This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Gina Perez about lifestyle routines to help manage multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Perez is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and a neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Focusing on lifestyle routines is essential for managing multiple sclerosis or MS. Doctor Gina Perez is here to talk about the details. Doctor Perez is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and a neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis at MUSC. Doctor Perez, tell us about multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Perez: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body is creating an immune response against your brain and spinal cord that we still don't know the cause, but it's a common disease. 1 in 1000 Americans live with this.
Conner: When is MS typically diagnosed? At what age?
Dr. Perez: So, typically MS happens at a young age. The typical demographic is young women women in their 20s or 30s. Now, MS can happen in men too, but is more common in women. The ratio is 3 to 1. MS is a disease that affects mostly women that are going through their childbearing age. They're getting ready to start families or have their careers. So, certainly it's important for all of us to recognize this disease and treat it early because it can affect the lifestyle.
Conner: What are the typical symptoms of MS?
Dr. Perez: MS can have many, many symptoms. So, typically it can manifest as a neurological deficit like vision loss, weakness, numbness or tingling, balance problems, bladder problems. But it can also look like other things that we call nonspecific, such as fatigue, difficulty with insomnia, pain.
Conner: And how is MS typically treated?
Dr. Perez: So, we have over 20 FDA approved medications for multiple sclerosis. And when we meet the patients, we decide which would be the best therapy for them. But other than medications, which is our first recommendation, there's also other things that we can do, like lifestyle changes and things that can help with symptoms as well.
Conner: Well, tell us about the main lifestyle routines and actions that can really help manage MS.
Dr. Perez: I'm a firm believer that this makes a difference. The disease and not only the disease, but also the symptoms. So, lifestyle things, first thing that I encourage my patients is exercise. Exercise can definitely help with the symptoms today. It can help with weakness. It can help with spasticity, spasms. It can help with chronic pain management too. But it will also help in the future. It will help preserve neurological function. So, I always advise my patients to exercise. It can make a big difference in their disease. Then other things that are important are things like diet. The recommendation is a healthy Mediterranean diet, including fruits, vegetables, foods with high omega three fatty acids, and also good sleep. Sleeping well can definitely make an impact on how patients feel.
Conner: When it comes to exercise, is there specific exercise that is especially good for people living with MS?
Dr. Perez: So, we truthfully don't know that. You know, we do know that stretching specifically is good for people that have spasticity. So, people that have a lot of tightness and spasms, stretching is very helpful. So, things like yoga, Pilates can be beneficial. But in general, we don't have a specific exercise program for multiple sclerosis itself. I do recommend about 150 minutes of exercise in a week, a combination of both aerobic exercise and strength training. And I'm extrapolating that from what we know is beneficial for brain health in general.
Conner: Doctor Perez, thanks for talking with us about MS.
Dr. Perez: Of course. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
