November 2, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson MS and the Art of Pretending – Beyond the Smile This photo was taken more than a year ago and I remember it as if it were yesterday. There was so much going on behind the smile captured in this picture. Smoky Robinson serenaded about āthe tears of a clown.ā I definitely played the role of the clown that…
November 2, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn Confronting the Future-Tripping Fear of MS One presenting symptom of my multiple sclerosis (MS) was severely slowed and slurred speech. There were several other disturbing outcomes of my back-to-back, initial exacerbations, but it was the speech that was my greatest fear. After my second MRI, the neurologist explained that the dysarthria, or trouble speaking, was…
November 1, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Would You Fund My MS Treatment? I’m not asking for your money.Ā (At least not yet.) Ā But I’ve recently seen a lot of news stories about MS patients who are. Multiple sclerosis battler fights for $200,000 treatment Or… Fundraiser for Deanna Or… Burbage dad’s Ā£50,000 appeal to…
October 31, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Avoiding the Black Hole of MS Depression The black hole ā that is the name I have given to my MS depression (yep, I name my depression. Doesn’t everyone?). It’s so easy to become depressed when you have MS. The disease is always on our minds. We are always thinking aboutĀ how to maneuver our daily life…
October 28, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Getting in the Front Door It’s happened to us all. Ā You arrive at a business and discover there are steps at the entrance. A few years ago my wife and I arrived to check-in to a 4-star hotel near The Wheel in London, and discovered that there were a dozen steps at both of…
October 27, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski MS Research and the U.S. Department of Defense I recently had the opportunity to serve as a consumer reviewer of research applications submitted to the Multiple Sclerosis Research Program (MSRP) sponsored by the Department of Defense. I was nominated by the Accelerated Cure Project for MS for this role. Ā As a consumer reviewer, I was a full…
October 26, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn Shake, Rattle, and Spill? Tremors in MS I live in a part of the country with beautiful green forests, mountains, abundant freshwater, and saltwater.Ā If you have seven hours to spare, you can drive across the state and experience desert, orchard, mountain, alpine meadow, rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean. This beautiful land also comes with some…
October 25, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Stand in the Midst of MS One of my favorite gospel songs is “Stand” by Donnie McClurkin. There’s a verse that says, āafter you’ve done all you can, you just stand.ā My spirit reacts to this song each time I hear it. It satiates my soul. I love music and believe it is a gift.
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. 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 worried)…
October 24, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Fall Is Here ā¦ 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 ā¦ 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 ā¦ and the list goes on. The National…
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 ā¦ 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…