My Complicated Relationship With Heat and MG

When I talk about heat, I'm not just talking about the summer heat, although that's really bad with myasthenia gravis (MG). For me, heat can come from a lot of different places, including the weather, humidity, hot foods and drinks, and even spicy foods and drinks. All of these things can raise my body temperature and bring out my MG symptoms.

Summertime heat and humidity

The heat and humidity where I live during the summer can get well into the 90-100°'s, and even at night, it can stay hot and humid. There's not a breeze or much air movement at all most days and nights. For those of you who don't know, corn and bean sweats are a real thing! And they cause lots of heat and humidity!

With MG, I don't do well in temperatures above about 76°, even when the humidity is relatively low. I can tolerate humidity up to about 56%, but when the temperature and humidity both get higher, I can only tolerate it for about 15 minutes at a time. After that, even with all my medications and treatment, my MG symptoms start coming out. Eventually, I can lose the ability for any of my muscles to function.

I've also learned that heat alone isn't as hard on me as heat and humidity together. Even when it's below 0° outside in the winter, being inside a heated building doesn't affect me the same way. For me personally, the real killer is the combination of heat and humidity together!

Food and drinks can be a problem, too

When it comes to food and drinks, it depends on how my core body temperature is feeling that day. Before I have that cup of coffee, hot chocolate, bowl of soup, or whatever it might be, I need to evaluate myself before doing so. Even in cold weather, when I am freezing on the outside of my body, my core body temperature might still be too hot to tolerate hot foods and drinks. Too quickly, the symptoms of MG come into play because what I ate or drank heated up my body too much.

Hold the spice, please

Yes, spice is another factor that many people don't think about that can cause, at least for me, the symptoms of MG to get worse. It's such a shame because I love hot, spicy food and drinks!

I'm not just referring to jalapeno and cayenne peppers or other kinds of obvious spicy stuff. It's black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mustard, and horseradish. It's coffee, even just coffee beans, if you like to munch on those as I do sometimes. Or have them in ice cream or some other dessert. Green tea will also do the same thing.

Thermogenic foods

From my days of weightlifting and trying to build muscle, I learned certain foods like lean meats are thermogenic, meaning they heat up your body and help burn fat.

But for me, living with MG, that just makes my body way too hot and brings out all the MG symptoms. If and when I eat them or drink them, I truly do have to double-check myself and figure out where my symptoms are coming from if I've already had them.

And if I'm now having MG symptoms for some reason I can't explain, I have to think about what I may have eaten or drank. Or I need to think about it before I actually consume those potential hazards for me.

Heat and MG aren't just about the temperature outside

Some of this I had to find out the hard way. And I still go outside on days I shouldn't in the heat and humidity, knowing full well that I need to come back into the air conditioning in just a few minutes and then sit around for 1/2 hour to an hour before I can go outside again.

The same caution applies to what I eat and drink. I have to be aware of hot foods, hot drinks, spices, and anything else that may increase my body temperature. For me, my complicated relationship with heat isn't just about summer. It's about paying attention to all the different ways heat can affect my body and, ultimately, my MG.