MS is a complex disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord.
While the exact cause is unknown, experts believe the body’s immune system abnormally attacks the central nervous system causing damage to the myelin. This disrupts communication to and from the brain, according to the
Common MS symptoms include memory problems, weakness, vision problems, fatigue, pain, numbness, tingling, walking difficulties, and mood changes that generally become more severe over time.
But a healthy lifestyle combined with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) may help reduce symptoms and slow disease progression for some people with MS.
There are four basic disease courses of MS:
- clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)
- relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)
- secondary progressive MS (SPMS)
- primary progressive MS (PPMS)
How the disease progresses is dependent on the course.
People with RRMS generally have relapses with periods of remission in between. When RRMS progresses or gets worse, you may develop SPMS, which is more aggressive and features a progressive worsening of neurologic function over time.
About 15 percent of people with MS will be diagnosed with PPMS, which features a slow and steady disease progression with no remission periods.
Although lifestyle changes alone won’t stop disease progression, they may help reduce symptoms, lower the number of relapses, and improve overall health for some people.
With that in mind, here are six practical tips that you can incorporate into your life to help slow the progression of MS.