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UK Charity No 1131517
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No 1131517
Multiple Sclerosis
It is important to remember that MS is only one part of a person and not the person.
MS does not represent them, it is not their identity, they are as normal as the next person.
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Stress
Many report either a worsening of symptoms or the inducement of an attack during stressful events.
If you are 'stressed out' and - or depressed, run down, you will feel worse, this
may magnify your MS symptoms. If you continue to push yourself and do not listen
to your body then it is likely that you will eventually pay the price. In this way
a relapse may be triggered causing you slow down and rest.
Stress is an adaptive response, mediated by individual characteristics and / or psychological processes, that is a consequence of any external action, event or situation that might place a physical and / or psychological demands upon a person
Or external circumstances that do not have any intrinsic capacity to produce stress, but instead their effect is mediated by the individual's perceptions, capacities, and understanding.
Stress, however caused may lead to alarm, resistance to alarm rises within you leading to exhaustion due to the effort of adapting to the stress or fighting against it.
Whatever the reason stress will lead you down the path to;
Emotional exhaustion ~ Depersonalisation ~ Reduced sense of personal accomplishment, you may experience some or all of these emotions.
Avoid stress like the plague -
Chronic Stress May Worsen Multiple Sclerosis
Animal study links interleukin-
Chronic stress releases cytokines that may exacerbate central nervous system infections and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, according to animal research presented this week at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, Calif.
Mary W. Meagher, Ph.D., of Texas A&M University in College Station, and colleagues subjected mice to social stress and Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus infection, which causes demyelination similar to human multiple sclerosis.
The researchers found that the stressed mice had higher levels of interleukin-
"This paper provides evidence that blocking the stress-
Positive thinking and a positive attitude play a vital role in your well-being, living
with MS.
Now, it is of course very easy for us to say “take it easy, relax, recuperate”, for some fatigue remains a problem, even after taking it easy, relaxing and recuperating.
Health is a precious commodity try to keep a hold of that. Trivial matters in day-to-day
living pale into insignificance compared to the value of your health and happiness.
Stress lurks in the background, it can exist without you being aware, so take time for yourself and relax no matter what pressure you feel that you are under.
Low levels of essential nutrients, often found in sufferers will add to the problem
- nutrition. It is inadvisable take supplements to resolve any deficiency problem
without an individual assessment of your needs. Some health clinics have a financial
interest in various supplements, however nutrition and health issues are complex.
(If you have any questions ASK)
The following extracts are taken from the British Medical Journal, Volume 327, September 2003. “Self reported stressful life events and exacerbations in Multiple Sclerosis prospective study (abridged version). This study was part of the Rotterdam study conducted between July 1997 & December 1999.
Objective
To study the relation between self-
Participants:
Patients aged between 18-
Main outcome measure:
The risk of increased disease activity as measured by the occurrence of exacerbations after weeks with stressful events.
CATEGORIES OF REPORTED STRESSFUL EVENTS.
Event.
1. Illness or problems with close Family Member
2. Job Stress
3. Events related to home or car (theft/repair)
4. Sudden personal discomfort ** (not related to MS)
5. Death of distant Relative/Friend
6. Financial problems
7. Death of close Family Member
8. Illness or problems with distant Relative/Friend
9. Illness/death of pet
10. Problems in relationship/marriage
11. Stress related to Holiday
**Encompasses pain (gastric, dental etc), physical trauma,
minor surgery, occurrence of sudden negative emotions.
Discussion
In patients with Multiple Sclerosis the experience of at least one stressful event during a period of four weeks was associated with double the risk of an exacerbation within the following week. The mechanism behind increased stress and the induction of inflammatory activity in a disease such as MS is not yet fully understood.
Conclusion
Stressful events were associated with increased exacerbations in relapsing remitting MS.
This association was independent of the triggering effect of infections or exacerbations of MS.
Modern Medicine © 2007 Advanstar Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. (19/08/07)
Event
No Times Reported
