MS Strength

Having a stressful disease like multiple sclerosis can cause racing thoughts, anxiety, and loss of inner focus. I often find myself worrying too much about the future, which is not yet carved in stone. And I also find myself not enjoying the present moment, which can bring serenity and an awareness of beauty and the preciousness of life. The following meditation techniques are short and simple, and they can restore needed peace of mind and focus on the present moment.

Mindfulness Meditation

A form of meditation that brings the participant into the present, calming moment is mindfulness meditation. Participants can access this present-mind status by concentrating on their current breathing.

The process of mindfulness meditation is simple. As a person becomes mindful of his or her surroundings (sights, sounds, smells), he or she settles into a comfortable spot and becomes aware of the breathing process. The mind relaxes and focuses on this breathing as the outside world disappears. Slower, relaxed breathing is helpful for heart rate, digestion, blood pressure, and anxiety. Distracting thoughts are squelched with the promise of addressing them later.

This practice and all of the other meditation practices can range from 5-15 minutes, and are most helpful if done two times a day.

Journey Meditation

This form of meditation involves visualization. The participant imagines a peaceful, relaxing scene in his or her mind, including sounds and smells. Relaxation sets in as the meditator concentrates on this peaceful image, such as a beach, a forest, a farm, and so on.

Practicing journey meditation involves sitting in a comfortable spot and resting hands on the knees or thighs. Several slow breaths clear the mind as the meditator imagines a serene image. The focus on this scene banishes worries as relaxation and tranquility set in.

Movement Meditation

This form of meditation, which involves movement, can include yoga and tai chi stances. It helps to draw in good energy and cast out bad, stale energy.

To practice movement meditation, cleanse the body with a few initial deep breaths. Then take a comfortable stance or sitting position and concentrate on flowing, fluid movements of your choice, such as opening the arms or stretching out the legs. This meditation focuses on the movements that the body makes, and it is great for stiff, painful joints or sore muscles.

Vibrational or Sounding Meditation

This type of meditation has been seen in movies and on television. It employs the use of a repetitive sound or word; essentially it is a form of chanting. The word “vibrational” comes from the movements or vibrations of the vocal cords.

To practice vibrational/sounding meditation, pick a comfy spot and sit or stand. Cleanse the mind with several deep breaths. Then select a word that appeals to you. A good choice would be one that is multi-syllabled and calming, such as “peacefulness.” Short sounds like “ah” or “ohm” also work. Chant the word and focus on it, letting the outside world fade into the distance.

• Reference: MotherNature.com
• For more information about meditating and relaxing, visit The Mayo Clinic

Like any chronic illness, multiple sclerosis can cause depression. People who never thought they could be down in the dumps find themselves helpless against the despair that illness can bring. Chronic neurological illnesses, including MS, can have frightening symptoms, such as seizures, loss of motor functionings, fluctuating mental capacities, or odd sensory perceptions.

At the same time, studies have shown that depression can come from the disease itself. And what about interferon medications? Do they bring about the blues? With so many factors contributing to depression, it’s a big question whether MS depression specifically comes from the disease itself (organic), from the stress of being chronically ill, or even from one of the disease-modifying medications (situational.) And can the depression stem from a combination of these things?

Organic Depression

Doctors believe that multiple sclerosis depression can be caused by the illness itself. Apparently, inflammation and myelin scarring can form in areas of the brain that control emotions. Just like other symptoms that come and go at whim, depression can strike for no reason— a person may not be experiencing any other symptoms, an acute attack, or traumatic stress in his or her life. Many people with multiple sclerosis experience depression at some point during the disease. Lots of these people battle chronic depression. Chronic depression with MS can be the result of attacks that have caused inflammation and nerve damage, and this depression becomes a chronic symptom, much like tingling or numbness.

Situational Depression

On the other hand, MS depression can be caused by external circumstances that induce it. A primary depression trigger is dealing with the stress and uncertainty of chronic illness. People with multiple sclerosis must handle recurring symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, and/or pain. This interferes with jobs (for those who can work outside the home) and personal lives. Those unable to work outside the home deal with isolation. Then there’s the uncertainty of the future. Will there be more attacks? Will they be more severe? When will they strike? For all of these reasons, multiple sclerosis depression can set in and take hold.

Another situational depression factor is the use of some of the disease-modifying drugs. These include Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif. All of these drugs are called interferons, and all have the capability of causing depression. The drugs can reduce seretonin levels in the brain, causing the blues. Not everyone experiences this side-effect, so it would be hard to say if a user’s depression definitely came from one of these drugs.

Conclusion

With several factors possibly contributing to depression, the source(s) cannot be 100% determined. Whatever the reason for multiple sclerosis depression, it is real and it can be treated. Whether organic or situational or a combination of the two, it can be helped in order to better cope with chronic illness. Taking the bull by the horns allows for a more fulfilling, happier life, despite having MS.

• Reference: NMSS.org
• Article originally published by Jen at Suite101.com on October 5, 2006
• For further information and help for MS depression, visit The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, WebMD, and Merely Me @ My Depression Connection.com.

Multiple sclerosis has been around for ages, but only within the past two hundred years has it been correctly identified and extensively researched in order to bring about a world free of its ravages. Here are pivotal moments in the short timeline of multiple sclerosis knowledge:

1838: doctors’ autopsy drawings show changes in brain tissues, but MS is not yet identified

1868: A French neurologist, Dr. Jean Martin Charcot, tracks several patients with neurological symptoms such as tremors, slurred speech, walking difficulties, and muscle spasms. He examines one particular patient’s brain after her death and discovers multiple sclerosis “plaques” or scarring along nerve pathways.

1878: myelin, the protective covering of the nerves, is discovered by a Dr. Ranvier

1919: abnormalities in spinal fluid are discovered

1928: the cells that make myelin, oligodendrocytes, are discovered

1935: Dr. Thomas Rivers (U.S.) demonstrates an MS-like illness in rats when he injects them with healthy myelin and it produces an autoimmune reaction much like multiple sclerosis in the subjects. The animal variety of MS is called experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, or EAE. This opens up the idea that MS is caused by an incorrect autoimmune response, not soley by a viral or bacterial infection.

1946: the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is started in the U.S. by Sylvia Lawry, a woman whose brother has the disease

1948: oligoclonal bands are discovered in spinal fluid and they become a criterion for positive multiple sclerosis diagnosis

1965: a correlation between elevated white blood cells and MS activity is made

Read the rest of this entry »