Multiple Sclerosis

Causes & Prevention

What Causes Multiple Schlerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between your brain and your body, leading to the symptoms of MS. They can include

• Visual disturbances

• Muscle weakness

• Trouble with coordination and balance

What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?

In a health body, the immune system defends against foreign invaders such as viruses or bacteria. But multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered an auto-immune disease. In autoimmune diseases, the body attacks its own tissue. In the case of MS, myelin is attacked.

What Does It Mean When Medical Experts Say "Race" Is A Risk Factor For Certain Diseases?

Editor's Note:

"Race" is sometimes mentioned as a risk factor in the development of certain cancers and a number of other diseases. When you read this in a discussion about an illness, note that the explanation seldom refers to anything biological. Instead, it usually refers to behavior, such as eating habits. The kinds of behavior usually mentioned as risk factors are culturally determined. They are not genetic or biological.

Air-Borne Pesticide Levels Unsafe in One California County

Tulare County, in the Fresno area of California, is a heavy agricultural area. Pesticide-reform activists said mid-July, 2006, that their monitoring shows airborne pesticide levels in Tulare County are unsafe.

Heavy Pesticide Exposure Found in Children of Migrant Workers

A new study at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine in July, 2006, found high levels of pesticide exposure in children of migrant workers in eastern North Carolina.