Alcohol's Effect on MS Symptoms Even one drink can make issues like unsteadiness worse. “If you have a lot of trouble with balance, thinking, or memory symptoms from MS, it may be better to avoid alcohol altogether,” says Graves. Alcohol can also lead to sleep problems and worsen bladder symptoms.
Alcohol's Effect on Symptoms of MS
However, the same research suggests that long-term alcohol abuse or heavy drinking may impair the immune system, and could increase the inflammatory response characteristic of MS.
While one or two drinks might ease symptoms, the chronic use or abuse of alcohol can exacerbate symptoms. The risks and benefits of alcohol consumption for people with MS are still being studied. These symptoms could include numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, tremor, lack of coordination, and dementia.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) triggers that worsen symptoms or cause a relapse can include stress, heart disease and smoking. While some are easier to avoid than others, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall health and wellness can have outsized benefits for MS patients.
The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. It's considered an immune mediated disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In the case of MS , this immune system malfunction destroys the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord (myelin).
Some research suggests that alcohol consumption may temporarily worsen MS symptoms such as balance problems and urinary urgency. Due to alcohol's effect on the brain and nervous system, it may also worsen the depression that many people with MS experience.
The risk of MS is substantially reduced among those who reported a high consumption of coffee, exceeding 900 ml daily OR 0.70 (95% CI 0.49–0.99 in the Swedish study) and OR 0.69 (95% CI 0.5–0.96 in the US study). No significant association was found between coffee or caffeine intake and the risk of MS.
You might find you lose weight because of the way MS affects you. For example, problems with posture, swallowing, fatigue and tremor can all make shopping for, preparing or eating food more difficult. And your appetite can also be affected by stress, anxiety and depression, as well as certain drug treatments.
Wine's ability to ease inflammation may help slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in some cases, according to a study by researchers from neurology and psychology clinics in Belgium. The team found that patients who suffer from the so-called relapse form of MS and also drank wine had less severe symptoms.
MS involves relapse and remission
A remission can last for weeks, months, or, in some cases, years. But remission doesn't mean you no longer have MS. MS medications can help reduce the chances of developing new symptoms, but you still have MS. Symptoms will likely return at some point.
People with MS can benefit from at least 30 minutes of physical activity at least three days a week. For someone with MS , exercise that's too aggressive can bring on severe fatigue and injury and exacerbate symptoms.
Higher levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), and with reduced clinical activity in established MS, including decreased risk of relapse and reduction in disease activity on brain MRI [1, 2].
High doses of other vitamins can antagonize your immune-modulating, immunosuppressive therapies used to manage MS. Supplements that stimulate the immune system should be avoided in high doses. Those include selenium, zinc, B1, B2, folic acid, B6, vitamin A, biotin, magnesium, copper, and manganese.
Quality sleep is important to maintaining overall health and wellness but sometimes it's hard to get. Lack of restful sleep can cause daytime drowsiness and make some MS symptoms feel worse.
MS is not directly inherited from parent to child. There's no single gene that causes it. Over 200 genes might affect your chances of getting MS. But genes are only part of the story.
Although the person with MS knows from their experience that their MS symptoms started after or alongside a stressful period of time, there is no direct evidence that stress causes MS — although it might trigger it.
MS is not an inherited disease, meaning it is not a disease that is passed down from generation to generation. However, in MS there is genetic risk that may be inherited. In the general population, the risk of developing MS is about 1 in 750 - 1000.
Average life span of 25 to 35 years after the diagnosis of MS is made are often stated. Some of the most common causes of death in MS patients are secondary complications resulting from immobility, chronic urinary tract infections, compromised swallowing and breathing.
Although MS is a chronic condition, there are some ways to manage it with drugs and lifestyle changes. There is no complete cure or prevention method, but diet, exercise, medications, and early detection can go a long way in slowing its progression.