Looking after myself

It is still important to ensure that you attend all your routine screenings eg. Mammograms, Cervical screening, prostate screening, bowel screening and other relevant.   

When you are living with MS, there are many ways to improve your health apart from medications.  

Healthy eating is important. There are lots of reports of different diets people try for MS and it can be confusing deciding which diet is best. Studying the best diet in MS is challenging, so good quality data is lacking. It is also true that restricting your diet in a very extreme way can introduce additional unnecessary stress to your life.  

Overall, we recommend a Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds, and low in rich dairy and red meat. Many people with MS choose to supplement their diet with vitamin D as there is some (albeit weak) evidence that vitamin D helps improve outcomes in MS. If you choose to supplement with vitamin D we recommend a dose of 2000- 5000 IU per day.  

Physical exercise   

In the past, people with multiple sclerosis were advised to avoid exertion. It was felt that since many people with MS experienced fatigue and found their symptoms worsened when hot, it was best to avoid activities that could be seen as tiring.  

It turns out that this was not good advice. Regular, moderate exercise is now known to be an important part of maintaining good health and wellbeing for people with MS. There is evidence that it can help with many MS symptoms, and also with general quality of life.  

Moderate exercise has been shown to improve strength, mobility and bowel and bladder function for people with mild to moderate MS. Exercise is also helpful in helping maintain a healthy weight. This reduces your chances of acquiring co-morbidities and can also reduce the impact of some MS symptoms, such as pain and fatigue.  

Exercising is good for the mind and brain, not just the body. In general, exercise has been found to be neuroprotective, to improve symptoms of depression improve cognitive processing speed, visuospatial memory, executive function and cognitive flexibility. These boosts can last for several days after exercising.  

If you need advice on how to keep physically active, contact our team. Rhian, our physiotherapist, to check this.

Alcohol is only advised within recommended limits (14 units per week). This is because excessive amounts of alcohol are bad for overall brain health, and could therefore theoretically worsen your MS.  

Stop smoking- apart of general adverse effects on health, there is evidence that smoking tobacco is bad for MS. If you would like advise or support with smoking cessation please visit our Stopping Smoking pages or contact the Help Me Quit team. 

Sleep/ Stress: receiving a diagnosis of MS and living with day-to-day symptoms can understandably place strain on people. Taking time for yourself is very important to enable you to adjust and reduce stress. If you are having problems with adjusting to your diagnosis or managing stress, please look at some of the self-help resources below and let us know if you would like to talk about other possible solutions.  

Cognition   

If you are struggling with your memory and thinking contact your MS nurse and we can discuss your case and provide advice. 

Groups 

  Occupational Therapy - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (nhs.wales)

Staying Smart | MS Trust??   

Useful resources:  

• The MS Society hold a range of virtual support events, including information webinars, a conversation café, wellbeing courses and wellbeing skills sessions. 

• The MS Society has information on staying active, including the benefits of exercise, simple workout videos and exercises for specific symptoms. 

• NHS UK has a range of exercise guidelines and workouts to help improve your fitness and wellbeing. 

• The Multiple Sclerosis Trust is a UK charity with a wealth of information MS and living with MS. 

• Stepiau is a service developed by the Primary Mental Health Support Service (PMHSS) for people in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan who live with mental health difficulties such as stress, anxiety, or depression. 

• Valleys Steps offer mindfulness and wellbeing courses.  

• NHS UK Every Mind Matters offers expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental wellbeing and make them part of your daily routine. 

• MS-UK is a national charity with information and support to help those affected by MS to live a healthier and happier life 

• Shift.ms offers support and advice from others living with MS.