Ed Tobias,  —

No Link Between Herpes Infection and MS Risk in Genetic Study This is interesting because the Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes family, and recently, a major study indicated a link between Epstein-Barr and MS. Yet, the study reported here concludes there is no link between herpes…

I’m marking a big anniversary this month. It’s been four years since I finished the second round of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), my final disease-modifying therapy (DMT). That means that, after about 60 monthly blood draws, I’m finished being stuck. Lemtrada is usually a two-phase series of injections, with…

Use of GA Depot in Treating Progressive MS Given US Patent In the area of MS treatments, one major need is for medications that treat more than just the relapsing form of our disease. GA Depot might help fill that void. The U.S. patent the medication received says it’s…

This column is being published on April 1. When I was in the journalism profession, that was a day we had to be on guard against pranksters who would try to trick us into reporting phony April Fools’ Day news items. So, I need to be very clear about this…

Stem Cell Transplant Gaining Ground as MS Therapy Option This comprehensive look at stem cell transplants by Multiple Sclerosis News Today writer Hawken Miller is one of the best overviews of the possible benefits and dangers and the current status of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) that…

I’m changing my mind about MS Awareness Month — at least a little — thanks to “31 Days of MS.” Whether it’s an awareness month or a week, or whether it’s for MS or disabilities in general, I’ve never been a big fan of these types of initiatives. But this…

MS Doctors, Nurses in UK Struggle With Marking Transition to SPMS The issue highlighted in this story isn’t just a problem in the U.K.; it’s a universal MS problem. People with MS often ask how they will know when their illness has transitioned from relapsing to progressive. I respond…

You might be wondering why a Yank like me is writing about multiple sclerosis care in the United Kingdom. It’s because a survey caught my eye the other day that I think deserves a closer look. The survey, conducted by the MS Trust and reported by MS News…

Ketogenic Diet Eases Symptoms, Aids Life Quality in Small RRMS Study This new report says that a ketogenic diet might help people with MS. It’s certainly helped my wife lose weight, but will it help my symptoms? I wondered about that in a recent ‘MS Wire’ column.

For the past few months, my wife, Laura, has been following a ketogenic diet, and she’s lost a bunch of weight. But in addition to helping people slim down, the low-carb keto diet may have other benefits, including potentially for those with MS. A small study that will be…

#ACTRIMS2022 – Cognitive Training Paired With tDCS Aids Patients A treatment to clear “cog fog” would be welcomed by many people with MS. Over 75% of us are troubled by cognitive problems. In this study, adding painless transcranial direct current stimulation to standard cognitive training improved results when compared…

#ACTRIMS2022 – Immune System ‘Reset’ by Stem Cell Transplant At the University of Ottawa, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) has been used to treat people with aggressive MS since the early 2000s, MS News Today‘s Marisa Wexler reports. This study, which reviewed 71 patients during that period, reports…

For my wife, Laura, and I, trying to change our address on our health insurance accounts last week was like following Alice down the rabbit hole. As Lewis Carroll wrote in the classic children’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”: “The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some…

Fatigue Severity in MS Predicted by Shrinkage of Certain Brain Regions For several years, I’ve been a believer, along with many neurologists, in the theory that it’s best to treat MS as quickly and effectively as possible. Though directed at only fatigue indicators, this research looking at brain atrophy…

If you’re like me, you’re always wondering what obstacles you’ll need to overcome if you eat at a new restaurant or visit another venue you’ve never been to before. Will you physically be able to enter? If so, can you navigate once inside? Are the bathrooms accessible? You could…

Blood Stem Cell Transplant May Help Immune System Longer I’m a proponent of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) to treat MS. The process entails extracting a patient’s own stem cells, usually from the bone marrow, treating them to kill immune cells that trigger MS attacks, and then infusing…

My immediate thought after reading a recent MS News Today headline stating that trigeminal neuralgia (TN) affects more than 3% of MS patients was, “Really, only 3%?” The reason is I’ve seen several complaints about the condition, which causes excruciating pain in the face. As the story noted, TN…

Combined Data May Predict Person’s Risk of Advancing From CIS to MS Clinically isolated syndrome is sometimes called “early MS.” It’s the diagnosis used when someone’s symptoms don’t quite look like MS, but it does appear that MS is lurking. It may take years for an actual…

I’ve been popping vitamin D pills for years — decades, really. I never really understood why, I just knew that many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are vitamin D-deficient. A recent study has cast some new light on why I should continue. It all seems to comes down to…

COVID-19 Booster May Benefit Patients on Anti-CD20 Therapy After multiple reports of how Gilenya and anti-CD20 MS medications reduce the efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, here’s more evidence that a booster shot may improve that protection. The researchers report “modestly increased levels” of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after a third…

Reservations at a base lodge have been made, and a starting date is circled on her calendar. MS hiker April Hester is ready to start up the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S. It’s always an uphill hike for April, even when the trail is flat. She was diagnosed with…

Imaging Brain Metabolites May Help Diagnose, Monitor MS Have you ever heard of magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, or MRSI? I hadn’t until I read this story. It’s a technique that in concept allows a radiologist to see metabolites in the brain. Metabolites are small molecules that are produced during…

You may have heard about the research that’s just been published about the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study reports that being infected by EBV raises the risk of developing MS by 32 times. This isn’t a small or…

Epstein-Barr Virus May be Leading Cause of MS, Raising Risk by 32 Times Several studies over the past few years have suggested a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but this one is huge, both in the number of participants and in the length…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has gotten to be a real pain in the back. In the past couple years, I’ve developed pain in a few areas of my body, especially my butt and back. Last winter, I tried physical therapy, but relief lasted only a short while. So, I think I’ll…

AB Science OK’d to Start Masitinib Phase 3 Trial for Progressive MS Many of us with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been waiting for another treatment for progressive forms of MS. I hope this brings us another step closer to one. Masitinib is an oral medication that works by blocking…

A little over a year ago, I wrote about whether people with multiple sclerosis (MS) should get a COVID-19 vaccine. I was anxious to be vaccinated as soon as I could, but I was also concerned about how the vaccines would affect someone with MS. Would the side effects…

Cortrophin Gel Now Available in US at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Cortrophin Gel is similar to Achtar Gel, which was, until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent re-approval of Cortrophin, the only repository corticotropin injection available in the U.S. Cortrophin Gel is a naturally produced cortisol that is expected…

Study: Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gilenya Lower Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines This research adds more evidence to studies that have already shown that certain disease-modifying therapies reduce the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Those DMTs include Kesimpta (ofatumumab) and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), plus rituximab, another anti-CD20 vaccine, that is sometimes used…

I’m back in Florida for the next several months, having left cloudy, windy, chilly Maryland for the Gulf Coast. It’s been sunny and in the low 80s for the past few days, and my multiple sclerosis (MS) is feeling just fine. A lot of people with MS avoid the heat,…