We are aware of the fact that genes play a major role in MS but this article talks about knowing who may be suseptible to getting MS.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Linked to Genes
Scientists have recently pinpointed genes that can predict who is more likely to get Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease, meaning the body attacks itself, and to date it affects approximately 400,000 Americans.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Incredible News Video - Stem Cells Fight MS
Just click on the link. The clip is about 12 minutes long but very interesting.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-==-
http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/healtheducation/ms_therapies_1.html
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-==-
http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/healtheducation/ms_therapies_1.html
Optimistic Attitude Wins Award
MS presents different challenges to each of us but with a positive attitude and perseverance this gal enjoys her life. I hope you are anjoying yours, too.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MS doesn't hinder mom's optimistic attitude
Shirley Busch is an optimist. Like everyone, the St. Ann resident has had her share of challenges and disappointments, but she handles them all with an upbeat attitude and positive outlook.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MS doesn't hinder mom's optimistic attitude
Shirley Busch is an optimist. Like everyone, the St. Ann resident has had her share of challenges and disappointments, but she handles them all with an upbeat attitude and positive outlook.
Monday, January 21, 2008
New Machine May Help MS Patients With Mobility
This link shows a video of the man on the machine, an article, and information about a study that is looking for participants.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
New Machine May Help MS Patients With Mobility
One of the biggest effects a multiple sclerosis patient faces is loss of mobility. The machine that has helped him is called the Lokomat.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
New Machine May Help MS Patients With Mobility
One of the biggest effects a multiple sclerosis patient faces is loss of mobility. The machine that has helped him is called the Lokomat.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
MS New Years Resolutions Suggestions
She's had MS for 30 years but has continued to live her life to the fullest. Read her inspirational new years resolution suggestions.
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Don't Let A Chronic Disease Disrupt Your Life
(NAPSI)-When it comes to resolutions, many people vow to lose weight or stop smoking, but for people living with a chronic disease, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), resolutions take on a new meaning.
Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. While MS is a chronic and disabling disease of the central nervous system, many people with MS continue with their normal daily lives--work, spending time with friends and family, and the activities that they enjoy.
Rosalind Joffe, 56, who lives in Newton, Massachusetts, has been living with her MS for nearly 30 years. After being diagnosed, Joffe decided to take charge of her future. It's what she has done since that moment that makes her story an inspiration for the more than 400,000 Americans, mostly women, who have MS.
Building on her experience of living with a chronic disease Joffe founded her own executive career coaching business. She is dedicated to helping others with a chronic illness develop the skills they need to succeed in their careers. Joffe firmly believes that living with a chronic disease does not preclude living a full and successful life.
"I've lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years and I believe I am healthy and as active as ever because I made the decision to turn this disease into a positive," says Joffe. "I created my own business dedicated to helping others become successful in their careers," says Joffe. "I also chose a once-weekly effective therapy that fits my active lifestyle."
Finding that right solution for Joffe didn't happen all at once.
"For two years, I took Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), a daily injectable treatment, but the injection site reactions on my skin became unbearable," explains Joffe. "After discussions with my neurologist, I decided to switch to once-weekly AVONEX (Interferon beta-1a), which I have now been on for over seven years."
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can last a lifetime. Symptoms of MS range from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision. While disease progression, severity and symptoms in any one person cannot be predicted, advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease. Rosalind's experience has been positive due to her personal decisions, but please note that individual experiences may vary.
"The goal of treating your MS is to reduce the physical disability and progression of the disease," says Joffe. "That's why it is so important for people with a chronic disease to find an effective therapy early that they can start with and stay on for the long run. Knowing that my MS is under control allows me to focus on what I love--helping others with a chronic disease be successful in their careers."
To create a positive outlook, Joffe suggests people living with a chronic disease to consider adopting the following resolution tips:
• Ask for what you need to do your job successfully. This is not as easy as it sounds, but it is also not as difficult. Make a list of what you can no longer do and figure out what would make a difference and is a reasonable request. Develop a plan by identifying who it would affect and what it would take to accomplish.
• Explore what you can do differently. Sometimes, you just cannot do the activities you once did--whether it is in the workplace or at home. You might need to "reinvent." In the workplace, it might mean a different job in the same organization, a different one within the same industry or an entirely different job that capitalizes on your talents, hobbies and skills. At home, it might just be a different way of performing an activity.
• Find the strengths you thought you never had. Sometimes, we need to push ourselves a little harder to see that there are reserves we did not think we had. Too often when you live with a chronic disease such as MS, the disease can seem so overwhelming to face. Surround yourself with positive thinkers so that your spirit rebounds.
Another resolution suggestion Joffe offers is, "pay attention to yourself and find that place in yourself that can balance your priorities in life with those of everyone around you."
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Don't Let A Chronic Disease Disrupt Your Life
(NAPSI)-When it comes to resolutions, many people vow to lose weight or stop smoking, but for people living with a chronic disease, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), resolutions take on a new meaning.
Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. While MS is a chronic and disabling disease of the central nervous system, many people with MS continue with their normal daily lives--work, spending time with friends and family, and the activities that they enjoy.
Rosalind Joffe, 56, who lives in Newton, Massachusetts, has been living with her MS for nearly 30 years. After being diagnosed, Joffe decided to take charge of her future. It's what she has done since that moment that makes her story an inspiration for the more than 400,000 Americans, mostly women, who have MS.
Building on her experience of living with a chronic disease Joffe founded her own executive career coaching business. She is dedicated to helping others with a chronic illness develop the skills they need to succeed in their careers. Joffe firmly believes that living with a chronic disease does not preclude living a full and successful life.
"I've lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years and I believe I am healthy and as active as ever because I made the decision to turn this disease into a positive," says Joffe. "I created my own business dedicated to helping others become successful in their careers," says Joffe. "I also chose a once-weekly effective therapy that fits my active lifestyle."
Finding that right solution for Joffe didn't happen all at once.
"For two years, I took Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), a daily injectable treatment, but the injection site reactions on my skin became unbearable," explains Joffe. "After discussions with my neurologist, I decided to switch to once-weekly AVONEX (Interferon beta-1a), which I have now been on for over seven years."
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can last a lifetime. Symptoms of MS range from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision. While disease progression, severity and symptoms in any one person cannot be predicted, advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease. Rosalind's experience has been positive due to her personal decisions, but please note that individual experiences may vary.
"The goal of treating your MS is to reduce the physical disability and progression of the disease," says Joffe. "That's why it is so important for people with a chronic disease to find an effective therapy early that they can start with and stay on for the long run. Knowing that my MS is under control allows me to focus on what I love--helping others with a chronic disease be successful in their careers."
To create a positive outlook, Joffe suggests people living with a chronic disease to consider adopting the following resolution tips:
• Ask for what you need to do your job successfully. This is not as easy as it sounds, but it is also not as difficult. Make a list of what you can no longer do and figure out what would make a difference and is a reasonable request. Develop a plan by identifying who it would affect and what it would take to accomplish.
• Explore what you can do differently. Sometimes, you just cannot do the activities you once did--whether it is in the workplace or at home. You might need to "reinvent." In the workplace, it might mean a different job in the same organization, a different one within the same industry or an entirely different job that capitalizes on your talents, hobbies and skills. At home, it might just be a different way of performing an activity.
• Find the strengths you thought you never had. Sometimes, we need to push ourselves a little harder to see that there are reserves we did not think we had. Too often when you live with a chronic disease such as MS, the disease can seem so overwhelming to face. Surround yourself with positive thinkers so that your spirit rebounds.
Another resolution suggestion Joffe offers is, "pay attention to yourself and find that place in yourself that can balance your priorities in life with those of everyone around you."
Monday, January 7, 2008
Incontinence Study Seeks Participants
A medical research study is now underway to determine if an investigational medication is safe and effective for reducing the frequency of urinary incontinent episodes in individuals with MS or spinal cord injury (SCI).
Read the full story here.
Read the full story here.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Bone Health In Adults With MS
It is essential to have healthy bones. Falls are common with lack of leg strength and balance. Here is a good article focusing on bone health.
Achieve In Spite of Having MS!
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
It is probable that those with Multiple Sclerosis are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency than those without MS and this may be a factor in the poor bone health of people with MS. This is possibly worse in more severe cases of MS. This appears to be independent of dietary intake of vitamin D. Further investigation is needed into the reasons why. For example, is it a result of reduced absorption, reduced synthesis or increased metabolism?
Large clinical trials are needed to ascertain the effect of increasing dietary vitamin D particularly on bone health, but in the meantime it would be prudent to ensure dietary intake meets the recommendations for other at risk populations i.e. 10mcg/day.
There is insufficient evidence from clinical trials to show that supplementing with vitamin D will directly improve the severity of the condition of people with multiple sclerosis. Larger, well designed clinical trials are needed before any recommendation can be made.
However, it could be argued that the symptoms of this side effect of MS, specifically poor bone health, could be improved with consumption of Vitamin D. Taking vitamin D in its active form carries a high risk of adverse effects, such as raising levels of calcium in the blood and should only be done under medical supervision. Therefore, it may be more prudent to discuss increasing your dietary intake of Vitamin D within food with your health professional.
So where can you go to find reliable information on how nutrition can help mitigate the risks associated with Multiple Sclerosis? The internet provides considerable resources to enable this to happen. However, one needs to be careful as there are many spurious sites with information that is mainly geared towards selling vitamin supplements etc.
I would advise that you check the credibility of any sites offering nutrition advice by determining who has compiled the information. Only accept information from sites that have engaged Registered Dieticians, or qualified doctors (preferably neurologists) to compile their knowledge. It is important that you test this by seeing if the site has a link to the organisation that the health professional is registered to.
If you come across a website that has been compiled by “one man and his dog” or is offering a “one size fits all solution”, and there is no way to validate the quality of the information, I would suggest you ignore it, as it may cause more harm than good.
The charitable institutions are a good first port of call, such as The MS Society or the National MS Society. There are also other organisations on the internet that have credible and evidence-based information available on how specific nutrients help or hinder the management of Multiple Sclerosis. I would suggest that you conduct a Google search using the following search terms: food for MS or food for Multiple Sclerosis. You’ll be glad to know that our site will soon be amongst the search results.
People who read this article also found articles at http://www.harmonycuisine.co.uk interesting.
© Harmony Cuisine Ltd
Achieve In Spite of Having MS!
Toni
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
It is probable that those with Multiple Sclerosis are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency than those without MS and this may be a factor in the poor bone health of people with MS. This is possibly worse in more severe cases of MS. This appears to be independent of dietary intake of vitamin D. Further investigation is needed into the reasons why. For example, is it a result of reduced absorption, reduced synthesis or increased metabolism?
Large clinical trials are needed to ascertain the effect of increasing dietary vitamin D particularly on bone health, but in the meantime it would be prudent to ensure dietary intake meets the recommendations for other at risk populations i.e. 10mcg/day.
There is insufficient evidence from clinical trials to show that supplementing with vitamin D will directly improve the severity of the condition of people with multiple sclerosis. Larger, well designed clinical trials are needed before any recommendation can be made.
However, it could be argued that the symptoms of this side effect of MS, specifically poor bone health, could be improved with consumption of Vitamin D. Taking vitamin D in its active form carries a high risk of adverse effects, such as raising levels of calcium in the blood and should only be done under medical supervision. Therefore, it may be more prudent to discuss increasing your dietary intake of Vitamin D within food with your health professional.
So where can you go to find reliable information on how nutrition can help mitigate the risks associated with Multiple Sclerosis? The internet provides considerable resources to enable this to happen. However, one needs to be careful as there are many spurious sites with information that is mainly geared towards selling vitamin supplements etc.
I would advise that you check the credibility of any sites offering nutrition advice by determining who has compiled the information. Only accept information from sites that have engaged Registered Dieticians, or qualified doctors (preferably neurologists) to compile their knowledge. It is important that you test this by seeing if the site has a link to the organisation that the health professional is registered to.
If you come across a website that has been compiled by “one man and his dog” or is offering a “one size fits all solution”, and there is no way to validate the quality of the information, I would suggest you ignore it, as it may cause more harm than good.
The charitable institutions are a good first port of call, such as The MS Society or the National MS Society. There are also other organisations on the internet that have credible and evidence-based information available on how specific nutrients help or hinder the management of Multiple Sclerosis. I would suggest that you conduct a Google search using the following search terms: food for MS or food for Multiple Sclerosis. You’ll be glad to know that our site will soon be amongst the search results.
People who read this article also found articles at http://www.harmonycuisine.co.uk interesting.
© Harmony Cuisine Ltd
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)