What is multiple sclerosis? Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system disease characterized by damage to the messages sent to and from the mind. These messages generally control how the body works. Thus, any damage can cause problems with eyesight, memory, balance and motion. It might also influence the ability to feel sensation, stiffness and pain.
Nerves
The human body is serviced by an extensive system of nerves which control how the body functions. These nerves are protected by a fatty substance called myelin which protects them from harm. If someone suffers from multiple sclerosis, the myelin is damaged thus blocking the impulses from the brain. The early symptoms include loss of vision, loss of balance, fatigue, and numbness. These symptoms aren’t universal to all victims. In actuality, some people today suffer little more than extreme fatigue while some could be affected they may become paralyzed.
The expression’sclerosis’ means scarring and anybody taking a look at the mind or the tissue of the spinal cord sees what seems like extreme scarring. The damage in multiple sclerosis is believed to be due to an unusual response to infections.
Immune system
The immune system produces white blood cells which destroy dangerous viruses or bacteria. However, in cases of multiple sclerosis, the white cells attack healthy tissue such as myelin and nerve cells. This is known as an auto immune reaction. What are the kinds of multiple sclerosis? There are four major sorts of multiple sclerosis, with symptoms varying in severity. People with benign multiple sclerosis may have the occasional strike whilst feeling perfectly healthy at other times.
They suffer only a mild disability or no disability whatsoever though medical evaluation shows signs of multiple sclerosis harm to the brain. The absence of handicap is because the damage might be in areas in the mind which don’t cause obvious handicap or the harm is minimal. More than fifty percent of victims begin with relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis where they might suffer relapses two or three times each year with partial or complete recovery at other times.
Keep in mind
However, because of the slow death of nerve cells and the myelin, the symptoms may get worse and more frequent. This takes them to the point of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). In secondary progressive multiple sclerosis or SPMS, the disability increases as there’s a progressive loss of nerve cells. During this phase, the victim no longer has relapses and remissions and the handicap gets progressively worse. There are some men and women who become more and more handicapped without having relapses and remissions. This sort of multiple sclerosis is called primary progressive multiple sclerosis.
How is it diagnosed?
Our bodies fight disease by producing white blood cells, a natural disease fighter. However, in people with multiple sclerosis, the protective covering of the nerve pathways (myelin) can also be attacked by these white blood cells. Among those tests performed to diagnose multiple sclerosis is a lumbar puncture. In this evaluation, cerebrospinal fluid is taken out of the backbone through a hollow needle and is analyzed for signs of the disease.
The hidden signs of multiple sclerosis may also be discovered using an MRI (magnetic resonance image). This uses a combination of radio waves and magnetic fields that offer a thorough view of the brain and spinal cord. By using this, the lesions in the myelin could be discovered. Right now, multiple sclerosis is incurable, though thre is research occurring internationally in an effort to locate a treatment that will slow down the development of the illness.
Conclusion
Meanwhile, there are a range of options which might make life more bearable. Some physicians prescribe ACTH, a steroid which accelerates the healing actions of the body. Though there’s absolutely not any scientific evidence that special diets are beneficial, anecdotal evidence indicates that diets like gluten free diets or people low in animal fats do assist. Many multiple sclerosis sufferers seek out alternative therapies to alleviate their symptoms. This could include acupuncture, acupuncture, and yoga.
