What Causes Multiple Sclerosis - Possible Factors

What causes multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system of the body. This medical condition is severely debilitating, as the nerves within the spinal cord and brain are damaged, which can result in the loss of vision and motor skills.

Though this disease affects more than 250,000 people in just the United States alone, professionals in the medical field are still uncertain about what actually causes multiple sclerosis.

Popular Mainstream Medicine Theories about Multiple Sclerosis

Doctors practicing conventional or modern medicine have studied patients with this devastating disease at length in an attempt to determine what causes multiple sclerosis. Over the years, a few theories have seemed to be most commonly found, with data gathered pointing to possible environmental, genetic and viral causes.

Environmental

Studies have shown that multiple sclerosis is almost five times more prevalent in those locations with temperate climates than in areas with more tropical weather. Information also reveals that multiple sclerosis is more common in certain races than in others. A large number of patients suffering from the disease are white, with other racial groups having lower numbers of carriers of the disease.

Genetics

Genetics possibly also has a part to play in what causes multiple sclerosis. Some researchers believe that there is significant evidence that points to multiple sclerosis being a possible genetic condition. Data reveals that the close siblings of a carrier have a 2-5 percent risk of developing the disease themselves.

These numbers are quite low, however, which makes the theory of a genetic connection to multiple sclerosis not a very viable one.

Chances are, genetics do contribute to what causes multiple sclerosis, but is not among the major factors; the main causes are probably external factors.

Viral

There is another school of thought that those afflicted with multiple sclerosis have gotten the disease through some type of virus. In some of the multiple sclerosis patients that have been examined, it has been found that they share a history of certain viruses, including the flu virus, herpes and measles. There has not been a great deal of information gathered on this theory, however, making it one of the least accepted theories on the disease.

The Alternative Opinion on What Causes Multiple Sclerosis

Many health practitioners that treat patients using natural and alternative means have come to some of their own conclusions about multiple sclerosis and its causes. Though many of them do also share beliefs in the theories listed above, others believe that there is more to the cause of the disease.

As multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, many alternative health practitioners feel that a large part of MS arises from an abnormal immune system. Some theorize that this abnormal immune system may stem from poor nutritional health during early years, which weakened the immune system and caused abnormalities to occur.

Other natural healers believe that the condition is caused by a variety of factors, all of which stem from inadequate care and a toxic state of the body caused by poor diet and pollution.

Conclusion

Overall, it is worthwhile to note that diseases are usually caused by a combination of factors, and rarely down to only one reason alone.

At this point in time, with there being no concrete evidence as to what causes multiple sclerosis, all of the theories hold some water, and may someday reveal the full truth behind the disease.

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