Multiple Sclerosis news, help, & information.

What Does That Mean, You Have MS?

When my husband was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly four years ago, we were both left with a lot of questions and not that much information.

The neurologist gave us some information that was helpful, but as I turned to the web for more complete information, it soon became clear that, while there are many sights to be found in a generic search, many are confusing to navigate or meant for health professionals, a bit above my medical knowledge and vocabulary.

And what should we make of the sites that say traditional medicine has it all wrong? Learning naturopathic ways presents its own challenge.

This site, therefore, is my attempt to pull that information together and make it available for the average person looking for information about multiple sclerosis.

A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is frightening and confusing. Because MS affects only about 400,000 people in the United States, it doesn’t receive the kind of attention that the more prevalent diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, get.

Many folks studying the disease believe it is under-reported, because it can be present without symptoms bothersome enough to report to a doctor. The symptoms, especially in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, can disappear without treatment, and an outbreak can take any number of forms. It is more likely to be diagnosed after a major event, such as losing sight or particularly difficult balance problems become evident.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed, it’s a pretty good bet that you live in the Northeast or Northwest section of the U.S., or in a northern climate nation (or southern climate below the equator). The incidence of multiples sclerosis increases the further away from the equator we get. It’s also a pretty good bet that you know someone who has the disease.

There are several theories relating to the cause of the disease. But the truth is that a definitive answer has not yet been found. This isn’t a disease tracked by any U.S. agency or local health department. A fact of life is that mounting a tracking system is an expensive proposition.