MS fatigue treatment is one of the largest symptom treatment needs for MS patients worldwide. Multiple sclerosis is a very insidious disease, affecting millions. This disease causes all kinds of symptoms all across the body, and makes life miserable and unpleasant for those who must live with it.
There is no drug that can cure MS, though promising research awaiting publication will change how permanent an MS case will be for anyone in the future. Until then, however, one can only treat the symptoms of the disease as they occur, and be proactive against them.
In order to do this though, one must understand what this disease is and how it causes the symptoms. The problem with that fact is that few non-medical personnel in this world understand MS at all. It is one of the diseases that gets more myth around it than truth. Perhaps it’s time for the truth to come out about what MS is, and why it behaves the way it does.
The first myth that must go is the one that says MS only affects the elderly and sick. People lump this disease in with a couple others (such as arthritis and Alzheimer’s) and assume they only affect geriatrics. This isn’t true as all of these diseases can affect anyone.
The other truth is that this disease is not as fatal as it is sometimes believed to be, aside from the actual geriatric cases. However, multiple sclerosis can kill if it is untreated and the symptoms are not properly dealt with. This is not a contagious disease, and its ability to be passed down genetically is very much still up for debate.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by insulation around the nerves breaking down. This material, myelin, develops scars and pits and holes for which the disease was named (Latin scleroses meaning scars). This process, called demyelination, causes the electrical signals and power supply to parts of the body to become weak or not present at all. Hence, the disease affects almost every part of the body to some varying level.
Among the many symptoms are fatigue, poor circulation, poor breathing, cardiac problems and of course fatigue. The thing with the fatigue though is that it is often a side effect of these other symptoms.
When there is insufficient oxygen, blood flow or energy delivered to a muscle, it is weaker, feels tired and results in an overall sense of fatigue. There are treatments to help fight this fatigue, most of which aren’t even something needed to be done in a hospital.
Low impact MS fatigue treatment.
Treatment for MS fatigue can come in the form of a simple active lifestyle for those capable. Low impact aerobics, tai chi, yoga and other non-strenuous exercises help to stimulate oxygen delivery, blood flow and muscle strength. The stronger a muscle is, the less power it needs to operate and ergo the less fatigue the muscle will display from MS.
Addressing the demyelination itself to some extent is advisable too, in the form of vitamin D consumption and use of antioxidant-rich dieting. However, before making dietary or activity changes to your habits, you should consult a doctor. Use of caffeine and other stimulants above and beyond normal quantity is also not advised.
Any case of rapidly increasing MS fatigue should be dealt with by a doctor or emergency room immediately.
