Columns

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Reaction to SPMS DMT Approval, Ozanimod’s FDA Application, Caregiving Partnerships, a New Preventive Medication?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patient Groups React Favorably to Mayzent Approval, But Question Therapy’s Price Tag The approval of this medication is very good news. However, as the headline indicates, it comes ... Read more

March 29, 2019March 27, 2019

Always in the Kitchen at Parties

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

My nephew James has taken an interest in this column since having a starring role in it a few weeks ago. We were at his mum’s 60th birthday party. ... Read more

March 29, 2019April 4, 2019

Some Thoughts About Controlling Your MS Bladder

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

There are two types of people with MS: Those who have bladder problems and those who will have them. That may be an oversimplification but I’d be willing to ... Read more

March 28, 2019March 25, 2019

Need to Know: What Exactly Is Cognition?

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

March 28, 2019March 26, 2019

Losing Fear of Change with SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am a strategist. I think things through. This attribute is borne of necessity. A birthday dinner is not complete without my exit plan. As I wait to be ... Read more

March 28, 2019April 4, 2019

Is CBD Becoming Accepted as a Useful Product by the Mainstream?

Columns, Engaging Thoughts

You know that the use of marijuana as a medicine and its derivative cannabidiol (CBD) is close to being widely accepted as a useful natural product when articles about ... Read more

March 25, 2019March 25, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Walking Med Trial Recruiting, DMT Risk Tolerance, Sex and MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Phase 3 Trial of ADS-5102 Recruiting Participants of All MS Types This medication is similar to Ampyra (dalfampridine) because its goal is to improve walking in those with MS. ... Read more

March 22, 2019March 20, 2019

Remember, Remember

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

When I first learned that I had multiple sclerosis in late January 2004, the thing I worried about most was losing my mind. No, I’m not referring to stressing ... Read more

March 22, 2019March 20, 2019

Singing the Bureaucracy Blues

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

You think getting a chronic illness is as bad as it’s going to get, but then you quickly realize that you’ve been catapulted into a netherworld. There’s no stepping ... Read more

March 22, 2019March 26, 2019

Things to Know If You’re Thinking About Leaving Your Neurologist

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

If you’re a member of the baby boomer generation, or if you just like the music of the 1960s and ’70s, you probably know Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave ... Read more

March 21, 2019March 27, 2019

Need to Know: Why Do I Have Facial Pain?

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 ... Read more

March 21, 2019March 28, 2019

Intimacy and MS: A Lesson in Discovery

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Living with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is a lesson in discovery. I strive to manage life with MS one day at a time. My disease touches all aspects of my ... Read more

March 20, 2019March 18, 2019

Dealing with Seizures and Multiple Sclerosis

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

When you’ve lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for as long as I have, you sometimes forget or block out negative experiences you’ve had over the years. As The Rolling Stones put ... Read more

March 19, 2019March 22, 2019

DMT Choice for Your MS Is Your Decision

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

About 15 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available to treat MS these days. So, choosing which to use can be daunting. I’ve been treated with four DMTs since I was ... Read more

March 18, 2019March 22, 2019

Dealing with MS Personality and Emotional Swings

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

I have always found group settings to be challenging because of my shy and quiet personality. While I do fine talking to people one-on-one, gatherings of three or more ... Read more

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Non-contrast MRIs, Stem Cell Study Seeks Subjects, Postpartum Relapses, Which DMT?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Non-contrast MRI Effective in Monitoring Progression of MS, Study Shows There’s been increased interest in the risks versus the benefits of using gadolinium to make lesions more visible on ... Read more

March 15, 2019March 19, 2019

The Antibiotic Time Loop-the-Loop

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

Julian, the doorman at the London Comedy Store, is giving me his biweekly telling off about drinking. It’s biweekly because he and the other regular doorman, Mark, take turns ... Read more

March 15, 2019March 20, 2019

Pediatric MS Can Be ‘Diagnostic Odyssey’

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A post in one of the MS social media groups I follow recently asked whether kids can have MS. The writer was worried about her 3-year-old. One commenter replied ... Read more

March 14, 2019March 19, 2019

Need to Know: What Is Chair Yoga?

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

March 12, 2019March 19, 2019

Visibly Me, Visible MS

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

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month has arrived, lasting throughout the month of March. All things orange and popular hashtags flood social media sites. Awareness months like this have great value, ... Read more

March 12, 2019March 15, 2019

Are MS Patients Using Too Many Medications?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Have you ever heard of the word “polypharmacy”? I saw the word for the first time today. It’s generally defined as taking many medications together. There’s been debate over ... Read more

March 11, 2019March 13, 2019

What to Consider When Supplementing B Vitamins for MS Symptom Relief

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

Research finds that a deficiency of B vitamins may play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. On the other hand, supplementation of the vitamins may help. There are eight ... Read more

March 11, 2019March 12, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: A Cure for MS?, MS App, Robot for Balance, Botox for Spasticity

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

All of the stories in this week’s column come from the recently held Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) forum, held Feb. 28 to March 2 ... Read more

March 8, 2019March 7, 2019

Sometimes You Have to Skip the Whaling Chapters

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

Playing Billy Beane in “Moneyball,” Brad Pitt utters the now famous line, “Adapt or die.” (Warning: The scene linked here has a few naughty words in it.) He’s referencing ... Read more

March 8, 2019March 7, 2019

Minority Report

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

In the earlier days of my MS, I could still walk a bit. It was not enough to risk the maze of an airport, so I traveled sensibly in ... Read more

March 8, 2019March 12, 2019

Things Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You About Living with MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A recent article in The New York Times hit the nail on the head when it comes to describing the world we live in with MS. But the article ... Read more

March 7, 2019March 5, 2019

Need to Know: Does Low-dose Botox Help Urinary Symptoms in 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 ... Read more

March 7, 2019March 6, 2019

My Second Act: Turning 50 with SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

If a cat has nine lives then I have at least twice as many. One day shy of my 50th birthday, my mind runs a vivid montage of years ... Read more

March 6, 2019March 4, 2019

Mindfulness and Perspective: The Tools I Rely on While Living with MS

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

Several summers ago I had the misfortune of experiencing the simultaneous agony of kidney stones and gallstones. The level of pain was greater than I’d had with childbirth. It ... Read more

March 5, 2019March 11, 2019

Two Different Approaches to Providing Online MS Help

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I received an email recently from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in the U.S. promoting a searchable database of “credible doctors and resources.” A few days later, I happened ... Read more

March 4, 2019March 8, 2019

Is My Memory Loss Due to MS, Aging, or Something Else?

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

My memory is spotty at times. I utter phrases like, “What was I looking for?” more often than I care to admit. I attribute my memory lapses to my ... Read more

March 4, 2019March 4, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New DMT, Stem Cell Trial, Pediatric MS Treatment Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Will Review New Drug Application of Diroximel Fumarate for Relapsing Forms of MS The good news: Another disease-modifying therapy (DMT) has taken a step toward approval in the ... Read more

March 1, 2019March 8, 2019

Hair We Go Again

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

I can’t quite remember when I got hooked on the writings of Jack London, but I don’t think I’ve ever quite shaken off his Nietzschean-inspired “Superman” ethos. It comes ... Read more

March 1, 2019March 7, 2019

Bravo to Selma Blair and Her Cane for Appearing at the Oscars

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Over the past few months, I’ve had a few things to say about actress Selma Blair and the very public way in which she’s been handling her MS diagnosis. ... Read more

February 28, 2019February 26, 2019

Need to Know: What Is Gait?

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

February 28, 2019February 27, 2019

It’s Important to Know Your Limits with SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I had a busy weekend. I made it to an event I had so wanted to attend and survived it. Our golden retriever rescue had a volunteer mixer, and ... Read more

February 28, 2019February 27, 2019

Breaking Down the Silos in the MS Community

Columns, Engaging Thoughts

In the research world, references to breaking down silos abound, and we’re not talking about those found on the farm. These figurative silos are where information is contained and ... Read more

February 26, 2019February 22, 2019

A Warning About ‘Young Plasma’ Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Plasma is the fluid part of our blood that carries nutrients and blood cells through our bodies. Donated plasma can save the lives of burn and injury victims and ... Read more

February 25, 2019March 5, 2019

My Experience with MS Nerve Pain and Its Associated Sensations

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

I often swat at my arms and legs because I feel a sensation akin to an insect crawling on my body. Sometimes I have a feeling of wetness on ... Read more

February 25, 2019March 20, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Early DMT Use, Aubagio vs. Tecfidera, Lipoic Acid Study, MS Forums

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Early Use of High-efficacy DMTs of Long-term Benefit to MS Patients, Real-world Study Reports The question of whether to start treating multiple sclerosis (MS) with an older, less effective ... Read more