S8E2 The MS Biological Clock: What it is and Why Waiting is the Most Expensive Mistake
[00:00:00] What if I told you MS has a clock inside your body right now and it's ticking whether you're paying attention or not. I know it sounds dramatic, but here's the truth. This clock isn't about aging gracefully or getting wrinkles. It's about your immune system quietly changing in ways that can make MS harder to manage.
If you wait too long today, we are unpacking the MS. Biological clock, what it is, why it matters, and most importantly, what you can do about it. Starting right now. And before we get started, I wanna invite you to something special. Living with MS can feel overwhelming, but one habit can shift everything.
That's what I'll show you inside my free webinar. How to help Slow MS progression, starting with just one habit. Think of it as your first step towards more energy, confidence, and hope. Save your [00:01:00] seat at alenebrennan.com/webinar. Welcome to my MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live a life they love.
I'm Alene Brennan, your Ms sister and a practitioner who knows the science and the reality of living this too. Each week I share simple. Science backed habits to boost your energy. Stay consistent and feel like yourself again, because Ms. May be a part of your story, but it doesn't get to write the ending.
Hello and welcome back to my MS podcast. I'm so glad you're here today because we are diving into a topic that hardly. Anybody talks about, and once you understand it, it can completely change the way you look at ms. It did for me. So last week I mentioned something called the MS. Biological clock. And let me tell you, [00:02:00] you lit up my inbox with questions.
What is it? How does it affect me? And is this something I should be worried about right now? So those are exactly the questions that we're gonna talk about today, and here's the deal. This isn't about scaring you. I need you to hear that it's about giving you a new layer of understanding of MS and your control over it once you understand how your immune system changes over time and what that means for Ms.
You will see why the choices you make today matter so much for your future. So let's get into it. First up, the obvious question, what exactly is the MS biological clock? Well, you've heard people talk about the biological clock in terms of fertility, right? Like we all know that there's this idea that there is a certain window of time for things to occur in the [00:03:00] body.
IE conception? Well, it turns out MS has its own kind of biological clock, a window where the right actions can slow down the disease, and a point at which afterwards it makes it so much harder. It's what I have called the MS biological clock. It's just as real as the fertility one, but instead of fertility, it's about your immune system.
How it ages and understanding it is really important if you are living with ms. So what exactly is going on inside our bodies? That's already the mystery when you are living with ms. But how is there a clock inside the body and what's happening? It boils down to one. Big scientific term immunosenescence, which basically means the natural aging of your immune system.
So as we get older, our immune system [00:04:00] gradually loses some of its strength, and by the time we reach our mid forties, the immune system begins to shift. So this isn't really like mind blowing. Rocket science right now, like we know as we age that our immune system becomes less efficient. That's why the elderly tend to get more sick.
Okay, so that much makes sense. But here's the thing. When your immune system is shifting, again, this happens around mid forties, it doesn't produce as many new quote unquote like fighter cells as it used to, and the cells that it does have. Aren't as efficient as they were when we were younger. In fact, older immune cells tend to stick around and cause a slow, steady simmer of inflammation in the body.
Scientists even have a fancy word for this. Inflammaging inflammation and aging wrapped up into [00:05:00] one. I mean, could you get a better combo? Right? And to top it off, our body's repair mechanisms start to slow down too. So think of it this way, when you are young. If there was a fire, your immune system is like a team of top-notch firefighters, putting it out and rebuilding the damage.
But as you age, there are fewer firefighters being trained, and some of the older ones, they just hang out. They hang out by the fire smoldering instead of rebuilding. The result is fewer new immune cells are on duty. More lingering inflammation. The opposite of what we want when we are living with an inflammatory condition and slower repairs are going on inside the body.
That is basically immunosenescence in a nutshell. I know it's a big mouthful, but it's something so important that we understand. Now, this is a process that happens to [00:06:00] everybody, ms. Or not. So what I just described of the immune system being less efficient and having that shift around mid forties, that happens to everybody, whether you have MS or not.
But why does this matter? Even more when you are living with ms, because MS is an inflammatory disease of the immune system attacking the brain and spinal cord. So in younger people, let's say like twenties and thirties, the immune system is still pretty robust. Sometimes too robust. Yes. Which is why MS in those early years.
Often comes in with flares or relapses when the immune system launches those big attacks on the myelin. But on the flip side, when you're younger, your body also has more ability to recover. There's more, quote unquote, reserve and repair happening. In the early stage of ms, the immune system can [00:07:00] often repair the damage more effectively.
You may have relapses, but then bounce back close to your old self. That's why it's called relapsing remitting ms. There are remissions, but as the immune system ages. IE the MS. Biological clock ticking its strategy kind of shifts. The big dramatic flareups tend to quiet down by middle age. Again, around mid forties to fifties.
Many people find that MS isn't causing as many. Major flares, and this might sound like a good thing because no flares, that's what we're all striving for. But here's the catch. The disease often isn't gone at all. It's just gone in like. Underground mode, a slower smoldering progression, and this is where you may be getting diagnosed with progressive ms.
[00:08:00] You may transition from relapsing remitting to progressive ms, and actually about 50% of people with relapsing remitting. We'll develop this progressive phase within 10 years of the diagnosis. And that makes sense. Like it kind of lines up because most people are diagnosed around early to mid thirties, and then you think about 10 years from then.
That's exactly when this immune system shifts. And this is why early action is so critical. If you are in the early years of ms. Maybe you were just diagnosed or symptoms are still relatively mild. This is a time to really lean in and take action. And I know it is tempting to think, I feel okay now. Maybe I can just wait and if symptoms get worse.
That's when I'll make changes. Or of course, we all wanna believe that maybe we [00:09:00] will be the exception and maybe we won't get those symptoms and maybe we won't progress. And of course, I want that for all of us. However, hope is not a strategy, right? Like we've heard that before and it's never more applicable than when dealing with our health specifically ms.
A lot of women in their thirties think. If it gets worse, I'll start doing X, Y, or Z then. But the truth is, by the time worse comes, a lot can be happening under the surface. It's like the iceberg concept, right? Like there's so much happening under the surface that we don't see. And by the time that iceberg breaks through, yes, that may be the first moment that you're seeing it, but it is not the moment that it just appeared.
It had. Been there for a while and MS is just as sneaky as that. The damage can accumulate quietly, even when you feel quote unquote [00:10:00] fine. That's the part that I think is so deceptive. 'cause we have those moments where, again, we feel fine and we wanna tell ourselves that we are the exception to this diagnosis and maybe it won't progress.
Therefore, maybe you can continue living life as is, and I want us all to live life the way that we want to, however that may be, but I don't want us to do that with a blindfold on your immune systems. Aging process is ticking away in the background, which means even if you don't have frequent relapses.
Inflammation might be simmering and slow damage might be adding up in that 35 to 45 age range. We sometimes call this silent damage. You might not notice. Big symptoms, but the MS clock is still ticking and things can be changing inside. Again, I'm not saying [00:11:00] this to create more fear. There is enough fear out there.
I am sharing this because this is something that I wish I was told at the time of my diagnosis, which was age 35. I wish that I wasn't discovering this. At age 46. Hello. That's not the time that I wanna be hearing about this, and I know I'm not alone because one of my clients is in her eighties. So if you are hearing this and you're in your forties, fifties, sixties, or beyond, this does not mean that it is hopeless.
But I want you to know that it is not too late. It is not too early, but the time is now. Remember half the people diagnosed with relapsing remitting progress within a decade? Take action now. Even if you feel good. This is about staying ahead of the curve as much as possible. And I say [00:12:00] this with compassion.
I say it because I've heard so many women say to me, I wish I started sooner. I wish I had done more for my health back when MS was mild, because it's harder. It's harder to reverse in the later stages. It's not impossible. But it's just harder, and we already have enough heart in our lives, so why not leverage the time that we have right now?
Regardless of what your age is, today is the youngest that you will ever be. So leverage that and start taking action because regret is not a fun thing to live with. You don't wanna be the one saying, I wish I started sooner, because this is such an uphill battle now. But regardless of your age right now, it is never too late to start making positive changes.
Yes, the earlier the better, but later is still better than never. [00:13:00] Later is still better than never. Your body and your brain can still benefit fifties, sixties, and beyond. That window might not be as wide open as it was in your thirties, but it's not closed. Do you hear that this window is not closed? So every choice, every healthy choice, every bite, every sip of water, every supplement, it still matters.
And research continues to add up. Showing how much healthy habits, the food, the exercise, the stress management, the sleep. All of those things can really help us in slowing down the progression of ms. Even in the later years, you are basically helping your body combat that inflammaging inflammation and aging we talked about earlier by staying active, eating healthy foods, managing stress.
And getting good quality sleep, you are [00:14:00] literally working on turning back the clock on some of those aging effects. It matters, and it's not about an overnight transformation. If you have been around in this community for a while, then you know one of the most important messages that I share is that adopting these healthy habits is not about an overnight transformation.
That's overwhelming, it's stressful, and it's not sustainable. What does work? What is effective and sustainable and gets the best results are starting with the small habits and repeating them over and over again because it's something that feels realistic. The bigger the changes we try to attempt, the less likely we are to do them, and again, to be consistent with them.
But if you can start with some low hanging fruit. Today, one more serving of veggies on your dinner plate at night. One more bottle of water. When you first wake up in the morning, one walk [00:15:00] to the mailbox a day. That is where it starts. That's where it starts, and that's where you can break through this little window of time, regardless of the age that you are at right now, to start shifting your immune system.
In ways that can help to quiet the progression of this disease. Knowing about the MS biological clock is so important. Again, regardless of the age right now, you are the youngest you will ever be. Take advantage of today. Use the window that is open regardless of how much is open. It is still cracked open, and your body can still bounce back and potentially delay further progression.
It is still worth doing regardless of your age because we know the power of neuroplasticity, your ability to create new neural pathways in your brain. And we also know that the food that [00:16:00] you are eating today. Is what your body is using to create new cells in your body and new cells build new tissue, which build new organs, which build new systems in your body.
The food that you are eating today has the power to improve your health to tomorrow, next week, next month, years to come. Leverage today. Don't make this about a big overnight transformation so that it becomes something that you put off again later is the most expensive word that you can say when it comes to your health.
Find something two minutes or less that you can start. Today clearly this is something I have great passion for because this is such an important message that needs to be out there in our community. So if you have a fellow Ms. Sister out there, send this podcast to her, help her understand the influence that [00:17:00] she can have over her health, and that today is the most important day to get started.
So to recap the MS. Biological clock. Is a timeline influenced by the body's natural aging system, and in understanding this, we can make more informed, proactive choices. This is not meant to scare you. This is meant to educate and empower you. Whether you are 35 and newly diagnosed, or 55 and living with MS for decades, remember your action today.
Shapes your tomorrow. The clock is ticking, but you are not alone and it is not too late. Every step you take, every time you are consistent with your exercise, your nutrition, your supplements, your stress management, your sleep, your care plan as a whole. It is like winding that clock back [00:18:00] just a bit and taking.
Back some control. You can do this my friend. We are all figuring this out together and we are all going to rise together. We are in this together and there is so much reason to be hopeful. About the road ahead. And that's it for today's episode of my MS podcast. I hope you're walking away with one small step you can put into practice today, because that is how real change happens.
And if you're ready to take the next step, I created a free webinar just for you how to help slow MS progression. Starting with just one habit, save your spot at alene brennan.com/webinar. I'll see you inside.