MS infection: how does having an infection affected those of us diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis?

Can having an infection aggravate MS symptoms and make them worse?

Unfortunately, Multiple Sclerosis is known for weakening the immune system in the majority of the cases of MS and setting us up for more frequent and often more severe infections, which are difficult for our bodies to fight off.

But each time that those of us with Multiple Sclerosis end up with some type of infection, this can actually aggravate or exacerbate the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, which are often already present and make them much worse than they were before the infection started and became full blown.

As far as Multiple Sclerosis and infections, it is much worse for those of us with Multiple Sclerosis any time that we run a fever, since heat aggravates MS symptoms by itself.  To compound the problem, a fever is often a signal of more severe infections that can knock our immune systems down to the point where we can end up with too many infections in a shorter period of time, which doesn't allow our immune system enough time between infections for it to recover.

When we end up with too many infections too close together, in a shorter period of time, this can lead to infections that last for longer periods of time, often lasting for 1 to 6 months at a time or this can set us up for having multiple infections at the same time.

To make matters even worse, if we are given large doses of antibiotics for more extended periods of time, this can add to how exhausted we can feel, how sick we can become from the infection, or this can increase how weakened our immune systems can become, so that it is less likely for our bodies to be able to fight off infections with out increasing how often we need to take antibiotics just to fight off the next infection that we get.

This can sometimes set us up for a vicious cycle, for those of us diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  Let's say we are given antibiotics to take for an infection and we finally get rid of the infection, but have such a weakened immune system from taking antibiotics for longer periods of time, just for us to get rid of the infection, that we get another infection almost back to back with the first infection.  We can then be given antibiotics again for the second infection, only for our immune systems to be weakened even further, where our bodies are again unable to recover from the next infection without the help of the antibiotics.

Don't get me wrong, antibiotics are needed at times, but why take the antibiotics all of the time or most of the time, so that when we need them the most to help us to fight off infections, they do not work as well as they should because we can build up resistance to them.

Some infections can actually trigger more MS relapses or at least weaken the immune system even further, causing a vicious downward spiral of your overall health.

What type of MS Infection are typically a problem for people with Multiple Sclerosis?  The more common infections can include any of the following:

*  bladder or kidney infections -- these become more frequent and can cause incontinence or wetting yourself frequently, or can cause painful urination, urgency, cloudy urine, strong smelling urine, or maybe even blood in the urine. Contact your doctor if you suspect that you may have a bladder infection to get help with this before it becomes more severe.  Severe MS bladder infections can be much more difficult to get rid of.  That's why it is better to treat the bladder infections before they can get so out of control to where it is much more difficult for your body to help to fight off the infection.

* colds

* Sinus infections

* throat infections

* Different forms of the flu -- this can include stomach flu, intestinal flu, or just the general flu

* bacterial or viral infections

* Imbalance to flora and fauna (good bacteria  in the digestive tract that helps boost our immune systems to help fight off infections) -- often called Candida albicans.

* parasites

Multiple Sclerosis already weakens the immune system and infections just add to weakening the immune system even more.

How do we find other ways to boost the immune system and help our bodies to fight off MS infection to reduce how the infections knock down the immune system so that it has trouble recovering?

Ways to help boost the Immune system to help prevent the infections in the first place can any of the following:

*  herbs -- depends on the type of infection) -- herbs that are used for boosting the immune system and for helping our bodies to fight off infections can include echinacea, astalagus, uva ursi (for bladder infections), corn silk (bladder infections)

* vitamin supplements (for boosting the immune system) can include:

 ==> vitamin C  (taken to bowel tolerance, where you just start to get closer to having diarrhea and then you reduce the amount that you are taking a little to back off
of the diarrhea)

==> vitamin D

==> zinc (taken with vitamins B1 and B6) and selenium - help to boost immune system and help the body to remove toxins, which help in turn to boost the immune system and help it to fight off infections better.

The main things to keep in mind, which help much more when it comes to boosting the immune system and helping to prevent or reduce infections include:

* getting adequate sleep at night for each day of the week -- this can be a challenge at times, but getting 8 hours of quality sleep each day can make a huge difference in helping to boost the immune system so much more quickly when we find ways for us to get more sleep and to rest more often.

* reduce stress -- stress is very tough on the immune system; reducing the stress, worry, anxiety and depression that we can experience from time to time with Multiple Sclerosis can go a long way in helping to keep our immune systems strong.

* Diet changes -- include more raw fruits and vgetables in the diet (including more greens such as kale and spinach) can help provide us with more nutrient rich foods to speed healing; also include more omega 3 fatty acids (ground flaxseeds, extra virgin olive oil, fish oils such sardines and alaskan salmon) and legumes.

* Exercise Regularly (as much as you can tolerate,, basically as much as you possibly can, without increasing MS fatigue to levels of exahaution) -- to increase circulation, increase oxygen to the brain and other parts of the body, to increase detoxification, to reduce many MS symptoms, help the body to function better physically and help to boost the immune system. Exercise also helps to increase stamina, reduce fatigue, increase flexibility, reduce muscle tightness, reduce muscle stiffness and helps to reduce stress on the body.

Preventative measures make a huge difference in reducing infections in Multiple Sclerosis and can help to reduce MS attacks and exacerbations too.