Columns

The inflammation in our bodies can be very sneaky. I am not talking about the good inflammation, also known as the group of hormones called eicosanoids (eye-KAH-sa-noids). This group of hormones provoke our immune system to fight diseases, viruses and other invaders and help in repairing tissues…

I don’t usually write about drug studies, especially ones that are tiny and preliminary. But an unexpected result has peaked my interest in this one. Researchers at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia report that half of the progressive MS patients in their study of…

I knew it was only a matter of time before my MS neurologist would have MS PATHS available to collect clinical data from people who have agreed to participate. MS PATHS is an information- and biological sample-gathering clinical study from Biogen, the leading manufacturer of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying…

Many life-affecting decisions are made at the time of an MS diagnosis. Top of the list? The moment you decide your course of treatment. In my case, the decision was entirely up to me. This isn’t typical, I’ve discovered. Many people with MS aren’t…

Last week, I celebrated by 39th birthday. Yes, 39. That’s one year shy of the big 4-0. The last year of my 30s. If life was a rollercoaster ride, I’m about six clicks from the apex; the big plunge awaits me just on the other side. I looked…

Everything around us, and within us, begins with science. Science is important to the future of humanity’s well-being. Science is what makes the world go around. We all think it’s love, but actually, at its core, love begins with chemistry. Biological…

For those who read my column, I am certain you can see I am an emotional writer. This is a difficult column to write. I have been thinking about end-of-life decisions for months. I am reminded of my mortality each time I visit the hospital and I’m asked…

When I began writing about multiple sclerosis, I never imagined that, one day, I’d be writing a column about guns. But here I am, staring right into that barrel. The other day as I cruised around MS websites, I ran across a post from a woman who was…

In 2004, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid is underactive and doesn’t product enough important hormones. Six years later, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Naturally, I became curious as to whether a link might exist between between hypothyroidism and MS. I am…

Multiple sclerosis causes debilitating fatigue. The following photographs show, without censorship, what my fatigue leaves undone. The homes of everyone I know have living rooms without sweaters tossed over the back of chairs. Their floors are not an obstacle course. They do not have piles of mail, notes, drills,…

It was three years since I’d seen my best mate Nigel. The last time had been when we said goodbye at London City Airport after our three-day sozzled sojourn (OK, drunken trip) round the Scottish Isle of Islay. To the uninitiated, a pilgrimage for those who worship peat in their…

The American Academy of Neurology‘s (AAN) 2017 annual meeting will bring together physicians who practice in all areas of neurology, including our own multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists. In a recent interview with Anthony Traboulsee, MD, associate professor and research chair of the MS Society of…

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this third of three parts on terms starting with the letter “C.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and Qs, dot your…

New data on the recently approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting 2017, which will take place April 22-28 in Boston. The meeting is the first scientific conference focusing on neurology since the U.S.

This past week has been uplifting. The sun was out and the weather was enjoyable. Spring has officially arrived, and I was able to get out and really appreciate the nice days. I did not do much of anything, however, I was out and about. Easter Sunday was…

I’m an old guy, and it’s been a looonnnggg time since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This, however, is not the case with BJ Baker. BJ is in his late 20s, and was having a very bad day. He was too tired to do a (seemingly) simple…

It was my 2015 annual check-in, and my neurologist and I were in the exam room. I was sitting on one of those little stools with wheels, he was leaning across the exam table. We had just finished discussing my steadily worsening symptoms and treatment plan, which consisted…

Multiple sclerosis is a very complex disease that attacks the central nervous system. The symptoms MS generates are random, affect everyone differently, and are categorized either as primary MS, or secondary MS, symptoms. Primary MS symptoms are the direct result of the disease itself — byproducts of the damaged…

There are a few moments when life changes. In my day, it was meeting your partner across a crowded room. Now it’s sadly the flick of an app. What hasn’t changed is that only later do you realize this really was a moment. This isn’t a story about romance…

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this second of three parts on terms starting with the letter “C.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and Qs, dot your Is, cross your Ts,…

A lot has changed in multiple sclerosis research and treatment since I was diagnosed 30 years ago. Here are a few things I was told originally that are no longer true: There’s less than a 1% chance for a child to inherit their mother’s…

T.S. Eliot’s opens his masterwork The Waste Land with four stunning lines of verse: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing  Memory and desire, stirring  Dull roots with spring rain.  It seems odd to say that April is…

Pamela Arterbridge is one of 70 people at Ohio State University’s Multiple Sclerosis Center taking part in the open-label part of a clinical trial for ocrelizumab, now best known as Ocrevus.  She is a patient of Dr. Michael Racke, who is a pioneer in the field of B-cell treatments for MS,…

You might think that the Fair Housing Act required multifamily buildings to have elevators, but no, it doesn’t. A multifamily dwelling of four units that does not have an elevator is not required to have one. However, the ground floor units must be fully…

The dating process is the prerequisite to most serious relationships. We invest a significant amount of time to assess whether we are compatible with the person of interest. Dating should be fun and we should look forward to future possibilities. For the past few days I’ve been thinking about dating…

With last month’s approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus, I’ve again heard the plea “But how can I afford it?” Ocrevus carries a price tag of about $65,000 a year. That’s not high compared to some other MS drugs, but it still can mean a higher…

A popular theory of what contributes to developing multiple sclerosis is a disease called mononucleosis (also known as glandular fever), which can be caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is thought that the virus weakens our defenses in the blood-brain barrier, allowing white blood…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Canada, World’s Multiple Sclerosis Capital, Launches 3-Way Collaboration to Research MS Progression Why some people develop primary progressive MS and others have the relapsing type, and why a many relapsing patients develop secondary…

The ABLE Act improvement bills were reintroduced into Congress this week and referred to committee on April 4. The bills died in committee in 2016 before an active campaign could garner enough attention in that election year. I urge all readers in the U.S. to call your representatives and senators to encourage them to…

These might be the days of the gig economy, but I’ve been doing one every Tuesday for 27 years. My particular white van (for US readers the delivery drivers of such are a British stereotype of the new Amazon order — or lack of it) is a comedy vehicle…