Columns

September 20, 2019September 18, 2019

I’m an Old Hand at Dealing with MS Mishaps

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

“Events, my dear boy, events.” Because of my own political proclivities, I don’t tend to quote old Conservative prime ministers, unless, of course, it’s Winston Churchill. In his semi-youth, ... Read more

September 20, 2019September 18, 2019

Neuros Say that Flu Shots and Other Vaccines Are OK for Those with MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

This is the time of year when my wife and I start thinking about getting our flu shots. We’ve already had the pneumonia and the older shingles vaccine and ... Read more

September 19, 2019September 16, 2019

Need to Know: What Is the JC Virus?

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s ... Read more

September 19, 2019September 17, 2019

Emotionally Hard-wired: Pseudobulbar Affect and MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I saw a praying mantis this morning. The long, leaf-like oddity caught me off guard. I was transfixed by the beautiful specimen, its prayerful state contrasting starkly with its ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 13, 2019

My Judgment-free Zone

Columns, Patiently Awakened - A Column by Teresa Wright-Johnson

Judgment is a social ill that many people with chronic illness must endure. People have said, “You’re not the same person,” “Snap out of it,” and of course, “You ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Transplants, Remyelination Agent, Tecfidera Study, Plasma Exchange and Tysabri-linked PML

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It’s been a big week for interesting stories, as the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) has just concluded. The conference ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 11, 2019

Going Mobile, Part 2: I’m Powering Around the House

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

Ah, the sequel. Back in April, I wrote about getting an electric wheelchair and then spending hours working out how to get it going. Six months later, I may ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 18, 2019

Stem Cell Program That Treated Selma Blair Closes Its Doors

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Richard Burt, MD, the chief of Northwestern Medicine’s immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases division, is taking a sabbatical, and the stem cell program he has headed for many years, which ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 9, 2019

Need to Know: Should I Disclose My MS at Work?

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 9, 2019

We All Have Bad Days

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Mama said there would be days like this. I just never thought there would be so many. After three days of insomnia, I am heavily fatigued and weary. I ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 9, 2019

I Struggle with Sleep Disorders, but They Don’t Stop Me

Columns, MSunderstood Millennial - a Column by Stephanie Towler

Imagine that you’re sitting in your 7 a.m. clinical psychology class and fighting to stay awake. Energy drinks were part of my morning routine in college. I usually went ... Read more

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cancer Medication Slows MS, Vitamin D and Myelin, Targeting ‘Helper’ T-cells, Vaccination Guidelines

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ofatumumab Better at Easing Relapse Rates and Slowing MS Progression Than Aubagio, Phase 3 Data Show Ofatumumab isn’t approved as a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. It’s a cancer medication ... Read more

September 6, 2019September 3, 2019

I Did Not See That (Ulcer) Coming

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Like most of you, I take medication for my multiple sclerosis. Copaxone is my medication of choice, though I have recently switched to the generic version, glatiramer acetate. I’ve ... Read more

September 6, 2019September 4, 2019

Under Pressure

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

There’s always something. The trouble with a mélange of complex medical issues is that one good action often can lead to a bad secondary one. It’s like a game ... Read more

September 6, 2019September 4, 2019

Social Cognition: Does It Impact MS Symptoms?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Feeling tired, depressed, or anxious? Maybe it has to do with your social cognition. Social cognition involves empathy and recognizing the emotions that are revealed by someone’s facial expression. ... Read more

September 5, 2019August 30, 2019

Need to Know: Expanding Your MS Symptom Journal

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question ... Read more

September 5, 2019September 3, 2019

Becoming Your Own Advocate Takes Practice, but It’s Worth It

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I recently sent my neurologist a thank-you card. A friend of mine was incredulous and truly baffled at my gesture. “Why would you thank your doctor?” she asked. Why ... Read more

September 4, 2019August 29, 2019

Ageism in Clinical Trials and Healthcare

Columns, Making a Difference - a Column by Cathy Chester.

The idea, they say, is to keep having birthdays, and I agree. I see aging as a precious gift, and when you live with multiple sclerosis (MS), that gift ... Read more

August 30, 2019August 28, 2019

My Disabled Wheelchair

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

Things had been going well with my electric wheelchair, but now I found myself out of control, heading toward the TV. I put my one good foot down in ... Read more

August 30, 2019August 28, 2019

Another Study Shows That Costs of Disease-modifying Therapies Are Zooming

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It probably comes as no surprise to you that the costs of some of the most popular MS medications have been soaring. A new study by researchers at the ... Read more

August 29, 2019August 26, 2019

Need to Know: What Is a Symptom Journal?

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.  This week’s ... Read more

August 27, 2019August 26, 2019

I Dreamed That I Was Walking

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

When asleep, many people dream they can fly. Some dream about being naked in public, failing an exam, or (gasp!) about sex. Last night, I dreamed that I was ... Read more

August 26, 2019August 25, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Rituximab Helps Reverse Boy’s MS, Top Secondary DMTs in Europe, Tricking Remyelination, Early MS Treatment Strategies

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Rituximab Leads to ‘Dramatic’ Recovery in Boy with Aggressive RRMS, Case Study Reports I dislike using adjectives such as “dramatic” when describing treatment results. I think they frequently blow ... Read more

August 23, 2019August 21, 2019

I Am Grateful for Everything — Even MS

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Last week, CNN’s Anderson Cooper broadcast an interview with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. They had a lively discussion about comedy, politics, careers, and the like, but perhaps ... Read more

August 23, 2019August 21, 2019

Life Is Better with a Local MS Nurse

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

I was struck down by sclerosis in 2006 — literally. I was playing tennis and ran to return a drop shot. I never made it, but I did drop ... Read more

August 23, 2019August 21, 2019

Are Your MS Disease-modifying Treatments Old School or New School?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Choosing which MS medication to use is one of the most difficult decisions for someone with MS and their neurologist. After 39 years with MS, and with four disease-modifying ... Read more

August 22, 2019September 4, 2019

Need to Know: The Hug You Never Want to Receive

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s ... Read more

August 22, 2019August 20, 2019

I Will Not Be Sidelined in the Game of Life

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

It is the most wonderful time of the year. Sounds of commentator calls, audibles, and cheering crowds fill the house. A familiar sense of calm envelops my being. It ... Read more

August 21, 2019September 4, 2019

The Clinical Trial I Participated in Was a Positive Experience

Columns, MSunderstood Millennial - a Column by Stephanie Towler

I knew nothing about multiple sclerosis (MS) before 2012, including the cause, the cure, or any other details. I had so many unanswered questions about how I would live ... Read more

August 19, 2019September 11, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Dark Rimmed Lesions, Sativex in the UK, NHS Care Toolkit for Neurological Diseases, Wahls Diet

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Dark Rimmed Brain Lesions May Be Signal of Aggressive Disease, NIH Study Says Researchers in this study found that specific brain lesions, notable for their dark rims, may indicate ... Read more

August 16, 2019August 14, 2019

Up Peristeen, or How to Beat the Blockade

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

The joys of MS are never-ending. One area that gets disrupted by this disease of the central nervous system is our pelvic regions. That affects bladder, bowel, and sexual ... Read more

August 16, 2019August 14, 2019

MS Progression’s Speed Tagged to ‘Smoldering’ Brain Inflammation

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The presence of chronic active lesions in the brain may provide a clue as to how quickly multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms will progress. Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes ... Read more

August 15, 2019August 9, 2019

Need to Know: How a Spinal Tap Can Help to Diagnose MS

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question ... Read more

August 13, 2019August 9, 2019

Keeping a Positive Attitude with Advocacy: Why I Write ‘The MS Wire’

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

This month marks the third anniversary of my column, “The MS Wire.” After writing two columns a week for most of those 156 weeks, it isn’t always easy to ... Read more

August 12, 2019August 27, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Solution for Lemtrada Complications, CBD Infusions, Vaccines and MS, Music and Exercise

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Autoimmune Complications Associated with Lemtrada Solved Using Anti-CD20 Therapies, Case Studies Suggest One of the concerns about the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) is that it may raise the ... Read more

August 9, 2019August 27, 2019

Looking Forward, Looking Back

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

I am now 41, at the beginning of “middle age,” and I’m tempted to give it the middle finger. It’s a halfway point, a layover, a way station — ... Read more

August 9, 2019August 7, 2019

An Open Letter to a Newly Diagnosed Patient

Columns, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

I’ve been a co-moderator on the MS News Today Forums for a couple of months now and recently wrote a reply to a newly diagnosed patient, Jono. He’s only ... Read more

August 9, 2019August 28, 2019

Using Marijuana and Having Surgery? Tell Your Anesthesiologist

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

If you’re using marijuana and have surgery scheduled, take heed. In Colorado, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2000 and recreational use in 2012, medical personnel are discovering that ... Read more

August 8, 2019August 2, 2019

Need to Know: What Is Foot Drop and What Can I Do About It?

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s ... Read more

August 8, 2019August 6, 2019

My Pain Is Real — Don’t Deny Me Relief

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am quite outspoken. I have no problem voicing my opinion or needs — or so I thought. An exchange this morning left me speechless. While my head was ... Read more