Battling Multiple Sclerosis

By Linda Boughman

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), now that is an interesting word. It means, “many scars”, hardened patches of scar tissue. Hardened patches found in the brain and on the spinal chord. This sounds serious doesn’t it? It is serious. It results in a disease affecting the central nervous system. The brain, spinal chord and nerve bundles are affected causing abnormal nerve transmission. An affected central nervous system experiences something like the crossing of electrical wires causing reception, interpretation and transmission of the nerve impulses to be disrupted. Disrupted connections occur in various places along the lengthy nerve bundles as a result of damaged myelin sheaths, the wrapping found around nerve fibers that acts likes the insulation found around electrical wires that keep them from sparking. The disruption in transmission results in miscommunication among groups of nerve cells resulting in unfamiliar and unpredictable physical responses, reactions and sensations in the body.

A person who is first experiencing MS symptoms is constantly nagged by questions like: What is this numbness? What is this tingle? What is wrong with my eye? Why do I feel weak? What is wrong with my body? Responses to the diagnosis can be mind jolting or even a relief. When the diagnosis is not the feared terminal or life- threatening disease expected the seriousness of the actual diagnosis of MS might be minimized. “It is not the best news to hear, but it’s not the worst and there is treatment that help; the tests show it is MS” the doctor might say. Relief may set in then if one feared a brain tumor or some other perceived terminal condition. Treatment is available and death is not imminent. Good words to hear! We may know of people who have MS and they lived with it for years. When the diagnosis is not what was feared, it is possible to dismiss words that should be heard.

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By: Groshan Fabiola

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that affects the nerves and causes a lot of vision, balance and control problems. People that have passed half of their lives are usually more at risk of suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis makes the body attack it’s own nerves, the membrane that protects them to be more precise. This membrane, called myelin sheaths is attacked by white blood cells and antibodies, which should normally attack bacteria and viruses that threaten to cause an infection in the body, or diseased cells that don’t do what they are suppose to anymore. For some unknown reason they attack the healthy nerve-protecting cells. When the myelin steath is under attack the nerves can’t send the normal signals to the nervous system and the sense in cause is seriously damaged.

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By Groshan Fabiola

Despite the fact that there is no specific cure for multiple sclerosis in present, existing treatments are effective in slowing down the progression rate of the disease and preventing the development of further complications. Considering the fact that most of the effects of multiple sclerosis are irreversible, it is imperative to timely diagnose the disease and begin the administration of the appropriate course of medications. With the right treatment and with the aid of supportive therapies (physiotherapy and kinetotherapy), patients with multiple sclerosis can regain control of their bodies and live normal, active lives.

The medications available today are used to accomplish a series of goals in patients with multiple sclerosis: some medication treatments are aimed at slowing the progression rate of the disease, while others are aimed at ameliorating its generated symptoms and prolonging the periods of remission. The medications that are nowadays extensively used to delay and control symptomatic flare-ups among patients with multiple sclerosis are known as “ABC drugs”. This category of medications consists of Avonex, Betaseron and Copaxone.

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