Stem Cell Therapy for MS Your Complete Guide

Stem Cell Therapy for MS Your Complete Guide

Some health conditions don’t yet have definite cures. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of them. While there is no known cure, several new treatments are emerging that show great potential in treating MS. Stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis can be life-changing. If you struggle with debilitating symptoms and everyday life is painful for you, regenerative medicine may be able to help. Here’s everything you need to know about using stem cell treatments to address MS symptoms. 

Multiple Sclerosis: Causes and Symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is a complex disease that researchers are still studying. Knowing the potential causes and common symptoms can help you monitor your condition and recognize when to seek treatment. 

How MS Develops and What Causes It

Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease. Your immune system starts attacking your nervous system, causing damage over time. Specifically, your immune system degrades the protective coating on your nerves. This coating is called the myelin sheath, and it’s essential for proper nerve function. 

The faulty immune response in patients with MS is triggered by certain environmental factors that turn on specific genes. In other words, you may be genetically predisposed to MS, and certain environments “switch on” the genes that activate the disease. 

Scientists don’t yet know exactly what causes this activation, but it may be related to lifestyle factors. Smokers and people with inflammatory diets are at higher risk for developing this condition. 

Common MS Symptoms 

You may experience a combination of common MS symptoms. Certain symptoms may flare up and then go away for a while. During flare-ups, you’re more likely to experience pain and discomfort. 

The most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include:

  • Numbness and tingling
  • Vertigo
  • Skin conditions
  • Balance problems
  • Difficulty with coordination
  • Problems swallowing
  • Trouble speaking
  • Vision disturbances 
  • Eye pain
  • Seizures
  • Hearing problems or loss
  • Intense nerve pain

Since MS affects your nervous system, it makes sense for it to impair your balance, coordination, and senses. This disease may eventually affect your optic nerve, or the nerves involved in hearing and auditory processing. 

How MS Can Progress Without Treatment

You aren’t doomed to a life of pain and suffering if you’ve been diagnosed with MS. However, it can be a progressive neurodegenerative disease if left untreated. 

Some patients experience a steady progression in sensory and motor problems because of MS. Others will have periodic flare-ups that go away and come back randomly. You may notice that stress, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition trigger flare-ups for you. 

If left completely untreated, the protective coatings on your nerves will start to degrade, and the affected nerves will stop working properly. This is what leads to trouble swallowing, walking, speaking, seeing, and hearing. 

Innovative treatments like stem cell therapy may improve your prognosis with MS. Regenerative medicine may help repair some of the nerve damage caused by your immune responses, addressing the root cause of your symptoms. 

What Is Stem Cell Therapy for MS?

Stem cells are known for their ability to regenerate and repair tissues in the body. In lab environments, stem cells can be “programmed” to develop into the necessary cells needed for wound healing, tissue regeneration, and reducing inflammation. 

These restorative cells can also renew themselves, keeping injured and diseased areas supplied with plenty of stem cells to continue healing and repairing themselves. That’s why stem cell therapy is so potent — once the stem cell repair process starts, it can continue on its own. 

Multiple sclerosis leads to nerve and tissue damage over time, and stem cells may be able to reverse some of that damage. By modulating your immune responses, combating inflammation, and replacing damaged tissues, stem cells can significantly improve your MS symptoms. 

The Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Patients

You have several options when it comes to MS treatments. There are medications and alternative therapies designed to combat MS symptoms and nerve damage. However, stem cell therapy offers unique advantages you should consider before selecting your treatment(s). 

Drug-Free Therapy

Stem cells are not pharmaceutical compounds. They are natural cells every human body produces and keeps around for wound healing and tissue repair. Since this therapy is drug-free, there are fewer risks involved — like medication side effects and allergies. 

Some patients choose to take MS medication in conjunction with stem cell therapy. Only you can decide what treatment routes are best for you. However, if you want to go drug-free, stem cell therapy is a potent option for you. 

Get Behind the Symptoms

Regenerative medicine does more than just mask your symptoms or cover up pain. It gets to the root causes of your MS challenges, including nerve damage and inflammation. By using stem cells to target areas of damage and discomfort, you may be able to improve your future with this disease. 

Innovative Treatments 

Regenerative medicine is at the forefront of medical science. Researchers are learning new information about MS and stem cells every year, and you can be a part of this experience. By choosing stem cell therapy, you get to benefit from the latest advancements in natural healing and recovery. 

Slower Disease Progression

Since MS can be progressive, it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Stem cell therapy may prevent your symptoms from getting worse and debilitating you, as well as improve your future health outcomes with Multiple Sclerosis. Whether you suffer from periodic flare-ups or progressive degeneration, regenerative medicine can help. 

Navigating Your Future With MS

It can be devastating to receive a diagnosis like multiple sclerosis. However, it’s important not to lose hope. As medical science progresses forward, there are new and innovative treatments around every corner. 

Regenerative medicine gives you the opportunity to take advantage of the latest advancements in this area of science and research. You can use it in conjunction with other interventions as specified by your physician

No matter what treatments you choose to battle your MS symptoms, know that you’re never alone. Your condition does not define you. 

Multiple Sclerosis Related Skin Conditions

Multiple Sclerosis Related Skin Conditions

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder that can affect all of your body systems. People suffering from MS often report neurological, muscular, and skin problems as the disease progresses. If you have MS, you may develop puzzling skin symptoms and conditions that need to be addressed. 

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and it may need extra support if you have multiple sclerosis. Learn how MS symptoms and medications can affect your skin in your daily life. 

Why MS Causes Skin Problems

Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative condition that leads to increasing nerve damage over time. As a result, the ways your body experiences pain and physical sensations will change. 

Nerve Degeneration

Some of this is purely neurological. As your nerves experience damage from this condition, they may misfire pain or sensitivity signals within your skin. You could have odd sensations, sensitivity to cold and light touch, and other skin problems. 

Medication Side Effects

Additionally, Multiple sclerosis medications can lead to negative effects on your skin. Some of these prescriptions may irritate or inflame soft tissues in your body. As a result, you may experience infections, lesions, and rashes. 

Common Neurological Skin Symptoms and Problems 

When your nerves aren’t working properly, the way your body senses and responds to external stimuli (like touch) changes. These symptoms are what’s known as neurological skin problems. They don’t directly affect the appearance or texture of your skin, but these issues do impair your daily life. 

Paresthesia

One of the earliest symptoms of Multiple sclerosis is paresthesia. This broad skin sensation can manifest in many different ways. Not everyone who experiences paresthesia has MS, but most MS patients deal with paresthesia at some point. 

Some symptoms of paresthesia include:

  • Numbness
  • Tingling
  • Prickling sensations
  • Burning
  • “Pins and needles” 
  • Tickling sensations
  • Feeling like your skin is “crawling”

These symptoms show up even when nothing is physically touching your skin. Paresthesia is most common in your extremities — fingers, toes, hands, feet, legs, and arms. However, you may experience paresthesia in different spots on your body over time. 

Neuropathic Itch

This skin problem is slightly different from paresthesia. When you develop neuropathic itch, it may feel like nothing will relieve the deep burning itch. Many MS patients struggle with this, and it doesn’t always involve external touches or stimuli. 

Another name for neuropathic itch is pruritus. Even if there’s nothing physical causing the itch, it’s still a real sensation. It can be frustrating when the itch won’t resolve, even if you’ve scratched your skin excessively. 

Skin Sensitivity: Cold, Touch, and More

MS patients experience extreme sensitivity to heat, cold, and touch due to nerve damage. This means even the lightest touch or slightest change in temperature can trigger a strong reaction in your body. 

This makes everyday life difficult for obvious reasons. When you feel extreme pain and aversion to light touch or mild temperatures, it can be difficult to complete tasks and participate in society. 

MS Medication and Skin Problems

Many MS patients have medications prescribed from their physician. However, the side effects aren’t always pleasant, particularly when it comes to your skin. 

There are a wide variety of prescription drugs used to treat MS, so your specific symptoms will depend on what you’re taking. For example, monoclonal antibodies target certain immune cells to reduce the neurodegenerative and inflammatory effects of MS. However, this can irritate your skin and cause other unwanted side effects.  

Here are some of the skin symptoms you may notice after taking MS medications. 

Hives and Rashes

Patchy, itchy spots and raised hives can both stem from MS medications. This is because MS prescriptions deal with your immune system, inflammatory responses, and other bodily processes. These systems can and do interact with your skin, and sometimes, it responds by breaking out in hives or rashes. 

Redness and Flushing

Some oral MS medications cause hot flashes, which make your skin look red and flushed. This is similar to the temporary skin sensations caused by exercise or anxiety. Most flushing sensations go away within 30 minutes of taking your medication, but they can still be a nuisance. 

Skin Lesions

Some injections and infusions that treat MS can lead to skin lesions, which can affect your confidence and comfort. You may notice large or small skin lesions, with some being discolored or bruised. 

Secondary Infections

When you have MS, your immune system constantly works overtime. This can weaken your defenses against secondary infections, like skin infections. 

Scratching weakens your skin barrier, which can allow bacteria to enter your skin matrix and cause infections. If you’re dealing with neuropathic itch, you’re especially at risk. 

Certain MS medications also make you more susceptible to skin infections. Injectable prescriptions carry the risk of exposing bacteria to different layers of your skin. Improper needle use and poor needle hygiene can both result in skin infections. 

You’ll need antibiotic treatments for secondary skin infections, as these are bacterial and won’t go away on their own. Always consult your doctor for help with skin infections. 

Care for Your Body to Reduce Your Skin’s Risk

Having MS is exhausting and can be debilitating. However, practicing physical and emotional self-care whenever possible can be beneficial. Caring for your overall health can reduce the impact MS has on your skin, making it less susceptible to infections and unpleasant symptoms. 

Some forms of self-care for MS patients include:

  • Getting plenty of rest
  • Exercising regularly
  • Journaling
  • Meditating
  • Eating a nutritious diet
  • Doing yoga 
  • Spending time in MS support groups
  • Talk therapy

These are all wonderful strategies for supporting your psychological and physical health when you have MS. 

Be Prepared: Know the Most Common MS-Related Skin Symptoms

You can prepare yourself by learning about what you can expect after an MS diagnosis. MS has many detrimental effects on the body, but you can reduce some of these effects through stress relief and self-care. As you improve your overall well-being, you may notice skin improvements as well. 

10 Most Common Autoimmune Diseases

10 Most Common Autoimmune Diseases

Your body is generally very good at telling what’s a foreign invader, like a virus or bacteria, and what’s not — but sometimes, it gets it wrong. 

If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system has begun to associate parts of your body, like your skin or joints, as foreign. When this occurs, the body releases antibodies that attack those healthy cells. 

Essentially, your immune system overreacts. That’s what leads to autoimmune diseases. There are many of these kinds of illnesses, but some are much more common than others. 

1. Rheumatoid Arthritis: Attacking Your Joints

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which your immune system attacks the joints throughout your body. It attacks the joints on both sides of your body and leads to uncontrolled inflammation that damages cartilage. The joints can begin to deform, and your bones can even erode. 

You can experience symptoms like:

  • Pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Weakness

With rheumatoid arthritis, you can have periods of remission when you have few to no symptoms, but these are followed by flare-ups. 

2. Type One Diabetes: Targeting Insulin-Producing Cells

Your pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which regulates your blood sugar levels. If you have type one diabetes, your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. You can experience symptoms like:

  • Extreme thirst
  • Fatigue
  • Blurred vision
  • Frequent urination
  • Weight loss
  • Vaginal yeast infections
  • Slow healing of sores and cuts

Type one diabetes has a strong genetic component, and there may be certain environmental factors, like viruses or toxins, that can also trigger the disease if you have a predisposition. 

3. Multiple Sclerosis: Damaging Myelin Sheaths

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that damages the coating that surrounds nerve cells. These are called myelin sheaths, and if they’re damaged, the transmission speed of messages between your brain and your spinal cord can be delayed. 

You can experience symptoms like:

  • Muscle weakness
  • Numbness 
  • Changes to your vision
  • Loss of balance
  • Mood changes
  • Trouble with cognitive function

You can experience remission periods in which you may not have any symptoms. 

4. Psoriasis: Leading Skin Cells to Multiple Too Quickly

Usually, skin cells grow and then die off and shed. Psoriasis causes cells to multiply too rapidly, leading to the formation of patches. People who have lighter skin tones can have patches that appear red with white plaque scales, while on darker skin tones, the patches can appear purple or dark brown with gray scales. 

It can cause symptoms like:

  • Raised areas of thick skin
  • Rashes
  • Flaky or scaly plaque 

There are a few types of psoriasis, with some appearing in your skin folds and some even causing pus-filled bumps. 

5. Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Swelling in the Intestinal Wall

Inflammatory bowel disease causes the lining of the intestinal wall to swell. Different parts of your gastrointestinal tract are affected depending on where the inflammation is located. 

Symptoms include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Anemia
  • Malnutrition
  • Weight loss
  • Rectal bleeding
  • Fecal incontinence 

One type of inflammatory bowel disease is Crohn’s disease, which can cause inflammation anywhere along the tract, from your mouth to your anus. Ulcerative colitis, however, affects the lining of the large intestine and rectum. Microscopic colitis causes inflammation that can only be seen via a microscope. 

6. Lupus: Causing Inflammation Throughout Your Body

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack your entire body. Common symptoms include:

  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath
  • Swollen glands
  • Hair loss
  • Fever
  • Rashes
  • Blood clots
  • Confusion

There are a few types of lupus, including lupus that only affects your skin and medication-induced lupus. 

7. Graves’ Disease: Overworking Your Thyroid

This type of immune disease attacks your thyroid gland, leading it to produce too many hormones. This can lead you to experience symptoms like:

  • Fast heartbeat
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Goiter
  • Heat intolerance

Some people who have this condition can experience symptoms that affect the skin or eyes. 

8. Addison’s Disease: Impacting the Adrenal Glands

Addison’s disease is a chronic condition in which your adrenal glands don’t produce enough cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol is a hormone that helps your body respond to stress while also helping you maintain blood pressure, heart function, and more. Aldosterone is a hormone that controls your body’s sodium and potassium levels. 

You can experience symptoms like:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Patches of dark skin
  • Fatigue that gets progressively worse
  • Loss of appetite
  • Dehydration 

Some people also experience low blood sugar levels with the disease. 

9. Sjögren’s Disease: Causing Dry Eyes and Mouth

This illness occurs when your immune system attacks the glands that create moisture in your mouth, eyes, and other parts of your body. There is primary Sjögren’s disease, which occurs on its own, and secondary Sjögren’s disease, which happens when another condition triggers the disease. 

You can experience symptoms like:

  • Dry nose and frequent nosebleeds
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Dry and itchy eyes
  • Dry throat 

Some people also experience muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and even trouble swallowing. 

10. Celiac Disease: Attacking the GI Tract

People who have Celiac disease can’t have gluten, which is a protein found in rye, wheat, and other grain products. If you have this disease, your immune system reacts to any gluten it finds in the small intestine, leading to inflammation. You can experience symptoms like:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal bleeding 
  • Constipation 

Because your immune system attacks your gut if you eat gluten, it doesn’t allow you to receive the nutrients you need. People may experience nutritional deficiencies that can cause many other symptoms. 

Managing Autoimmune Diseases with Regenerative Medicine 

Most autoimmune conditions can be managed. One of the most promising options, especially when combined with other treatments, is regenerative medicine

Regenerative medicine options like stem cell therapy harness your body’s natural healing mechanisms. They can help reduce inflammation, which plays a huge role in most autoimmune diseases. With less inflammation, blood circulation improves, bringing more nutrients and oxygen to the affected areas. 

To determine whether regenerative medicine is a good choice to help manage your autoimmune conditions, consult with your doctor. 

Who Should Get Stem Cell Treatments

Who Should Get Stem Cell Treatments

Regenerative medicine options like stem cell treatments are growing in popularity both because of their potential effectiveness and because they can help you avoid invasive procedures like surgeries. Stem cell therapies focus on helping your body improve what it already does naturally — heal injuries.

Stem cells are the cells from which all differentiated cells form. They can come from your bone marrow or fat, with some people also turning to umbilical cord stem cells for treatment. But how do you know if you could benefit from stem cell therapy? 

Those With Sports Injuries

If you play sports, you know that injuries can occur at any moment. You can twist your body in an unnatural way or suffer an impact that damages joints or ligaments. Minor injuries usually benefit from ice packs and rest, but healing can take time. 

Healing is also a delicate process that can be disrupted. If that occurs, the injury might not heal completely and could lead to chronic issues that impact your mobility and even cause lasting pain. 

When you turn to stem cell therapies, you can speed up the healing process. This type of regenerative medicine helps reduce inflammation, making it easier for nutrients and oxygen to get to the site of the injury.

Increased oxygen and nutrients are particularly important when dealing with ligaments and cartilage, which naturally don’t receive much blood flow. 

Those With Arthritis

Arthritis is a debilitating condition in which your joints’ cartilage starts to deteriorate. The cartilage is what cushions your joints, preventing the bones from rubbing against one another. Once the cartilage breaks down, you can experience pain, stiffness, and mobility issues. In some cases, it can even cause joint deformity. 

Stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells, release anti-inflammatory factors that help with pain and encourage your body to heal the damaged areas. Stem cells injected into the affected joint can reduce swelling, helping reduce pain and also restoring some mobility to stiff joints. 

One of the best things about stem cell therapies for arthritis is that this kind of treatment is minimally invasive.

Those With Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries may severely impact your quality of life. You may struggle to perform everyday tasks and could face mobility issues that leave you dependent on others. 

Spinal cord injuries are particularly difficult to treat because healing tends to plateau as a result of microenvironmental changes like inflammation, glial scar formation, and more. Stem cells can help because of their power to reduce inflammation, allowing the healing process to continue.  

Ongoing treatment with stem cells could offer an improvement in mobility and a reduction in pain levels.

Those With Traumatic Injuries

After a major injury, like one that results from a car accident, healing can seem impossible. You may experience significant pain and could be dealing with mobility concerns that require physical therapy and even surgery. 

Stem cell therapy works well in conjunction with physical therapy and other treatments because it utilizes cells from your body gathered in a minimally invasive way. You can continue other therapeutic programs while giving your body the chance to reduce inflammation so that blood can reach the injury site. 

A better level of blood flow to the area not only brings nutrients and oxygen but also helps flush out toxins at the injury site that could make the symptoms worse. 

Those Who’ve Gone Through Surgery

Going through surgery can put a lot of strain on your body. That is one of the reasons why the recovery process is often so long. If you’ve been through a surgical procedure, consider stem cell therapy. 

Stem cell therapy can help reduce the recovery time so that you can start feeling more like yourself again. Inflammation is a huge concern. Think of the kinds of bruising you may have after a surgical procedure. Although stem cell therapy can’t prevent all inflammation and bruising, its use after surgery can reduce how much you experience. 

If there’s less inflammation, the area can receive more nutrients and experience faster healing. 

Those Who Need Joint Replacements

Replacing a joint is a surgical procedure that requires the implantation of an artificial joint and the removal of the damaged one. The recovery process for this type of procedure tends to be difficult, with many people experiencing mobility issues even as they heal because the artificial part hasn’t really integrated into the rest of the tissue. 

If this type of surgery is something that you have to go through, adding stem cell therapy to the recovery process makes a difference. Stem cell therapies encourage the growth of new tissues around the artificial replacement that can make mobility easier and decrease pain, helping you get back to your life more rapidly. 

Those With Degenerative Diseases

Degenerative diseases are chronic conditions that progressively get worse. They include diseases like:

For these conditions, a combination of treatments is usually most effective. They can include medications, physical therapy, and even surgery. By also turning to stem cell therapy, you have the chance to tackle the underlying cause of the problem so that you can get relief from symptoms. 

Stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease, for example, focuses on helping restore the failing neurons that are in charge of producing dopamine. This could help with the management of dopamine levels and could even restore some function. In many instances, stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s can even slow down the disease. 

Is Stem Cell Therapy Right for You?

Stem cell therapy might be able to offer the help you need with managing degenerative conditions, healing injuries, and providing pain relief that doesn’t rely on narcotics. You don’t have to worry about suffering allergic reactions or rejections because stem cell therapies usually rely on cells from your body. 

If you’re considering stem cell treatments or want to know more about what the process involves and what you can expect, talk with a regenerative medicine specialist about the options available. 

A Systematic Review of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis

A Systematic Review of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive autoimmune disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system (CNS). Affecting an estimated 3 million people worldwide, MS is typically characterized by an autoimmune response that results in inflammation, demyelination, and degeneration of axons.

Most patients who are diagnosed with MS demonstrate a disease progression characterized by periods of relapse and remission that can last for an extended duration. 

There is no treatment that can yet address the various rates of MS progression.  Additionally, current therapeutic approaches are designed to address the shortening of the duration of recovery following an attack, mitigating the progression of the disease, and attenuating the symptoms associated with MS. 

Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown various ranges of effectiveness when used for treatment of autoimmune diseases in clinical trials. However, most of the trials utilizing MSCs for this purpose have been reported for a variety of reasons, including a low number of treated subjects, different doses used in the studies, the feasibility of autologous or allogeneic transplantation, and the unclear therapeutic window after the treatment effect.  

Considering this, the purpose of Islam et al.’s systematic review and meta-analysis (SRMA) was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and safety of MSC therapy in individuals diagnosed with MS. To achieve this, the authors identified studies that reported on the efficacy and safety of MSC therapy in human patients with MS based on the changes in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score from baseline to follow-up period.  This screening process resulted in a total of 30 studies being incorporated into the systematic review and 22 studies being included in the subsequent meta-analysis.  

Islam et al. reported that, following MSC therapy, it was observed that 40.4% of the patients with MS experienced improvement; 32.8% of patients remained stable while 18.1% experienced a worsening of their condition.  In terms of the safety of MSC therapy, the authors reported that while no major complications were observed, headaches (57.6%), fever (53.1%), urinary tract infections (23.9%), and respiratory tract infections (7.9%) were the most commonly reported adverse events. 

While further research, the development of new technology, optimization of MSC doses, and larger clinical trials are needed to fully evaluate the use of MSC therapy in the treatment of MS, the authors conclude that the results of this SRMA indicate that MSC therapy seems to be an efficacious therapeutic strategy for treating patients with MS. 

Source: Islam MA, Alam SS, Kundu S, Ahmed S, Sultana S, Patar A, Hossan T. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023; 12(19):6311. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12196311

What is Multiple Sclerosis Life Expectancy

What is Multiple Sclerosis Life Expectancy

Around the world, an estimated 1.8 million people live with multiple sclerosis. This autoimmune condition is chronic and can affect your life expectancy. The right treatment options, however, may impact the outcome you can expect. Learn about multiple sclerosis life expectancy and how the latest treatments help.

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks the sheaths that surround and protect the nerves in the spinal cord and brain, called the myelin. A damaged myelin interferes with the signals your brain sends to other parts of your body.

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis include:

  • Fatigue
  • Muscle weakness
  • Muscle spasms
  • Changes in gait
  • Loss of coordination or balance
  • Numbness or tingling in arms or legs

The causes of multiple sclerosis vary and are not always clear. They include being exposed to certain viruses or bacteria. People who had particular infections, like Epstein-Barr exposure, are more likely to develop MS. Other causes may be your environment, genetic mutations, and even how your immune system functions. 

Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis

Getting an accurate diagnosis is one of the most crucial steps if you have multiple sclerosis. A definite test has not been developed for MS, but the symptoms you experience will lead your doctor to perform a physical exam, take blood, and get imaging tests like MRIs. 

MRIs can catch any lesions in your spinal cord or brain. These lesions develop as the disease damages the myelin. Your doctor may also perform a spinal tap. 

If these tests don’t offer a definite diagnosis, you may have to undergo an evoked potentials test. This test checks for nerve damage by measuring electrical activity in the spinal cord and brain. 

Multiple Sclerosis Life Expectancy: Factors to Consider

Newly diagnosed patients with MS who don’t have severe disabilities have a life expectancy of 30 years or more, but lots of factors play a role in determining this number. Your unique circumstances impact life expectancy. 

Disability Status

The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is an important factor for healthcare providers attempting to provide an estimated life expectancy. The EDSS measures the level of disability in patients with MS. Everything from loss of independent ambulation to cognitive function is measured to provide the EDSS score. 

Mental Health

People with MS who experience mental health concerns like depression and anxiety may have a lower life expectancy. This is because mental health significantly impacts physical health and can even worsen the symptoms of MS. 

Compliance With Therapeutic Regimen

Following treatments as required impacts how the disease progresses, which then impacts your life expectancy. The type of treatment you receive is a factor. 

Lifestyle Changes to Improve Life Expectancy

For many people with MS, making some lifestyle changes helps impact their life expectancy. Diet is one of the changes. 

Following a healthy diet helps you manage symptoms while also improving your overall health. For MS patients, decreasing the intake of saturated fats and instead consuming  omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids helps prevent myelin loss in the central nervous system

Adding stress management techniques to your life is another change you can make. Stress makes MS symptoms worse. Trying breathing exercises, meditation, or turning to a therapist. These strategies can all improve your stress levels and impact your overall health. 

You also want to add physical exercise to your routine. Physical exercise may help slow down disease progression. Aerobic exercise may be able to decrease inflammation. It can also aid in decreasing depression and other mental health concerns that are a result of MS.  

Staying at a healthy weight is also vital for increasing life expectancy. People with MS have a higher risk of malnutrition, and they are more prone to being both underweight and overweight. Adding exercise to your day and improving your food choices will help you correct any nutritional issues you have, leading to better overall health. 

Getting better sleep is another important change you can make, as well as quitting any form of nicotine you may use. Smoking increases inflammation, which can make MS symptoms worse. 

How Regenerative Medicine Can Help

For people with MS, one promising treatment option is regenerative treatments like stem cell therapy. More people are turning to stem cell therapy because it may be able to decrease inflammation and improve symptoms with minimally invasive measures. 

Stem cell therapy uses stem cells, which are the cells that differentiate into the many types of cells in the body. For multiple sclerosis, mesenchymal stem cells are particularly useful because of their ability to repair myelin. They may also have a positive impact on the immune system. 

For this type of treatment, your healthcare provider removes stem cells from your bone marrow or fat, preparing them for an injection to reintroduce them into the body. Stem cell therapy is a great option for those searching for minimally invasive treatments that don’t require a long recovery process. 

Stem cell therapy gets right to the cause of MS symptoms: the damage of myelin. Unlike other treatment options, studies have shown that regenerative medicine has the potential to help with symptom management, slowing down progression, and provide a better quality of life. 

It is also a treatment option that may be less likely to cause side effects because the stem cells usually come from your body. 

Living With Multiple Sclerosis

Getting a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis can be stressful, but it’s crucial to know that many people with the condition live full and happy lives. Advances in medicine have made it easier than ever to extend your life expectancy with conditions like multiple sclerosis, especially if you receive an early diagnosis. 

Stem cell therapy and other forms of regenerative medicine work to offer you the help you need while targeting the cause of the disease. By combining stem cell therapy with lifestyle changes like exercising and eating better, you may be giving your body the ability to slow down the disease’s progression while improving your overall health. 

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!

Request Information Packet

We'll send your FREE information packet that outlines our entire personalized, stress-free stem cell treatment process!

Thanks for your interest!