Columns

It’s summer in the U.K., and it’s hot. That’s cause for celebration for everyone but us. It’s actually the hottest June day since 1986. Heat immediately spikes my fatigue. ... Read more

June 23, 2017June 22, 2017

Ocrevus, Hope, and a Suicide Postponed

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Several months ago, I wrote a column about Andrew Barclay. Barclay died in an assisted suicide in December. He’d had multiple sclerosis for many years. Colin Campbell is a ... Read more

June 22, 2017June 21, 2017

MS Alphabet: EAE, Endothelium, Epstein–Barr, and other ‘E’ Words

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this second of two parts on terms starting with the letter “E.” Read the first part ... Read more

June 21, 2017June 20, 2017

Everyday Matters: A Positive Program for People with MS

Columns, You've Got Some Nerves - A Column By Judy Lynn

Many years ago, not long after my MS diagnosis, my cousin gave me a “gratitude journal.” At that time, I was all too aware of what I was not ... Read more

June 21, 2017June 21, 2017

How Pilates Changed My Life … and My MS, Part Four, Addendum: Home Gym For $100

Columns, MS in Motion - A Column by Mike Knight

Earlier this year, I visited a physical therapist I’d seen way back in my running days to devise a home workout routine that could help me address not only ... Read more

June 20, 2017June 19, 2017

MS and Catheterization, Part 2: Outside the Hospital

Columns, Make Change Happen - A Column by Paula Hardin

Catheterization training in the hospital did not prepare me for how to manage on a daily basis. In my last column, I described how I ended up in the ... Read more

June 20, 2017June 19, 2017

Hyping MS Headlines Is Uncool

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Once again, over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been blasted with headlines trumpeting a new MS discovery. Last month there were headlines about an inexpensive acne drug that ... Read more

June 19, 2017June 18, 2017

My MS Speech Issues, and Why I Want to Head Off Any Swallowing Problems

Columns, Faith of the Mustard Seed - a Column by Debi Wilson

Many of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis feel random, and can be down right terrifying. I’ve recently been suffering from a scary MS symptom: slurred speech, also known as ... Read more

June 19, 2017June 19, 2017

MS News That Caught My Eye This Week: Pollution, Salt, Stress, and Air Travel

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. **** Air Pollution May Trigger Relapses ... Read more

June 16, 2017June 15, 2017

All the Power You Possess: How ‘Wonder Woman’ Reminds Us Who We Are

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

Like millions of other fans, I happily plunked down $13 to launch “Wonder Woman” into blockbuster status on its opening weekend. In fact, I was so excited that I ... Read more

June 16, 2017June 15, 2017

Looking Back in Anger

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

Back in the day, I always wanted to be a columnist. That day was so long ago it was before sunrise. In my youthful naivety, I never thought about ... Read more

June 15, 2017June 14, 2017

The late Dr. John N. Whitaker was a world-famous researcher in multiple sclerosis. His work inspired many scientists to enter the field of MS and develop their skills and talents. Each year, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers honors Dr. Whitaker’s memory by presenting one award for innovative research by a young investigator. — CMSC Annual Meeting Program

June 15, 2017June 14, 2017

How to Survive Business Travel When You Have MS

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

I just spent a week in Boston at an industry conference. I realized I’ve mastered the art of preparing for long-distance excursions since my last flare-up four years ago. ... Read more

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017

BrainHQ is Fun Way to Improve Overall Cognitive Function in MS

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

At times it can be difficult to know whether the cognitive issues I experience are the result of aging or multiple sclerosis. According to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) more than half ... Read more

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017

My Bad Attitude About Lassitude, the Clunky Term for MS Fatigue

Columns, You've Got Some Nerves - A Column By Judy Lynn

Fatigue is a topic I have not wanted to write about. It’s not because the subject isn’t important. As I hemmed and hawed about this week’s column topic, fading ... Read more

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017

How Pilates Changed My Life … and My MS, Part Three: Mariska Breland’s Pilates Tips

Columns, MS in Motion - A Column by Mike Knight

Note to readers: This is the last of a three-part series focusing on the valuable role Pilates has played in my life with MS. If you missed the first ... Read more

June 13, 2017June 12, 2017

Life Lessons from Children: Fall Down, Get Up and Don’t Stop Trying

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

I have had the privilege of watching several children grow into adulthood, and witnessing their transformation has been priceless. I have experienced extreme joy, sorrow, pride, and disappointment; all of ... Read more

June 12, 2017June 12, 2017

A Glimpse at Jason, a Loving Dad with MS, as Father’s Day Nears

Columns, Faith of the Mustard Seed - a Column by Debi Wilson

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18, in the U.S. There are a lot of good fathers out there, but one I wanted to tell you about is my friend ... Read more

June 12, 2017June 12, 2017

MS News That Caught My Eye: New Ocrevus Study, Minority Patients, Zocor, MS and the ‘Social Brain’

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. Ocrevus Phase 3 Trial Will Explore ... Read more

June 9, 2017June 8, 2017

Living with MS: There’s a World Out There

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

One of the most dispiriting aspects of a chronic illness is that it traps you in your own world. Major events happen but these are filtered against the achievement ... Read more

June 9, 2017June 8, 2017

Self-Injecting Betaseron? There’s Now an App for That

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Have you ever hit a brick wall trying to self-inject? I have. It was with Avonex, the first DMD that I used. To make a long story short, after ... Read more

June 8, 2017June 8, 2017

CMSC Revises Recommendations for Gadolinium Use in MRIs

Columns, Engaging Thoughts

Editor’s note: Patient columnist Laura Kolaczkowski attended the 31st annual Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers conference in New Orleans. The information in this article was taken from an interview ... Read more

June 8, 2017June 21, 2017

The MS Alphabet: EVP, Exacerbations, Estriol and more ‘E’ words

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this first of two parts on terms starting with the letter “E.”) When it comes to ... Read more

June 7, 2017June 7, 2017

Cruising Toward Solutions for the Other MS — Motion Sickness

Columns, You've Got Some Nerves - A Column By Judy Lynn

This summer I will venture out on an Alaskan cruise with my mother and older sister. The beautiful trip through the Inside Passage is on our collective bucket list ... Read more

June 6, 2017June 6, 2017

Jumping to Conclusions About a MS Treatment

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Those of us with multiple sclerosis are always on the alert for new treatments. So, when a common, inexpensive and easy-to-administer drug recently appeared on the radar as a ... Read more

June 5, 2017June 4, 2017

An Overriding Credo in Transitioning from MS Patient to Cancer Caregiver

Columns, Faith of the Mustard Seed - a Column by Debi Wilson

I am making the transition from multiple sclerosis patient to cancer caregiver. On May 11 my family’s world turned upside down when my husband of 41 years was diagnosed ... Read more

June 5, 2017June 5, 2017

MS News That Caught My Eye: An Acne Drug, a High-Cost Gel, Good News About Lemtrada, and Getting Off MS Drugs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. Acne Therapy Reduces Rate of Multiple ... Read more

June 2, 2017June 2, 2017

One Man’s Playground is Another Man’s Horror

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

Multiple sclerosis has a way of messing with one’s head. Whether it’s emotional or psychiatric disorders, fatigue, brain fog, or physical problems, there’s a lot to wrestle with. And ... Read more

June 2, 2017June 1, 2017

Lemtrada II: My Right Foot (Hopefully)

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

Read John Connor’s previous column, “Lemtrada I: This Island Couch.” Apologies for the pic of my edema–riddled right foot. If I put whiskers on it, my big toe could ... Read more

June 2, 2017June 1, 2017

An ‘MS House’ That Lets You Walk in My Shoes

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A few months ago, I wrote about a bicycle that mimics the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Now, I’ve discovered that there’s an “MS House” that allows a healthy person ... Read more

June 1, 2017June 1, 2017

MS Comprehensive Care: What My Clinic Teammates are Doing

Columns, Engaging Thoughts

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw “MS Comprehensive Care: A Team Sport“ listed as the title of the John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture at the opening of the ... Read more

June 1, 2017May 30, 2017

The MS Alphabet: DMD, Dystonia, Dawson’s Fingers and Other ‘D’ Words

Columns, MS in Moderation, a column by Tamara Sellman

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this second of two parts on terms starting with the letter “D.”) When it comes to ... Read more

May 31, 2017May 30, 2017

MS Burning Feet and Hands Could Be Erythromelalgia

Columns, Faith of the Mustard Seed - a Column by Debi Wilson

Erythromelalgia is a rare and painful multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom that I (and others with MS) experience. Almost every night my feet have a tight, swollen feeling accompanied by ... Read more

May 31, 2017May 30, 2017

Saving Money, Disabled Style: A Response to Invisible Costs

Columns, You've Got Some Nerves - A Column By Judy Lynn

A few weeks ago, I wrote about some of the invisible costs of living with MS. Writing that column really got my mind thinking about all the ways that my ... Read more

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017

How Pilates Changed My Life…And My MS, Part Two: Mariska Breland Practices What She Teaches

Columns, MS in Motion - A Column by Mike Knight

Like so many people with MS, Mariska Breland remembers the disease’s onset as a combination of strange, seemingly disparate maladies that included tingling in her left thigh, numb feet, ... Read more

May 30, 2017May 29, 2017

‘Disabled? You Seem Perfectly Fine to Me!’

Columns, Make Change Happen - A Column by Paula Hardin

The casual remark, “You seem perfectly fine to me!” bothers me (and others) because eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits requires proving we are not fine. In fact, we must prove that ... Read more

May 30, 2017June 1, 2017

‘Patiently Awakened’ Explained: The Story Behind the Column

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

Someone asked me to fully explain the title of my column, “Patiently Awakened.” My column title provides a brief description of what it means to me and my intentions for ... Read more

May 30, 2017May 28, 2017

MS News That Caught My Eye: A New Study about Lemtrada, An Easy Way to Improve Balance, A New PML Case Reported and Kudos to Us

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Relapse after First Lemtrada Course No Indication of Poor Long-Term Outcome, Study Finds Some MS patients being treated with Lemtrada report new exacerbation after they complete round one of ... Read more