Is MS As Common As It Seems?

Multiple Sclerosis seems to be everywhere. It doesn't matter where we are, what we are doing or who we talk to, it seems like there is always someone around us that is personally affected by Multiple Sclerosis. We have met individuals on vacation, in the airport, at the grocery store, at businesses and all sorts of other places that after talking to them, they either have MS or know someone personally that has MS. I don't remember the disease being this common when I first met my wife and was trying to figure out what Multiple Sclerosis was and how it affected people. Now, it seems like we run into people constantly that are in the diagnosis process or have been diagnosed with MS.

I have no idea why this is, but it does concern me that MS seems to be more common and more a part of the general public today. I know that studies have been done that show demographics and research where and why people have MS, but I wonder how accurate any of that is today. With our current genetics, diet and general health issues, is it any wonder that it seems like more and more friends I know have diseases ranging from MS to Cancer to Rheumatoid Arthritis to Alzheimer's. My own family has a hodge-podge of diseases that are slowly taking away their ability to move, think and just live. What really worries me is the lack of medical help with many of these diseases. My wife and I often wonder why there isn't more help with all of the technology and money being poured into the research of these diseases. I know for my wife and I that we will continue to research and learn about MS and make decisions based on our experience and the knowledge we can glean from all of the voices that supposedly have the "answers".