heat sensitivity

Abnormal perceptions of discomfort and fatigue likely play a role in causing increased heat and cold sensitivity to extreme temperatures among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. However, the results suggest that MS does not generally affect how the body regulates its own temperature. “Our findings…

It was a glorious summer for those of us lucky enough not to be engulfed by forest fires, face crop destruction by severe drought, or have to manage the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS), which are exacerbated by crippling heat. Over 60% of people with MS say…

AM radio is infamous for bad reception, resulting in nothing but static. You can search the dial frequency by frequency, and it’s all static. Occasionally you will cross a station, but then the car moves, and the reception is lost again. When I’m overwhelmed with the heat, that’s what…

The last few months have been a bit stressful, to say the least, and with the thousand and one worries and distractions I was facing, I couldn’t help but think of the opening lines of a William Wordsworth poem: “The world is too much with us; late and…

“In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix must first burn.” — 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…

ThermApparel is observing Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month by  celebrating the fourth anniversary of its cooling vest, designed for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and others with extreme sensitivity to heat. “Our mission was to provide customers with a state-of-the-art cooling vest that looks and feels great, and is extremely fashionable,” Kurtis…

Wearing a cooling vest significantly improved the time and distance walked under conditions that can provoke heat sensitivity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study. The study, “Effects of a cooling vest with sham condition on walking capacity in heat-sensitive people with…

It’s 1 p.m. in the U.K., and it’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I can hardly move due to the heat. My left hand is typing this. The rest of my body has shut down. Tomorrow is forecast to be the hottest July day in recorded history in the U.K. I had set…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “Has anyone tried one of these cooling vests?“ from April 18, 2018. What is…

I am a hot mess. No, really, I am a hot, sweaty, gel-pack-laden mess. My AC kicked it three hours ago, three hours before Orange County hit a record 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Mother Nature is drunk. And I am getting warmer. Heat is kryptonite to anyone with multiple sclerosis…

The MS Focus: Multiple Sclerosis Foundation will be accepting applications through June for its Cooling Program, which provides cooling garments to multiple sclerosis patients whose condition has left them heat-sensitive. Although 60 to 80 percent of patients are heat-sensitive, there were no MS-specific cooling garments on the U.S. market until…

It’s definitely autumn here in the Pacific Northwest. Misty, gray mornings give way to breezy sunshine in the afternoon … for a couple of hours anyway, until the evening rain arrives. This is the time of year that the weather forecasters compete to see who can come up with…

Many people voiced their concerns to me about anyone with MS moving to live in a sunny climate. That worry is understandable. With a disease that includes heat sensitivity, where even a hot shower can make you worse, how can any MS patient move to live in an area where…