I know no one knows what causes MS, but I'm curious what people think might have been the cause for them. My mother in law believed hers was caused by a blow to the head when a garage door came down on her. And my wife believes mine was caused bey a lot of unresolved anger in my past - basically my negative mental state.
After reading the post on retraining your brain by MS_Indestructible (under his old name Ms-Indestructible) I started thinking more on what my wife said. If we can alter our lives for the better with positive retraining, can we cause problems with negative thoughts and attitudes? And/or can physical injury be a root cause? I know there is a theory that a lack of vitamin D may have a contributing factor as people in northern latitudes (less sunshine) are more likely than those at the equator to get the disease.
Just wondering what everyone thinks about the mental state being a possible contributing cause.
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pmbevac
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I tend to think that as far as MS goes, unresolved anger or other emotional issues would not cause MS. I think genetics, exposure to little sun or inadequate Vitamin D all have a much bigger chance of triggering or setting the stage for MS. Emotions sure seem to have an impact on how we handle or adapt to any disease. This is all just my humble opinion.
Thanks.. I have read that stress can affect health it was more in terms of longer life, better health (undefined as to what better is), less depression and so on, but nothing related to say, immune system dysfunction. I think we all know a positive mental outlook leads to an overall happier life, and as you say, how we handle our situation. But to cause physical harm - I'm not convinced.
pmbevac , Good question! My Mom says years ago she had relatives that had trouble with balance and walking and the family referred as "The Mansfield Totters". Two siblings out of four in my family has MS. I tend to think it is an environmental thing, since we grew up in the "Rust Belt", where smoke stacks puffed and rivers and streams were contaminated. Who really knows?
pmbevac well, good post. I am the first one ever in my family to get ms, and if the sun was out, I was in it. The only thing I can think of is I had a really nasty bang to my head when I was 19 and again when I was when I was 47, I fell off my horse big time, did a lot of damage to my spine, so whether it is caused by severe shock to the body, just my suggestion, blessings Jimeka 🦋 🍫 By the way, nice to see you around again
@jimeka As i said my mother-in-law was convinced getting hit in the head was the cause for her. I believe in the end it will probably come down to a combination of genetics, environment, virus causing an infection, possible trauma of some sort and the outside chance of bad sushi...
I’ve always been a sunshine. If the sun was out I was in it. So vitamin c certainly wasn’t my problem. But since dx stress def has been my worst enemy and trigger.
As a kid growing up in Boston we were out in the sun when we could. But moved to Yorkshire in 1982 where the winters are long and dark. And the summer sun isn't terribly strong. Plus working in a building with no windows. So I'm sure my Vitamin D levels suffered greatly. But I'm sure that was just a contributor not a primary cause.
Growing up I was out when the sun 🌞 was out 👍. I did not have any sudden accident or injured either 🤷🏼♂️ I think it’s more genetic makeup 🤷🏼♂️🐾🐶🐩 Ken
I’m convinced mine was caused by an allergic autoimmune reaction I had in my early 20s. I lived in an apartment filled with toxic mold. I’ve just never been the same since that experience!
I was always in the sun,always. My worst sun burns were snow skiing. No MS in my family. I think combo of a few things when the dice land in the right/wrong way. I was clinically deaf as a child because of my allergies. Constant inflammation. Food does not have the same nutrients they did 75 years ago. 90% less and a lot of the 10% left isn't necessarily good without the other 90. My ex mother in law was diagnosed then the girlfriend after me then me. Somebody mentioned bad karma surrounding my ex. We were all crazy around him and I know I reverted back to normal after the divorce. I also truly think we are exposed to something that our bowels can't kill at some certain time. Like a virus or parasites that hasn't been identified yet. Roll these and or other factors together at the wrong time and you get the perfect storm. I always wanted to say this out loud thanks for listening +!!
Or maybe not a new virus but a common one we all have that activates the mylin response when the perfect storm hits. But my gut says the gut should have stopped it.
Interesting theory. Not too sure about the bad karma, but I can certainly see the degradation of the nutritional value of food having an overall effect on health. There is some thought to an infection causing the immune system to attack the nerves so some virus or parasite could be involved. Thanks for sharing...
i think its from to many antibiotics,my parents run me to doctor everytime i got sick,my sister died of polio before i was born,so they were overprotective of me,i think it interferes with your immune system developing properly,although my dad had a condition,may have been ms he was never diagnosed,he had some of the symtoms,i know he didn't get to many antibipotics since they were dirt poor,so who knows
I have always thought that it is a combination of genetics and increased exposure to chemicals (cleaning products, pesticides, etc.). Since autoimmune diseases attack the things that are supposed to be there, it seems to reason that your system can get overwhelmed by too many unfamiliar things and start attacking randomly. That theory was reinforced by the fact that really young people coming back from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, where you have no idea what was in that roadside bomb, are being diagnosed. Since my diagnosis is have switched my household cleaners to plant based cleaners and have switched to a largely organic diet. The progression of the disease has been extraordinarily slow, which either means that there is some correlation or the placebo effect is working. (I am, admittedly, prepared to believe that either possibility is true.)
I kind of believe that it is a combination of many factors. I also believe (and I think that doctors also believe) that our immune systems, which help us ward off diseases, are effected negatively by stress (physical or emotional).
I was a sun worshiper also and have lived in MN my entire life. I delivered 3 babies in 5 years - then had 3 major surgeries in the next 5 years (and went home the same day for all 6 The following year we lost both my mother-in-law and father-in-law to cancer (one in February and the other in September). That’s when my symptoms started.
My sister who hasn’t yet been diagnosed had a head injury followed by 3 deaths & 3 surgeries just prior to her symptoms starting. She also lives in MN. - Kris
I personally believe it is a combination of many things. I remember my mother's MS Neuro telling her that a significant trauma (Accident, Illness, Abuse, etc.) can make you predisposed to MS. In my case I had pneumococcal meningitis when I was 2 1/2 yrs old. I was also sexually abused by a relative for several years. That is 2 major traumas, add to that a family history of MS and other autoimmune disorders, all of which gave me a high probability of developing MS. But I think the final straw for my body is I was raised near the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant #3 at a time when it was having many unreported spills and leaks. I like to tell people that Hanford is why I have such a "glowing" personality! 🌞
@pmbevac I know in my case I have always been a very positive person. So I don't think that could be the cause. I use to tan every summer and didn't have problems but then they had so much negative info on tanning and skin cancer that I quite tanning. Then I started having issues. I don'tknow if that could be a reason or not. Or if it is the chemicals they spray in the area. I don't know if it's an accumulation of many things. Some think it is our diet. One day we may find out
Pmbevac, it's Fancy1959. Wow, you received many many excellent ideas of what people thought cause their MS. My thoughts on the issue is that with the huge increase we have seen in diseases of the auto immune systems we have somehow basically changed basic needs our the body uses and receives to the state we have set our immune systems against us. I don't honestly know if it's the additives, the growth hormones, preservatives, or the artificial ingredients we have inserted in our lives and the foods we eat that we have somehow poisoned ourselves.
When researchers can finally find out what causes MS they can cure MS. There is current research that shows there can be multiple causes of MS depending on which study you follow. Some Researchers suggest there seems to be some type of link of people having virus that causes mono in our late teens and early twenties that can predispose us for MS. We know genetics plays a role in that if we have autoimmune diseases, even like diabetes, run in the family it also increases our odds of developing MS. And I personally have yet to rule out injuries, especially to the head that can somehow trigger are auto immune system to go haywire. I personally, between the age of 19 and 45, received at least four concussions due to horse and farm related activities. There's also research showing that the lack of vitamin D in our diets, especially when we were very young, and even the lack of vitamin D in our mother's diet during the third trimester before we were born can lead to MS.
I have not read anything on mental States causing MS. And I know personally that in my youth and throughout my life, I have always been a very positive, outgoing, and happy individual with little or no anger in my life until MS change the very course and direction of my life. Are you confused yet? I know I personally am and all I can do is pray that cure to beat this monster is right around the corner. Until then fight on MS Warrior, fight on!
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The following year we lost both my mother-in-law and father-in-law to cancer (one in February and the other in September). That’s when my symptoms started.
Ms or not 
Stages of MS & Me
