Providing Information on Cooling for those with MS
Physiology of Cooling
A Healthy Nerve
In a normal nerve with intact myelin, the signal jumps from node to node, doing so with high reliability. Depolarizing current, which preceeds the signal, sparks the jump.
By focusing current to the node, insulating myelin assures reliable conduction.
A Demyelinated Axon
In demyelinated nerves, current escapes. More time is needed to spark the jump. Conduction slows or, if too much current is lost, conduction stops altogether. If this occurs in enough demyelinated nerves, MS symptoms emerge. If body temperature rises, for example with fever or exercise, less current is asvailable; as a result, the likelihood of conduciton block increases and MS symptoms worsen.
A Demyelinated Nerve After Cooling
If the demyelinated nerve is cooled slightly, more current is available. If sufficient, the signal jumps the lesion and conduction is partially restored. Even small decreases in temperature, as that produced by a cool bath, may restore conduction in enough nerves to produce dramatic improvements in vision, fatigue, spasticity, cognitive functon and other typical symptoms of MS.
