Multiple Sclerosis: Outdated Notions

Sometimes I forget just how far research has come when it comes to understanding MS. I don't know how many times I have heard, "they haven't found a cure for that yet?" As if there has been nothing new since Victoria's reign. Of course I don't go into how much we do know now and the many changes (for the better) that have come about. But sometimes I think it is good to take a look at what was the common knowledge about MS to fully realize how far we have come. Here are some of my favorite bygone beliefs:

"Women with MS should not have children."

"People with MS end up in wheelchairs." Not anymore; now we have a better chance than ever of not needing a wheelchair.

"There is no disease activity between attacks." Too bad this was not true...

"People with MS should avoid exercise." I want to say its too bad this is not true, but that is just my lazy side speaking. We now know otherwise.

"People with MS have the 'MS Personality' " This is one of my favorites/most irritating. Maybe because what they called the MS Personality was a little too close to my own personality, darn it!

"You don't need a DMD until your disease starts getting worse."

"A symptom of MS is the lassiez-faire attitude." You gotta love Charcot, the "Father Of Multiple Sclerosis." He gave us the first comprehensive outline of MS, thus earning the dubious honor of the earlier mentioned title, yet he saw mostly people who had been suffering from MS for many, many years who lived up to the attitude he identified.

There are a few other things I enjoy, like the warm bath test used to diagnose people before the joy of a spinal tap, I just wanted to throw out a few to remind us of just how far we have come.