Getting Help

Not surprisingly people will often go through a period of shock when MS comes into their lives. Their General Practitioners will have tried to provide help, but often the questions people want to ask will take some time to identify and be developed and, as time passes and symptoms may become more apparent, more queries may emerge. But, often, people do not want to bother their Doctor or even their families with these problems, and so even the most straightforward of concerns may grow from a molehill into a huge mountain.

Recognising this, and the fact that people with MS sooner or later tend to want to fight back and to regain and optimise control of their lives, the former charity Action and Research for Multiple Sclerosis(ARMS) thirty years ago helped to set up over sixty independent self-help centres such as ours throughout the U.K. These provide information about MS and have the facilities, the treatment standards and the knowledge to aid symptom management and fight back against MS.

In succession to ARMS, the therapy centres have formed themselves into two mainly geographical groupings: The Multiple Sclerosis National Therapy Centres in England and Wales and Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centres (Scotland). These Groups liaise closely together to ensure that their member Centres operate to and conform with recognised protocols and maintain common, high standards of conduct employing professionally qualified therapists as appropriate. GPs will be advised of their patient's intention to take oxygen therapy and if they would like more information about the therapy and how it may help their patient, they can contact the Associations' medical adviser directly. Their websites can be found here.

Just as important, the Centres have access to up-to-date information on research and welfare developments in MS. As self-help groups, Association members have direct experience and knowledge of MS in all its manifestations and are thus in a very good position to give day-to-day help and advice to both those who are newly diagnosed and where MS is a long-term continuing problem.