By Ed Lash
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The National MS Society recently reported that a new study found a modest link between stress and acute attacks of multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, we don’t know the exact relationship between stress and the onset or progression of MS, but what is stress anyway?
Hans Selye, often called the father of stress, defines it as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it.” In other words, stress is the body’s reaction to any event or stimulus (stressor) that demands a response. There are many types of stressors, ranging from everyday annoyances such as traffic jams and deadlines, to major changes or challenges like marriage, the loss of a loved one, a new job, or the diagnosis of a chronic illness. In his book, Stress Without Distress, Selye also states that regardless of the type of stress, whether pleasant or unpleasant, we can manage it successfully by learning more about its mechanism and adjusting our philosophy of life accordingly.
Studies suggest that undue stress may be related to changes in the body’s immune system which may make people more vulnerable to a host of diseases. It’s not that stress causes MS, but for people with MS, stress may act as a trigger to worsen the disease or set the stage for a new attack or flare-up, especially if the stress is sustained.
In the only stress management course I’ve taken, the first session began with the statement, “The best stress-management technique is exercise, as long as it’s not exhausting, is activity you enjoy and feel good doing, and is not necessarily part of your job or chores around the house.”
Experts also say that stress can imitate some MS symptoms (i.e., fatigue, impaired concentration, tight muscles, etc.) and vice versa. But regardless of how you interpret stress, or how you feel stress affects you, the important thing to understand is that experts do agree that it can be managed and there are things—often simple things—that can be done to avoid the harmful effects of stress.
Whenever I think of stress breakdown, I often think of the collapse of the Myannis River Bridge a number of years ago on Interstate 95 in lower Connecticut, which was reported in the media as having collapsed due to the stress and fatigue of continuous heavy traffic. But engineers agreed that the stress of continual heavy traffic was not the real cause of the collapse; it could have easily been prevented by periodic inspection for stress-cracks and by proper maintenance.
It’s the same with people. There is usually little we can do about the stress that enters our lives as part of normal, everyday living, but there is much that can be done to avoid the harmful effects of that stress. As with the Myannis River Bridge, it’s frequently a matter of getting back to the basics, as mentioned earlier, and perhaps, living a more moderate lifestyle and listening to your body.
Another thought that comes to mind about the subject of stress management (especially for managing the stress of anger) is what Clara Barton, founder of the American nursing profession as we know it today, said when a friend once reminded her of a cruel thing done to her. Clara seemed not to remember the incident. The friend asked, “Don’t you remember the terrible wrong that was done to you?”
“No,” Clara Barton replied. “I distinctly remember forgetting that.”
Self-help is not intended to replace medical treatment, but should be used together with the help of all appropriate professionals in a team effort.
Ed Lash is a United Spinal member who lives in Trumbull, Connecticut. He can be reached by e-mail at edlash.ms.selfhelp@juno.com, or by phone at 203-445-0118.
Enjoy reading a whole collection of Ed Lash’s MS PERSPECTIVES.
MULTIPLE SCEROSIS: Self-Help…A Patient’s ViewOr share this book with someone newly diagnosed.
Ed Lash is a natural and professional problem-solver. After conferring with his neurologist and gathering available data, he constructed a recovery and stabilization program for himself. He also learned much from other patients with MS, guided by the philosophy that both successes and failures are “paths for learning.”
Self-help, when used in conjunction with medical treatment and with the help of medical professionals in a team effort, is often considered to be the key to managing any disease that has no cure or specific treatment.
This book published by Vantage Press, should be beneficial to anyone diagnosed with MS and will take away at least some of the fears associated with disease.
To order MULTIPLE SCEROSIS: Self-Help…A Patient’s View by Ed Lash, you can contact the author by e-mail, edlash.ms.selfhelp@juno.com, or by phone at 203-445-0118. Each copy costs $16 ($13.95 + $2.05 for S&H). (CT residents add $0.84 sales tax per copy).
