Can wake-up sunshine help with MS?

  

Pulling back the curtains or running up the window shades immediately upon awakening in the morning has become a popular natural elixir for lots of folks. It’s not exactly a new discovery, but lots of health experts are trumpeting the merits of catching a glimpse of sunlight right after waking up.

 Starting the day with a glimpse of natural light can be soothing and cheery at the time, but it also may provide some significant ongoing health benefits.

 

Sunlight (or UV lighting) isn’t just a treatment for seasonal affect disorder anymore.

 Experts agree that, although excessive exposure to sunlight may cause skin cancer, sunlight can aid in resetting the body’s circadian rhythms (internal clock), adding vitamin D, generating emotional well-being (by boosting serotonin and melatonin in the brain), improving vision, easing certain skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo), treating jaundice, reducing blood pressure, and perhaps helping with weight management.

 Scientific American says it may help with cognitive fog, fatigue, inflammation, lethargy, and other symptoms common to MS. The National Library of Medicine offers support of the theory that sunlight (or light therapy) can reduce MS-related fatigue.

 A 2021 study published in Neurology magazine suggested that children and young people spending considerable time outdoor in summer months might be less likely to develop MS than those who did not.

 Some actually use ultraviolet light boxes to self-treat autoimmune diseases like arthritis, Crohn’s, colitis, diabetes, and more. Oh, and multiple sclerosis.

 

Step outside, if you can!

 Direct sunlight is a known source of vitamin D, which is healthy for everyone, but especially difficult to build up for many MSers. It seems we can’t get enough of it. A short jaunt outdoors (or perhaps a brief stop to read a chapter of a good book) can be just the ticket.

 

Sunshine before screen time

 There’s something to be said for taking a few moments to breathe deeply and enjoy a peek at the outdoors before picking up the phone, tablet, laptop, TV remote, or other screened device. Starting the day with a pause seems like a healthy thing to do – especially as a stress-buster. It’s a way of changing the channel before jumping into the plentiful concerns of the day.

 Personally, I love to open the blinds and let the sunshine in (or just natural light, if it’s a cloudy day) and then crawl back into bed for a few minutes. Sometimes I can spot birds, rabbits, or other delightful sights. It’s a great time to ponder the day to come and think through my plan of attack, so to speak. Even that is likely to start a new day in an intentional and deliberate way.

 Hey, it can’t hurt.

 

Related items:

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• Learning to plan down-days
• MS is like a carnival thrill ride without the thrill.
• MS style: Sporting shades in the shade ... or fog or rain
• What is it with MS and sleep apnea?
• What's a weather-related migraine?

Lost my glasses atop my head again!

  

Stop me, if you’ve heard this one. Heck, you may have done it too!

 Blame it on MS fog, if you want. Because vision issues are common among those with multiple sclerosis, we tend to wear eyeglasses regularly.

 How many times have I searched for my eyeglasses, only to find that I am wearing them on top of my head?  (True confessions: I’ve done this with sunglasses too. My kids tease me repeatedly about the time they caught me with a pair of sunglasses and a pair of eyeglasses riding on top of my hair.)

 

Is it really such a terrible idea to wear glasses on top of your head? Maybe.

 Hair products, natural oils and sweat can muck up your glasses. And it’s hard to move those eyeglasses around without leaving fingerprints on the lenses.

1. Eyeglasses can bend stretch and lose their proper fit by sitting atop your head. No one likes wearing wiggly spectacles!
2. After repeated wearings, eyeglass hinges loosen and break. (And how can you see what you’re doing with those tiny eyeglass repair kits, if your glasses are broken? That’s right. You need another pair of glasses to do it!)
3. Too-tight eyeglass frames can give you a headache, and MSers already have plenty of those.
4. Oops? Glasses tend to scratch and break when they fall off your head too many times.
5. Hats don’t fit, if they are put on over those glasses on your head.
6. Eyeglasses aren’t actually helpful, unless they are on your eyes.

 OK, we get it. But we do it anyway. We give our eyes a break and stick those glasses up on our heads, regardless of the consequences. Plus, a pair of eyeglasses can make a handy headband.

 Complicating matters further, many of us stash our glasses on our necklaces (or neckties), on the front opening of a shirt of sweater, or simply loose in a pocket. Those special specs can get crushed, smashed, or dropped. (Don’t even ask me what happens when the glasses are stashed in a back jeans pocket. It wasn’t pretty.)

 I’ve worn my glasses riding on top of my head, tucked in the neckline of a shirt, or dangling from a necklace more times than I can count. That’s why I sometimes look like I am dancing the Macarena while looking for them.

 Eyeglasses belong in their protective cases, whenever we aren’t wearing them to see. But what if we can’t remember where we put those cases?

 

It’s a quandary for sure.

 Good thing I stock up on those cheat cheater-readers. I’d sure hate to lose or damage pricey prescription eyeglasses!

 Now, if I could only find my car keys …

 

Related items:

• Bright lights, big pity
• MS and vision: How many types of glasses do I need?
• MS can do a triple whammy on vision
• MS style: Sporting shades in the shade ... or fog or rain
• Optic Neuritis: A Look at Sudden Blindness
• Side-to-side eye movement may help memory, but it makes me wanna hurl.

 

 

Image/s:  Adapted from public domain photo

 

Please visit my Amazon author page as well. You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook.

Chocolate can be the kiss of death with multiple sclerosis

  

Raise your hand, if you love chocolate. OK, maybe not so fast.

 Chocolate is a major trigger for headaches, especially migraines. And migraines are common among those battling multiple sclerosis.

 Sure, that’s not good news, especially during holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, or … well … you get it.

  But identifying triggers that can be eliminated (even disappointingly) can sure be good news.

 Maybe tyramine is to blame. That’s a component of chocolate. Caffeine maybe factor, although that’s also found in some headache remedies (such as Anacin or Excedrin). Whopping amounts of sugar can also lead to headaches.

 For any or all of these reasons, chocolate is not the headache sufferer’s friend. (To make matters worse, chocolate is a common craving during PMS for women – a time when we may be particularly susceptible to headaches anyway.)

 I used to love chocolate. But once I discovered that consuming chocolate would lead to headache hangover, I was only too happy to give it up.

 Here’s a hint. Dark chocolate seems to be the worst culprit, when it comes to chocolate-triggered headaches. White chocolate is the lesser foe, and milk chocolate falling somewhere in the middle.

 So chocolate is the kiss of death for those who are prone to headaches. It won’t exactly kill us, but it can lead to death-defying pain in the brain. 

Related items:

• Dizziness isn't always all-ears
• Heading off three midnight medication mistakes
• MS can do a triple whammy on vision
• MS means I might have the flu for DAYS without knowing it
• What's a weather-related migraine?
• Who wants to exercise when your head is pounding?

   

Image/s:  Public domain photo/s, Pixabay

 

Please visit my Amazon author page as well. You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook.