Acupuncture – A Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis
According to the National MS Society, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. It’s thought to be an autoimmune disease; the body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing the variety of symptoms that can occur.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2000. My energy level hit zero and no matter how much I rested, it didn’t help; lifting my arms was becoming a project. This kind of fatigue is difficult for most people to understand. To put it another way, if I were a car, my gas tank was empty and there was a huge hole in the tank that prevented it from being filled. My doctor advised me to go on Copaxone, an MS medication that can help slow the progression of the disease, but due to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), I resisted. While the MS medications, such as Copaxone, Avenox, and Betaseron can be helpful, they do have many side effects.
Looking for an alternative path to improvement, I decided to investigate acupuncture and herbs. I became a patient of Dr. Henry Zhon-Hong Lee who is a NYS Licensed acupuncturist and also an NCCA DPL Herbalist. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice and Dr. Lee seems to have an innate ability practice it to its fullest potential. The insertion of micro-thin needles at specific points on the body rebalances the body’s energy fields and stimulates its “Chi” energy. Restoring the energy pathways allows the body to relearn its own shortcuts to self-healing. Read the rest of this entry »
Famous People With Multiple Sclerosis
Recent estimates suggest that multiple sclerosis affects at least 300,000 people in the United States and over 1 million worldwide, not surprisingly there are many famous people with multiple sclerosis. Many of them have continued to live long and active lives. Many of them have become ambassadors for multiple sclerosis helping to bring it into the attention of the public, which in turn has been a great help in raising funds for research and treatment.
There are several actors and actresses among the list of famous people with multiple sclerosis, perhaps one of the most memorable is Annette Funicello. America’s most favorite mouseketeer for 4 years in the late 1950s first noticed the symptoms of MS while shooting the film Back to the Beach in 1987. After going public with her condition in 1992 she continued to work until the symptoms became too severe for her to work. In 2002 she was the Ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Walk MS event.
Athletes are also prominent on the list of famous people with multiple sclerosis, former Olympic skier Jimmy Heuga was first noticed the symptoms of MS in 1967 and was diagnosed in 1970. Although this derailed his career as a professional skier he was determined to not let it overcome him. In 1984 he founded the Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis to teach people how to use diet and exercise to reduce the impact of MS on their lives. Read the rest of this entry »
Multiple Sclerosis Support – Resources That Can Offer Some Shiny Days
Where can you get multiple sclerosis support and have some shiny days?
Let me be honest, there is no way you can say ” I know how you feel” to someone with multiple sclerosis unless you have been down the same road.
How then do you find multiple sclerosis support if you are patient or a care giver to someone suffering?
Foremost get a good doctor who can listen and they are are from my experience. A doctors’ room should be a place you can have the time to share it all. You should be listened to even if your fears are unfounded. There is no cure and symptoms are varied. You need great support from your doctor, physical therapists and all your health care provider.
What about support outside the doctors’ office?
Lean on a good friend, if they provide a shoulder. A listening friend who stands by you in such moments is a gem. Choose wisely, find someone who is available and trust worthy and you should also be willing to open up and share.
If you have an access to the internet(you have one if you are reading this). Find an internet MS forum. A good one is MSworld.org. This is a forum run by people with multiple sclerosis. They have a magazine for MS and you are allowed to post comments or ask them questions. I think this is a site to bookmark. Read the rest of this entry »