fatigue

Expert Voices: Exercising effectively, safely with multiple sclerosis

In this installment of our ā€œExpert Voicesā€ series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Mandy Rohrig to answer some of your questions about how to make exercise effective and safe for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mandy Rohrig graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a bachelor of science in…

Living With MS: ‘That Was the Week That Was’ Truly Awful

Monday Unlike Prince, my Monday wasnā€™t manic. It was barreling along quite sedately until my wife, Jane, casually noted, “Remember, youā€™ve got a dental appointment on Wednesday morning.” Er, no, I hadnā€™t remembered. It was somewhat churlish of me, as Iā€™d been waiting for this appointment for nigh on…

UK Study: Fatigue Often Influences Quality of Life in MS

Fatigue is a common symptom among people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), and has a significant negative impact on physical and psychological function, as well as quality of life, a U.K. study reported. Citing the study as the “largest study on fatigue in MS from U.K.,” Ā researchers emphasized that…

Why I’m Giving 3 MS Medications Another Try

Over the many years I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis (MS), I’ve used several medications to treat my MS symptoms. Some have helped, some haven’t, and some worked at first but then lost their efficacy. I recently returned to three of them that I’d stopped using for various reasons.

NICE Updates Its Guidelines for MS Management

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England has updated its guidelines for the diagnosis and management of adults with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Called Multiple sclerosis in adults: management, the new guidelines update and replace the 2014 recommendations and are meant to be followed by…

RRMS Put Woman on Path Toward ‘Paying It Forward’

Erin Stevensonā€™s doctor laughed when she asked him 13 years ago if the vertigo she felt while training for a first 100-mile bike ride could be related to her motherā€™s multiple sclerosis (MS). MS isn’t a genetic disease, but Stevenson managed to persuade the doctor to schedule a brain…

We Have to Make the Effort to Care

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is hard. I know this is hardly a revelation, especially to those of us who struggle with it on the daily, but I felt like it needed to be said. I was scanning through articles on this site recently, seeing what my fellow…

Keto Diet Improved Life Quality of RRMS Patients in Trial

Eating a ketogenic diet ā€” one low in carbohydrates and high in fats ā€” led to markedly less fatigue and depression for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a small clinical trial that was designed to assess the tolerability of the dietary intervention. Measures of disability and quality…

The Building Blocks of Becoming a Busy Bee

ā€œSerendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.ā€ ā€” Lawrence Block When the world was thrown into lockdown at the dawn of COVID-19, I was already an old hand at functioning…

Irisin Hormone May Underlie Benefits of Aerobic Exercise for RRMS

Six weeks of aerobic exercise led to benefits in cognition, fatigue, and depression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which may be due to increases in blood levels of a hormone called irisin, according to data from a randomized, controlled trial. “Considering the high prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms…

Ketogenic Diet Eases Symptoms, Aids Life Quality in Small RRMS Study

A short-term ketogenic diet, which dramatically cuts carbohydrate consumption, is safe and results in significant improvements in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a small study in patients reported. ā€œOur study provides evidence that a ketogenic diet is safe and beneficial, reducing some symptoms for people with MS, when…

The Double-edged Sword of Fatigue Medications

ā€œI close my eyes/ Only for a moment then the momentā€™s gone/ All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity.ā€ ā€” Kansas, “Dust in the Wind”Ā  The dark cloud of fatigue first swept through my mind toward the end of 2018. I was no stranger to physical fatigue,…

The Furious Fire of Heat Sensitivity

“In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix must first burn.ā€ ā€” Octavia E. Butler You know that feeling of waking up in a strange place, and it takes a second to remember where you are? Imagine that coupled with not being able to move from the neck…

The Jagged Edges of My Altered Reality

“You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming?ā€ ā€” James Matthew Barrie Being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis significantly changed my perception of myself and the surrounding world. This drastic shift has been overwhelming and difficult to accept in many ways. The…

MS Hiker Laces Up Her Boots for Appalachian Trail

Reservations at a base lodge have been made, and a starting date is circled on her calendar. MS hiker April Hester is ready to start up the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S. It’s always an uphill hike for April, even when the trail is flat. She was diagnosed with…

Recovering the Parts That MS Stole From Me

ā€œWho in the world am I? Ah, that is the great puzzle.ā€ ā€” “Aliceā€™s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carrol Jan. 9 was my 31st birthday. I remember looking outside, watching the low January sun glisten on the frosty ground as its orange haze thawed the earth. I liken this…

Cognition-targeted Exercise May Boost CBTā€™s Easing of Fatigue

Cognition-targeting exercise, when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ā€” a type of talk therapy ā€” may further ease fatigue and other symptoms in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study found. The study, ā€œThe added value of cognition-targeted exercise versus symptom-targeted exercise for multiple sclerosis fatigue: A randomized…

OTC Melatonin Improves Sleep Quality in MS Patients, Trial Finds

Taking the hormone melatonin may increase overall sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a clinical trial found. The compound, available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, was particularly effective at extending sleep time in patients. Of note, sleep time decreased with age, meaning that ā€œyounger participants may have…

Do What You Can Do (And No More)

I donā€™t know about you, but last week passed in a blur. I typically enjoy Thanksgiving, but this year, things were a little wonky. My husbandā€™s grandfather passed away a month or so ago, so we werenā€™t about to ask his grandmother to prepare anything. My mother-in-law and I decided…

Itā€™s Just One of Those MS ‘Snow Days’

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” Dylan Thomas wrote in his famous poem about us humans fighting, against all odds, the inevitable moment of death. Oh, yes, I went there. I’m starting with the dark and seeing if I can pull it back with a swath of…