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.

April 23, 2019April 18, 2019

Are Medical Mouse Studies Worth Reporting?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

People who cover medical issues often write about mouse studies. These stories can regularly be found on traditional news outlets, both broadcast and print, as well as online platforms. ... Read more

April 16, 2019April 17, 2019

Cancer Medication Shows Promise in Treating Dangerous Brain Infection PML, Small-scale Study Finds

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, more commonly referred to as PML, is a brain infection that’s frequently fatal. PML is particularly dangerous to people with MS, which is why I’m interested in ... Read more

April 15, 2019April 15, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MS Misdiagnoses, Mineral Intake Risk Study, Hormonal Changes, Rituximab and Vitamin D

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Misdiagnosis Too Common, Puts Patients in Unnecessary Peril from Therapies, Study Reveals Many people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) report that it’s taken doctors years to come up ... Read more

April 12, 2019April 11, 2019

Immunocompromised? Watch Out for the C. Auris Fungus.

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Most healthy people probably don’t have to worry about a fungus called Candida auris, or simply C. auris. But if your immune system is compromised, it’s a different story. ... Read more

April 9, 2019April 5, 2019

3 Strategies for Dealing with the High Costs of Medications

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

  It’s tough paying for medications. Whether they’re for multiple sclerosis (MS) or another illness, Americans are having a hard time coming up with the cash needed to cover ... Read more

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mayzent Approval Surprises, Myelin Repair, Monitoring Nerve Inflammation

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Cleveland Clinic Neurologist Applauds Mayzent’s FDA Approval, But Surprised by Those It May Not Treat When I wrote my “MS Wire” column a few days after Mayzent’s approval, I ... Read more

April 2, 2019March 29, 2019

Mayzent Joins the MS Medication Arsenal, But I Have Questions

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

As you might have heard, a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for patients with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) was approved a few days ago. That’s great news. A medication ... Read more

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Reaction to SPMS DMT Approval, Ozanimod’s FDA Application, Caregiving Partnerships, a New Preventive Medication?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patient Groups React Favorably to Mayzent Approval, But Question Therapy’s Price Tag The approval of this medication is very good news. However, as the headline indicates, it comes ... Read more

March 29, 2019April 4, 2019

Some Thoughts About Controlling Your MS Bladder

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

There are two types of people with MS: Those who have bladder problems and those who will have them. That may be an oversimplification but I’d be willing to ... Read more

March 25, 2019March 25, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Walking Med Trial Recruiting, DMT Risk Tolerance, Sex and MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Phase 3 Trial of ADS-5102 Recruiting Participants of All MS Types This medication is similar to Ampyra (dalfampridine) because its goal is to improve walking in those with MS. ... Read more

March 22, 2019March 26, 2019

Things to Know If You’re Thinking About Leaving Your Neurologist

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

If you’re a member of the baby boomer generation, or if you just like the music of the 1960s and ’70s, you probably know Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave ... Read more

March 19, 2019March 22, 2019

DMT Choice for Your MS Is Your Decision

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

About 15 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available to treat MS these days. So, choosing which to use can be daunting. I’ve been treated with four DMTs since I was ... Read more

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Non-contrast MRIs, Stem Cell Study Seeks Subjects, Postpartum Relapses, Which DMT?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Non-contrast MRI Effective in Monitoring Progression of MS, Study Shows There’s been increased interest in the risks versus the benefits of using gadolinium to make lesions more visible on ... Read more

March 15, 2019March 20, 2019

Pediatric MS Can Be ‘Diagnostic Odyssey’

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A post in one of the MS social media groups I follow recently asked whether kids can have MS. The writer was worried about her 3-year-old. One commenter replied ... Read more

March 12, 2019March 15, 2019

Are MS Patients Using Too Many Medications?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Have you ever heard of the word “polypharmacy”? I saw the word for the first time today. It’s generally defined as taking many medications together. There’s been debate over ... Read more

March 11, 2019March 12, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: A Cure for MS?, MS App, Robot for Balance, Botox for Spasticity

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

All of the stories in this week’s column come from the recently held Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) forum, held Feb. 28 to March 2 ... Read more

March 8, 2019March 12, 2019

Things Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You About Living with MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A recent article in The New York Times hit the nail on the head when it comes to describing the world we live in with MS. But the article ... Read more

March 5, 2019March 11, 2019

Two Different Approaches to Providing Online MS Help

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I received an email recently from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in the U.S. promoting a searchable database of “credible doctors and resources.” A few days later, I happened ... Read more

March 4, 2019March 4, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New DMT, Stem Cell Trial, Pediatric MS Treatment Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Will Review New Drug Application of Diroximel Fumarate for Relapsing Forms of MS The good news: Another disease-modifying therapy (DMT) has taken a step toward approval in the ... Read more

March 1, 2019March 7, 2019

Bravo to Selma Blair and Her Cane for Appearing at the Oscars

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Over the past few months, I’ve had a few things to say about actress Selma Blair and the very public way in which she’s been handling her MS diagnosis. ... Read more

February 26, 2019February 22, 2019

A Warning About ‘Young Plasma’ Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Plasma is the fluid part of our blood that carries nutrients and blood cells through our bodies. Donated plasma can save the lives of burn and injury victims and ... Read more

February 25, 2019March 20, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Early DMT Use, Aubagio vs. Tecfidera, Lipoic Acid Study, MS Forums

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Early Use of High-efficacy DMTs of Long-term Benefit to MS Patients, Real-world Study Reports The question of whether to start treating multiple sclerosis (MS) with an older, less effective ... Read more

February 22, 2019February 20, 2019

My Lemtrada Journey and a 90-minute School Bus Ride

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

My wife and I joined our son and his family on a tour of a Southwest Florida nature preserve today. It required riding on an old school bus-swamp buggy ... Read more

February 19, 2019February 25, 2019

I’m Living with MS, I’m Not ‘Battling’ It

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A former colleague recently asked me, “How are you doing in your battle with MS?” It was a legitimate question, not one of those throwaway lines of mock concern ... Read more

February 18, 2019February 22, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Misdiagnosing MS, Gilenya Relapse Study, Ocrevus in England, Estimate of Americans with MS Doubles

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Almost 1 in 5 People Wrongly Diagnosed with MS at Two Specialized Centers in US, Study Finds We know that MS is a difficult disease to diagnose, but is ... Read more

February 15, 2019March 11, 2019

4 Things I’ve Learned About Paying for MS Medications

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Are you having trouble paying for MS medications? If so, you’re not alone. People change or lose their insurance, and plans change the medications they cover from year to ... Read more

February 11, 2019February 14, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Marijuana and MS, MS Solutions Contest, MS Diagnosis Delays, Medicare DMT Costs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Medical Marijuana ‘Can Help Everyone,’ Says Director at Maryland Cannabis Facility Keeping in mind that the person quoted in this article, Mr. Castleman, is growing medical marijuana to make ... Read more

February 8, 2019March 11, 2019

DMT Approvals for Medicare Users Decline While Costs Rise, Study Shows

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

This probably won’t come as a surprise to you if you’re on Medicare: It’s getting harder to obtain approval for many of the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) prescribed for people ... Read more

February 5, 2019February 1, 2019

Have You Joined Our MS Forums Yet?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It’s been about nine months since we created the MS Forums section on the Multiple Sclerosis News Today website. It’s a place designed to host conversations about our MS experiences ... Read more

February 4, 2019February 8, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MS Pain Research, Myelin Studies, Antibody Trial

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patients Sought to Test Alternative Chronic Pain Treatment Methods Do you have serious pain issues along with your MS? If so, you might be interested in this study ... Read more

February 1, 2019March 11, 2019

Why Aren’t You Using an MS Medication?

Aubagio, Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

  I see a lot of answers to the question about why people stop, or refuse to start, an MS medication.   “Thinking of stopping the…meds. Sick of the ... Read more

January 29, 2019January 31, 2019

New Study Supports Hitting MS Fast and Hard

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The question of how quickly to start a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) after a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is one that I frequently see when I browse online. It goes ... Read more

January 28, 2019February 1, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Herbicide and MS, ‘Incredible’ Foot Stimulators, Tysabri and Brain Shrinkage

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Herbicide Called Linuron Seen to Trigger Inflammatory Signals Linked to MS in Study This is only a mouse study, but this herbicide has been banned in Europe because of ... Read more

January 25, 2019January 22, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: HSCT vs. DMTs, Mindfulness for MS, Ocrevus and T-cells, Pregnancy Guidelines

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Blood Stem Cell Transplant Better than DMTs at Reducing Risk of Disease Progression in RRMS Here’s more evidence that hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) works better than some disease-modifying ... Read more

January 22, 2019January 24, 2019

Selma Blair Is Posting About Her MS Again — Is This Good or Bad?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Last October actress Selma Blair revealed that she’d been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). She did it by posting the announcement on her Instagram account. Back then she wrote, ... Read more

January 18, 2019January 17, 2019

Mindfulness: Putting Mind Over MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Can you use your mind to attack your MS, just as you use things such as medications and physical therapy? Some people who believe in the benefits of mindfulness ... Read more

January 15, 2019January 11, 2019

US Hospitals Are Now Required to List Service Prices. But Does That Help?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Since the first of this year, hospitals in the U.S. have been under new government orders. They must make their “list price” for specific services — things like an ... Read more

January 14, 2019January 17, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stimulator for Spasticity, Tysabri Dosing Trial, Mobility Devices Contest, Stem Cell Phase 2 Trial

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

WeHealth, PathMaker Collaborating to Develop MyoRegulator as Noninvasive Treatment for Spasticity I’m one of the many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) for whom spasticity is a significant problem. This ... Read more

January 11, 2019January 15, 2019

A Novel Idea for MS Living: An Accessible Add-on for a House

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

When my wife and I were remodeling our two-story home many years ago, we made a few accessibility changes with my MS in mind. For example, we enlarged a ... Read more

January 8, 2019January 16, 2019

US Airlines Are Now Tracking Wheelchairs They Break or Lose

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

  It’s happened to me, and if you fly with a scooter or a wheelchair, I bet it’s happened to you, too: a busted or missing set of wheels ... Read more