The MS Wire – A Column by Ed Tobias

Diagnosed with MS at age 32 in 1980, Ed has written the “MS Wire” column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today since August 2016. He presents timely information on MS, blended with personal experiences. Before retiring from full-time work in 2012, Tobias spent more than four decades in broadcast and on-line newsrooms as a manager, reporter, and radio news anchor. He’s won several national broadcast awards. As an MS patient communicator, Ed consults with healthcare and social media companies. He’s the author of “We’re Not Drunk, We Have MS: A tool kit for people living with multiple sclerosis.” Ed and his wife split time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Florida’s Gulf Coast.

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Nanocrystals, ‘Cog Fog,’ Mapping MS, Ocrevus

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Clene Awaits US Patent Covering Gold Nanocrystals’ Use in Treating MS This is a different approach to MS treatment. It uses very tiny crystals to produce a chemical reaction. ... Read more

January 22, 2021January 20, 2021

Car Repairs Aren’t Easy When You Have MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I love the car I drive, but I’ve hated going to the dealer to get my car serviced. In the four decades that I’ve lived with MS, my walking ... Read more

January 18, 2021January 18, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: CBD, Sativex, Lemtrada, Sexual Dysfunction

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Public-private Partnership Will Assess Therapy Potential, Effects of CBD Have you tried using CBD to treat your MS? I have. I’d hoped it would ease my leg spasms. Some ... Read more

January 15, 2021January 13, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Thumbs-up from National MS Society

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The advice issued Tuesday by the U.S.-based National Multiple Sclerosis Society about COVID-19 vaccination couldn’t be clearer: “Get your vaccine as soon as it is available to you.” New ... Read more

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: DMTs and Disease Progression, Obesity, Sunlight and Relapses, MS Fatigue

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Study: Past Long-term DMT Use Tapers Risk of Current MS Progression Since being diagnosed in 1980, I’ve used four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), starting with Avonex (interferon beta-1a) in the ... Read more

January 8, 2021January 6, 2021

Can Amazon Lower Healthcare Costs?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The answer to whether Amazon, in partnership with a pair of financial giants, can make healthcare more accessible and less expensive for its workers is: Apparently, it can’t. About ... Read more

December 30, 2020December 29, 2020

Will Reduced Treatment Time Keep Ocrevus Competitive?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

One of the key considerations when choosing a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is how much it will disrupt your life. It’s one of several factors that need to be evaluated. ... Read more

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Study, Protein Predictor, Tolebrutinib and STEP Trials

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Stem Cell Therapy Shows 2-year Benefit for Progressive MS Patients in Phase 1 Trial Stem cell studies always catch my eye. This very small study involves people treated with ... Read more

December 18, 2020December 16, 2020

Getting Back to Physical Therapy for My MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Are you sitting down? I am, but I’ve been doing too much of that this year. For the past six months, I haven’t been using our community exercise room. ... Read more

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Fatigue Trial, Pediatric MS Relapses, Stem Cell Transplant

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patients Urged to Enroll in Clinical Trial Assessing Chronic Fatigue Treatments My “MS Wire” column 10 days ago reported on a study of MS fatigue treatments that compared ... Read more

December 11, 2020December 29, 2020

Can I Get a COVID-19 Vaccine If I Have MS?

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Do you plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine? I do.  One is now available to some residents of the U.K., and approval in the U.S. of one or more ... Read more

December 7, 2020December 7, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Quality of Life, Virtual Reality Rehab, Aubagio and Brain Atrophy, Cancer Risk

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Review Study Examines Factors That Affect MS Patients’ Quality of Life What affects the qualify of your life as someone who lives with MS? Fatigue is at the top ... Read more

December 4, 2020December 2, 2020

There Is No Magic Pill for MS Fatigue

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve been tired all day, which is nothing new, as fatigue and multiple sclerosis go hand in hand. It’s been one of my primary symptoms since I was diagnosed ... Read more

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: More Tysabri Benefits, Long-term Ocrevus Data, Trial Diversity, MS and the Gut

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Tysabri Affects Immune System Beyond Known MS Target, Study Finds Tysabri (natalizumab) slows multiple sclerosis progression by blocking some immune cells from entering the central nervous system, where they ... Read more

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Typing Patterns and MS Progression, Cognitive Testing, Multitasking, Autoimmune Registry

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Smartphone Typing Patterns May Be Tool for Monitoring MS Progression, Study Finds This is an interesting concept that makes sense. Like the nine-hole peg test that some neurologists use ... Read more

November 20, 2020December 15, 2020

Travel During COVID-19: Should We Stay or Should We Go?

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The temperature’s dropping. The wind is whipping. It’s time for my wife, Laura, and me to head south, leaving cold, uncomfortable Maryland for the welcoming warmth of southwest Florida. ... Read more

November 16, 2020November 16, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Possible MS Blood Test, IMU-838, aHSCT vs. Lemtrada

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Neurofilament Light Levels at First MS Event Can Predict Long-term Brain Atrophy Researchers are looking at a protein that’s released into the body’s fluids when neurons become damaged. They ... Read more

November 13, 2020December 15, 2020

MSIF Issues New Recommendations to Protect Against COVID-19

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) has issued new recommendations about how people with MS should adjust their daily lives because of the coronavirus pandemic. The MSIF, a network ... Read more

November 9, 2020November 9, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Age and DMTs, Tysabri or Gilenya, Sativex Trial, Ocrevus and Mayzent

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Phase 3 Trial of Sativex, Cannabis Extract Treatment for MS Spasticity, Opens in US This is a major step toward making a clinically tested, cannabis-based medication available in the ... Read more

November 2, 2020November 2, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Biotin, Opicinumab, Myelin, Tele-exercise

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MD1003 Fails to Prevent Disability Progression in Progressive MS Patients, Trial Shows This is discouraging news for people taking high-dose biotin, many who have been buying it over the ... Read more

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020

aHSCT Gets a Boost in US With NMSS Recommendations

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Is the United States a step closer to approving a form of stem cell transplantation as a treatment for multiple sclerosis? I believe it may be. That’s because the ... Read more

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Caregivers, VX-765

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Majority of MS Patients in US Report Mistreatment by Caregivers in Survey This is a serious issue, but it’s not as pervasive as this headline makes it appear. The ... Read more

October 23, 2020October 27, 2020

Diagnosing MS During a Pandemic: UK vs. US

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Editor’s note: Previously, this piece stated that Dr. Ide Smets theorized a transition to telemedicine as the standard of care could cause decreased life expectancy in the U.K. of ... Read more

October 19, 2020October 20, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mayzent in the UK, Aubagio and Other DMTs, Unemployment

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Mayzent Approved for Active SPMS Patients in England and Wales This is great news for people with MS in England and Wales. Mayzent (siponimod) is a needed weapon in ... Read more

October 16, 2020October 14, 2020

Disability Employment Awareness Isn’t Enough to Keep You Working

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

My multiple sclerosis (MS) was diagnosed 40 years ago in August. I never kept my MS a secret, but I didn’t go around advertising it, either. I’ll bet, for ... Read more

October 12, 2020October 12, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Comparing DMTs, Myelin Repair, Hypertension

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Gilenya and Tecfidera Similarly Effective at Treating RRMS, Real-world Study Says Gilenya and Tecfidera are both oral disease-modifying therapies. Both meds attempt to limit the inflammatory action of the ... Read more

October 9, 2020October 7, 2020

Could Too Many Tattoos Cause MS Trouble?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) get tattoos. Often it’s a way to deliver a statement about MS to the world, or perhaps it’s a personal message to the ... Read more

October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Amalgam Fillings, COVID-19 and MS, Tecfidera Generic

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patients Should Avoid ‘Silver’ Tooth Fillings Due to Mercury, FDA Advises Concerns about the possible danger of amalgam dental fillings have been floated for years. Several European countries ... Read more

October 2, 2020October 5, 2020

Is the FDA Changing Course on Amalgam Dental Fillings and MS?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

For years, some people have warned of a possible connection between multiple sclerosis (MS) and the amalgam fillings many of us have in our teeth. The concern has been ... Read more

September 28, 2020September 28, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Global MS Numbers, Pregnancy and MS, ANK-700

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Prevalence at Over 2.8 Million Worldwide, Update to Atlas Reports With almost 3 million of us around the world, we’re not really rare, but we’re rare enough that ... Read more

September 25, 2020September 23, 2020

Moving Madness Means MS Stress

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

We’re moving and I’m stressed. That’s redundant, I know, as moving is simply stress on wheels — which isn’t good for someone with MS. Studies have shown a link ... Read more

September 21, 2020September 21, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Economic Impact Survey, Fatigue, DMTs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

National MS Society Launches Survey to Assess Economic Impact of MS We know that managing MS is expensive. It can cost us money out of our pockets and also ... Read more

September 18, 2020September 16, 2020

MS Digs Deep Into the Wallet, Report Shows

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is expensive. Even with good insurance, those of us living in a country without universal healthcare have significant out-of-pocket costs for our treatments and medications. Some ... Read more

September 14, 2020October 6, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 Survey, MSVirtual2020, Zeposia, B-cells

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

COVID-19 Pandemic Had Minimal Emotional Impact in Progressive MS Patients, Survey Finds I beg to differ. I have secondary progressive MS, and COVID-19 has bummed me out. I haven’t ... Read more

September 11, 2020September 9, 2020

Why a Flu Shot Is More Important Than Ever This Year

Columns, Covid-19, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Labor Day has come and gone here in the U.S. Now, flu season has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. This isn’t the novel coronavirus we’ve been fighting all year. ... Read more

September 4, 2020September 2, 2020

Amazon’s Halo Judges Your Stress by Listening to Your Voice

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

You’re stressed, and Halo may know it. Halo is a new Amazon service the company says can judge how stressed you are, in part by the tone of your ... Read more

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Paramagnetic Lesions, Mavenclad, Relapses in Children, Ocrevus and Rituximab

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Paramagnetic Rim Lesions Showing Promise as Diagnostic Marker of MS About a year ago, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health reported that the presence of chronic active ... Read more

August 28, 2020August 26, 2020

Could a Justice Department Lawsuit Threaten Copay Assistance Programs?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The U.S. Justice Department has the manufacturer of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) in its crosshairs, and the outcome could have a much greater reach. It appears the case could ... Read more

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Kesimpta, Ocrevus and Chickenpox, Generic Tecfidera, UTIs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Approves Kesimpta, B-cell Targeting Therapy for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Kesimpta (ofatumumab) this month is a pretty big deal. Kesimpta is a ... Read more

August 21, 2020August 19, 2020

I Give the L300 Go a Mixed Review

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve been walking with the Bioness L300 Go for about eight months, so it’s time to update everyone on how things are going. The L300 Go is a functional ... Read more