Depression in Multiple Sclerosis cause big problems, since it increases the amount of stress that we are experiencing and stress has been found in MS research to contribute in a big way to causing MS attacks to become much worse in both frequency and severity.
When it comes to taking extra vitamin D Multiple Sclerosis can be kept at bay in a few different ways.
One of the ways that taking extra vitamin D can help those of with Multiple Sclerosis is to greatly reduce or possibly even eliminate depression in MS. There are a few different factors that can contribute to depression in Multiple Sclerosis.
Vitamin D has been found to have a protective factor, when it comes to Multiple Sclerosis, since it does help to prevent or at least reduce how often the MS attacks appear, in addition to reducing how severe the MS attacks and their effects on damaging nerves can become.
Vitamin D has a much more dramatic effect on helping to reduce the depression that can often be found in many cases of Multiple Sclerosis
SAD, depression Multiple Sclerosis:
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and how does it affect those who have been with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis?
SAD is a seasonal depression that is more common than you think and it is based on how a person’s body reacts to the shortened periods of day light hours during the winter months. SAD can present a much worse dilemma for people that live in countries where they receive less day light hours per day than the average day light hours that a person receives that lives in a country closer to the equator.
vitamin d Multiple Sclerosis:
Our skin produces vitamin D as a response to the skin being exposed to the sun light. Our bodies need the increased levels of vitamin D to boost our immune system and make it easier for our bodies to be able to fight off infections. This is so much more vital to those of us that have been given the Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, since Multiple Sclerosis sets us up for our immune systems to become much weaker to start with.
For those of us that have been given the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, it is so much more important for us to find a way to boost our vitamin D levels. I have found that for my own case of MS, that if I do find a way to increase my vitamin D levels, this reduces the number of infections that I end up having each month and it also reduces how frequent and how severe the infections can become when they do occur.
Our brains also produce more serotonin in response to the day light hours when we are up and about doing things during the day light hours, but being out in the sun works much better at boosting the serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate our sleep-wake cycles and helps us to maintain a regular sleep pattern. Ending up with enough sleep is so important for those of us that have been given the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis for several reasons.
The majority of those us that are battling with Multiple Sclerosis have more problems already with decreased levels of serotonin and the problems of the reaction of our bodies to the shortened day light hours just adds to the problems that we already are experiencing because of the effects of MS on our bodies with reducing our serotonin levels.
Serotonin also helps to regulate mood and if the levels of serotonin in our brains drop too low, depression, anxiety and total unrest can result. If the serotonin deficiency is severe enough, the depression can become more severe to the point that it heads towards suicidal tendencies.
What can be done about this?
There are 2 options that I found that can help to reduce this problem.
One option is to take vitamin D tablets or softgels, as either dry vitamin D or as fish oil vitamin D. I tend to take the dry vitamin D in tablet form, so that I can take it in larger doses, as needed (this is recommended by my doctor, since vitamin D is NOT considered as toxic like some other vitamins are if taken at higher doses for longer periods of time).
The Second option is to purchase a device that uses what is called light therapy, which uses light that mimics natural sun light fairly closely that allows you to be able to use it to shine this light on your skin each day to boost vitamin D and serotonin levels in the body and to rid the body of SAD. The benefit of using this type of light is that it eliminates the effects of being exposed to ultra violet radiation that we also are exposed to when we sun bathe. Light therapy can actual help to reduce or maybe even eliminate depression in ms by elevating the amounts of serotonin in the brain, which helps to regulate mood.
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is known for accelerating the aging process and causing sin cancer. Using the light therapy device allows you to eliminate the exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, while allowing you to receive the benefits that would be generated in your body from your skin being exposed to sun light on a daily basis. It would be better if you can find a way to sit out in the sun without covering up all of you skin to allow your skin to be able to produce the serotonin and vitamin D that your body needs, but if finding the time and a way for you to get out in the sunlight enough during the day, this is a good alternative.
If you would like more information on the light therapy device that I discuss above or you would like to find out more about what Alternative and Natural ways that we have found that work for reducing the symptoms of MS go to http://www.TamingMultipleSclerosis.com/ to find out more.
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