Multiple Sclerosis: Staying Healthy as Temperatures Rise

Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and temperatures are rising so many of us are ready to start heading outside and enjoying the warm weather. However, for those of us living with MS, rising temperatures may not feel as good for us as it might for others.

While MS is a relapse-remit disease, a rise in temperature can be a harmful trigger that causes a relapse of symptoms. As the temperatures begin to rise due to warmer months and climate change, it is important for MS patients to stay vigilant in regulating their body temperature.

A recent study from Stanford University School of Medicine found that there is a correlation between rising temperatures due to climate change and increased hospital visits of MS patients.

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Researchers looked at data on more than 106,000 Americans with MS and estimated that stretches of unusually warm weather were associated with 592 more ER visits, 1,260 more inpatient visits, and 1,960 more outpatient visits. During those periods, Multiple Sclerosis patients were 4% more likely to visit the emergency room than during normal weather patterns, the study found.

They also had 3% higher odds of having an in-person medical visit and were 1% more likely to have an outpatient visit.

This correlation is increasingly concerning for Black patients who tend to live in urban areas with poor infrastructure. Black, Brown, and low-income neighborhoods tend to be warmer due to construction materials (brick, concrete, etc.), lack of greenery in neighborhoods, and proximity to manufacturing plants that release carbon dioxide into the air.

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While high temperatures can be unpleasant for all, these temperatures cause severe discomfort and pain for Multiple Sclerosis patients. However, there are measures that patients can take to help regulate their body temperature during warmer months:

Be Flexible with Your Daily Routine: Avoiding heat does not mean staying inside the house 24/7. Instead, this may mean adjusting parts of your routine to avoid the warmest parts of your day. Still need to go outside to exercise? Take your daily walk earlier in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the warmest parts of the day.

Instead of gardening in the middle of the day, accomplish this task around 8AM instead of 12PM. This will allow you to avoid the heat, while also getting any chores or activities done to maintain your lifestyle. 

Stay inside on warmer days: This one might seem obvious, but as the temperatures rise during spring and summer, make sure to monitor the temperature before you go outside. If you need to go outside, bring along a cold beverage, ice pack, or personal fan to stay cool.

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Additionally, make sure your A/C is functioning before you need to use it. If your home does not have central air conditioning, opt for a window A/C unit or keep fans in the room you use more often. If you know a heatwave is coming, prepare to use all measures beforehand to make sure you are ready to mitigate any heat-related symptoms.

Invest in lightweight clothing: Incorporate lightweight and breathable fabrics into your summer wardrobe. Fabrics like cotton and those used in workout wear are typically more breathable and help keep you cool throughout the day.

Other remedies include wearable cooling products, such as vests, neck wraps, and bandanas. Finally, wearing brighter colors can also help you stay cool. Colors like white and pastels reflect light instead of absorbing it, helping the fabric stay cooler throughout the day.

Systemic Remedies: Although the tips above rely on actions you can take, there are other ways to help MS patients and entire communities stay cooler during the warmer months.

Instead of putting the work on the individual, these remedies look deeper into more systemic issues, like urban planning, corporate citizen responsibility, and subsidies for common goods.

• Electricity Vouchers: Electric company can help Multiple Sclerosis patients by issuing vouchers to help pay for air conditioning. This removes cost as a barrier and reduces stress on the patient to manage their symptoms.
• Increased Accountability of Corporations for Climate Change: While individuals play part in climate change, corporations are the largest contributor to global warming and climate change. Continued lobbying for environmental protections and sustainability may not reverse damage, but can help limit carbon dioxide emissions that raise the global temperature.
• Increase Green Spaces in Low-Income, Urban Areas: Human activity within cities has called the urban heat island effect, meaning that heat created in our buildings and streets does not leave the atmosphere, but is trapped in concrete structures, roadways, etc. This causes rising temperatures in our urban areas, which is further exacerbated with lack of green spaces.This is especially true in low-income urban areas. Greenery helps to cool down spaces through evaporation and helps to cycle water and air through an environment. Increasing the amount of community gardens, trees, bushes, and other greenery can play a huge role in reducing rising temperatures.