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…
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 your…
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…
September 26, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Packed House at FDA Stem Cell Hearing – Public Can Comment Through Tuesday What should be done about stem cell treatments? Are stem cells safe? Do they work? Do stem cell clinics need more regulation, or less? With some studies reporting encouraging results from using stem cells to treat a number of diseases, including multiple sclerosis, the number of clinics around…
September 23, 2016 Columns by admin Familial Connections Cannot Be Coincidences, Can They? Life can be really strange and not always fathomable to someone like me who is not blessed with neither medical nor scientific qualifications. On a purely technical basis, I am just an ordinary guy. What I do know about diseases, illnesses and conditions ā call them what you will ā…
September 22, 2016 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Fighting The Good Fight Against MS In MS patient columnist Teresa Wright-Johnson’s debut column on Multiple Sclerosis News Today, she introduces herself and discussesĀ the pain and uncertainty of her diagnosis. She also sharesĀ how spirituality and reflection are leading herĀ to overcome the diagnosis and move forward. Hello everyone! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share…
September 22, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Growing Old with MS I hate to admit it, but I’m getting kind of old. That’s not to say that 68 is really old, but I’m probably older than a lot of you who are reading this. I’m also 36 years old in “MS years.” I was diagnosed the month that Ronald Reagan…
September 21, 2016 Columns by admin MS Brothers Able to Remain at Home Thanks to Caregiving Support Continuing to live in your own home when you can no longer look after yourself is an ideal many people seek to aspire to ā but itās not easy. Outside help is often needed. Alex Camarillo is one perfect example of this. He is 35 years old, has severe…
September 21, 2016 Columns by Judy Lynn Believe Me, You’re a Natural! Learning to Drive with Hand Controls My children will be the first to tell you that I struggle with new technology. In fact, Iāve just returned home from dropping off my youngest son at college and realize that I forgot to have him write instructions for the television. Netflix may come in handy now that…
September 20, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Laugh with TV Ads that “Get” Disabilities You don’t see people with disabilities very often in television ads.Ā And when you do, the person with the handicap is usually playing a secondary role or the ad uses the disabled person for an emotional appeal.Ā It’s not real-life.Ā It’s not us. So, a tip of my hat to…
September 19, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski EpiPen and MS Drugs If only we were cherub faced children, then perhaps someone would have listened to us in the past few years as we voiced concern and then outrage over the escalating costs of our MS disease modifying therapy (DMT) drugs. Iāve listened to the outcry in recent weeks about the astronomical…
September 19, 2016 Columns by Debi Wilson Give Your MS a Lift with Physical Therapy! When my doctor first recommended physical therapy for my MS,Ā I must admit I was very hesitant āhesitant because I didn’t feel I could do it, and hesitant because I was afraid I would be embarrassed when I failed. As it turns out, I didn’t have anything to worry about. The…
September 19, 2016 Columns by admin MS Columnist’s Picks of the Week: ECTRIMS, Biomarkers, Cannabis, Migraine, Research Award Hereās my Pick of the Weekās News as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. #ECTRIMS2016 was undoubtedly the star of the week ECTRIMS, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, dominated the news stories of the week when it held its 32nd congress in London. There…
September 18, 2016 Columns by admin #MSLIFE2016 – Sunday Brings Presentations, Activities Galore A veryĀ full day of activities is planned for today at MS Life, inside London’s ExCel exhibition and convention center. Altogether, there are 15 presentations on the agenda. Three are in the MS Life theatre, and three more are in each of the following four zones: Managing my MS Symptoms;…
September 17, 2016 Columns by admin #ECTRIMS2016 #MSLIFE2016 – Saturday: Congress Closes, MS Life Opens Londonās ExCel exhibition and convention center is set for a busy Saturday as ECTRIMS winds down today and MS Life opens just down the hall. Organized by the MS Society, MS Life is billed as the biggest MS family event in Europe. With ECTRIMS drawing to a close, many…
September 16, 2016 Columns by admin #ECTRIMS2016 ā Hereās my Pick of Friday’s Best at the Congress Friday carries on the ECTRIMS congressās style of so much going on that it must be difficult for delegates to decide which sessions to attend and which ones they can afford to miss.Ā Of course, not everyone can make the same choice but, having delved into the agenda, here…