Does Stress Play a Part in MS Relapses?

Stress and MS

When you or someone that you care about is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, it is natural to want to do some research in several areas concerning the disease. Among the most important categories are the causes of multiple sclerosis, the likely manifestations of the symptoms of the disease and possible treatments. In this article, we are going to take a look at one consideration when it comes to the exacerbation of multiple sclerosis attacks, stress on the individual MS sufferer.

In 2003, Dutch researchers conducted an experiment in the hopes of determining whether or not stress played a part in the relapses of victims of multiple sclerosis. Although the research only centered around 73 patients, the results were enough for the researchers to conclude that stress probably did play a part in the occurrence of MS relapses. In the past five years, additional studies tend to support the findings of the original report.

What is stress?

Unfortunately, stress will be a part of life for any person no matter where you live or what you do for a living (including nothing). Individuals with families and friends can count on stress from a number of different areas, including raising children, concerns for the future, or the death of someone close to them. Naturally, a positive diagnosis of multiple sclerosis will add an additional stress factor to the life of the patient as concerns for the future increase, resulting in a vicious cycle.

Dealing with Stress

For the friends or family members of the MS patient, therefore, it becomes very important to avoid causing stress to the person in question. This may be particularly difficult for spouses of MS patients, but one of the keys is to address any issues in as calm a manner as possible. In fact, being very careful about how you cause stress in the life of someone else may lead you into better ways of dealing with this inevitable occurrence in your own life.

For those who have been diagnosed with MS, the issue of stress becomes one of avoidance and proper handling. The odds are that you will still have to work for a living and that you will have a family, so stress will be inevitable. The important thing to remember is that you need to acknowledge that stress is there and deal with it accordingly. Keep your priorities right according to your values; for most people, this will mean that family does come first, after a job. When stress does arise, try to deal with it using combinations of counselling and traditional treatments such as massage and so on.

Stress is one trigger when it comes to relapses of multiple sclerosis, but a relapse is not always inevitable. Recognizing and acknowledging known stressors and dealing with them accordingly are great ways to minimize their impact on symptoms. Remember that good communication with those around you, particularly your family, will be very important when it comes to dealing with stress and MS.

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