It is amazing to me that we can do something to control the frequency and the severity of relapses –with our own minds.  That is what studies say: (http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20030918/stress-makes-ms-symptoms-worse).   (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162546.htm).

This is what I heard from a friend of mine who owns a store that sells herbs and other healing products.  She has had MS for decades, swims regularly, takes her grandchildren out to sled in the snow.  She has studied the results of herbs, of exercise, of diet, on MS for her own knowledge, and she is the person I turn to when I want to know about a therapy for MS.   I asked her what was the most important thing she does to keep her symptoms in line. She listed several things, but said the most important thing for her is to keep stress out of her life.  Here is what she said about stress.
 
Regarding stress, it is helpful for me to understand what is happening when we are stressed.  It is my understanding that stress triggers the adrenal hormones adrenalin and cortisol.  Adrenaline is released quickly and speeds up the heart rate, constricts blood vessels (raising blood pressure), raises blood blood sugar by converting liver glycogen to glucose, increases muscle uptake of that glucose and shuts down the digestive processes.  This is all in anticipation of the fight or flight response to danger or emergencies.
 
Cortisol follows shortly after adrenaline. Cortisol's role is theorized to reestablish homeostasis by normalizing blood pressure and suppressing inflammation. Cortisol inhibits the absorption of glucose, promotes the synthesis of fat and fat storage.  Along with suppressing inflammation, Cortisol also suppresses the immune system.  On the surface this would appear to be beneficial to an inflammatory, autoimmune disease. The problem is that when cortisol levels decline, inflammation and the immune system come back with a vengeance and sometimes in a dysfunctional way.  Sometimes turning the immune system against it's own tissue. Dr. Gabor Mate explains this well in his book "When the Body Says No". 
 
Stress can be insidious.  We sometimes normalize to harmful levels of stress.  My approach to managing stress is to try to maintain a healthy routine of eating and sleeping, not trying to be heroic, exercising.  I also practice the 12 steps of Alanon which helps me with relationships. 
 
Last week I explored how we can use self-talk and plan “play times” as ways to de-stress.  There are other ways that people use as well.  More and more approaches to therapy with MS include ways to de-stress.  A friend in CT is taking me to her meditation class which the local sports clinic runs. 
 
Another friend with MS finds ways to get outside in the winter snow with cross-country skiing and in the summer with river kayaking.  Her fall-back way of de-stressing is getting outside to walk.
 
One thing that I just began practicing is to look up from my computer screen and outside my window.  I live in Northern New Hampshire, and the snow is beautiful these days.  It takes me out of my rush to get things done.  Another practice that I learned is to get up every half hour or so and walk around the house.  I go to my porch and get a quick “shot” of cold air.  Surprisingly it works!
 
Recently I have started quizzing my friends—with and without MS—to learn how they de-stress.  I’m making a go-to list for stressful times.  If you have more ideas, I would love to share them.
 
 
 

We are seeing huge strides in dealing with MS symptoms.  A friend sent me an article about another positive study regarding stem cell therapy.  The article suggests that in the next few years this may be a standard therapy for reversing symptoms!   

Until then, we owe it to ourselves to keep our bodies in the best shape possible.  Surprisingly, de-stressing is a huge part of this goal.
One study showed that stress doubles the risk of worsening MS symptoms (http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20030918/stress-makes-ms-symptoms-worse).   Research reports that psychological stress on the body's ability to regulate inflammation can promote the development and progression of disease (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162546.htm).
“You are not a weak person because you react negatively to stress," explains one psychologist (http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/stress-management/taming-stress.htm). 
 
Here are some suggestions that I like.  (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/StressManagement/FourWaystoDealWithStress/Four-Ways-to-Deal-with-Stress_UCM_307996_Article.jsp#.VpafHRUrLfA).

1. Positive Self-Talk
   Self-talk is one way to deal with stress. We all talk to ourselves.  Self-talk is what we think to ourselves, not always consciously. 

Negative self-talk increases stress. Positive self-talk helps us calm down and control stress. With practice, we can learn to turn negative thoughts into positive ones.

For example:

Negative
Positive
"I can't do this."
"I'll do the best I can."

"Everything is going wrong."
"I can handle things if I take one step at a time."

"I hate it when this happens."
"I know how to deal with this; I've done it before."

To help us feel better, we can practice positive self-talk every day — in the car, at our desk, before we go to bed or whenever we notice negative thoughts.
Here are positive statements some people use:

• "I've got this.  I can deal with this."
• "I can get help if I need it."
• "We can work it out."
• "I won't let this problem get me down."
• "Things could be worse."
• "I'm human.  We all make mistakes."
• "Someday I'll laugh about this."

Positive self-talk helps us relieve stress and deal with the situations that cause stress.
 

1. Emergency Stress Stoppers
   There are many stressful situations — even everyday hassles like standing in line. Emergency stress stoppers help us deal with stress on the spot.
   
   Here are emergency stress stoppers. There are different stress stoppers for different situations and sometimes it helps to combine them.
   • Count to 10 before you speak.
   • Take three to five deep breaths.
   • Walk away from the stressful situation, and say you'll handle it later.
   • Go for a walk.
   • Don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry" if you make a mistake.
   • Set your watch five to 10 minutes ahead to avoid the stress of being late.
   • Break down big problems into smaller parts. For example, answer one letter or phone call per day, instead of dealing with everything at once.
   • Drive in the slow lane or avoid busy roads to help you stay calm while driving.
   • Smell a rose, hug a loved one or smile at somebody.
   • Meditation.
     
     

1.  Find Pleasure
   When stress makes us feel bad, we can do something that makes us feel good. Doing things we enjoy is a natural way to fight off stress.
   
   We can try to do at least one thing every day that we enjoy, even if we only do it for 15 minutes.
   
   …such as:
   1. Start an art project.
   2. Take up a hobby, new or old.
   3. Read a favorite book, short story, magazine or newspaper.
   4. Have coffee or a meal with friends.
   5. Listen to music during or after practicing relaxation.
   6. Take a nature walk.
   7. Watch an old movie on TV. 

Plan fun. Plan relaxation.  It’s easy to write a work related appointment in our calendar.  We can consider this our new work!  
 

One thing I have learned from MS is that people who share positive energy are more important to me than ever. 
 
I figured that was just me, but there is an scientific explanation for this, which I found last week.  A study found that being positive, having positive emotions and thoughts, develops our brains, in that we increase our ability to generate ideas to make good things happen (amesclear.com/positive-thinking).  
 
It is simple to get these good results by practicing mindfulness and loving kindness meditation (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735810000425, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156028/).
 
The problem is that meditation sounds hard to a lot of people.  The practice of mindfulness sounds equally demanding.  They are actually enjoyable and easy (http://www.lifehack.org/305575/20-simple-things-you-can-daily-become-mindful-person).  
 
Simple ways to practice mindfulness
 
Here is a list of mindfulness ideas.
 
1. Look at yourself in the mirror.
See how you look when you smile or when you frown, even when you are feeling angry. Actors do this.  This is mindfulness about our response to and expression of feelings.
​
2. Eat differently.  Put your devices aside and enjoy every bite.

3. Listen to soothing music.
Lay down or sit in the most comfortable position, close your eyes and feel the music in your soul.  

4. Go for a walk.

5.  Cook.  This provides aroma-therapy and a calmness created by repetitive actions (chopping, stirring).  

6. Observe the people around you.  You get an idea of the wide variety of perspectives, and you can raise your awareness .

7. Let loose and laugh.

8. Turn off your devices.

9. Exercise.

10. Give a genuine compliment to someone at least once a day, and be specific.

11.  Create art.

12.  Help someone.

13.  Take a long bath.

14.  Write a journal.  You clarify issues, discover ideas that come to you, and some research says this raises our potential to live longer lives.

15.  Read a book.
 
How to do Loving Kindness Meditation
 
This kind of meditation is easy and you have done it before.  Just begin to do it regularly.
 
1.  Think of someone and then direct loving kindness to them.  You do this sometimes when you think of family members and good friends.  That is a perfect place to start.  Think about one person.  In your mind make a list of things you appreciate about them.  Wish them good things.  
 
2.  Think about another person, and ditto.  
 
3.  PRACTICE THIS ON YOURSELF.  Get up each morning and do Loving Kindness Meditation to yourself before you begin the day.
 
Mindfulness and loving kindness meditation have been found to help people with huge emotional illnesses.  We may not have those issues, perhaps we have something else, like MS.  We can also use these simple techniques to grow the ability to find more and better options.  Life will present us with same challenges that we faced before, only we find we don’t get stuck as often.  We see options. 
 
We are growing our ability to make good things happen.