MS=Multiple Sclerosis is a long-lasting disease that can affect your brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in your eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions.

The effects are often different for everyone who has the disease. Some people have mild symptoms and don’t need treatment. Others will have trouble getting around and doing daily tasks.

MS happens when your immune system attacks a fatty material called myelin, which wraps around your nerve fibers to protect them-an outer shell. Without this outer shell, your nerves become damaged. Scar tissue may form and transmission of signals from brain to the nerve endings with messages to do functions are obstructed in allowing the body to do functions.

Your nerves are the channels from the brain to the muscle it is going to.  Understand that when your a fetus the brain first grows, and than the spinal cord continues to grow from the brain.  They are both the same tissue.  In MS this damage means your brain can’t send signals through your body correctly. Your nerves also don’t work as they should to help you move and feel.  In multiple sclerosis (MS), the body’s immune system T cells attack the myelin sheath that protects the nerve fibers. The T cells either partially or completely strip the myelin off the fibers, leaving the nerves unprotected and uninsulated. Due to patches of the myelin sheath in your nerves unable to give messages so sensation and movement that the brain controls in the CNS is destroyed.  Ending line making the mobility of the patient destroyed.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and nerves throughout the body.

It can be a challenge for doctors to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). There’s no one test that can definitely show if someone has it. And there are many conditions with symptoms that can seem like MS.

But a neurologist who specializes in treating the disease should be able to look into how you’re feeling and help you figure out if your symptoms mean you have MS or another problem.

The causes of MS – Multiple Sclerosis:

Doctors don’t know for sure what causes MS, but there are many things that seem to make the disease more likely.

People with certain genes may have higher chances of getting it.

Smoking also may raise the risk.

Some people may get MS after they’ve had a viral infection — like the Epstein-Barr virus or the human herpesvirus 6 — that makes their immune system stop working normally. The infection may trigger the disease or cause relapses. Scientists are studying the link between viruses and MS, but they don’t have a clear answer yet.

Some studies even suggest that vitamin D, which you can get from sunlight, may strengthen your immune system and protect you from MS.

Some people with higher chances of getting the disease move to sunnier regions seem to lower their risk; like my cousin from the NJ to South Carolina.

There are no specific tests for MS. Instead, a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis often relies on ruling out other conditions that might produce similar signs and symptoms, known as a differential diagnosis.

Diagnostic Tooling done for ruling out multiple sclerosis is:

*Imaging tests, like an MRI– to take a closer look at your brain. Magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to image the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body in both health and disease. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, radio waves, and field gradients to form images of the body.

MRIs can reveal areas of MS (lesions) on your brain and spinal cord. You may receive an intravenous injection of a contrast material to highlight lesions that indicate your disease is in an active phase.

*Spinal taps, also called lumbar punctures, to check the fluid that runs through your spinal column  When doctors do this test, they’re looking closely at the fluid in your spine, called cerebrospinal fluid, for higher levels of proteins and other substances that are signs of the disease. These can be helpful in diagnosing MS, but they’re not absolute proof of the condition. Your doctor can tell you if you need to have a spinal tap

*Electrical tests, called evoked potentials, to see if MS has affected your nerve pathways.   Electrical tests of your nerves, called evoked potentials, can help doctors confirm if the condition has affected the parts of your brain that help you see, hear, and feel. Your doctor will place wires on your scalp to test your brain’s response as you watch a pattern on a video screen, hear a series of clicks, or get electrical pulses on your arm or leg.

The MD record the electrical signals produced by your nervous system in response to stimuli. An evoked potential test may use visual stimuli or electrical stimuli, in which you watch a moving visual pattern, or short electrical impulses are applied to nerves in your legs or arms. Electrodes measure how quickly the information travels down your nerve pathways.

*Blood tests. Tests to check for specific biomarkers associated with MS are currently under development and may also aid in diagnosing the disease.

*Evoked potential tests.  Which record the electrical signals produced by your nervous system in response to stimuli. An evoked potential test may use visual stimuli or electrical stimuli. In these tests, you watch a moving visual pattern, or short electrical impulses are applied to nerves in your legs or arms. Electrodes measure how quickly the information travels down your nerve pathways.

Stayed tune to Part II tomorrow regarding signs/symptoms!

Updated 3/16/2023

“The United States is undergoing an epidemic of deaths caused by prescription drug overdoses. Every 19 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an unintentional prescription drug overdose. One major contributing factor to the rise in such deaths is the increased use of opioid analgesics.

Marijuana use, which is prevalent among youth, has been shown to interfere with short-term memory, learning, and psychomotor skills. Motivation and psychosexual/emotional development also may be affected. 

Early adolescent marijuana use increases the risk in late adolescence of not graduating from high school, delinquency, having multiple sexual partners, and not always using condoms.In addition, early adolescent marijuana use is related to later adolescent problems that limit the acquisition of skills necessary for employment and heighten the risks of contracting HIV and abusing legal and illegal substances. 

Any illicit drug use by adolescents can have immediate and long-term health and social consequences. Overall, mental health problems including depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal, conduct problems, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, suicide, and other psychosocial dysfunctions are frequently linked to substance abuse among adolescents. Drug abuse has been shown to increase the likelihood of psychiatric disorders. 

Abuse of specific drugs exposes users to a range of serious consequences. Cocaine use is linked with health problems including eating disorders, disabilities, and death from heart attacks and strokes. Hallucinogens can affect brain chemistry and result in problems with learning new information and memory. Methamphetamine can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, and damage to the small blood vessels in the brain that can lead to stroke. Heroin use can result in slow and shallow breathing, convulsions, coma, and even death.”.

National Drug Intelligence Center (https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs11/12430/index.htm#significant)

“The following facts on data by American Addiction Centers:

• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017.¹
• Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder.¹
• About 38% of adults in 2017 battled an illicit drug use disorder.¹
• That same year, 1 out of every 8 adults struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously.¹
• In 2017, 8.5 million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders.¹
• Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs.²

American Addiction Centers (https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/addiction-statistics)

“

“Drug addiction is one of the most prevalent health-related issues that Americans of all demographics currently face. Drug addiction is a non-discriminatory disease, and it can affect anyone regardless of their sex, gender, age, occupation or current economic standing. The consequences associated with drug abuse are far-reaching and vary significantly depending on the type of chemical substance involved. Some consistent consequences, however, include interpersonal problems, issues at work or school, legal issues, financial insecurity, a range of health-related complications and a rapid deterioration of all other areas of life.

According to a recent study published by the National Institute of Health, it is estimated that 10 percent of all Americans have struggled with a drug abuse disorder of some severity at least once during their lifetimes. Sadly, of these men, women and adolescents, 75 percent reported that they did not seek or receive the professional drug addiction treatment they required. Ten percent of American men and women equate to roughly 23 million individuals.”

Princeton Detox and Recovery Center (https://www.princetondetox.com/10-facts-about-drug-addiction/?swp=drug%20and%20alcohol&campaign=173086)

As the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use are both on the rise in the United States, people are not necessarily using alcohol less and may be unaware of the risks of combining alcohol and marijuana, according to researchers.

A new study from Penn State found that compared to people who only drank alcohol, those who used alcohol and marijuana simultaneously were more likely to drink heavier and more often. They were also more likely to experience alcohol-related problems — like impulsive actions they later regretted.

“The results suggest that individuals who simultaneously use alcohol and marijuana are at a disproportionately higher risk for heavy, frequent and problematic substance use,” said Ashley Linden-Carmichael, assistant research professor at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State.

The researchers said the findings — recently published in the journal Substance Use and Misuse — also suggest that prevention and intervention programs should take into account not just alcohol, but also if people are using additional substances, as well.

“Right now, a lot of campus programs focus on whether students are drinking, and while sometimes they are asked about other substances, it’s not necessarily whether they’re using these substances simultaneously,” Linden-Carmichael said. “I think we do need to be asking about whether they’re drinking in combination with other drugs, and educating students about how that exacerbates their risk.”

According to the researchers, marijuana use is at an all-time high among young adults in the U.S., possibly leading to people using marijuana and alcohol simultaneously.

“The problem with simultaneous use is that it can affect people cognitively and perceptually, and also have an impact on motor impairment,” Linden-Carmichael said. “There is a burgeoning area of research that is examining why people are using marijuana and alcohol together and what those effects are.”

Healthline states When it comes to drugs, alcohol and weed are among the most commonly used substances. But what really happens when they team up?   Occasionally mixing alcohol and weed — also known as crossfading — likely won’t lead to major health problems. But there are a lot of variables to consider, including which one you use first and how you consume them.  If you aren’t careful, the duo can lead to a case of the spins or a green out, two reactions that can turn a fun night out into a nauseated night in.  It’s also important to remember that people can have very different reactions to the same mix of alcohol and weed. If you’re out in a group, one person’s reaction might be very different than yours.

Drinking before using weed can intensify weed’s effects. This is because alcohol increases the absorption of weed’s main psychoactive ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

This generally results in a stronger high. While this might be nice for some folks, it can cause others to green out. This refers to a range of unpleasant physical symptoms that can result from a strong high.

Symptoms of a green out include:

• sweating
• dizziness
• nausea
• vomiting

“Balance” is the latest word on heart-healthy eating, according to the American Heart Association Scientific Statement that encourages people to adapt broad eating habits instead of focusing on single foods — and it’s not one size fits all.

“The World Sleep Society’s annual World Sleep Day is being held on Friday 17 March. This year’s theme is Sleep is Essential for Health.

Sleep is an essential, core pillar of health and is often under-valued and poorly understood. It’s as important as diet and exercise. The Sleep Health Foundation aims to raise the awareness of the importance of sleep and The World Sleep Society’s annual World Sleep Day is a great opportunity to do this.”

Sleep Health Foundation (https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/key-events/world-sleep-day-2023.html)

“Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. So what does this mean? When it comes to sleep, can you have too much of a good thing? It’s true a good night’s sleep is essential for health. But oversleeping has been linked to a host of medical problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and increased risk of death.  Know diabetes and heart disease can be linked to obese.

WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/physical-side-effects-oversleeping)

When awake, most people exhibit the brain wave patterns that can be classified into two types of waves, beta and alpha. Beta waves are those associated with day to day wakefulness. These waves are the highest in frequency and lowest in amplitude, and also more desynchronous than other waves. That is, the waves are not very consistent in their pattern. This desynchrony makes sense given that day to day mental activity consists of many cognitive, sensory, and motor activities and experiences, and, thus, when awake, we are mentally desynchronous as well. During periods of relaxation, while still awake, our brain waves become slower, increase in amplitude and become more synchronous. These types of waves are called alpha waves. For example, such brain waves are often associated with states of relaxation and peacefulness during meditation and biofeedback.

The first stage of sleep is characterized by theta waves, which are even slower in frequency and greater in amplitude than alpha waves. The difference between relaxation and stage 1 sleep is gradual and subtle. As the sleeper moves to stage 2 sleep theta wave activity continues, interspersed with two unusual wave phenomena. These phenomena, which occur periodically every minute or so, and are defining characteristics of stage 2 sleep, are termed sleep spindles and K complexes. The former is a sudden increase in wave frequency, and the latter is a sudden increase in wave amplitude. Stages 1 and 2 are relatively “light” stages of sleep. In fact, if someone is awoken during one of these stages, he or she will often report no being asleep at all.

Stage 1 is light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In this stage, the eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. During this stage, many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling. The first stage of sleep is characterized by theta waves, which are even slower in frequency and greater in amplitude than alpha waves. The difference between relaxation and stage 1 sleep is gradual and subtle. As the sleeper moves to stage 2 sleep theta wave activity continues, interspersed with two unusual wave phenomena. These phenomena, which occur periodically every minute or so, and are defining characteristics of stage 2 sleep, are termed sleep spindles and K complexes. The former is a sudden increase in wave frequency, and the latter is a sudden increase in wave amplitude. Stages 1 and 2 are relatively “light” stages of sleep. In fact, if someone is awoken during one of these stages, he or she will often report not being asleep at all.

In stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves.

When a person enters stage 3, extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.

In stage 4, the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively.

Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep or delta sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone from them. In deep sleep, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. This is when some children experience bedwetting, sleepwalking or night terrors. In 2008 the sleep profession in the US eliminated the use of stage 4. Stages 3 and 4 are now considered stage 3 by them.

Slow wave sleep comes mostly in the first half of the night, REM in the second half.  Waking may occur after REM.  If the waking period is long enough, the person may remember it the next morning.  Short awakenings may disappear with amnesia.

In the REM period, breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed. Brain waves during this stage increase to levels experienced when a person is awake. Also, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, males develop erections and the body loses some of the ability to regulate its temperature. This is the time when most dreams occur, and, if awoken during REM sleep, a person can remember the dreams. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep each night.

Infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep. Adults spend nearly half of sleep time in stage 2, about 20% in REM and the other 30% is divided between the other three stages. Older adults spend progressively less time in REM sleep.

“Sleep quality is different from sleep quantity. Sleep quantity measures how much sleep you get each night, while sleep quality measures how well you sleep.

Measuring sleep quantity is simple, as it’s quick to determine if you’re getting the recommended amount of sleep per night (usually defined as 7-9 hours for adults). Measuring sleep quality is a little more of an art than a science. Generally, good sleep quality is defined by the following characteristics:

• You fall asleep soon after getting into bed, within 30 minutes or less.
• You typically sleep straight through the night, waking up no more than once per night.
• You’re able to sleep the recommended amount of hours for your age group.
• You fall back asleep within 20 minutes if you do wake up.
• You feel rested, restored, and energized upon waking up in the morning.”.

Sleep Foundation (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/how-to-determine-poor-quality-sleep)