Uncommon Facts About Multiple Sclerosis

Uncommon Facts About Multiple Sclerosis

First Diagnosed in 1849

The earliest known case of MS dates back to 14th century Holland.

Multiple Sclerosis is the most common progressive and disabling neurological condition in young adults

Approx. 2.5 million people worldwide, have Multiple Sclerosis

Around 400,000 people in the United States have Multiple Sclerosis

Scotland has the highest incidence of Multiple Sclerosis per head of population in the world

Multiple Sclerosis affects women much more frequently than men. Approx. 1.7 – 2:1 in the US and approx. 3:2 in the UK

The ratio of white to non-white is approx. 2:1

Gypsies and Inuit's do get Multiple Sclerosis although the incidence rate is much lower than other populations at approx. 19 per 100,000

Native Indians of North and South America, the Japanese and other Asian peoples have a very low incidence rate of Multiple Sclerosis

In identical twins where one twin develops the disease, the likelihood of the second twin developing Multiple Sclerosis is approx. 30%

The incidence rate for non-identical twins, where one contracts Multiple Sclerosis, is approx. 4%

Among young adults, MS is the most common disease of the central nervous system.

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of MS

Sclerosis is a Greek word meaning hardening of tissue or scars.

 

Alternative Medicines for MS

Alternative Medicines for MS

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes a variety of interventions—from exercise and dietary supplements to stress management strategies, biofeedback, and acupuncture. These therapies—which come from many different disciplines and traditions—are generally considered to be outside the realm of conventional medicine. When used in combination with conventional medicine, they are referred to as “complementary;” when used instead of conventional medicine, they are referred to as “alternative.” In the United States today, approximately 75% of people with MS use one form or another of CAM, generally in combination with their prescribed MS treatments

Are CAM Therapies Safe to Use?

Many people use CAM because they believe that anything sold over-the-counter at a pharmacy or health food store is healthy and harmless. However, unlike conventional medical treatments—which are thoroughly tested and carefully regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—most CAM therapies have undergone very little, if any, scientific study. So some may be completely safe while others may actually pose significant risks—for example, by producing serious side effects or interacting negatively with other medications a person is taking.

Fortunately, a greater effort is now being made to find ways to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of various types of CAM.

Recommended Guidelines to Follow

People who are considering using a CAM therapy should ask the following questions:

What does the treatment involve?

How and why is it supposed to work?

How effective is it?

What are the risks?

How much does it cost?

The answers to these questions can help a person considering a CAM therapy to weigh the benefits against the risks. For those who decide to go ahead with the CAM therapy, here are some good, common sense recommendations:

Keep your physician informed about everything you are taking. Not sharing this important information is like asking your physician to treat you blindfolded—and knowing everything you are taking will allow your doctor to alert you to possible side effects or drug interactions.

Don't abandon conventional therapy. The treatments your physician prescribes for you are the ones that have been evaluated in controlled clinical trials or accepted by the MS medical community as safe and effective therapies. So stay with your prescribed treatments even if you decide to add CAM to your treatment plan.

Document the experience. Keep a detailed log of what you take or what is done and any changes you experience.

Support Multiple Sclerosis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Support Multiple Sclerosis!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

MS Awareness Month is March. The MS Awareness Week main week is 11-17, and it's a great opportunity to spread awareness for multiple sclerosis. Advances in research are moving us closer to stopping the disease, restoring function that has been lost and ending MS forever. Moreover, MS has moved from an untreatable disease in 1993 to a treatable one today for the vast majority of people now diagnosed, thanks to the growing public support spurring exciting research and treatment breakthroughs that improve people’s quality of life.

This is a very encouraging time if you have MS or know someone who lives with the disease because the first oral therapies that treat MS and manage MS symptoms are now available for those with relapsing forms of the disease. This is also a watershed year with more than a dozen therapies moving through the pipeline that hold promise of new and improved treatments for MS. Therefore, advancing MS research and enhancing program services are ever more important.



More Info About MS and How It May Affect You

More InfoAbout MS and How It May Affect You

More Information About MS

There are four types of MS,

• Relapsing-Remitting MS
  People with this type of MS experience clearly defined attacks of worsening neurologic function. These attacks, which are called relapses or flare-ups, are followed by partial or complete recovery periods (remissions). Approximately 85% of people are initially diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS.
• Secondary-Progressive MS
  Following an initial period of relapsing-remitting MS, many people develop a secondary-progressive disease course in which the disease worsens more steadily, with or without occasional flare-ups, minor recoveries (remissions), or plateaus. Approximately 50% of people with relapsing-remitting MS develop secondary-progressive MS within 10 years.
• Primary-Progressive MS
  With this type of MS, neurologic function slowly worsens. There are no distinct relapses or remissions. Approximately 10% of people are diagnosed with primary-progressive MS.
• Progressive-Relapsing MS
  In this relatively rare course of MS, people experience steadily worsening disease from the beginning, but with clear attacks of worsening neurologic function along the way. They may or may not experience some recovery following these relapses, but the disease continues to progress without remissions. Approximately 5% of people are diagnosed with progressive-relapsing MS.

How MS May Affect You

Multiple Sclerosis can cause a variety of symptoms. These include;

• sensation changes
• muscle weakness
• muscle spasms
• movement difficulties
• reduced coordination and balance
• speech or swallowing problems
• visual disturbances
• fatigue
• acute or chronic pain syndromes
• bladder and bowel difficulties
• cognitive impairment
• depression

One important thing to remember about MS is that it effects everyone person differently. People normally only have a few of these symptoms.



How MS Effects My Family and I

How MS Effects My Family and I

Multiple Sclerosis effects more than just person that has it. MS easily effects friends and family of the person the disease. One way if affected me and my family is that sometimes we had to go and help our mom get around the house because of her pain. There are other times where she would be in so much pain that we had to go and get stuff for her and take it back to her. For the days that she was able to get up and move around herself, she would still need help with lifting heavy things or moving stuff around.

 

Another way it effected us was that her short-term memory got pretty bad that we would have to keep track of things that needed to be done and/or things that we had to get from the store. For all of the important data she'd have to remember, she would have to write it down on paper so whenever she needed to know it, she wouldn't have to worry about knowing it by heart.

 

Another way it would affect us is that if we had to go somewhere, we would always start preparing earlier because of how my mom takes longer to do simple things. As an example if we had a doctor's appointment at 10 am and it is a half an hour drive to get there, then we would be getting ready around 9 am. Due to her MS, we would then get ready earlier so that we would be ready to leave by 9:30 am.

Statistics and Celebrities that have MS

Statistics

The total number of people worldwide with Multiple Sclerosis is 2,500,000. The total number of people in the United States with Multiple Sclerosis is approximately between 250,000 to 350,000. Approximately 200 new cases are diagnosed each week. Whites are more than twice as likely as other races to develop MS. Most people experience their first symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis between the ages of 20 and 40. The average age of someone that is diagnosed with MS is 37. The average lifetime treatment cost is 1.2 million dollars. The amount of people in the US above the 37th parallel line is 125 of 100,000. The amount of people in the US below the 37th parallel line is 65 of 100,000. The  ratio of multiple sclerosis of women to men is 1/7. The top five countries with the most deaths because of Multiple Sclerosis are the United States, Germany, Poland, Canada, and Brazil. The United States has the most out of the top five with 2,844.

Celebrities with Multiple Sclerosis

There are multiple celebrities that have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Some well known celebrities that've been diagnosed with it are Jack Osborne, Montel Williams, and Clay Walker. Some other celebrities are Ann Romney, Michaele Salahi, and Richard Cohen.

Fundraising

Fundraising Events         

To raise money for finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, The National MS Society reaches out to the families that have MS and have them raise money for at least a week or more until they go to the MS Walk. The dollars raised support life-changing programs and cutting-edge research. They've been walking since 1988 and have raised more than $10 million dollars to help support people living with MS. Sometimes they give out free Walk MS shirts to people and/or groups. They have your group come up with a name to show your support. Groups come and they ask you to at least walk 1 lap of the course they have set up. They allow you to bring a dog with you along your walk. In 2009, my mom and the rest of my family raised up over $200 for the fundraiser.

There are multiple MS Walk events coming up in Maryland in April. There is one by the Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick coming up on Saturday, April 6th. The walk will be from 9 am to 2 pm. The length of the route is 5k or about 3 miles. There will be others in Maryland throughout April. The link of the exact dates and times is on the website, Walk MS Maryland List. The amount of money they are trying to get to is one hundred and ten thousand dollars. They currently have eighteen thousand and nine hundred and seventy dollars. Even if you don't know someone with multiple sclerosis, they allow people to come and walk anyway. They also are looking for volunteers to come and help for the walk.