Hi.

No surprises that i'm worrying about yet another fear again! I have a sister inlaw who is a true hypochondriac and has had nearly every symptom to every disease out there over the past 17 years i have known her. The difference between her and i is that i fear a diagnosis where as she searches high and low for one! Her latest is symptoms she has been developing that mimic MS......i find it interesting that during this discovery, she has been around 3 women who have the disease! Anyway, she hasn't had an MRI as yet to clear her worries yet her GP has placed her on medication already! When i questioned her of this she replied and said that she told the drs (apparently she has been ping ponging between 3) that she sufferes anxiety and stress and wondered if it could just be that but they have all apparently told her that anxiety and stress are causes of MS!!!! At first i thought the comment was ridiculous but before i could process it properly i found myself freaking out and worrying that if it is true then im a gonna too!!! HELP! Please Help clarify this for me.....if it is true then i can't look for the reassurance im after but if it isn't then i really need some answers before i lose the plot!

I'd also like to mention to you, RLR, that i did go and see the Neuro last week regarding my Visual Migraines who did exactly what you said he would - told me i'm ok and no further are required. He didn't even want to look at the previous CT scan i had brought in. I have felt somewhat relieved with this and i trust you both. Now i'm attempting to get on with my life without the shadow hanging over me.......Thanks again.


I await your response.

Thanks,
Kelley

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder largely of unknown etiology and although theories abound regarding the majority of neurological disorders and diseases, there is little real clinical evidence that stress or anxiety play any role in manifestation of MS.

Stress and anxiety have been stated by patients to exacerbate their symptoms, but realize that the imposition upon the nervous system by anxiety and stress is still be a factor in the absence of MS, so the subjective response is that MS is made worse by stress or anxiety when in fact it may simply represent the presence of two separate factors acting upon the nervous system simultaneously.

Many people experiencing the somatic features of anxiety worry that they have symptoms which they feel are similar to those of actual neurological disorders and it's important to realize that in either instance, the nervous system is being affected. It is, however, impractical to assume that one can develop MS from anxiety simply because they both share the nervous system in common. From an analogous standpoint, the digestive system is the centrally shared organ system of both Irritable Bowel Syndrome and colon cancer, but this fact in no way supports the slightest evidence that colon cancer can be caused by IBS.

Best regards and Good Health