SPRING! MS Friend or Foe?

It looks like spring is trying to nudge its way in – it really does – brilliant sunshine here in southern Ontario. Overall people’s moods are up but just when you want to step out into the warmth that should accompany that sunshine – POW – there it is again…the cold. Do you know that Spring is known as a time of increased MS diagnoses and relapses? Brain lesions (as shown on MRI) are 2-3x higher from March -August. Think about it, an unpredictable health condition that is incredibly vulnerable to increased stress partnered with the stress of an unpredictable season. Let’s explore that a bit.

Depending on where you are in the world spring can bring any number of physical stressors that we don’t even think about:

• Weather swings from warm to cold practically overnight – remember SWINGS can be even more dramatic than either extreme heat or extreme cold alone.
• Pollens and molds that challenge the immune system and cause increased inflammation in the body.
• More activity – it seems counter-intuitive to think of more activity as being stressful for the body but many of us tend to hibernate all winter so it does become a stressor if we bust onto the exercise scene too fast!
• Daylight savings time – and I don’t know about you but the whole “spring forward” and loosing an hour messes my biological clock up much more than you think one lousy hour would!

In the spring I also think about how MS is seen in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a condition of ‘dampness’ – and how, very naturally, a ‘damp’ condition is aggravated by dampness – like snow melting, more rain –even eating ‘damp’ foods. A sedentary lifestyle also aggravates dampness. I like to explain the TCM concept of dampness in MS as that heavy feeling you can get in your body – like you’re walking around with wet clothes on.

So with a goal of making every day great, here are a few ways to ease into spring and reduce harmful stress and its consequences in your body.

• Be smart about getting active. Start with 20 minutes per day and when you’ve got that, add another 20 minutes later in the day. Include some stretching and twisting to get the blood and lymphatics moving. My morning exercise is mostly stretching, standing, and exercises for walking and in the evening I do 20 minutes on my exercise bike. On weekends, when I have more recovery time, I will do a 1-2 hour workout including weights. Always be safe and work with a professional – physiotherapist, pilates or yoga teacher, trainer at the gym etc – until you are confident that you can do things safely. Even You-Tube is a great resource if leaving the house isn’t an option right now. Remember it doesn’t matter what state you are in, it can only get better according to an old law of physics…movement begets movement.
• It’s still time to supplement Vitamin D. Even though we are getting more sunshine, the farther away you are from the equator the longer it takes the sun to get in a position that will actually create vitamin D in your body. And don’t forget that the darker your winter is the more dismal your vitamin D deficiency. So don’t forget to supplement! Also remember it is a fat-soluble vitamin so if it’s not in a carrier oil (drops) then you need to take it with food. If you haven’t already done so, get your vitamin D level tested so you know what you’re dealing with.
• Nuture your meltonin levels. One theory on the increase in spring diagnoses and relapses is that melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s internal clock and immune system, is naturally high during the dark winter months and is significantly reduced in the bright spring and summer months. Good melatonin production needs darkness – so sleep in a totally dark room; no night lights, no glowing alarm clocks and no TV’s. Create a space for peaceful sleep in total darkness.
• Manage Seasonal Allergies. Believe it or not, seasonal allergies have already begun! Remember they are activating an already confused immune system causing more inflammation, and more inflammation means more aggravation. I have a secret tip for you, managing allergies starts with gut health!
• Eat with the season…we will soon be seeing more local greens available. As the local foods become available make sure you get out to the farmers markets and indulge in fresh, local, organic produce. All those colours bring phytonutrients that heal!

Avoid ‘damp’ foods. Remember what I said about TCM and dampness? Oh, look, they’re all foods we shouldn’t be eating anyway! Damp foods include:

• Dairy – milk, cheese, yogurts, ice cream
• Wheat – breads, pastry’s, biscuits, all yeast products
• Pork & rich meat
• Processed foods, sugar & sweeteners
• Concentrated juice’s especially Orange & Tomato
• Beer
• Bananas – these are a big NO in TCM
• Saturated fats

Enjoy the best of the season and do your best to befriend this potential foe.