October 25, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Brace Yourself for MS One of the MS blogs that I follow is written by Jen, who lives in England.Ā It’s called Tripping Through Treacle.Ā Doesn’t that neatly sum up the lives of many of us in just three alliterative words?Ā From MS newbies to old-timers like me, we worry (or have…
October 24, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Fall Is Here ⦠Not Literally, I Hope Fall is here and things are a little more slick. Walking for most of us with multiple sclerosis involves weakened legs andĀ lack ofĀ balance. We have daily challenges getting around in good weather, let alone bad. Add a little rain, a few gusts of wind, and some bone-chilling cold and…
October 24, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patient’s Pick of the Weekās News: Lemtrada, Umbilical Stem Cells, Wheat Proteins and Research Here is my pick of the weekās news items, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Lemtrada Seen to Help Reverse MS Disability in People in Earlier Stages of Disease A medication that might not just stop but reverse disability of people with relapsing MS? Now, this is…
October 21, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Drugs – Who’s Using What? Most of us who live with multiple sclerosis also live with a disease modifying therapy (DMT) ā a drug that, we hope, will positively modify the course of our disease. One of the earliest of these was Avonex, a weekly injection into the muscle. I was one of those…
October 20, 2016 Columns by Jamie Hughes Lego and MS: Lessons from Things That Rip Apart and Reassemble As a mother of two boys, Iām blessed with an abundance of dirty socks, Nerf darts, and Legos ā all of which end up in the laundry (more or less) each week. And of those three kinds of detritus, I must say that the Legos vex me the most. If…
October 20, 2016 Columns by admin Hormones and Diet Help Relieve Woman’s MS-Related Fatigue A woman who says her life was made miserable by fatigue caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), claims she is on the road to recovery because she has taken control of her body and is using a combination of hormones and diet. Instead of relying on conventional treatment, she is…
October 19, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn If Youāre Not Happy and You Know It, Get Some Light! Our days have gotten shorter since June 20, but somehow I managed not to notice until a few weeks ago. Perhaps it is because we had a late summer here in the Northwest, and could comfortably leave home without a coat until late September. Thatās also the time that…
October 18, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Matrimony and Multiple Sclerosis ⦠in Sickness and in Health “In sickness and in health.” These words are said by everyone embarking upon the exciting journey of marriage. Most are in love, excited about the future and hopeful they have found their happily ever after. Many of us repeat the words “in sickness and in health” without much thought,…
October 18, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Are the Benefits Worth the Risks of Lemtrada? My neurologist calls Lemtrada “HSCT lite.” Ā She says that not only is the drug able to reduce exacerbations and limit the overall progression of multiple sclerosis, it’s actually reversed some symptoms in some of her patients. Ā I guess I’m going to find out if she’s right about…
October 17, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson My MS and Faith of the Mustard Seed I have written nine articles so far with shared ideas of what has helped me in this overwhelming battle with multiple sclerosis. My experiences and successes are shared in the hope that others will be helped as well. This 10thĀ article is about what comforts and sustains me the most…
October 17, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patientās Pick of the Weekās News: Remyelination, Ocrevus, Mushrooms, Heparin, Exercise Here, I comment on my Pick of the Weekās News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Myelin Regeneration Achieved in Mouse Model of MS Remyelination is one of the most exciting developments in the treatment of MS. Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to…
October 12, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn An MS, Migraine, Marching Band Kind of Day! I work full time in public health, and some days are spent āout in the fieldā visiting clients in their homes. It requires careful planning to ensure that I have adequate water, food, medications, and layers of clothing for homes that are too hot or too cold.Ā I research…
October 12, 2016 News by Ed Tobias MS, Cancer Risk and a Trip to the Dentist. What’s the Connection? I made a trip to the dentist today. What does that have to do with multiple sclerosis, you ask? Stay with me. We’ll get there. But first, let me tell you about a weekend conference that my local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society held recently. One of…
October 12, 2016 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD The ABLE Act: A Tax-free Benefit for People with MS That Could Be Better Disability from multiple sclerosis develops, on average, within 10Ā years of diagnosis. Financial catastrophe was often the consequence, until Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) ā signed into law on Dec. 19, 2014, by President Obama. This act allows you or anyone to…
October 10, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Is Your MS Rocking Out on Heavy Metals? The jury is still out on the role, if any, that heavy metals play in multiple sclerosis.Ā Many theories have been floating around for years regarding the possible connection between MS andĀ dental amalgams, pesticides, additives to food, lead paint in older homes ⦠and the list goes on. The…
October 10, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Influenza, Vaccinations, MS Should those of us with multiple sclerosis get vaccinated for influenza or not? It’s a debate that takes place in many MS communities each fall. TheĀ argument against the flu immunization is based on half-truths and flat-out misconceptions ā and a lot of anecdotal tales that donāt hold up to…
October 10, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Patient’s Pick of the Week’s News: Viruses and MS, New Therapy Device, Tysabri vs. Gilenya and More I’m filling in for Ian Franks this week onĀ news item picks forĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today while Ian is in Moscow taking the first step in his HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) quest. We wish him well. Virus Linked to Respiratory Infections May Also Trigger Brain Diseases…
October 6, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias MS, Osteoporosis and Men – What a Guy Needs to Know Osteoporosis (fragile bones) is only a women’s problem, right? Wrong, especially if you have multiple sclerosis ā as I’ve discovered. Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle.Ā A fall that probably wouldn’t harm a healthy person can easily break the bone of someone with osteoporosis.Ā When the…
October 5, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn Icy Cold Fingers: MS Broke My Thermostat! Itās definitely autumn here in the Pacific Northwest. Misty, gray mornings give way to breezy sunshine in the afternoon ⦠for a couple of hours anyway, until the evening rain arrives. This is the time of year that the weather forecasters compete to see who can come up with…
October 5, 2016 Columns by Jamie Hughes Vitamin D: You Are What You Eat A few weeks ago, I visited my general practitioner for a yearly physical. I was expecting him to harp on my weight, cholesterol, blood pressure ā any of the other myriad issues that crop up as we age. But surprisingly, I left the office with my self-esteem firmly intact. (In…
October 4, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Pilates: A Good Therapy for MS? Have you tried Pilates to improve your mobility?Ā When my wife and I tried it, a few years ago, I thought that it was sort of like doing yoga stretches using exercise equipment.Ā It felt good and, for the short time that I did keep it up, Pilates seemed…
October 3, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson The Patient and Doctor Bond: A Necessary Requirement I have been under the care of physicians for as long as I can remember. Cardiologists, primary and several others. In the past few years, added to this list is a neurologist. I must say that I have been fortunate. I am ministered to by caring, esteemed, inspiring and…
October 3, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson What is Your Treatment Plan and Is It Helping Your MS? No matter what type of Multiple Sclerosis we have, all of us MS Warriors are in this fight together.Ā Even though everyone’s MS battle is unique, and each of us have our own treatment plan, we all share a common bond, and we hope what is working for oneĀ will work…
October 3, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patientās Pick of the Weekās News: Tecfidera, T-cells, Test Dosing and More Hereās my pick of this weekās news, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. How Tecfidera Works to Reduce MS Relapses Finally Discovered, May Lead to Better Treatments The possibility that this discovery may lead to the development of new drugs with fewer side effects is good news.
September 30, 2016 Columns by Jamie Hughes Happy is the Woman And do you feel scared? I do, but I won’t stop and falter. And if we threw it all away, things can only get better ā Howard Jones, āThings Can Only Get Betterā Things Iām good at include (but are not limited…
September 29, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Is Your Drug Plan the Best One for You? It’s that time of the year. Drug insurance companies in the U.S. are making changes to their formularies — the list of drugs that your insurance company will pay for. Those formularies change from year to year so you need to be alert to changes that may impact…
September 29, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Thinking, Hands, and MS! ECTRIMS 2016 (European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS) produced lots of stories with exciting headlines about advances in MS research ā and hopefully you read many of them here at MS News Today. As I went through the various presentation titles, there were a couple that jumped…
September 27, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn It’s Not About the ‘Roll’: Outdoor Activities with MS It was while catching up with friends Ā at a favorite Thai restaurant Saturday night when my fresh spring roll reminded me of something: I had signed up for a Beginning Kayak Roll course as the next of my series of outdoor activities with MS. āWhy donāt you just take…
September 26, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Stress Less for Your MS! Chronic stress weakens the immune system and increases the risk for a number of illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Most research studies about the effects of stress on MS have been inconclusive, but one recent study by Dr. David Mohr at the University of California, San Francisco,…
September 26, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patient’s Pick of the Week’s News: Most Effective, Brain MRIs, Vit D3, Lipoic Acid, Modeling Hereās my Pick of this Weekās News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. This week is a rather special one because itĀ spotlights the work done by our news team in following and reporting the major events at ECTRIMS 2016. Here, I set out my choice of what I…