The MS Wire – A Column by Ed Tobias

Ed Tobias is a retired broadcast journalist.  Most of his 40+ year career was spent as a manager with the Associated Press in Washington, DC.  Tobias was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1980 but he continued to work, full-time, meeting interesting people and traveling to interesting places, until retiring at the end of 2012.

In his weekly column The MS Wire, Ed covers a wide range of topics related to the disease, seeking to bring to light patient perspectives on the latest science, research and disease management news, as well as connecting with fellow MS patients about their own personal experiences in coping with the disease.

August 23, 2019August 21, 2019

Are Your MS Disease-modifying Treatments Old School or New School?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Choosing which MS medication to use is one of the most difficult decisions for someone with MS and their neurologist. After 39 years with MS, and with four disease-modifying ... Read more

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Dark Rimmed Lesions, Sativex in the UK, NHS Care Toolkit for Neurological Diseases, Wahls Diet

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Dark Rimmed Brain Lesions May Be Signal of Aggressive Disease, NIH Study Says Researchers in this study found that specific brain lesions, notable for their dark rims, may indicate ... Read more

August 16, 2019August 14, 2019

MS Progression’s Speed Tagged to ‘Smoldering’ Brain Inflammation

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The presence of chronic active lesions in the brain may provide a clue as to how quickly multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms will progress. Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes ... Read more

August 13, 2019August 9, 2019

Keeping a Positive Attitude with Advocacy: Why I Write ‘The MS Wire’

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

This month marks the third anniversary of my column, “The MS Wire.” After writing two columns a week for most of those 156 weeks, it isn’t always easy to ... Read more

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Solution for Lemtrada Complications, CBD Infusions, Vaccines and MS, Music and Exercise

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Autoimmune Complications Associated with Lemtrada Solved Using Anti-CD20 Therapies, Case Studies Suggest One of the concerns about the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) is that it may raise the ... Read more

August 9, 2019August 6, 2019

Using Marijuana and Having Surgery? Tell Your Anesthesiologist

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

If you’re using marijuana and have surgery scheduled, take heed. In Colorado, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2000 and recreational use in 2012, medical personnel are discovering that ... Read more

August 6, 2019August 5, 2019

Trying to Stay Cool in a Heat Wave? A Fan Might Not Always Be the Best Option

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

July was unusually hot in much of the Northern Hemisphere. So, pull out your electric fan and use it to help your multiple sclerosis (MS) beat that heat and ... Read more

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: 3D and Early MRIs, Memory Training, Ponesimod Trial

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

3D Imaging of Brain Lesions May Spot Those Most Likely to Heal, Guiding Treatment These scientists are working to create a new diagnostic tool that would allow doctors to ... Read more

August 2, 2019July 31, 2019

Using the Floodlight App to Track My MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been using an app called Floodlight to track my ability to live with my multiple sclerosis (MS). It measures things such as my ... Read more

July 30, 2019July 26, 2019

Getting Back in the Water with My MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

After a week of temperatures at 95 degrees or more making it too hot to swim, today was comfortable enough for me to get back into our condo’s pool. ... Read more

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Chronic Itching, Standing Therapy, Gut Microbes

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Neuronal Circuit Likely Behind Chronic Itch in MS and Other Diseases Identified I often read posts on multiple sclerosis social media groups complaining about chronic itching. This mouse study ... Read more

July 26, 2019July 24, 2019

Why Am I Not Bitter About My MS?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a process of loss — of mobility, brain function, and independence. We can lose relationships and jobs. For most of us, these losses ... Read more

July 23, 2019July 19, 2019

Urinary Tract Infections Are Getting Harder to Treat

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a problem for a significant number of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). As many as three in 10 may wind up needing treatment for ... Read more

July 22, 2019July 22, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Ibudilast Trial for Inactive SPMS, PPMS Brain Cells in Space, MS and Cancer Risk

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Phase 3 Trial of Ibudilast Planned for SPMS Patients with Inactive Disease, MediciNova Says Though medications are approved in the U.S. to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis and active ... Read more

July 19, 2019July 16, 2019

This Is Me, and This Is How I Live with My MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Have you ever read something and thought, “This is me, this is my MS”? It happened to me today as I read a post by Rachel Horne on the ... Read more

July 16, 2019July 12, 2019

Some Doctors Can See the Cost of Your MS Meds, but Will They Look?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Does your doctor consider what you’ll have to pay when prescribing your medications? A few months ago, I wrote that some people are skipping doses of their meds because ... Read more

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Gadolinium Study, Breath Test for MS Diagnosis, CBD Treatment Trial, Potential Remyelination Therapy

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Study Examines Gadolinium Deposits in MS Patients’ Brains, But Still Can’t Determine Relationship with Disease Severity Here’s some new information about gadodiamide, a contrast dye that is injected during ... Read more

July 9, 2019July 3, 2019

CBD Oil: Panacea or Placebo?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Last night in bed, my calf muscles started cramping. Again. Usually, it’s just my left leg, but last night it was both. The pain wouldn’t ease with my usual ... Read more

July 8, 2019July 2, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Botox for Kids, Kids’ Healthcare Needs, Mavenclad, MS Fatigue Diet

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Approves Botox to Treat Upper Limb Spasticity in Children Aged 2 to 17 Botox injections have been approved to treat spasticity and bladder problems in adults with multiple ... Read more

June 28, 2019August 2, 2019

Can Legos Help to Ease Some MS Symptoms?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Legos, it seems, are more than just a kids’ toy. People with some neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS), are using those little, colored building blocks to build better ... Read more

June 25, 2019June 21, 2019

What’s Your Doctor Writing About You? Ask to Read the Notes

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve been living with MS for nearly 39 years and I’ve never seen the notes my neurologist has written during my office visits. My neuro did hand me a ... Read more

June 24, 2019June 24, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Plant Medication Trial, B-cell Depletion Study, MS App Award, DMTs’ Cancer Risk

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Cyxone Launches Phase 1 Trial Assessing T20K for MS This trial caught my eye because even though it’s a small, early trial, T20K is a medication derived from a ... Read more

June 21, 2019June 19, 2019

Scooters, Walkers, and Canes Should Trump Ego

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve used an electric scooter for nearly 20 years. At first, I only used it when I knew I’d be walking a lot. Now, it’s every day. I used ... Read more

June 18, 2019June 27, 2019

Some Neuros Make DMT Choice Harder than It Should Be

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

More than 15 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available in most high-income countries to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). DMTs come in the form of injectables, infusions, and pills. Some are ... Read more

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: DMT Strategy Study, MS and Genetic Mutations, MS Art Project, AI Helps Neuros Read MRIs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

DELIVER-MS Trial Recruiting RRMS Patients to Help Improve Treatment Decision-making What’s the best way to attack multiple sclerosis when it’s first diagnosed? Do you hit it hard and fast ... Read more

June 14, 2019June 12, 2019

Tony Awards ‘Cain’t Say No’ to Ali Stroker

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Rather than hiding from the storm, it’s better to learn to dance in the rain, as I like to say. Ali Stroker, who plays Ado Annie in the Broadway ... Read more

June 11, 2019June 6, 2019

Making Invisible Patients Visible

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

You may have felt what Bethanee Epifani Bryant has felt in a doctor’s office. I think many patients have, but most of us can’t paint the picture of our ... Read more

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ozanimod for RRMS, MS Monitoring App, Video Series

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA and EMA to Review Ozanimod as Possible Oral Therapy for Relapsing MS Another disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is a step closer to gaining approval for use both in the ... Read more

June 7, 2019June 4, 2019

My MS Has Been No Sweat. Has Yours, Too?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I worked up a little sweat when I was exercising the other day. It was just a tiny bit on my forehead, but it was something I hadn’t felt ... Read more

June 3, 2019June 3, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Preventive MS Treatment, Clinical Trial Guidelines for Kids, Stress, and Gut Bacteria

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Cyxone Nears First-in-human Trial for Investigational Preventive MS Treatment T20K Multiple sclerosis can be treated but it can’t be prevented — at least not yet. But these researchers hope ... Read more

May 31, 2019May 29, 2019

Walmart Is Putting Quality of Employee MRIs Before Cost

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Did you know that not all magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams are of equal quality? Walmart officials know this, and they are concerned that poor exams given to their ... Read more

May 28, 2019May 23, 2019

To Handle MS, Sometimes We Need a Little Attitude

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The other day, a young woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) shared her worry in a Facebook group that her disease would prevent her from playing with her grandchildren someday. ... Read more

May 24, 2019May 23, 2019

Why I Take My MS to the Gym

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I rode a recumbent bike for 15 minutes today. That’s a record for me, and it felt great. The bike ride was part of an overall exercise routine that ... Read more

May 21, 2019May 17, 2019

Humpty Dumpty and My MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve met Humpty Dumpty, and he is me. I made that discovery the other night when I had a bad fall. It wasn’t off a wall; it was just ... Read more

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MS Biomarker, Best RRMS Early Treatment, Ocrevus Study, Out-of-Pocket Costs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

#AANAM – Biogen Offers Update on Development Plans for MS Therapies The pharma company that brought you Tysabri (natalizumab) is investigating a new process for treating multiple sclerosis. The ... Read more

May 17, 2019May 16, 2019

MS Is a Pain, and Doctors Should Know It

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Dear Doctor, Why is it that you, or at least some of your colleagues, think that multiple sclerosis isn’t painful? Did you skip the med school class where they ... Read more

May 13, 2019July 16, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Lemtrada Satisfaction, Limiting Tysabri’s PML Risk, MS and Pregnancy, Infusions vs. Pills

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

#AANAM – RRMS Patients Switching to Lemtrada Report Greater Satisfaction with Treatment and Improvements in Quality of Life I’m a self-proclaimed secondary progressive, rather than a remitting, multiple sclerosis ... Read more

May 10, 2019May 8, 2019

Diets and Supplements: Do They Really Help Your MS?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

When I read online posts from people who treat their multiple sclerosis (MS) with vitamins and supplements, I wonder how many of us do that. And if these supplements ... Read more

May 7, 2019May 3, 2019

MS Meds Lead the Pack as Costs of Neuro Medications Rise

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ouch! The out-of-pocket cash that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) lay out for their medications increased 20-fold between 2004 and 2016. That information comes from a study recently published ... Read more

May 6, 2019June 18, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Sexual Problems in Women with MS; Aubagio Satisfaction; Cellular Aging and PPMS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Women with MS Have Higher Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction, Study Reveals I’m surprised that someone felt it necessary to conduct a formal study of this. A glance at multiple ... Read more