Columns

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Early MS, Fenebrutinib, Restless Legs, Safer MRIs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Phase 4 Trial Will Test if Ocrevus Can Prevent MS Onset in RIS Patients Yes, you’re reading this right. This trial aims to see if Ocrevus can stop MS before ... Read more

May 7, 2021May 5, 2021

When in Doubt, Make a Mixtape

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

Spring is here, a time we’d normally be out and about getting some sun and recharging our souls after a long winter. I certainly look forward to working in the ... Read more

May 7, 2021May 5, 2021

Slipping Over the Event Horizon Into SPMS

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

Isn’t it just like me to start my column with a physics analogy that is already confusing? Please stick with me, as all will be revealed. My point is that ... Read more

May 7, 2021May 5, 2021

This New Tool Can Help You Choose Which DMT to Use

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Sometimes it seems as if people with MS are asked to flip a coin to make what’s arguably the most important decision about their treatment: which disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to ... Read more

May 4, 2021April 30, 2021

Addressing Some Misconceptions About Hypnotherapy

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

After speaking about hypnotherapy recently with a few people I know, I realized that many of them didn’t know that hypnosis can be used to manage stress and anxiety. One ... Read more

May 3, 2021May 3, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: FDA and Tysabri, COVID-19 and CD20, Gilenya Infections, Therapeutic Lag

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Rejects Under-the-skin Tysabri for Relapsing MS I expect this decision will be a disappointment for those who had hoped to be able to self-administer highly effective Tysabri as a ... Read more

April 30, 2021April 28, 2021

You’ve Got to Hide Your MS Away

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

In honor of MS Awareness Week, observed in the U.K. April 19–25, the MS Society released results of a survey about the barriers that keep multiple sclerosis patients from sharing ... Read more

April 30, 2021May 3, 2021

What Do the Oscars and Our COVID-19 Response Have in Common?

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

What could the Academy Awards and COVID-19 possibly have in common for people with disabilities? Stay tuned, and I’ll tell you. First, the Academy Awards. The documentary “Crip Camp,” about ... Read more

April 29, 2021April 27, 2021

As an Unlikely Warrior, I Must Be Genuine About My SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am the unlikeliest of warriors. Being called one makes me a little uncomfortable. While I appreciate the sentiment, I feel unworthy of the title. A warrior chooses to battle ... Read more

April 27, 2021April 23, 2021

Here’s What Happened in My First Hypnotherapy Session

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

I recently wrote about my decision to try hypnotherapy. I’d been feeling out of control over my mental state following a multiple sclerosis flare. I finally admitted that I needed ... Read more

April 26, 2021April 26, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 and Flares, Hiding MS Status, Blood Proteins, Tysabri

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

#AANAM – COVID-19 Often Leads to Flares in MS Patients, Survey Finds I’ve read more than a few social media posts from people with MS who are concerned that the ... Read more

April 23, 2021April 21, 2021

To Love Living Things, and to Let Them Go

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

In her poem “In Blackwater Woods,” Mary Oliver concludes with 10 breathtaking lines: “To live in this world/ you must be able/ to do three things:/ to love what is ... Read more

April 23, 2021April 21, 2021

My Own ‘Left Hand of Darkness’

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

I was listening to a BBC podcast recently titled “The Sinister Hand,” about the history of left-handers. It seems that in medieval times, left-handedness was associated with sorcery. (What wasn’t?) ... Read more

April 23, 2021April 21, 2021

Let’s Treat Older MS Patients With More Respect

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

As comic Rodney Dangerfield might have said, older people with MS “just don’t get no respect.” By older, I mean those of us who are 55 and up. By respect, ... Read more

April 22, 2021April 20, 2021

Coming Full Circle in My Relationship With My Mother

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

She held me in a fierce hug. It had been a year since I had held my mother so closely. I rested my chin on her shoulder and silently thanked ... Read more

April 20, 2021April 16, 2021

Can Hypnotherapy Help Me Find Myself Again?

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

Recently, I’ve been struggling through an MS flare. I have been numb, mostly from my neck down, which is reminiscent of my first relapse eight years ago. Numb and slightly ... Read more

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Helper T-cells, PML, WNT9B Gene, New MS Subtypes

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Helper T-cells Drive Transition from RRMS to SPMS, Study Suggests The T-cells referred to in this study, known as CD4+ cells, are believed to play a significant part in central ... Read more

April 16, 2021April 21, 2021

The Value of Looking Ahead

A Life in Letters – a Column by Jamie Hughes, Columns, Covid-19

Next week, I will be celebrating my second “quarantine birthday,” which is both amazing and sad. I honestly had no idea we’d still be dealing with COVID-19 for more than ... Read more

April 16, 2021April 14, 2021

An Upbeat MS Column for You Lucky People

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

The trouble with a degenerative disease is that things only get worse. In the long-gone days of my youth, I somehow wrangled myself into being an arts critic. Wizened journalists ... Read more

April 16, 2021April 14, 2021

My MS Likes It Hot, and Florida’s Just the Place

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Many people with MS avoid Florida. I crave it. My wife and I finally returned here in early March, escaping dreary, rainy, and windy Maryland after we received our COVID-19 ... Read more

April 15, 2021April 14, 2021

To Ease My Suffering, I Had to Shift My Perspective, Not My Pain Levels

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Many believe pain and suffering are interchangeable. While they can and often do coexist, one is not reliant on the other. Pain can occur with or without suffering, and the ... Read more

April 13, 2021April 9, 2021

Guided Meditation Helped Ease My Anxiety During an MS Flare

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

“Take a breath and give one away.” — Marisa Peer Recently, I started doing guided meditation by Marisa Peer, a rapid transformational therapy trainer and best-selling author. Her meditations are ... Read more

April 12, 2021April 12, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Predicting Progression, DMT Costs, MS Rates

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Retinal Layer Thickness May Predict MS Progression, Relapses We all know how unpredictable MS is. For some, it progresses very quickly, while for others, it follows a slow progression over ... Read more

April 9, 2021April 7, 2021

Can You Care Too Much? Er, Maybe!

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

One of the conditions of being released from the hospital a couple of weeks ago was that I had carers come to my home four times a day for six ... Read more

April 9, 2021April 7, 2021

An Update on My Lemtrada Journey, 3 Years After Round 2

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Where has the time gone? It’s been three years since I completed my second round of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) infusions. So, it’s time to take another look at where this journey ... Read more

April 6, 2021April 2, 2021

Rediscovering My Passion for Running Helped Me Regain Control of My MS

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

Sunlight flooded my bedroom. My tired eyes slowly pulled apart. Realization set in: It was Saturday. Yes! I love Saturdays.  As I got out of bed and glanced outside my ... Read more

April 5, 2021April 5, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Nasal Spray Treatment, Anxiety Management, POMS, PoNS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

SPMS Patient First to Be Treated With Antibody Given via Nasal Spray How great is this? As someone who gave himself an injection in his thigh for many years and ... Read more

April 2, 2021March 31, 2021

The Beginning of Spring Reminds Me That the World Is So Wonder-full

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

The daffodils are in full bloom. There are leaves on my Japanese red maple tree again. Seeds are going into the garden. Yes, the cruel season known as winter is ... Read more

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021

To Have a Persistent UTI or Not? That Is the Question

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

If you read last week’s column, you’ll know I’ve just been through hell — which is a pretty big statement for an atheist. Of course, if there is a hell, ... Read more

April 2, 2021March 31, 2021

Why We Still Need to Wear Masks, Socially Distance, and Wash Our Hands

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

“I’ve had my shots, so I’m protected,” a friend recently told me, referring to the COVID-19 vaccine.  My wife and I also have received our COVID-19 vaccines. More than a ... Read more

April 1, 2021March 30, 2021

To Define My Reality With MS, I Choose Optimism

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am an optimist in a pessimistic world. A fish out of water. I hold hope to ward off messages of defeat. In a world rife with suffering, hope is ... Read more

March 30, 2021March 26, 2021

Sharing the Experiences of Others During MS Awareness Month

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

It’s nearly the end of MS Awareness Month.  Previously, I spoke about helping out with the 31 Days of MS initiative by MS News Today and its parent company, BioNews, ... Read more

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19, UK ‘Mega-trial’, Pilates, Rituximab

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Certain Factors Worsen Outcomes in MS Patients With COVID-19 The worse your MS disability is, it seems, the worse the outcome if you’re infected with the novel coronavirus that causes ... Read more

March 26, 2021March 24, 2021

The MS Astronaut Returns After a 10-day Hospital Stay

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

So, where off Earth have I been? Nothing as adventurous as a space flight, I’m afraid, but a more prosaic litany of mishaps. First, I did crash, but that was ... Read more

March 26, 2021March 26, 2021

Ocrevus and PML: Should We Be Worried?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The journal JAMA Neurology recently reported that a 78-year-old man with progressive multiple sclerosis died after being diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a brain disease. The man, diagnosed with ... Read more

March 25, 2021March 23, 2021

Management Through Meditation: Balance Can Happen With MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Expectations equal resentment. It’s simple logic, yet profoundly true. Each time I set an expectation for myself or someone else, I set myself up for a potential letdown. Resentment happens ... Read more

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021

How an MS Episode Gave Me Mental Strength and Clarity

Columns, DISabled to ENabled – a Column by Jessie Ace

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” The other night I watched the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and seeing the portrayal of the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as ... Read more

March 22, 2021March 22, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ponvory, Ocrevus, COVID-19 Survey, Ampyra

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ponvory (ponesimod) Approved for Adults With Relapsing Forms of MS Add one more medication to the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) arsenal. Ponvory is a once-a-day pill that aims to reduce immune ... Read more

March 19, 2021March 17, 2021

‘I’d Prefer Not To’: Confronting the Tasks We Don’t Want to Do

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

For a week, I’ve spent my afternoons painting our enclosed garden. When we built it last spring, the wood was new and lovely, but rain and sun have taken a ... Read more

March 19, 2021March 17, 2021

The MS Immune System: Suppressed, Compromised, or What?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of incorrect information on social media about how multiple sclerosis affects our immune system. Some of it seems to be prompted by concerns that MS ... Read more