Murfreesboro Medical Clinic’s Neurology department was proud to host a free seminar titled, “Living with MS,” on Saturday, April 21st. This first-time event allowed patients and caregivers to learn from neurology, nutrition and physical therapy experts about how to live their best life with MultipleSclerosis (MS).  These experts included Joy Derwenskus, DO,MS from MMC Neurology, Bobbie Marie Gregg, RD, LDN from MMC Weight Loss andWellness Clinic and Emily Vance, PT, DPT, COMT from Results Physiotherapy.

Registered Dietitian, Bobbie Marie Gregg, spoke about the importance nutrition plays in coping with a chronic illness. Many helpful tips were shared, including how to prepare nutritious and healthy meals at home. A few of these tips included: to drink plenty of water, replace salt with healthier spices that are lower in sodium, and to choose healthy fats and high fiber foods.

When speaking about exercise, Emily Vance emphasized the importance of tailoring your exercise routine to how you’re feeling in that moment. “Think about your abilities, and not what you’re not able to do that day,”Vance said. MS patients are encouraged to listen to their body and be aware of what is helping and what is hurting.

Dr. Joy Derwenskus spoke on the effect that stress can have on MS patients and caregivers. “A lot of people say when they were first diagnosed with MS, it was around the time of a stressful life event,” Derwenskus said. While many times we can’t control the stressful situations around us, we can control the way we react to it and let it affect our perspective.  Along with several tips on managing stress, she also spoke on the importance of overall wellness in caring for yourself – both as a caregiver and as a patient. Nutrition, exercise and stress management all work best when combined.

About MultipleSclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, vision loss and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million worldwide.

The MMC Neurology Department is proud to be one of the twoMS Partners in Care Clinics in Middle Tennessee. For more information about how to connect with the Neurology department at MMC, please visit mmclinic.com, or call (615) 867-8090 today. Your health is our mission.