Thinking beyond just medication for MS symptom management
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an auto-immune disease where the immune system eats away at the protective covering of the nerves, called the myelin. Without a protective covering, communication between the brain and the body is disrupted, and this leads to a whole host of symptoms.
Yoga or water exercise can dramatically reduce common MS symptoms, such as fatigue, depression, and paresthesia (pins and needles tingling), a new study of women with MS found.
Those who did these forms of exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week had a 35-fold lower risk of developing moderate-to-severe depression, as well as less fatigue and paresthesia, than those who did no exercise.
Serge Brand, PhD, professor of affective, stress and sleep disorders, University of Basel, Switzerland.
