Columns

September 18, 2020September 16, 2020

Who We Are and What We Do

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

We’re now moving into the sixth month of quarantine, and it’s looking more and more like the world isn’t going to snap back to the way it was before ... Read more

September 18, 2020September 16, 2020

Like Iggy Says, ‘All Aboard for Funtime’

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

I’ve been a moderator at MS News Today Forums for a while. One of my jobs, besides rejecting the interminable bots that try to become members, is to promote ... Read more

September 18, 2020September 16, 2020

MS Digs Deep Into the Wallet, Report Shows

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is expensive. Even with good insurance, those of us living in a country without universal healthcare have significant out-of-pocket costs for our treatments and medications. Some ... Read more

September 15, 2020September 11, 2020

The Surprising Reasons You Might Be Bloated

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) struggle with intestinal issues. There is evidence of the link between gut health and MS.  Bloating is a common result of these issues. ... Read more

September 14, 2020September 11, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 Survey, MSVirtual2020, Zeposia, B-cells

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

COVID-19 Pandemic Had Minimal Emotional Impact in Progressive MS Patients, Survey Finds I beg to differ. I have secondary progressive MS, and COVID-19 has bummed me out. I haven’t ... Read more

September 11, 2020September 9, 2020

Turn It Off, Then On Again

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

There’s always something! As a columnist, that comes in handy, as then I don’t have to think too much. Stop snickering at the back for thinking that I never ... Read more

September 11, 2020September 9, 2020

Why a Flu Shot Is More Important Than Ever This Year

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Labor Day has come and gone here in the U.S. Now, flu season has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. This isn’t the novel coronavirus we’ve been fighting all year. ... Read more

September 10, 2020September 8, 2020

The Contrast Between Positivity and the Realities of MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am tired of having multiple sclerosis. I am just so tired of this disease. And you know what? That is OK. Being tired of MS does not negate ... Read more

September 8, 2020September 4, 2020

5 Surprising Ways to Stay Cool Without an Air Conditioner

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

People outside the U.K. might not understand this column, but that’s OK. Not long ago, we had an entire week with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) in ... Read more

September 4, 2020September 1, 2020

Finding Soul Food in a Butterfly’s Visit

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I don’t know about you, but these last few months have been rough. Like, I-want-to-crawl-under-my-weighted-blanket-with-a-hot-water-bottle-clutched-to-my-midsection-and-listen-to-Chopin’s-“Nocturnes”-on-an-endless-loop rough. Life’s just like that sometimes, especially when you have multiple sclerosis. Ever since ... Read more

September 4, 2020September 2, 2020

Einstein Said Time Is Relative, but Not For This Relative

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

Albert Einstein proved that the faster you go, the less you’ll age compared with those you left at home. This effect, however, is imperceptible unless you have the ability ... Read more

September 4, 2020September 2, 2020

Amazon’s Halo Judges Your Stress by Listening to Your Voice

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

You’re stressed, and Halo may know it. Halo is a new Amazon service the company says can judge how stressed you are, in part by the tone of your ... Read more

September 1, 2020August 27, 2020

What Does ‘ENabled Warrior’ Mean to You?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

After I received my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, my nurse handed me a leaflet explaining how to tell those at my workplace I’m “DISabled,” and what that means, and ... Read more

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Paramagnetic Lesions, Mavenclad, Relapses in Children, Ocrevus and Rituximab

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Paramagnetic Rim Lesions Showing Promise as Diagnostic Marker of MS About a year ago, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health reported that the presence of chronic active ... Read more

August 28, 2020August 27, 2020

There’s No Business Like Show Business — Till There’s No Business

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

In June, I wrote a column about accepting I’d have to physically retire from directing and producing my own stand-up stage show, “The Edge.” Now, because of that which ... Read more

August 28, 2020August 26, 2020

Could a Justice Department Lawsuit Threaten Copay Assistance Programs?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The U.S. Justice Department has the manufacturer of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) in its crosshairs, and the outcome could have a much greater reach. It appears the case could ... Read more

August 25, 2020August 24, 2020

How Much Caffeine Are You Consuming?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

Your alarm sounds at 7 a.m.  You grunt, smash the snooze button, and turn over. Ten minutes later, your alarm sounds again.  You smash snooze.  And repeat another five ... Read more

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Kesimpta, Ocrevus and Chickenpox, Generic Tecfidera, UTIs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Approves Kesimpta, B-cell Targeting Therapy for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Kesimpta (ofatumumab) this month is a pretty big deal. Kesimpta is a ... Read more

August 21, 2020August 18, 2020

What’s Haiku With You?

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

I don’t know about you, but most mornings my brain feels like it’s full of hyperactive gerbils. This could be my multiple sclerosis, or it could be pandemic brain ... Read more

August 21, 2020August 19, 2020

‘Apocalypse Now’: I Love the Smell of Hashish in the Morning

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

Helicopters were whirling in my brain. Turns out, it was a solitary police one. Though it was another hot night, my wife closed my windows in case of a ... Read more

August 21, 2020August 19, 2020

I Give the L300 Go a Mixed Review

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve been walking with the Bioness L300 Go for about eight months, so it’s time to update everyone on how things are going. The L300 Go is a functional ... Read more

August 20, 2020August 20, 2020

Sailing Beyond Fear With SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I grew up sailing the San Francisco Bay. My summers were spent in sailing school. My father’s daughter, I loved being on the water. There was no place more ... Read more

August 18, 2020August 13, 2020

A Simple Hack to Access Better Treatment by Doctors

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

“What was the date of your last relapse?” the neurologist asked while peering over her glasses at me.  I stared back blankly and then shrugged with a sheepish smile. ... Read more

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ofatumumab, Aubagio, Oral DMTs, PoNS Device

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ofatumumab Seen as Superior to Aubagio at Lowering Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Trials Ofatumumab is a cancer medication that’s awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ... Read more

August 14, 2020August 12, 2020

Relapse, Relapse, Relapse, Profanity, Relapse

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

Maybe I should have called this one “Short and Sharp 2.” Yes, I’ve had another relapse, following my last one in May. I can no longer clean my own ... Read more

August 14, 2020August 12, 2020

Could a Tongue Stimulator Help to Improve Your Walking?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The idea doesn’t seem very appealing to me, but a company is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a product that might help people ... Read more

August 11, 2020August 4, 2020

Things People Say When You Tell Them About Your Diagnosis

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

After you receive a diagnosis and are coming to terms with a new way of life, the next part is especially tricky.  You have to tell others.  “Ugh, I ... Read more

August 10, 2020August 10, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr and Smoking, Infections, Oral DMT Trial, Exercise and the Brain

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Smoking and Epstein-Barr Virus Combine to Raise MS Risk, Study Says A number of studies over several years have demonstrated a likely link between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS. ... Read more

August 7, 2020August 5, 2020

Being Freed by Who I Am

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns

Every few days, I go out to our Little Free Library and change the messages on the two side walls, which are covered in chalkboard paint. One of my ... Read more

August 7, 2020August 5, 2020

It Was a Lazy Sunday Afternoon — Not!

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

It all started on the hottest day of the year here in the U.K. My phone said it was 99 F. An old friend was coming over, and my ... Read more

August 7, 2020August 5, 2020

‘Crip Camp’: Disability Looking Me Right in the Eye

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In early July, I wrote a column about Disability Pride Month. It’s not for me, I said. I questioned the word “pride” and asked whether we need a special ... Read more

August 4, 2020July 30, 2020

3 Ways People Respond to Your MS Diagnosis — and 3 Alternatives

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

After you get a new diagnosis and are coming to terms with a new way of life, the next part is especially tricky. You have to tell others. “Urgh. ... Read more

August 3, 2020August 4, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Symptom Progression, Lower Urinary Symptoms, Tysabri, IL-17A Protein Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Order Seen in Motor Skills Affected by MS, With Walking Taking First Hit Read this headline carefully. It reports that walking takes the “first hit,” but that doesn’t mean ... Read more

July 31, 2020July 29, 2020

The Mouth That Roared and Roared

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

Strap in: This is not going to be a fun one. Even less so for me — though I’m writing this under the sort of drug load that Jack ... Read more

July 31, 2020July 29, 2020

Lemtrada and COVID-19: To Treat or Not to Treat?

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Like others these days, I’m worried about COVID-19. In fact, I’m probably more worried than some. I’m old, I have MS, and I’ve been treated with the disease-modifying therapy ... Read more

July 30, 2020July 28, 2020

A Dog’s Love in a World of MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am staring at my golden retriever, Abby, as she sleeps on the lawn, the afternoon sun dancing through her fur. Lying so still, she is encapsulated in a ... Read more

July 28, 2020July 23, 2020

Managing Expectations on Your Wedding Day

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

Rose petal confetti — made from the roses my dad had given me a few days before — rained down as the people I cared about most in the ... Read more

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ketamine, Arbaclofen ER, Bafiertam, UK Health Services

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ketamine May Help Treat MS-related Fatigue, Small Pilot Trial Suggests I’m tired — I mean really bushed. Today, despite my daily dose of modafinil, I have to sit and ... Read more

July 24, 2020July 22, 2020

The Joy of Joining the ‘Downton Abbey’ Set

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

For an espoused leftie, you might be surprised that I’ve always had the brush of the rugged individualist about me. Not quite Bear Grylls, but grabbing a rucksack and ... Read more

July 24, 2020July 21, 2020

My Cocker Spaniel, Joey, Is My MS Pal

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking strange thoughts about your MS and your dog? I did the other night. I’ve written about Joey, ... Read more