Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about multiple sclerosis? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “Can there be a connection between Epstein-Barr virus…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question was inspired by the forum topic “Do you know any natural remedies that help fight inflammation?“, from May…

When I first met Stephanie in March, she was like any healthy 28-year-old coming in to see me for a nutrition consult. Her positive attitude and bright smile filled the room as she told me about her job as a grade school teacher and the new apartment she…

Changeable lifestyle factors influence the risk and severity of depression associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study based on a large group of patients shows. According to the study, alcohol consumption in particular was linked negatively with depression incidence and severity. In addition, a healthy diet and vitamin D and omega-3 supplementation…

Researchers at Yale uncovered a way that high-salt diets may trigger inflammation and possibly contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Their study, “Activated β-catenin in Foxp3+ regulatory T cells links inflammatory environments to autoimmunity,” was recently published in the journal Nature…

When I was diagnosed in 2010 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), I didn’t know what to expect. It quickly became apparent that my doctors didn’t know, either. I’m sure they could have given me some scenarios of what my future might be…

A person’s genes influence the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), but so does the environment — both that in which an MS patient lives, and that which a patient creates through diet and other lifestyle choices, researchers said in a Thursday session at the 34th congress of the European…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has pledged $12 million to support 40 new, multi-year research projects focused on “stopping MS, restoring lost function, and ending the disease forever,” the organization announced in a press release. This commitment — the last allocation set aside for research in 2018 —…

Cigarette smoking worsens shortness of breath and fatigue, increases the rate of hospital admissions, and fosters a sedentary lifestyle in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The research, “Effects of cigarette smoking on respiratory problems and functional levels in multiple sclerosis patients,”…

People who eat a healthy diet that includes foods such as vegetables, fish, eggs, poultry, and legumes may have a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, “A healthy dietary pattern associates with a lower risk of a first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system…

Exposure to organic solvents like such as paint or varnish greatly raises the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in people who smoke or have a genetic susceptibility to the disease, a large-scale Swedish study reports. In fact, solvent exposure — linked to occupation, like being a painter or working…

Greater exposure to sunlight during the winter months — part of a person’s lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation — can help to lower the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a large U.S. cohort study suggests. The study, “Lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation and the risk of multiple sclerosis in…

In general, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are able to make and sustain healthy lifestyle changes associated with a better quality of life, a study shows. The study, “Health outcomes and adherence to a healthy lifestyle after a multimodal intervention in people with multiple sclerosis: Three year follow-up,”…

Despite increasing prevalence, multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to fly under the radar with only 40 percent of Australians ranking MS as a community health priority, highlighting the need for greater awareness. Estimates show that 25,600 Australians live with MS — an increase of 4,400 over the past eight years.

It’s been a little over a year since U.S. regulators approved Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as the first treatment for both relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — a disabling neurological disease now believed to affect nearly one million Americans. While the jury’s still out regarding the therapy’s…

While Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the true “two great things that go great together,” calcium and magnesium take first place for those with MS. Many proponents of special diets for MS encourage the consumption of foods high in this mineral dynamic duo (along with other vitamins needed for…

New Spherix Report Finds PPMS Treatment Increased Significantly in Past Year Primary progressive MS has, in some eyes, been the stepchild of the disease-modifying therapies. PPMS patients move steadily downhill, and some believe treatments haven’t kept pace with their disease. Now, the research company Spherix has news…

An increase in multiple sclerosis cases in the Middle East and North Africa has prompted Bayer to introduce to the region an injector that patients can use to treat themselves. Researchers have suggested that increases in the region’s cases stem from many people adopting Western lifestyles, including smoking and using sun…

It started with vitamin D. Little did I know I was starting a habit. I had my first sclerosis attack in 2006 and learned about it by having an appalling fall on a tennis court. That’s another story. I haven’t written about that yet, but I’m sure I will.

Researchers have found a link between variations in two genes that control our 24-hour biological clock and the risk of a person developing multiple sclerosis. The study, “Association of circadian rhythm genes ARNTL/BMAL1 and CLOCK with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal PLOS ONE. Scientists know MS…

An estimated 947,000 people in the U.S. have multiple sclerosis (MS) — more than double the long-accepted figure of 400,000 — according to a newly completed study organized and funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). “This is definitely not what we expected,”  Nicholas G. LaRocca, vice…

This weekend, as I turned back the clocks, searched for my Happy Light, and stared in dismay at the first snowfall of the season, I was reminded that it is the time to give my immune system some extra love. Autumn and winter ― with their requisite cold and…

The numbers of people being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis is rising worldwide, though distinct differences in factors thought to drive this rise are evident among regions, according to MS data represented by researchers on patients in Asia, Latin America, and the Australia-New Zealand. The data was part of the session “Prevalence and…

When talking about MS research, we tend to focus on drug development because improved therapies, and even the cure for MS, will come from pharmaceuticals. But what do we know about other MS research that doesn’t involve taking a pill or enduring an injection? I’m talking about those…

Last week saw much of the Pacific Northwest blanketed by smoke from wildfires in British Colombia. As I pondered the gray haze Thursday, I recalled a piece from a fellow columnist in June about air pollution and MS. In addition to MS, I also have asthma. Therefore, the health…

I don’t normally go in for trends. For example, I don’t own a single pair of skinny jeans. I’ve never tried a Unicorn Frappuccino. I’m not on Instagram or Snapchat. I didn’t participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge. And I refuse to use the words “doggo,” “pupper,”…

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this first of two parts on terms starting with the letter “E.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and…

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this second of two parts on terms starting with the letter “D.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and…

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. Ocrevus Market Entry Already Changing Dynamics in MS Treatment Choices, Spherix Analysis Suggests   Are pills, shots, or infusions the therapy…

The risk of children developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life has no link to how much sunlight their mothers were exposed to during pregnancy, a Polish study found. The study, “Month of birth and level of insolation as risk factors for multiple sclerosis in Poland,” appeared in the journal…