Does MS Make You More Vulnerable To Infections?
Does MS Make You More Vulnerable To Infections?
Started zeposia a few weeks ago. I'm newly diagnosed.
MS doesn’t, but the meds we take makes us have low immunity
@A MyMSTeam Member I think a lot about how I got MS too - that's been really helpful in my efforts to work backwards to find my way to wellness. (I've been largely stable since 2016 gratefully). I've been insanely lucky (and privileged!) to have access to a DR who personally understands the MS journey. Since you like what she has to say you might be interested in listening to her talk more - she's a regular guest on my MS.UNDERSTOOD podcast (available on any podcast app) and you can also learn more about the virtual program I helped her build www.TRUEmedicineMS.com - she now offers a 12 week class so that people outside of her Stanford practice can have affordable access to comprehensive MS care. She's an MS community treasure! Have a great day! XX
A MyMSTea...
I've thought about what causes MS and how I got it a *lot* over the decades.
My answer is it was caused by some weak genetic link, poor diet (including a lack of sunlight), and stress (or how an individual deals with/processes stress).
But I like your doctor's answer *much better* @A MyMSTeam Member -- that is much deeper and rather than "poor diet" it hits the leaky gut issues which is increasingly viewed as a problem for many(all?) auto-immune diseases. Thanks for the post!
To understand my answer we need to first go to the root cause of MS (and autoimmunity in general). According to my DR @ Stanford who also has MS: to get MS there are 3 things - 1) genetic disposition, (which you can have but never develop an autoimmune condition if #2 and #3 don't happen!), then 2) membrane permeability (leaky gut - these gaps in the lining of our digestive tract let foreign bodies into our bloodstream and from there, they can go pretty much everywhere. Then 3) in order to develop MS, there needs to be an environmental trigger. This can be a one time traumatic event (car accident, food poisoning, giving birth, etc.) or prolonged trauma (like PTSD). SO - knowing that is how autoimmunity happens in the body, YES, especially depending on the status of our gut membrane permeability, we can be more susceptible to other infections, which is why so many more MS specialists nowadays are focusing on gut health. I'm working on a MS.UNDERSTOOD podcast episode on this exact topic - will be released next Wednesday if you'd like to check it out - widely available on all podcast app directories. 🧡 @A MyMSTeam Member is also correct that some of our DMTs can impact our ability to protect ourselves from additional infections.
A MyMSTea...
