energy

I was introduced to the spoon theory not long ago in a graduate school class. The spoon theory, created by lupus patient Christine Miserandino, utilizes a kitchen utensil to illustrate the energy budget of a person living with a disability or chronic illness, which helps quantify…

While most people dread the longer nights of autumn and winter, I embrace every single minute of darkness added as we crawl toward the longest night of the year. As darkness takes over, that’s my cue to gather up all the energy I expended during spring and summer to…

Desiree Lama often experiences fluctuating energy levels due to her MS, which can make it especially challenging to balance both school responsibilities and work commitments.

An energy management education program combined with high-intensity exercise during a three-week inpatient rehabilitation program didn’t lead to quality of life gains for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue over usual care, but it did offer some benefit. In the months after the program, better cardiorespiratory fitness, gains in…

“She smelled amazing!” I commented to my oblivious husband as we walked our muddy dog back home after our daily walk. “Did you smell that lady as she walked past us?”  Unfortunately, the lady was too far gone for me to awkwardly run up and ask…

Molecules in the blood of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients promote a pro-inflammatory state and impair the metabolism and integrity of the blood-brain barrier, a study suggests. In MS, the disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) — a highly selective and protective membrane — allows immune cells to reach the central nervous…

Immune system cells can either trigger or suppress inflammation by controlling mitochondrial respiration — the process that occurs in mitochondria, the cells’ powerhouses, and results in the production of usable energy by cells — according to a recent study. This discovery raises the possibility that…

Clene Nanomedicine‘s remyelination therapy candidate, CNM-Au8, showed a “robust” ability to stimulate the production of new myelin and increase the number of myelin-wrapped nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord of animals in models of demyelinating disease, allowing mice to recover motor skills, a study reports.

Research finds that a deficiency of B vitamins may play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. On the other hand, supplementation of the vitamins may help. There are eight essential B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. The large variety can be confusing when…

Even when a major holiday isn’t scheduled in a calendar month, I’m a pretty busy lady. I work a full-time job that requires me to be present and “on” most of every day. I also have to deal with Atlanta traffic, which is physically and mentally exhausting. I’m a…

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), the type of stem cells present in many tissues of adults, may be manipulated to fight inflammation and used as a cell therapy to treat inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. In the future, researchers plan to use animal models to…

Asking for assistance is not my favorite thing to do. But frequently, I do ask. The extra help aids in conserving my energy. Some people may feel my energy conservation requests resemble a lazy scam of sorts but, honestly, it’s not. When I ask for a drink of water or…

Aug. 1 was a busy day around our house. Backpacks needed to be loaded up, breakfasts consumed, pictures taken, and shoes tied tightly before the bus arrived. Yes, it was the first day of school. (I could talk about how ridiculous it is for kids to be going back to…

It’s 3:15 p.m. U.K. time on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. My deadline for this column is actually 3 p.m. Gone are the days of blaming the dog for eating my homework; it’s only in the last few minutes that I’ve actually been able to move a bit. From 8:30…

I could be in a fancy restaurant in central London rather than sitting at home writing this. Don’t feel sorry for me, I chose to stay in. The Christmas month of December is very hard. Extreme partying is allied with extreme levels of work. In my game, they are as…

Many of us with multiple sclerosis have heard the saying, “I go to bed wired and wake up tired.” This is quite accurate, as fatigue is one of the most prevalent aspects of living with MS. So often I hear from well-meaning individuals who,…

Does your MS fatigue and energy need a boost? I know mine does; having multiple sclerosis drains my battery very quickly. Add to that a terrible cold I had recently, and my fatigue has doubled, and my energy has left the building! While looking for a magic…

A research team recently showed that key enzymes of energy metabolism pathways are differentially expressed in active and inactive multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, and may contribute to axonal degeneration in MS. The study, titled “Differential expression of glucose-metabolizing enzymes in multiple sclerosis lesions,” was published in the…