. This includes not only the usually known white matter demyelination, but also demyelination in the cortex and deep gray matter (GM) nuclei, as well as diffuse injury of the normal-appearing white matter.

GM atrophy is independent of the MS lesions and is associated with physical disability, fatigue, and cognitive impairment in MS

Damage to any part of the myelin sheath disrupts the messages that are being transmitted within the body. In MS, misguided cells of the central nervous system destroy areas of myelin. As a result, myelin becomes inflamed and swollen, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. Sometimes the nerve fiber itself is damaged.

With damaged myelin and nerve tissue, the nerve fibers cannot conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain as well. This produces the various symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Signs & Symptoms of Multiple sclerosis

Examples of symptoms that often are experienced by people with MS are listed below:

Visual disturbances

Typical disturbances include blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or perhaps temporary blindness in one eye.

Muscle weakness

Weakness in the extremities may result in a general feeling of fatigue, along with difficulty walking and balance disturbances.

Sensory disturbances

These are referred to as paresthesias, which are feelings of numbness, tingling or increased pain perception.

Cognitive impairment

This symptom may be manifested by memory problems, difficulty concentrating, impaired visual and spatial perception or difficulty expressing oneself in oral and written form.

A person could also have hearing impairments, speech difficulties, dizziness and tremors.

Progression of MS may lead to problems with bowel and bladder control and sexual dysfunction.

People who are affected by this disease have patches of damage called plaques or lesions that seem to appear randomly on the CNS white matter. Multiple Sclerosis never affects any two people the same way and each intervals disease is unique only to him or her, just like fingerprints.

The body's immune system attacks the outer nerve sheath or myelin , which causes scarring or sclerosis , and this scarring interferes with the transmission of the signals required for normal operation.

The most common symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis are sensory in nature including tingling, peculiar nerve sensations such as a “pins-and-needles” feeling over part of the body, numbness or paresthesias, clumsiness, weakness of a let or hand, visual disturbances.

Recent research indicates that the biochemical make-up of lesions may vary between different forms of the disease, causing nerve damage to one site usually causes completely different symptoms than damage to another, and this is one of the reasons Multiple Sclerosis differs so widely between people. People with Multiple Sclerosis can experience partial or complete loss of any function that is controlled by, or passes through, the brain or spinal cord.

Inflammation happens in areas of the white matter of the central nervous system in patches and destruction of myelin is soon to follow. Myelin is the fatty covering that insulates nerve cell fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Other weaknesses occur in one or more of the extremities, slight stiffness or unusual fatigue of the limb, spastic involuntary movements, difficulty with bladder control, incontinence, vertigo, and in some cases mild emotional disturbances. Excessive heat may intensify symptoms.

Because the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis vary and can be very unpredictable. It may affect the eyes first and usually only one eye at a time. One may notice blurred or double vision, blind spot, distortions of reds and greens, or blindness in both eyes.

Certain muscles may become weak or extremely stiff and prone to spasms; you may start to have trouble talking because there are disturbance between the central nervous system and the rest of your body. Half of all patients with later stages of Multiple Sclerosis have problems with memory loss.

Once a doctor suspects the disease he or she will order an MRI scan to look for signs on the brain and spinal cord. If you have any of the symptoms described here, go to your doctor and get checked out. The sooner you learn you have a disease, the sooner you can start fighting it.

What Causes Multiple sclerosis?

Although the cause of MS remains unknown, researchers are continually learning more about this disease. Many believe that MS is an autoimmune disease that results when the body begins to attack its own tissues.

Normally, the immune system works by recognizing foreign invaders and producing its own cells to counteract or defend against attacks. In MS, the immune system incorrectly identifies body cells as invaders and begins to attack its own cells. In the case of MS, the body no longer recognizes myelin as its own, and, thus, declares war on this sensitive nerve tissue.

Genetics may play a role in determining who gets MS. Overall, the chance of developing MS is less than one-tenth of 1 percent. However, if one family member has MS, that person's first-degree relatives (parents, children and siblings) have a 1 percent to 3 percent risk of getting MS.

Some researchers believe that genes can make you more susceptible to getting MS. Then something in the environment, possibly a virus, triggers the abnormal immune response that causes MS.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Under normal circumstances, nerve impulses throughout the body pass along nerve fibers, which connect to one another at synapses. A fatty substance called myelin insulates the nerve fibers and facilitates the smooth transmission of high-speed messages between the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body.

Damage to any part of the myelin sheath disrupts the messages that are being transmitted within the body. In MS, misguided cells of the central nervous system destroy areas of myelin, leading to the formation of plaques and the eventual buildup of scar tissue (sclerosis) at the site. The scar tissue tends to form at various locations; hence the disease has been termed multiple sclerosis.

Some of the diseased areas of the myelin may cause no apparent symptoms, while other areas interfere with a particular function or sensation that is controlled by the brain or spinal cord. For this reason, the type of symptoms and the severity of the disability varies greatly among those affected with MS.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Under normal circumstances, nerve impulses throughout the body pass along nerve fibers, which connect to one another at synapses. A fatty substance called myelin insulates the nerve fibers and facilitates the smooth transmission of high-speed messages between the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body.

Damage to any part of the myelin sheath disrupts the messages that are being transmitted within the body. In MS, misguided cells of the central nervous system destroy areas of myelin, leading to the formation of plaques and the eventual buildup of scar tissue (sclerosis) at the site. The scar tissue tends to form at various locations; hence the disease has been termed multiple sclerosis.

Some of the diseased areas of the myelin may cause no apparent symptoms, while other areas interfere with a particular function or sensation that is controlled by the brain or spinal cord. For this reason, the type of symptoms and the severity of the disability varies greatly among those affected with MS.

The symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) present in a variety of ways. They can be mild or severe, short-lived or longer-lasting, and they often appear in different combinations. MS is a chronic disease that is often characterized by intermittent periods of relapse, followed by partial or complete remission. Some people with MS show little or no progression of symptoms after the initial attack while others suffer a rapid progression of the disease that can result in severe disability.

According to the view of most researchers, a special subset of lymphocytes, called T cells, plays a key role in the development of MS. Under normal circumstances, these lymphocytes can distinguish between self and non-self. However, in a person with MS, these cells recognize healthy parts of the central nervous system as foreign and attack them as if they were an invading virus, triggering inflammatory processes and stimulating other immune cells and soluble factors like cytokines and antibodies.

Normally, there is a tight barrier between the blood and brain, called the blood-brain barrier, built up of endothelial cells lining the blood vessel walls. It should prevent the passage of antibodies through it, but in MS patients it does not work.

A deficiency of uric acid has been implicated in this process. Uric acid added in physiological concentrations (i.e. achieving normal concentrations) is therapeutic in MS by preventing the breakdown of the blood brain barrier though inactivation of peroxynitrite.

The low level of uric acid found in MS victims is manifestedly causative rather than a consequence of tissue damage in the white matter lesions, but not in the grey matter lesions. Nevertheless, whether BBB dysfunction is the cause or the consequence of MS is still disputed,because activated T-Cells can cross a healthy BBB when they express adhesion proteins

According to a strictly immunological explanation of MS, the inflammatory processes triggered by the T cells create leaks in the blood-brain barrier. These leaks, in turn, cause a number of other damaging effects such as swelling, activation of macrophages, and more activation of cytokines and other destructive proteins such as matrix metalloproteinases. The final result is destruction of myelin, called demyelination.

Repair processes, called remyelination, also play an important role in MS. Remyelination is one of the reasons why, especially in early phases of the disease, symptoms tend to decrease or disappear temporarily. Nevertheless, nerve damage and irreversible loss of neurons occur early in MS. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy has shown that there is widespread neuronal loss even at the onset of MS, largely unrelated to inflammation.

Often, the brain is able to compensate for some of this damage, due to an ability called neuroplasticity. MS symptoms develop as the cumulative result of multiple lesions in the brain and spinal cord. This is why symptoms can vary greatly between different individuals, depending on where their lesions occur.

The oligodendrocytes that originally formed a myelin sheath cannot completely rebuild a destroyed myelin sheath. However, the central nervous system can recruit oligodendrocyte stem cells capable of proliferation and migration and differentiation into mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. The newly-formed myelin sheaths are thinner and often not as effective as the original ones.

Repeated attacks lead to successively fewer effective remyelinations, until a scar-like plaque is built up around the damaged axons. Under laboratory conditions, stem cells are quite capable of proliferating and differentiating into remyelinating oligodendrocytes; it is therefore suspected that inflammatory conditions or axonal damage somehow inhibit stem cell proliferation and differentiation in affected areas

Types of multiple sclerosis:

There are four main kinds of multiple sclerosis, with symptoms varying in severity. These are:

• Benign
Relapsing/remitting (RRMS)
Secondary progressive (SPMS)
Primary progressive

People with benign multiple sclerosis may have the occasional attack while feeling perfectly healthy at other times. They suffer only a mild disability or no disability at all though medical examination shows evidence of multiple sclerosis damage to the brain. The lack of disability is because the damage may be in places in the brain that do not cause obvious disability or the damage is minimal.

More than fifty percent of sufferers start with relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis in which they may suffer relapses two or three times a year with partial or complete recovery at other times. However, due to the gradual death of nerve cells and the myelin, the symptoms may get worse and more frequent. This takes them into the stage of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).

In secondary progressive multiple sclerosis or SPMS, the disability increases as there is a progressive loss of nerve cells. During this stage, the sufferer no longer has relapses and remissions and the disability becomes progressively worse.

There are some people who become more and more disabled without ever having relapses and remissions. This type of multiple sclerosis is called primary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Risk Factors:

Most people with multiple sclerosis are diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 40, but some people are affected earlier and others do not get their first symptoms until age 60. It is estimated that in the United States, 250,000 to 350,000 people have MS, and each year about 10,400 people are newly diagnosed.

Multiple sclerosis affects women almost twice as frequently as men. Caucasians are more than twice as likely as African-Americans or Hispanics to get the disease. The disease is relatively rare among those of Asian descent.

The disease is more common in temperate climates -- like those in the northern United States, Canada and Europe -- than in tropical regions. The fact that MS is more prevalent in certain climates leads researchers to speculate that environmental factors play a role in the development of MS. Research in this area has yet to provide conclusive evidence of a direct link between the environment and MS.

Multiple Sclerosis is more likely to occur in northern Europe, the northern United States, southern Australia, and New Zealand than in other areas.

Treatment/Therapy:

Our bodies fight infection by producing white blood cells, a natural disease fighter. However, in people with multiple sclerosis, the protective covering of the nerve fibres (myelin) is also attacked by these white blood cells. One of the tests done to diagnose multiple sclerosis is a lumbar puncture. In this test, cerebrospinal fluid is extracted from the spine through a hollow needle and is examined for signs of this disease.

The hidden signs of multiple sclerosis can also be detected using an MRI (magnetic resonance image). This uses a combination of radio waves and magnetic fields that provide a detailed view of the brain and spinal cord. By using this, the lesions in the myelin can be detected.

Because no known way to prevent or cure multiple sclerosis (MS) exists, the main focus of daily care is aimed at symptom management and efforts to stabilize progression of the disease.

The most frequently prescribed treatments for MS are aimed at modifying the immune system response and reducing inflammatory effects. They include:

Interferon beta

This is the treatment of choice for relapsing-remitting MS. The medication is available in two forms. Interferon beta-1a (Avonex® Rebif®) and interferon beta-1b (Betaseron®) are medications made by a biotechnological process from one of the naturally occurring interferons (a type of protein). They are administered by injection and reduce the risk of disability progression, result in fewer relapses, and reduce the number and size of active lesions in the brain.

Glatiramer

Glatiramer (Copaxone®) is a medication that is an alternative to beta interferons. Like interferon, this medication can reduce the number and severity of attacks as well as the overall progression of the disease to some extent. Glatiramer requires daily injections.

Natalizumab (Tysabri)

Natalizumab (Tysabri®) is used for relapsing-remitting MS. Tysabri was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when not to be used in combination with another disease-modifying therapy. It is given to slow down the progress of MS and cut down on flare ups. Because this medicine can have serious side effects, it is usually given to people who have not responded to other therapies. It is given once a month with an intravenous drip into a vein.

Mitoxantrone

Mitoxantrone (Novantrone®) is a chemotherapy drug used for many cancers. It is also FDA-approved for certain forms of MS. It can cause serious side effects, including heart damage with long term use. Your doctor will closely watch you when you take it. Mitoxantrone may reduce how many relapses you have and keep your disability from getting worse.

Azathioprine

This drug is an alternative treatment for relapsing-remitting MS when both interferon and glatiramer fail.

Methotrexate

This drug treats certain forms of progressive MS.

Corticosteroid drugs

This class of drugs is often used to treat MS relapses. The medication is usually given intravenously and has proved helpful in decreasing the length of relapse and promoting remission of symptoms. However, there is no proof that steroid medications have a positive effect on the long term outcome of MS.

As researchers continue efforts to find new therapies that will affect the overall course of MS, a variety of drugs are available to aid in controlling the symptoms of MS. Some of the most commonly reported symptoms in MS that can be helped with medication are listed below:

Spasticity

Many people with MS are affected by this condition that mostly affects their lower extremities, causing stiffness and increased muscle tone. Spasticity can be treated with muscle relaxants and tranquilizers. Physical therapy also can help.

Bladder dysfunction

Urinary problems of MS can include bladder infections and urinary retention. Although medications are available to treat both of these problems, some patients may require urinary catheters to empty the bladder.

Constipation

This is a common complaint that can result from weakened musculature. It often can be successfully treated with a high fiber diet, adequate fluid intake and bulking agents such as Metamucil®.

Sexual dysfunction

Some men with MS report erectile difficulties, while the most common sexual problems in women with MS appear to be changes in sensation and vaginal lubrication. Medications are available to help with these symptoms. Sildenafil (Viagra®) is used to treat men with erectile dysfunction.

Fatigue and depression

Fatigue is the most common complaint occurring in 80 percent of patients with MS. Amantadine (Symmetrel®) is effective half the time in relieving disabling fatigue.

Research shows patients diagnosed with MS are at greater risk for depression than the general population. Some researchers believe that MS demyelination in certain parts of the brain may play a role in depression. Many drugs can treat depression.

In addition to medication, many people with MS have benefited from physical, occupational and speech therapy

Self Care strategies for Living with Multiple sclerosis

Scientists are continually looking for therapies that affect the overall course of MS by improving recovery from attacks, preventing or decreasing the number of relapses and halting progression of the disease.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong illness that can follow one of several different patterns. The more common patterns of MS are listed below:

Relapsing-remitting MS

This form of MS is characterized by relapses (episodes where the symptoms get worse), lasting from a few days to several weeks, followed by remissions (periods when the symptoms resolve). Between relapses the patient's condition is usually stable. About 80 percent of patients begin as relapsing-remitting.

Primary progressive MS

In this form of MS there is a gradual but continuous worsening of symptoms from the time the disorder is first recognized. Periods of relapse and remission are absent.

Secondary progressive MS

In this form of MS a person who initially had relapsing-remitting MS begins to develop a gradual deterioration in nerve function, with or without relapses. Secondary progressive MS ultimately affects 50 percent of those with relapsing-remitting MS.

Progressive relapsing MS

Progressive relapsing MS shows clear progression in the level of disability from the time symptoms first begin, but with episodes of clear relapses that may or may not be associated with some recovery following the acute episode.

Diet change strategies:

Vitamin & Nutrient Associations

Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance.

It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly.

The nutrition products I am going to recommend you make use of knowledge gained from the botanical world's 6,000 year history. They incorporated health building nutritional herbs with the best modern technology to help our bodies cleanse and detoxify so that the cells - the tiniest living units - can be as fully nourished as possible.

This allows the cells to grow, repair and to perform their functions with the best possible efficiency so that we feel and look better and are more able to prevent and fight disease. Once the body begins to clear itself of toxins it can more efficiently absorb nutrition.

As Aloe Vera Juice is a refreshing and anti-bacterial drink, you might find that taking this daily, diluted in some filtered water will not only refresh you like ‘a shower inside you’ but also assists in dealing with any digestive issues you may also be experiencing. Taken with Flora-Fiber tabs it will cleanse your digestive system and improve your immunity levels overall.

You may find benefit from our information on detoxification as well as a bit about detoxing because of change of diet

It may be due to difficulties with your digestive system that is causing your body to be starved of key nutrients, vitamins or minerals. In this case you may find useful answers by reviewing our article on Nutrition For Your Cells. There is also more information here about why is nutrition such an issue nowadays?

It may be that your metabolism has slowed due to pressures that have been placed on your system through life in general or through specific “challenges” you have faced in the last few months or last few years. Review this by looking at our article about balancing your Metabolic Rate.

Further reading through our articles on Multiple sclerosis health issues will give you a body of information that will help you decide what options you have to deal with the underlying causes of your problem through giving your body the nutrition products that will assist you body to heal from the inside out.

You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements and learn more about our core nutrition program, the Cellular Nutrition Advanced Program and also check out these targeted products, Florafiber to replace your healthy flora and Aloe Vera Juice to help cleanse your system.

We wish you well in your search for solutions to this Multiple sclerosis problem and your movement towards better health in all areas.

More Resources available about Multiple sclerosis :

National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 733 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017; 1-800-FIGHT MS Multiple Sclerosis: Hope Through Research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Free Report Reveals “Why you need Nutrition Supplementation with your food for your Health Success!” Free Health Book. Download your vitamin supplements Special Free Report Today Click the link above to get your free ebook & eCourse today!

You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements to learn more about some of the nutrition products mentioned in our recommendations above.

We also feature new health articles & self care solutions every month in “Your Health Success” our FREE Health Magazine, so subscribe today to stay up-to-date!

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