Columns

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Nanocrystals, ‘Cog Fog,’ Mapping MS, Ocrevus

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Clene Awaits US Patent Covering Gold Nanocrystals’ Use in Treating MS This is a different approach to MS treatment. It uses very tiny crystals to produce a chemical reaction. ... Read more

January 22, 2021January 20, 2021

‘Soon May the Wellerman Come’: Connecting Through Music

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

As hard as it is to believe, we’re now nearly a year into this pandemic. Thankfully, two vaccines are currently working their way through the system and into people’s ... Read more

January 22, 2021January 21, 2021

A Nod to the Long-running Comedy Show ‘No Sex Please, We’re British’

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

“No Sex Please, We’re British” was a British farce that opened in London’s West End in 1971 and ran until 1987. It was panned by critics, but having “Sex” ... Read more

January 22, 2021January 20, 2021

Car Repairs Aren’t Easy When You Have MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I love the car I drive, but I’ve hated going to the dealer to get my car serviced. In the four decades that I’ve lived with MS, my walking ... Read more

January 21, 2021January 19, 2021

Comparing Ourselves With Others Doesn’t Improve Our Symptoms

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Almost every characteristic of multiple sclerosis differs for each of us who has the disease. While we share commonalities inherent to multiple sclerosis that make us similar to one ... Read more

January 19, 2021January 15, 2021

How to Overcome January Blues in 5 Easy Steps

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

Can January March? No, but April May!  OK, well, I thought it was funny.  Nothing beats the January blues like bad puns, right? Let’s face it. For most people, ... Read more

January 18, 2021January 18, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: CBD, Sativex, Lemtrada, Sexual Dysfunction

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Public-private Partnership Will Assess Therapy Potential, Effects of CBD Have you tried using CBD to treat your MS? I have. I’d hoped it would ease my leg spasms. Some ... Read more

January 15, 2021January 13, 2021

My ‘Great Escape’ During a Long Pandemic

Columns, Covid-19, Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor

Unfortunately, mine didn’t involve a cool motorbike — it was the wrong kind, as somehow Steve McQueen had managed to steal a British one — and an impossible jump ... Read more

January 15, 2021January 13, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Thumbs-up from National MS Society

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The advice issued Tuesday by the U.S.-based National Multiple Sclerosis Society about COVID-19 vaccination couldn’t be clearer: “Get your vaccine as soon as it is available to you.” New ... Read more

January 12, 2021January 7, 2021

Learning to Appreciate My Personal Progress and Growth

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

“Ooh, I found some of your artwork in the loft. Did you still want it?” My mum’s beautiful, melodic voice sang through the phone during our regular chat.  “Heck ... Read more

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: DMTs and Disease Progression, Obesity, Sunlight and Relapses, MS Fatigue

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Study: Past Long-term DMT Use Tapers Risk of Current MS Progression Since being diagnosed in 1980, I’ve used four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), starting with Avonex (interferon beta-1a) in the ... Read more

January 8, 2021January 11, 2021

The Hidden Blessing of Routines, Even in Times of Grief

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

The holidays can be difficult for many reasons, but one of the things I struggle with is the breakdown of routines. The kids are home from school and spend ... Read more

January 8, 2021January 6, 2021

Sorry, This Is Not About New Year’s Resolutions. Get Over It!

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

Now I know what it is like to write like Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson. Not because I have their talent (if only), but due to the inescapable ... Read more

January 8, 2021January 6, 2021

Can Amazon Lower Healthcare Costs?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The answer to whether Amazon, in partnership with a pair of financial giants, can make healthcare more accessible and less expensive for its workers is: Apparently, it can’t. About ... Read more

January 7, 2021January 4, 2021

Positioning Myself to Embrace Change

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

There is something poetic about transitioning to a new year. It’s the melancholy of farewell fused with hopeful expectancy, the bittersweet juxtaposition of closing one door while opening another. ... Read more

January 5, 2021December 22, 2020

I’m Setting New Year’s Goals, Not Making Resolutions

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

How do you feel at the start of a new year? I love it, because I enjoy defining my intentions and setting my goals for the coming days. Everything ... Read more

December 30, 2020December 29, 2020

Will Reduced Treatment Time Keep Ocrevus Competitive?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

One of the key considerations when choosing a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is how much it will disrupt your life. It’s one of several factors that need to be evaluated. ... Read more

December 22, 2020December 18, 2020

Through the Valley of the Shadow

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

Psalms 23 has always been my comfort when I needed respite from the hardships of life and chronic illness. My mother used to read that Bible passage to me ... Read more

December 22, 2020December 17, 2020

How Much Energy Do You Spend Making Yourself Presentable?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

“She smelled amazing!” I commented to my oblivious husband as we walked our muddy dog back home after our daily walk. “Did you smell that lady as she walked ... Read more

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Study, Protein Predictor, Tolebrutinib and STEP Trials

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Stem Cell Therapy Shows 2-year Benefit for Progressive MS Patients in Phase 1 Trial Stem cell studies always catch my eye. This very small study involves people treated with ... Read more

December 18, 2020December 15, 2020

Reclaiming Our Power When We Feel Powerless

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

I don’t know about you all, but when I first learned I had multiple sclerosis, I felt utterly powerless. Weak. Beaten down. Cornered. Cowed. Yes, I experienced all of ... Read more

December 18, 2020December 16, 2020

Santa Claus Is Still Comin’ to Town

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

Well, 2020 was a weird year for everybody. It was even weird for magical creatures, as these days, an awful lot of people believe they exist! It’s tough now ... Read more

December 18, 2020December 16, 2020

Getting Back to Physical Therapy for My MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Are you sitting down? I am, but I’ve been doing too much of that this year. For the past six months, I haven’t been using our community exercise room. ... Read more

December 17, 2020December 14, 2020

What Do You See When You See Me?

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

If I were using a wheelchair, would you question why I use a handicapped placard? Perhaps some (or all) of the condemnation I now receive would diminish. Maybe the ... Read more

December 15, 2020December 10, 2020

Can Taking a Break From Tech Reduce My Fatigue?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

What would happen if you switched off all of your devices for a day? Phones, tablets, laptops, TVs — all of them switched off. Could you do it? How ... Read more

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Fatigue Trial, Pediatric MS Relapses, Stem Cell Transplant

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patients Urged to Enroll in Clinical Trial Assessing Chronic Fatigue Treatments My “MS Wire” column 10 days ago reported on a study of MS fatigue treatments that compared ... Read more

December 11, 2020December 9, 2020

‘Well, This Could Be the Last Time, I Don’t Know!’

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

Don’t be so overdramatic, my wife always tells me. But as I’ve spent 30 years of my life as a pseudo-luvvie, I’ve earned the right to have a good ... Read more

December 11, 2020December 29, 2020

Can I Get a COVID-19 Vaccine If I Have MS?

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

Do you plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine? I do.  One is now available to some residents of the U.K., and approval in the U.S. of one or more ... Read more

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020

Disclosing Your Diagnosis: Is There a Right Way to Do It?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

For many of us, odd symptoms and strange feelings may fill our lives for years before we are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Others may be diagnosed more quickly, which ... Read more

December 7, 2020December 7, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Quality of Life, Virtual Reality Rehab, Aubagio and Brain Atrophy, Cancer Risk

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Review Study Examines Factors That Affect MS Patients’ Quality of Life What affects the qualify of your life as someone who lives with MS? Fatigue is at the top ... Read more

December 4, 2020December 1, 2020

Both Now and Someday

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

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a ... Read more

December 4, 2020December 2, 2020

The Thankful Rest of Thanksgiving

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

I’m surprised I get anything done! Luckily, the parent company of Multiple Sclerosis News Today is in the U.S., so I didn’t have to write this column last week, ... Read more

December 4, 2020December 2, 2020

There Is No Magic Pill for MS Fatigue

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve been tired all day, which is nothing new, as fatigue and multiple sclerosis go hand in hand. It’s been one of my primary symptoms since I was diagnosed ... Read more

December 3, 2020December 1, 2020

Reflecting on a Year of Blessings in My Life With SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

The holiday season has always been a time of reflection. The year passes by in a montage of memories. I am reminded of the past 11 months. The highs ... Read more

December 1, 2020November 24, 2020

How Is Your MS Affected by Temperature Sensitivity?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

“I’m too hot!” My brain was turning to mush as my body seemed to grow heavier. I could feel the energy draining out of me. This isn’t an uncommon complaint ... Read more

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: More Tysabri Benefits, Long-term Ocrevus Data, Trial Diversity, MS and the Gut

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Tysabri Affects Immune System Beyond Known MS Target, Study Finds Tysabri (natalizumab) slows multiple sclerosis progression by blocking some immune cells from entering the central nervous system, where they ... Read more

November 24, 2020November 20, 2020

How Lucy the Dog Changed My Life

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

A pet is the most loyal companion a person can have.  I’m currently sitting in my dad’s home office and typing away on my laptop. It’s nice to have ... Read more

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Typing Patterns and MS Progression, Cognitive Testing, Multitasking, Autoimmune Registry

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Smartphone Typing Patterns May Be Tool for Monitoring MS Progression, Study Finds This is an interesting concept that makes sense. Like the nine-hole peg test that some neurologists use ... Read more

November 20, 2020November 19, 2020

On Being Truly Thankful

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

Well, friends, we are coming to the end of 2020. Thanksgiving is next week, and believe it or not, Christmas is just around the corner. And while I can’t ... Read more

November 20, 2020November 18, 2020

To Be Forewarned Is to Be Forearmed

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

My travails with MS invariably deal with what it does to me. This week, dear reader, it’s what I did to my jolly old self! I’ve got a daily ... Read more