Multiple sclerosis (MS) can be thought of as an inflammatory process involving different areas of the central nervous system (CNS) at various points in time. As the name suggests, multiple sclerosis affects many areas of the CNS.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease and affects the central nervous system. Central nervous system is made up of nerves that act as the body's messenger system. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between your brain and your body. Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually affects woman more than men. The disorder most commonly begins between ages 20 and 40, but can strike at any age.
Staying healthy is important for everyone, but persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) have to pay extra attention to their health. Multiple sclerosis symptoms and sometimes the medications used to treat the disease can have an impact on a person's mobility, energy level, eating habits, and feelings, thereby compromising a person's overall well-being.
Minerals such as zinc and selenium, help strengthen the immune system, and also may well have value in warding off viral infections. It has also been suggested that herbs such as goldenseal and echinacea have value in strengthening the immune system One problem with these herbs is that they may cause hypersensitivities and questions still remain concerning the wisdom in taking these herbs over a long time period. I would suggest caution in their use for MS treatment with echinacea perhaps being the safest herb to use to strengthen the immune system.
The treatment of MS focuses mainly on decreasing the rate and severity of relapse, reducing the number of MS lesions, delaying the progression of the disease, and providing symptomatic relief for the patient. Several different drugs have been developed to treat the symptoms of MS. However, in patients with the relapsing-remitting type, it is often difficult to determine if symptomatic improvements are the result of drug therapy or if it is just the natural course of the disease.
Beta interferons. Interferon beta-1b (Betaseron) and interferon beta-1a (Avonex, Rebif) are genetically engineered copies of proteins that occur naturally in your body. They help fight viral infection and regulate your immune system.
If you use Betaseron, you inject yourself under your skin (subcutaneously) every other day. If you use Rebif, you inject yourself subcutaneously three times a week. You self-inject Avonex into your muscle (intramuscularly) once a week.
Disease-modifying drugs may slow down the progression of your disease and help to reduce the frequency or severity of attacks. Those licensed for use in the UK are interferon beta-1a (Avonex or Rebif), interferon beta-1b (Betaferon) and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) injections. You will only be able to receive these medicines on the NHS if you meet specific criteria and they can only treat certain types of MS. They must be prescribed by a neurologist at a specialist MS centre.
Glatiramer (Copaxone). This medication is an alternative to beta interferons if you have relapsing remitting MS. Doctors believe that glatiramer works by blocking your immune system's attack on myelin. You must inject glatiramer subcutaneously once daily. Side effects may include flushing and shortness of breath after injection.
