January 5, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman Forget About Resolutions and Remember to Focus I’m already tired of hearing aboutĀ New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like me, youĀ find that for those who spend their social media time listing goals in earnest, there’s a smidgen of luxury to theirĀ actions.Ā After all, most of these goal-making champions are not chronically ill. They don’t have to think…
January 5, 2017 Columns by admin Phoebeās HSCT Story: Back home (Last in a Series) Phoebe Scopes was the first international patient to receive Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) therapy for multiple sclerosis in Moscow. In this fourth, and last, part of her story, we join Phoebe on her return home to the London. Ian: What is your post-HSCT MS state from getting home…
January 4, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski FDA’s Delay in Approving Ocrevus is Normal Part of the Process Long-awaited approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has been delayed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What had been publicized widely as a late December 2016 FDA approval hearing has now been pushed to late March 2017. The drugās manufacturer, Genentech, issued a very…
January 4, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn Party with MS: Tips for Staying Aware, Carefree on the Dance Floor Cookies and veggie tray in tow, and trepidation in check, I ventured to a New Yearās Eve party at a friendās house. Since my diagnosis of MS, New Yearās Eve has been celebrated at home with Dick Clark, and then Ryan Seacrest, to keep me company. In Winter…
January 4, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Tinnitus and MS: An Annoying Combination Loss of hearing symptoms such as tinnitus are not usually attributed to multiple sclerosis, but for those with MS whoĀ do experience tinnitus, like me, they can be very annoying. The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) describes the symptoms as: “the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present.
January 3, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Preparing to Fight the Good Fight in the New Year 2017 has arrived. Welcome to a new year! First, I would like to say thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share my MS journey with you. Your comments, emails and words of encouragement are appreciated. 2016 was an eventful year, indeed. I have learned much about the disease…
December 23, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Still Waiting on Ocrevus Several months ago I wrote a blog on my personal websiteĀ aboutĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first drug that’s designed specifically to treat primary progressive, as well as remitting, multiple sclerosis. The clinical trials forĀ Ocrevus posted excellent results. The buzz in the medical community was good, Ā and it was…
December 22, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski We Need Pharma If We Hope to Find a Cure for MS We all know the credit card commercial with actor Samuel L. Jackson talking about the buying power and the return on a certain credit card. He speaks about the bonus cash-back offers you can accrue if you just keep spending money and putting it on your credit card.Ā The tag…
December 21, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn Multitasking vs. Mindfulness The glory days of multitasking may be fading. More and more research points to the fact that our brains actually cannot multitask. Rather, the brain shifts rapidly (itās all relative) back and forth between tasks as we attempt to do multiple activities at once. Like many people with MS,…
December 20, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias MS, Mercury and My Mouth When I was a child my teeth had a lot of cavities So, I had lots of fillings in my mouth. The fillings were silver amalgam, which contain about 50% mercury. Mercury is a pretty toxic metal. In fact, these days if you break a thermometer and its mercury spills…
December 20, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson HOPE ā Having Obedience to Persevere and Endure I was thinking of writing about another subject a few days ago and then, as usual, life happened. I learned of the passing of a former colleague recently. I did not know her well, but her spirit was infectious. She had been fighting colorectal cancer for 12 years. As…
December 19, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson High dose biotin protocol – my nine month update! Nine months ago I started the high dose biotin protocol. I did so in an effort to slow the progression of my primary progressive multiple sclerosis. This is the link for my first article in August detailing the high dose biotin protocol and my results at that time.
December 19, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patientās Picks of the Weekās News: Zinbryta, Gadolinum, Calcium, Brainās Defense, Antibiotic Here are my Picks of the Weekās News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Zinbryta Approved in Canada as Once-Monthly Treatment for Relapsing MS It can only be good for people with relapsing MS in Canada that they now may receive Zinbryta as a treatment.
December 16, 2016 Columns by Jamie Hughes Hope Lights the Way to a Cure for MS āThis first candle in the advent wreath,ā I told my kids as I clicked the lighter and set its flame atop the wick, ārepresents hope. What does that word mean to you guys?ā In the warm glow of the purple taper, we talked about everything from wishes and…
December 16, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Lifting a Toast to Andrew Barclay I don’t want to write about Andrew Barclay. But I have to. Because Andrew Barclay could be you or me. Barclay died in early December. He was a former civil servant in the U.K. and a grandfather. He turned 65 on his last birthday. And, Andrew Barclay had multiple…
December 15, 2016 Columns by admin Phoebe Scopes, British HSCT Pioneer in Moscow, Part 2 Last week, I introduced you to Phoebe Scopes, the very first MS patient from another country to undergoĀ hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in Moscow. Today, in Part 2, Ā we pick up the story of the 46-year-old who lives in London. Ian: So, you had done lots of research. How…
December 14, 2016 Columns by Cathy Chester From the ‘Dark Ages’ to Now … Let’s Start at the Very Beginning Iāve been mulling over what to write for my initial post for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. I want to make a splash, to keep you interested and let you know who I am and why Iām here. As Rogers and Hammerstein wrote in The Sound…
December 13, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias My Lemtrada Infusion: Five Days Done I’ll admit I was nervous as I sat in the infusion chair for Day 1 of Round 1 of my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) infusions. I’d read a lot, and talked with my neurologist a lot, about the drug. I knew the benefits of Lemtrada could be great. My multiple sclerosis…
December 12, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Know which questions to ask your neurologist about MRIs I’m sure all of us with multiple sclerosis have had at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Most likely, more than one. MRIs are designed to scan and provide detailed pictures of the body, the brain included. The test can reveal scars (plaque lesions) on the brain and the…
December 12, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patient’s Pick of the Week’s News: Imbalances, Attack, Hormonal, Vitamin D, Copaxone Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Imbalances in Brain Microbiota May Be Behind Demyelination in MS, Study Says Good to see that new research involving humans (NOT mice this time) may lead to better understanding of MS. Alterations…
December 9, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Volunteers Needed to Make MS Research Project Meaningful Have you ever wondered how your MS experience compares with others? Your ability to go out and do things? The therapies you’ve used? Your symptoms? Your age and ethnic background? Researchers from the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis have been collecting this kind information for nearly two years…
December 8, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson The Verity and Power of Spoken Words I had the pleasure of being invited to speak and share my story at an event this week. Although I speak often, each encounter leaves me in awe. I am continuously reminded of the numbers of people with whom my story resonates. I also am cognizant of the lasting…
December 7, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Nurse Practitioner Shares Insight Into Role of Caregiver I make no secret that I believe MS nurse practitioners (NP) are the people who make the difference in an MS clinic. They are as knowledgeable as most neurologists when it comes to treating multiple sclerosis and usually can see their patients without the time constraints that doctors face.
December 7, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn Winter Is a Time to Recharge Amid Nature’s Quiet Our daylight hours continue to get shorter, as we get closer and closer to the winter solstice. At 4:15 p.m. I close the curtains and blinds, uncomfortable sitting on display in my living room as I continue to work until 5:30Ā most evenings. Itās difficult to motivate myself to leave…
December 6, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Starting Down My Lemtrada Road Here we go. This is the week my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) infusions begin. A few weeks ago I wrote about how Lemtrada has been successful in stopping disease progression in folks with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, andĀ those who have transitioned to secondary progressive MSĀ but continue to have relapses. There have…
December 6, 2016 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD Support the ABLE Act Amendments: Press Your Lawmaker for a Vote There are very few days left this year.Ā But in order for the amendments toĀ the ABLE Act not to die in committee, they need to be brought to the floor for a vote. (If you need a refresher on the ABLE Act and pending amendments, I wrote about them in…
December 5, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson If You Don’t Know Me, Please Don’t Judge Me Those of us with “invisible illnesses” are no strangers to this subject. Most of us have experienced situations in which we were judged, insulted and scorned based on people’s opinions and perceptions. We are told that we don’t look sick and we are placed in situations where we feel…
December 5, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Feeling Motivated, When Your MS Isn’t! Keeping motivated is a daily struggle, and honestly, most days I just don’t feel like moving. I feel better once I do, of course, but the motivation to move and be productive is lacking. Here are a few tips that I find helpful to help keep me motivated and…
December 5, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patientās Pick of the Weekās News: UV light, Parasite Protein, Copper, Stem Cells, Palliative Here is my Pick of the Weekās news, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. UV Light May Lead Way to New Treatment for MS and Inflammation Now this might be exciting, if turns out that ultraviolet light can truly be the basis of new treatments that…
December 2, 2016 Columns by Jamie Hughes Life is a Symphony of Challenges – Play On! In Cold Sassy Tree, the classic novel by Olive Ann Burns, Grandpa Blakeslee tells his grandson Will Tweedy that, āLivinā is like pourinā water out of a tumbler into a dang Coca-Cola bottle. Ifān you skeered you caināt do it.ā If you donāt speak fluent hick, as I do,…