February 24, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski #ACTRIMS2017: Support for Vitamin D Supplements Grows Evidence supporting the use of Vitamin D for people with multiple sclerosis continues to grow but there remains many unanswered questions as well.Ā Ellen Mowry, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins MS Center, presented Vitamin D supplementation as disease modifying therapy, to participants at…
February 24, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Stimulating Neurons to Help with Problem-Solving One of the most troubling symptoms of multiple sclerosis, especially for those of us who are still working, is “brain fog” ā not being able to concentrate ā¦ not feeling “sharp” when working on a task or solving problems. So I was interested to read about a new…
February 23, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski #ACTRIMS2017 – Learning is Underway at Annual MS Confab Editor’s note: Columnist Laura Kolaczkowski reports from ACTRIMS in Orlando, Fla. TheĀ second Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) got under way in Orlando, Fla., today and runs through Saturday. I have the honor of being on site to hear Ā presentations…
February 23, 2017 Columns by admin MS is No Excuse for Being Discourteous When Offered Help It was a trip, plain and simple, neither my leg giving way nor a fall. It was MS-related because it was directly caused by foot drop; the toe of my left shoe caught on the tiniest ridge at the bottom of…
February 22, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman How to survive an MRI if you are claustrophobic Last updated April 26, 2023 A key test for identifying multiple sclerosis (MS) during diagnosis, or to confirm a relapse, is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI.) For those who’ve never had to undergo an MRI, the thought of having this test might be terrifying. Being encased in a magnetic…
February 22, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn Travel Plans Actually Require Planning These Days, Thanks to MS In my younger years, I took great pride in my far-flung spontaneity, and unfairly judged those I perceived to be too thoughtful and prudent. Age, with its attendant wisdom and experience, moved me slightly inland. In 2003, MS arrived with a smart little bag full of practical necessities,…
February 21, 2017 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD Exploring Methods to Manage MS-Related Fatigue FatigueĀ isĀ the bane of my existence. Clutter qualifies as my lifestyle. If I can’t see something it may as well beĀ lost. I spend about 50% of my day trying to find things I have put “someplace safe.” The other half I spend looking for something IĀ just had…
February 21, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Time, Stress and MS: When Saying ‘No’ is Good for Your Health Time. We all know it is important. Time is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole.” In simple terms, time is life in a series of moments. Regardless of what is…
February 21, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias I Have MS. Do I Tell the Kids? It’s a question that nearly every MS patient faces. When do I tell my children about my multiple sclerosis, and what’s the best way to do it? In early January I wrote a column about sharing an MS diagnosis. It was prompted by a reader who had told…
February 20, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Does your MS Fatigue and Energy Need a Boost? Does your MS fatigue and energy need a boost? I know mine does; having multiple sclerosis drains my battery very quickly. Add to that a terrible cold I had recently, and my fatigue has doubled, and my energy has left the building! While looking for a magic…
February 20, 2017 Columns by admin MS Patientās Pick of the Weekās News: BFitLifestyles, Cannabis, ARNet, Bioness and More Here`s my Pick of the Weekās News as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Fitness Trainer and MS Patient, Dolly Stokes, Launches BFitLifestyles Website with Husband Looking after what you eat and exercising according to your abilities apparently can help alleviate symptoms of many chronic illnesses including…
February 17, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Conference Was a Reminder of Why We Must Continue to Create Own Stories Last week, I attended the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Washington, D.C. I had the opportunity to meet many fine folks who are hard at work creating everything from alphabet books for children to poetry protesting xenophobia. I attended panels on editing, writing…
February 17, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Drug Costs: The Elephant in the Examination Room A lot of factors go into our decisions when we selectĀ the drug we’re going to use to fight our multiple sclerosis. How well will it work? What are the possible side effects and how serious could they be? How will using the drug (taking a pill, giving myself a…
February 16, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Sir Peter Mansfield, Pioneering MRI Physicist The MS world lost a very important person on Feb. 8. Britain’s Sir Peter Mansfield, Nobel Laureate, passed awayĀ at the age of 83. For most of us, his name means little, but his work revolutionized the way multiple sclerosis is diagnosed, and the way progression of the disease…
February 16, 2017 Columns by admin MS Love and Care, as Only a Superwife Can Provide Thoughts of love were brought to the forefront of many peopleās minds on Valentineās Day, which is widely celebrated by couples both young and not so young. They usually buy cards and enjoy romantic dinners. In our…
February 15, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Amygdala, ARR, Assistive and More When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering your own understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps, Qs, dot your Is, cross your Ts, and recite your ABCs. There is so much to know about this complex disease. But the more you know as a…
February 15, 2017 Columns by Cathy Chester Stress and MS: Webinar from IOMSN Helps Manage Daily Stress When you live with multiple sclerosis, stress is unavoidable. Your first experience with the stress of MS is when youāre diagnosed. As you move forward, you begin experiencing not only ānormalā stress, but also the stress of living with a chronic illness. Ā Stress…
February 15, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn MS Support Groups: Pot Brownies, Shoes, Bladders ā and Inspiration What do pot brownies, shoe shopping and bladder control have in common?Ā These are just a few of the varied MS self-help support group discussion topics in which I have enjoyed participating. I have been an attendee and group leader of twoĀ National MS Society self-help groups. I also…
February 14, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Beyond Valentine’s Day: The Importance of Expressing Love Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many. We wait for this one day of the year to tell the ones we love how special they are. The proverbial Happy Valentine’s Day cards, flowers and candy will be given as tokens of love and affection. Although my husband and I are…
February 14, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Stem Cell Treatment for MS: Can’t We Move Any Faster? There is some good news about stem cell therapy. A just-published study concludes that one form of human stem cell therapy is more effective at treating multiple sclerosis than the best of the MS medications being used currently. The not-so-good news is that approval of this…
February 13, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Naturopathic Approach Has Made Gains in Quest to Lose Weight For many years I have been fighting the battle of the bulge while trying to decipher and combat many food intolerances. Every year I seem to come up short in the battle with losing weight, but I continue to try to shed the pounds. There are many challenges…
February 13, 2017 Columns by admin MS Patient’s Pick of the Week’s News: Obamacare, Traditional Medicine, Insoles, Biomarkers, Massage Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. People with Chronic Diseases Support Obamacare More Than General Public, Survey Finds As everyone must know, throughout the world, politics in the U.S. has become extremely volatile and one of the focuses is…
February 10, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Why Can’t Some MS Docs Communicate with Their Patients? Browsing through some multiple sclerosis Facebook groups the other day I was reminded of the line from the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” These posts jumped out at me: So when my neuro says he wants me to…
February 9, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression Lately, I have been reading more and more about the potential connection between the blood brain barrier and multiple sclerosis. I have been researching the blood brain barrier (BBB) to better understand it and share my findings with readers. The BBB is a network of endothelial cells…
February 9, 2017 Columns by admin Worry Less to Reduce Unnecessary Stress Stress is like a light that turns on when you need it. But when you can’t turn it off, you run the risk of burnout, which can impact your health, according to the U.S. National MS Society. I often have said that I…
February 8, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman MS Alphabet: Abnormal reflexes, ACTH, Amantadine and Other ‘A’ Words MS Alphabet When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering your own understanding of the disease means you need to mind your P’s and Q’s, dot your i’s, cross your t’s, and recite your ABCs. There is so much to know about this complex disease, but the more you know as…
February 8, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn Interferon Hangovers: Managing Treatment Side Effects Interferons (Beta and Alpha) are the oldest of the disease-modifying treatments, or DMTs, for people with MS. Interferons include Avonex, Betaseron, Rebif, and Plegridy. This column wonāt get into the pros and cons of each of these treatments. Instead, Iād like to focus on one of the more…
February 8, 2017 Columns by Cathy Chester Create a Self-Care Plan to Use During Challenging Times Americans are feeling more anxious than ever. Itās not politics as usual, but politics as unusual. People who never were politically active find themselves raising their voices to make a difference. In the MS community, raising our voices is not something new.
February 7, 2017 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD Removing Barriers to Accessibility Requires Planning, Persistence Lost in the delights of the library; 10 minutes over meter limit Yes, they chalk-marked the tires and I got a ticket. I was furious. Once again,…
February 7, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Words of Wisdom Are a Legacy Worth Sharing: Just Hold On The three words are powerful. My mother speaks them into my spirit frequently. She tells me to “Just hold on.” My mother is a woman who has withstood many tragedies. Both my parents have. They’ve lost their children, cared for me as an ill child and they continue to…