Medicana Health Group Neurology Specialist Dr. Yaşar Alpaslan gave information about Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Alpaslan said that complaints such as depression, memory impairment, urinary incontinence, sexual problems and sleep can often be seen in the course of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Medicana Health Group Neurology Specialist Dr. Yaşar Alpaslan stated that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the brain and spinal cord system that progresses with attacks and improvements, adding, “Many people have reported that the diagnosis of this disease has increased, especially with the widespread use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR). 'We are well aware of the presence of neurological symptoms that cause severe disability, such as weakness, imbalance, visual impairment, and double vision, which are the most common symptoms of our patients, which I would like to emphasize here. In some patients, additional complaints may be seen. These complaints may cause problems that significantly impair the quality of life in the course of the disease.
Speaking about the complaints, Dr. Yaşar Alpaslan said, “The first of these is depression. Different degrees of memory impairment can be seen. There may also be some problems related to the functions of our autonomic nervous system such as inability to urinate or incontinence, inability to empty the stool, sexual problems, and sleep problems. Another important complaint is fatigue. Fatigue is a problem that we see in 75-95 percent of MS patients on average, that is, in at least three out of every four patients, even without an attack. Fatigue can occur for different reasons. The reasons may be that the person does not eat healthy, drink less fluid, have depression, and cannot adjust the rest period according to his own neurological capacity. That is, the patient has varying degrees of weakness, but does heavy work. In this case, a work plan with periods of rest is recommended. Another cause of fatigue is the drugs used for MS, which are used with the disease.”
Alpaslan stated that if there is fatigue in the patient, it can be an important problem for the patient and said, “Fatigue can occur due to many reasons and I want to give the message that the treatment will be according to it. Another important factor to consider is increasing physical activity. Physical exercise is important in increasing the capacity of people in the long run or maintaining their current capacity. There is a point I would like to emphasize here, which is that physical exercise should be done in the early hours of the day or in the evening, without increasing body temperature, or by taking frequent showers. The most ideal is for patients to do their exercises in a cool pool environment.
Emphasizing that MS patients should stay away from red meat, Alpaslan said, “Nutrition is one of the most important problems of today. A problem such as overnutrition and excessive carbohydrate intake actually exists in our entire society. The importance of nutrition in MS has been well demonstrated by studies. Recommended here is the Mediterranean type diet. What do we mean by a Mediterranean diet? It is a diet in which all meals are made with olive oil, where a protein intake is mostly fish, and there is plenty of greenery. In particular, patients should stay away from animal proteins, red meat, reduce wheat products and bakery products, and reduce their fat intake. In addition, we recommend a diet in which foods such as walnuts and kefir accompany the Mediterranean diet.” made its assessment.
Stating that a common mistake is to benefit from herbal treatments, Alpaslan said, “MS is a disease that occurs with the impaired functioning of the immune system. When some herbal therapies are used to regulate the immune system; leave a positive effect on the positive immune system; attacks can be triggered by having an even more negative effect. Of course, the possibility that there may be an interaction between the immunomodulatory drugs used at this time and these herbal substances should not be ignored. used his statements.