MS and Your Immune System: ‘Tis the Season for the Flu
Fall is my favorite season. I love the change in temperature, the falling of amber leaves, trading flip-flops for loafers, the din of football games, and the joy of the holiday season. There…
Silver Linings — Jennifer Powell
Jennifer is the Brand and Marketing Manager for Bionews (Multiple Sclerosis News Today is a subsidiary of Bionews). Jenn is also the host of the Multiple Sclerosis podcast, as well as a featured columnist. An active advocate in the MS community, Jenn imparts her hopeful optimism into real-life challenges facing the MS community. Now with secondary-progressive MS, Jenn continues to elevate the patient voice to better the lives of those living with MS. When not writing, Jenn enjoys volunteering with her local golden retriever rescue, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Jenn resides in Orange County, California, with her husband and golden retriever.
Featured Post
I’m Giving Myself the Gift of Grace This Christmas
The ballerina twirls in the late afternoon light. As if on cue, Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” suite begins to play. I’m lost in the dimly lit ornaments as my mind wanders. I fall into a deep nostalgia.
Read more
What You See of This MS Warrior Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Have you ever seen an iceberg? The prism of packed ice illuminates the surrounding sea. The part you can see is beautiful, yet most of its mass lies beneath the surface. You…
SPMS and the Continuum of Acceptance
Some days are hard, while others are still harder. Then there are days that bring you to your knees. I am kneeling. Pain ricochets through my body like a pinball machine on…
MS-related Insomnia is Exhausting
I do not sleep well. Ever. I have tried a myriad of meditations and medications, yet sleep evades me. It is 2:30 a.m. and infomercials are taking over the airwaves. My knowledge of…
Navigating Roadblocks with SPMS
I saw my neurologist earlier this week. After my work-up, we sat and discussed how well I manage my multiple sclerosis. How well? No comment. Suffice it to say this disease is a worthy…
I Have MS and I Am Beautiful
Having just written about uninvited commentary, I found this gem too awesome not to share. I went to the grocery store in my requisite San Francisco Giants cap and Ray-Ban sunglasses. Upon leaving,…
Relationships Can Thrive with MS
Relationships are a quagmire in and of themselves. Throw in a chronic, progressive disease, and you have yourself quite the ride. This ride has excitability, steady inclines, crescendos, fun and free times, steep…
Uninvited Commentary Invites Enlightenment
Last week, I flew home from San Francisco. As I walked up the jetway, I moved to the right and held the handrail to allow others to pass. Once in the airport, I proceeded…
Reality Is My Favorite Season
Today, I tried to run. In my mind, I saw myself running with fluidity. I felt a weightless ability to lift, then cycle each knee and foot in perfect rotation. I felt my foot…
Feeling Adventurous with MS
I can describe myself with a myriad of words: kind, funny, smart, quirky, and stubborn, to name a few. So many words are descriptive of my persona; I almost felt safety among them.
Tune into the World and See
As I pulled into the overcrowded Trader Joe’s parking lot, I was grateful to see an open handicapped space. Once parked, I turned off the car engine and paused; the heat was oppressive. Ten…
Getting to ‘Yes’ with MS: Fear Beware!
I am a self-described homebody. I enjoy social gatherings and getting out, but I always look forward to coming home. Within five minutes of pulling into the garage, I am in sweats and a…
A Hot Mess: Heat Sensitivity and MS
I am a hot mess. No, really, I am a hot, sweaty, gel-pack-laden mess. My AC kicked it three hours ago, three hours before Orange County hit a record 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Mother Nature…
Stress and MS: Time to Chill
How do you manage stress when you are stressed? How do you avoid letting stress dominate not only your mind but also your physical being? I wish I knew. At my first clinic…
Life After Whole30: Nutrition and MS
Last month, I challenged myself to conquer Whole30: 30 days of no gluten, grain, dairy, sugar, or sulfites. Forty days later, I am proud to say I not only survived, I thrived. I…
How I Deal with the Reality of Depression
With the recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, I feel called upon to write about something many of us are all too familiar with: depression. While these high-profile deaths made the…
Dog Hair? Who Cares. How MS Freed Me
I just saw a couple of “golden tumbleweeds” swirl past my feet. My attempts at keeping a clean house are no match for Abby’s ever-falling golden locks, and I am OK with that. There…
With Multiple Sclerosis, I Do Not Have to Feel Fine to Be Fine
Yesterday, the clerk at the grocery store asked how I was feeling. Having known her for 15 years, I glanced at her over the rim of my sunglasses and we shared a knowing laugh…
MS and Healing Through Healthy Eating
Awareness is, at times, barely imperceptible, a quiet conviction that lies within. As with most truths, they are self-evident long before we decide to own them. And when we do, it is as if…
With MS, I Have Learned the Importance of Being My Own Best Advocate
Quality healthcare is imperative when living with a disease such as multiple sclerosis. While the operational definition of “quality” varies from person to person, I find it to be contingent on the same variable:…
