close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffSupplementing your medical care with these approaches may help you make the most of your energy and cope with the symptoms of myasthenia gravis:
- Adjust your eating routine. Try to eat when you have good muscle strength. Take your time eating and rest between bites. More frequent, smaller meals may be easier to handle. Also, try soft foods and avoid sticky foods that require lots of chewing.
- Use safety precautions at home. Install grab bars or railings in places where you may need support, such as next to the bathtub. Keep the floors and halls in your house clear of clutter, cords and loose rugs. Outside your home, keep the steps, sidewalk and path to your car clear.
- Use electric appliances and power tools. Save your energy in the bathroom, in the kitchen or at the workbench by using electric appliances, such as toothbrushes, can openers and screwdrivers.
- Wear an eye patch. If you have double vision, using an eye patch can help relieve this problem. Wear the patch while you read or watch television. To avoid eyestrain, periodically switch the patch from one eye to the other.
- Plan. If you have chores or shopping to do or errands to run, plan the activity to coincide with the time at which your medication provides your peak energy level. If you're working on a project at home, gather everything you need for the job at one time, to eliminate extra trips that may drain your energy.
- Ask for help. Depending on your energy level, you may not be able to do everything you have planned around the house or run every errand that you need to. Ask family members and friends to lend a hand.
References
- Myasthenia gravis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myasthenia_gravis/detail_myasthenia_gravis.htm. Accessed July 6, 2010.
- Howard J.F. Myasthenia gravis — A summary. Myasthenia Gravis Foundation. http://www.myasthenia.org/hp_clinicaloverview.cfm. Accessed July 9, 2010.
- Bird SJ. Clinical manifestations of myasthenia gravis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- Bird SJ. Diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- Bird SJ. Treatment of myasthenia gravis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- Facts about plasmapheresis. Muscular Dystrophy Association. http://www.mdausa.org/publications/fa-plasmaph.html. Accessed July 9, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on