World Multiple Sclerosis Day: 5 Coping Strategies to Manage This Autoimmune Disease

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It is a chronic condition where the body attacks itself mistakenly. This is considered to be unpredictable disease where the body may experience hearing loss, blurry vision etc. Some people might endure mild symptoms, for some it could be more acute. It may affect individuals differently.

Symptoms of MS can be:

• Swelling of optic nerve
• Double or blurry vision
• Trouble with cognition – memory issues, lack of attention span, poor judgement etc
• Trouble walking
  Body balance issues
• Weakness in muscles, arms, legs
  Loss of feelings
• Hearing loss
• Dizziness

These are just basic symptoms that people with MS may experience. While these may look like symptoms of other health issues, it is always ideal to get yourself checked to rule out other possibilities.

The body may get unpredictable attacks where either a person may experience these symptoms or a combination of it suddenly or  these signs could get worsen for almost a day. These are known as MS attacks. This further has a damaging effect on the central nervous system.

5 Tips to Manage Multiple Sclerosis

1. Healthy Diet: Consume a nutrient-rich diet high in vitamins, low in fat, and fibre-rich can help with bowel function. A balanced diet can help to lower risk of high blood pressure, cholesterol and other issues that may trigger any of the symptoms.
2. Regular Exercise: Several research highlight that cardiovascular exercises, yoga etc are good exercises for people living with MS.  It can help to boost heart health, nervous system, enhance bowel movement and improve strength. However, do not exert yourself.
3. Good Quality Sleep: People with MS often face sleep issues. Inadequate sleep cycle may cause fatigue, drowsiness and further worsen the MS symptoms. Therefore, it is important to make efforts and get good quality sleep.
4. Do Not Over Stress the Body: Focus on conserving your energy. Do light movement tasks so that body is active and also do not tire yourself out.
5. Brain Exercises: People with multiple sclerosis often deal with cognitive that makes it challenging to manage daily activities. Hence, indulge in exercises like puzzle solving, crosswords, meditation, memory games to make brain more active and improve memory, verbal memory etc.

MS affects different people differently. However, raising awareness about it is essential to be able to recognise it and get timely treatment. In addition to all the medical course of action, there are MS help groups where caregivers and people living with the autoimmune disease connect and have a safe space t voice their feelings and enhance their mental health with networking.