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Living With Multiple Sclerosis
By Piet Mesmer
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TREATMENT AND
MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ................................................................................ 2
Please Read This First! ....................................................................... 6
About the Author ................................................................................. 8
1. Multiple Sclerosis – An Overview .................................................. 9
2. What is Multiple Sclerosis? .......................................................... 12
3. The Immune System and Multiple Sclerosis............................... 14
Relation between the Immune System and Multiple Sclerosis .................... 14
4. How Serious Is Multiple Sclerosis? ............................................. 16
5. Who Gets Multiple Sclerosis? ...................................................... 19
6. Types of Multiple Sclerosis .......................................................... 21
Other Common Terms for Multiple Sclerosis:................................................ 22
7. Signs and Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis ................................ 24
8. Myths and Facts about Multiple Sclerosis .................................. 26
9. Causes of Multiple Sclerosis........................................................ 28
10. Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis .............................. 31
Causes of Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis ..................................... 31
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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Is Cognitive Impairments Inevitable with Multiple Sclerosis?...................... 32
Treating Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis .................................... 32
Medications to Reduce Cognitive Impairments ............................................. 32
11. Effects of Multiple Sclerosis....................................................... 33
12. Risk Factors for Multiple Sclerosis............................................ 36
13. Genetic Factors for Multiple Sclerosis ...................................... 38
14. Nutritional Factors and Multiple Sclerosis................................ 39
15. Multiple Sclerosis and Your Emotions ...................................... 41
16. Stress and Multiple Sclerosis..................................................... 43
17. Depression and Multiple Sclerosis ............................................ 45
18. Multiple Sclerosis and the Self................................................... 46
19. Multiple Sclerosis and Pregnancy ............................................. 47
20. Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue .......................................................... 49
21. Children and Multiple Sclerosis ................................................. 51
22. When to Seek Medical Care........................................................ 53
MS Symptoms that Require Medical Care .......................................................... 53
23. Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis ................................................. 56
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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24. Factors for Progression of Multiple Sclerosis .......................... 59
25. Prognosis of Multiple Sclerosis ................................................. 61
26. Treatment and Medications for Multiple Sclerosis ................... 63
Available Medications and Treatments for MS ............................... 64
Medications to Reduce Neuropathic Pain........................................................... 67
Medications for Treating More Chronic and Progressive Forms of MS .......... 67
27. Multiple Sclerosis: Alternative and Complementary Therapies
Some Options of Complementary Therapy for MS ........................................ 71
28. Acupuncture and Multiple Sclerosis.......................................... 74
29. Herbs for Multiple Sclerosis ....................................................... 76
30. Vitamins and Minerals for Multiple Sclerosis ........................... 79
31. Dietary Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis ...................................... 81
32. Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis ........................................................ 83
33. Prevention for Multiple Sclerosis............................................... 85
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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34. Coping Skills for Multiple Sclerosis........................................... 87
35. Self-Care for Multiple Sclerosis ................................................. 90
36. Professional Help for Multiple Sclerosis ................................... 92
37. 20 Tips to Help Deal with Multiple Sclerosis............................. 94
38. Multiple Sclerosis – Frequently Asked Questions.................... 97
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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Please Read This First!
Terms of Use
This Electronic book is Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved. No
part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted by any means; electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the
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Disclaimer
The advice contained in this material might not be suitable for
everyone. The information is only a broad overview by a lay person
about an important subject.
The author obtained the information from sources believed to be
reliable and from his own personal experience, but he neither
implies nor intends any guarantee of accuracy.
Research is changing theories and practices in this area constantly.
The author, publisher and distributors never give legal, accounting,
medical or any other type of professional advice. The reader must
always seek those services from competent professionals that can
review their own particular circumstances.
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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The author, publisher and distributors particularly disclaim any
liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals who directly or indirectly
act on the information contained herein.
All readers must accept all responsibility for their use of this
material. Always consult your own medical practitioner about
all matters related to your health, exercise and treatments
because they can correlate their knowledge and advice to
your individual personal circumstances
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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About the Author
Piet Mesmer has friends and a close relative that are living with
Multiple Sclerosis.
He wanted to learn about the condition because he heard so many
conflicting theories and rumors. Few people were willing to discuss it
and Piet felt that a guide to the subject could be helpful to others
like him that dealt with people who had the disease and their
families.
He hopes that many people will be able to use this layman’s guide
as a starting point in their own search for knowledge, and to
counter some of the “old wives’ tales” that circulate, discourage or
frighten people whose lives are touched by Multiple Sclerosis.
Piet emphasizes that on-going research is bringing new information
and hope into this area. People should always consult their own
Doctors and other medical professionals about their condition and
the best ways to manage and treat it.
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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Part-I: Introduction
1. Multiple Sclerosis – An Overview
Multiple sclerosis is a persistent and debilitating disease affecting
the central nervous system (your brain, nerve cells and spinal cord).
This inflammatory disease affects the patient’s mobility and can
cause severe disability.
Some doctors and researchers believe that this is an autoimmune
disease. That is where your immune system tries to defend against
the normal activities of other parts of your body - your immune
system attacks you.
The nervous system consists of neurons, brain, nerve cells and the
spinal cord. They work together to carry information between the
brain and other parts of your body.
Multiple sclerosis destroys the Myelin layer (a protective fatty layer
around the neurons that carry those electrical signals). This disrupts
the vital transfer of electrical signals across the spinal cord and
brain. This scars the myelin sheaths. These scars prevent easy
transmission of the signals. The intensity of the disease relates to
the extent of the scarring and the resultant impact on the rate and
quality of the transfer of the signals.
Incidence
There are around two and half million people in the world with
multiple sclerosis. Around 350,000 people in the U.S.A. suffer from
this disease. The disease most often starts between the ages of
twenty and forty. Sometimes, it occurs a bit later.
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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It affects more women than men.
Another striking fact is that people living in the northern latitudes
such as parts of Northern Europe and the Northern United States
report higher incidence of the disease.
There are possibly genetic factors at work, too. Children whose
parents or siblings have multiple sclerosis, have a greater chance of
getting the disease.
The cause might be a virus that triggers a destructive reaction from
your immune system.
Types and Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis
The effects of Multiple Sclerosis vary and are grouped according to;
• the severity of the symptoms,
• the frequency of attacks,
• the level of damage, and
• the ability of your central nervous system to recover.
Accordingly, multiple sclerosis (MS) could be:
• Relapsing-remitting MS,
• Relapsing progressive MS,
• Secondary progressive MS, or
• Primary progressive MS.
Common symptoms of the disease may include;
• partial loss of vision or total loss of vision in one eye,
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“Living with Multiple Sclerosis” by Piet Mesmer
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• double vision,
• general weakness,
• change in sensation of hands, legs, and face,
• unsteady walking with acute balance problems.
These symptoms may not show to a great degree in some cases.
Also, they may come and go.
Many people only notice mild effects in the early stages which they
either ignore or do not ask their doctor about.
Sometimes, trauma, infection, or severe physical exhaustion could
trigger the symptoms of MS.
Some patients are affected by the symptoms of multiple sclerosis
from time to time, but are perfectly normal between attacks, with
perhaps a few neurological problems that persist permanently.
The exact cause of multiple sclerosis is still unknown. Treatments
can slow down the appearance of new symptoms but there is no
permanent cure for the disease right now.
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