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.

February 15, 2019February 14, 2019

4 Things I’ve Learned About Paying for MS Medications

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, 2019February 7, 2019

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

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, 2019February 6, 2019

Why Aren’t You Using an MS Medication?

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

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Transplant, Cooling Therapy and Exercise, FDA OK for Generic Tecfidera, Top Stories of 2018

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Stem Cell Transplant Lessens Disability and Relapses in RRMS Patients, Phase 2 Trial Shows Here’s another study indicating that a stem cell transplant should be a treatment choice available ... Read more

January 4, 2019January 9, 2019

MS Treatment Decisions Can Cause a ‘Gambler’s Dilemma’

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

One of the toughest decisions facing someone with MS is whether to begin treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Equally tough, I think, is deciding which DMT road to ... Read more

December 21, 2018December 19, 2018

Shots, Infusions, or Pills for Your MS?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

  There are more than a dozen disease-modifying therapies available to treat MS. Some are shots, some are infusions, and some are pills. Some are more effective than others. ... Read more

December 18, 2018December 17, 2018

Thinking About Quitting My Bioness L300

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The L300, made by Bioness, is a functional electronic stimulator. It’s a cuff that I wear just below my left knee. It stimulates a nerve that lifts my foot ... Read more

December 17, 2018December 17, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cannabis, Switching Interferons, Brain Stimulation by Smartphone, Lipoic Acid

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS Patients Report Beneficial Effects of Cannabis with Few Side Effects, Survey Shows This survey agrees with what I’ve found in my limited experience with cannabis (in my case, ... Read more

December 14, 2018December 12, 2018

Pregnancy, DMTs, and MS: A New Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Many years ago a woman I know who has multiple sclerosis (MS) became pregnant. After her child was born her MS became significantly worse. There have been many studies ... Read more

December 11, 2018December 19, 2018

Consensus Lacking on How MS Medications Are Prescribed in the UK

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Living in the U.S., where disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) seem to be prescribed as a matter of course to people with multiple sclerosis (MS), I was surprised that it doesn’t ... Read more

December 10, 2018December 10, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Palliative Care, Lemtrada and Lung Bleeding, Stroke Risk, Rebif Report

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Use of Hospital Palliative Care by MS Patients in US Rose 30-fold Between 2005-14, Study Finds Palliative care emphasizes prevention and relief of a patient’s suffering. Its goal is ... Read more

December 7, 2018December 5, 2018

These Doctors Have the Right Idea, but …

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Patients want to be more involved in their healthcare, but it’s not an easy process. I’ve written before about the hurdles we have to overcome to get some healthcare ... Read more

December 4, 2018December 6, 2018

How Worried Should We Be About MS Medication Side Effects?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Over the past couple of weeks, two warnings have been issued about side effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) medications. First, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned about a ... Read more

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MRI Dyes, Lipids and MS, Gilenya Advisory, Possible Stem Cell Trial

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Artificial Intelligence May Help Reduce Dosage of Gadolinium in MRIs, Researchers Suggest There’s been concern recently about the accumulation of gadolinium in the brains of people who’ve had MRIs. Gadolinium ... Read more

November 30, 2018December 5, 2018

My Lemtrada Journey: Round 2, Plus 7 Months

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’m coming up on the second anniversary of my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) treatment. My first infusion round was the first week of December 2016. Round 2, delayed by four months, was ... Read more

November 27, 2018December 10, 2018

FDA Warns of Possible Dangers of Stopping Gilenya

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

If you are being treated with Gilenya, take note. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that if you stop using Gilenya (fingolimod), there’s a chance your MS ... Read more

November 20, 2018November 16, 2018

Can’t Afford Health Insurance for Your Family? Who Do You Cut?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

We all know how expensive health insurance can be. On the social media sites that I browse, I always see stories of people with MS who find themselves in ... Read more

November 19, 2018November 19, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New Thinking About MS Development, Rhythm to Improve Walking, UK Nurse Shortage, B-cells

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS-specific Lineage of Oligodendrocytes May Provide New Hints on MS Development Our immune system, according to this study, may not be the only thing playing a role in the ... Read more

November 16, 2018November 26, 2018

When You’ve Gotta Go, but There’s No Place to Do It

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

We’ve all been there. That “uh-oh” feeling hits and you know you’ll be in trouble if you can’t find a restroom, fast. You hope the clerk in the store ... Read more

November 13, 2018November 20, 2018

I Know I’m in a Handicapped Spot, but I’ll Only Be 2 Minutes

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’m writing again about someone with MS who was blocked from a handicapped parking spot by someone who isn’t handicapped. I know, it happens all the time. But this ... Read more

November 12, 2018November 11, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Ballet and MS, Salt and the Immune System, How Tecfidera May Work, Doctor-Patient Communications

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Exercise Program Based on Ballet Improves Motor Control and Balance in MS Patients, Study Reports It makes sense. Yoga helps multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, as do Pilates and simple ... Read more

November 9, 2018November 14, 2018

MS, a Foot Brace, and a Car Crash

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A tragic car crash involving a man with MS is a reminder that we all should be just a little bit more careful than the average driver when we ... Read more

November 6, 2018November 8, 2018

MS Medications in Mexico: Insurer Encourages Patients to Go South

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS medications are expensive in the United States. We all know that. We also know that some of those expensive meds are a lot less expensive in places like ... Read more

November 5, 2018November 13, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Ocrevus in the UK, Environmental Triggers, PPMS Research

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

NICE Postpones Final Opinion on Adding Ocrevus to Public Health System for PPMS Patients in UK This last-minute reprieve from the agency that dictates which medications may be prescribed ... Read more

November 2, 2018November 6, 2018

MS and the Flu Shot: What If You Don’t Want One?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’ve written several times about MS and the flu. I’ve always encouraged people to get an annual flu shot, but I know some people, for whatever reasons, don’t get ... Read more

October 30, 2018November 6, 2018

Thinking About Selma Blair and Her MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

By now you may have heard that actress Selma Blair has revealed that she has multiple sclerosis (MS). That took a lot of guts. Those of us who share ... Read more

October 29, 2018October 31, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cannabis Pill, Stem Cells in Outer Space, Gut Bacteria and T-cells, Herpes and MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Stanford Researchers Open Medical Cannabis Company with Oral Therapy for MS Pain, Spasticity as Initial Goal Let’s be clear up front. There’s no indication that you’ll be able to ... Read more

October 26, 2018October 31, 2018

FTC Challenges Amniotic Stem Cell Treatment Clinics’ Claims

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

“Deceptive” and “false” are two words used by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to describe marketing claims by two stem cell treatment clinics in California. According to an FTC complaint, the ... Read more