Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis Basics At one time, doctors sometimes used a hot bath to diagnose multiple sclerosis. A slight rise in body temperature often worsens symptoms for a person with MS. That rise in temperature can be very slight, as little as one-quarter of a degree. This worsening of symptoms is temporary and is caused by a decrease in the ability of heated nerve cells to conduct electrical impulses when the nerve has been stripped of some of its protective sheath made of myelin. Before more sophisticated tests became available, a person with suspected MS might be put into a tub of hot water. If neurologic symptoms worsened, doctors assumed the cause was MS. RELATED PROGRAMS Video - MS 101 Transcript Article - New MS Drugs Wait in Limbo Article - The Sum is Equal to the Whole: Individualizing MS Treatment Video - Natalizumab Update Transcript

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