January 25, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Diets promoting inflammation may slowly lead to depression, anxiety Foods that promote inflammation appear to contribute to the development over time of depression and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study that followed patients for 10 years reports. A pro-inflammatory diet, however, was not linked to fatigue, a common MS symptom. āIf the relationship with…
September 22, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Uncomfortable Liminal Spaces: When We’re Caught Between Here and There Every time I find myself in a multistory building, I end up on an elevator. Itās not as though Iām too lazy to take the stairs ā well, OK, I am lazy ā but in this case, itās because my wheelchair wonāt climb one, much less a flight of them.
September 13, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Understanding MS Burden, Support Needs Can Challenge Couples Differences are evident in the perceived frequency of expressions of support needs and disease burden between people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and their life partners, a Swiss study found. People without MS responded in a survey to feeling their partnersā communication about these issues was more frequent than the…
September 7, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD High-intensity Resistance Training May Help MS Patients With Fatigue Three months of once-weekly sessions of high-intensity resistance training ā consisting of strength exercises followed by a short recovery between sets ā effectively eased fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experiencing low energy and tiredness, a trial in Sweden shows. This intervention also lessened feelings of depression and anxiety,…
August 23, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes Itās OK Not to Be OK: What to Do When You Feel Stuck in a Rut For the last few months, Iāve been mired in something I can only describe as a funk. My job, my family, my faith, my entire life ā no matter what aspect weāre talking about, I felt like I was stuck. I mean like soul-in-a-straitjacket stuck. Honestly, I hadnāt felt anything…
August 8, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Adding Nursing Care in MS May Ease Patient Depression, Anxiety Adding a specialized nurse practitioner (NP) to a neurologist-based standard care team was found to significantly lessen depression and anxiety in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a six-month study in Canada. People with multiple sclerosis ā dubbed “PwMS” by researchers ā who received the add-on…
July 26, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Exercise in Early MS May Ease Mood Disorders via Immune Alterations Exercise prior to being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) was associated with less depression and anxiety among patients, likely due to a reduction in the levels of an inflammatory molecule called interleukin-2 (IL-2), a study revealed. “This finding supports the notion that exercise in the early stages may act…
June 20, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Neural Sleeve Improves Mobility, Reduces Pain and Depression: Cionic Cionic‘s leg-worn Neural Sleeve, recently authorized in the U.S. to aid walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions that impair mobility, reduced foot drop in a small clinical trial. Patients in the trial also reported marked reductions in pain and mental health problems, according to…
June 3, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes How I’m Making the Most of My Limited Energy as Someone With MS The last few years have been rough for a whole host of reasons, and I think itās safe to say that most of us in the United States feel utterly lost and burnt out. There’s no shortage of things to be stressed about and afraid of. I feel like…
April 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New Bouts of Depression, Anxiety Linked to Pandemic, US Survey Finds Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) report new bouts of depression and anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but factors that often influence such mental health concerns were not associated with anxiety or depression in the patient group Ā surveyed for a recent U.S. study. “We found that…
February 21, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Brain Atrophy, CD25, Neurodynamic Therapy, Anxiety Fatigue Severity in MS Predicted by Shrinkage of Certain Brain Regions For several years, I’ve been a believer, along with many neurologists, in the theory that it’s best to treat MS as quickly and effectively as possible. Though directed at only fatigue indicators, this research looking at brain atrophy…
February 14, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Physical Activity, Coping Skills Can Help to Ease Anxiety With MS Getting more physical activity and having effective ways of coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help to ease anxiety in patients, a review study suggests. “The findings of this review highlight links between anxiety in MS and a number of diverse factors, all of which are amenable to change,”…
January 31, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Higher Risk of Long COVID Possible With MS, UK Study Suggests Nearly a third of multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā patients with COVID-19 experience symptoms that last at least one month, according to a review of of more than 550 infected MS patients in the U.K. who did not need to be hospitalized. This study’s rate is higher than that reported for the…
January 4, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Minorities, Others With Depression, Asked to Join Support Group Study Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and depression or anxiety, especially those of minority groups, are being asked to join a clinical trial assessing the benefits of eSupport Health’s online support group program, the National MS Society announced in aĀ press release. The CONNECT study is particularly focused on Black and…
December 31, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Cognition-targeted Exercise May Boost CBTās Easing of Fatigue Cognition-targeting exercise, when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ā a type of talk therapy ā may further ease fatigue and other symptoms in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study found. The study, āThe added value of cognition-targeted exercise versus symptom-targeted exercise for multiple sclerosis fatigue: A randomized…
November 1, 2021 News by Mary Chapman New Podcast Focuses on Improving Self-image, Reclaiming Confidence A new podcast series hosted and produced by cultural expert Jess Weiner aims to help girls, non-binary individuals, and women, with their confidence. The target audience includes those with physical disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), that may affect their self-image. Called āDominant Stories with Jess Weiner,ā the 12-episode…
September 13, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Health Status of Immigrants With MS Complex, Canadian Study Finds A number of health conditions ā including high blood pressure, migraines, schizophrenia, and rheumatoid arthritis ā are more common among immigrants to Canada who haveĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) than those without MS, an observational study reported. Compared with long-term residents with MS, immigrants with this disease were less likely to…
August 26, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Pain, Fatigue, Anxiety Common in First Year After CIS/MS Diagnosis People newly diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently experience pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety in the first year after diagnosis, a new study finds. Fatigue was reported by almost two-thirds of new patients, and half experienced pain. Many individuals experienced multiple symptoms simultaneously,…
August 16, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD ‘Personal Zen’ Mobile App Helps to Ease Anxiety in Pediatric-onset MS Personal Zen, a digitalĀ anxiety management tool developed by Wise Therapeutics, eased anxiety and broad negative moods in people with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the results of a pilot study. This app-based therapy, a “mobile gamified version” of what is known asĀ attention bias modification…
July 21, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS-related Fatigue Identified as Main Factor Affecting Work Ability Fatigue, whether alone or in combination with depression or anxiety, is the main influencing factor of self-reported working ability among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and mild disability, according to a study in the Netherlands. Notably, contrary to the researchersā expectations, personality traits were found to have…
May 18, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace I Feel Fantastic After My Final Hypnotherapy Session When I started hypnotherapy about five weeks ago, my therapist asked me questions about where I felt I was in my journey. He asked me to rate my anxiety on a scale of 1-10, and I said 9. Candidly, it was…
May 11, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Fatigue Prevalence Remains High in MS Patients The prevalence of fatigue continues to be high among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) despite significant progress over the years in therapies that change the course of the disease, a large survey study in Norway found. The findings also show that the frequency of fatigue is higher in…
May 4, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Addressing Some Misconceptions About Hypnotherapy After speaking about hypnotherapy recently with a few people I know, I realized that many of them didnāt know that hypnosis can be used to manage stress and anxiety. One person remarked, āWhat do I need to say to get you to quack like a duck?ā Well, it’s not like…
April 29, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell As an Unlikely Warrior, I Must Be Genuine About My SPMS I am the unlikeliest of warriors. Being called one makes me a little uncomfortable. While I appreciate the sentiment, I feel unworthy of the title. A warrior chooses to battle independent of circumstance. I do so because it is my only option. Multiple sclerosis calls me to fight. Perhaps in…
April 27, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Here’s What Happened in My First Hypnotherapy Session I recently wrote about my decision to try hypnotherapy. Iād been feeling out of control over my mental state following a multiple sclerosis flare. I finally admitted that I needed help.Ā I had an initial phone consultation with my…
April 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā COVID-19 Often Leads to Flares in MS Patients, Survey Finds Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. The majority of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience new or worsening symptoms after developing COVID-19, a patient survey…
April 20, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Can Hypnotherapy Help Me Find Myself Again? Recently, Iāve been struggling through an MS flare. I have been numb, mostly from my neck down, which is reminiscent of my first relapse eight years ago. Numb and slightly weak hands make it extremely difficult to draw.
April 13, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Guided Meditation Helped Ease My Anxiety During an MS Flare āTake a breath and give one away.ā ā Marisa Peer Recently, I started doing guided meditation by Marisa Peer, a rapid transformational therapy trainer and best-selling author. Her meditations are freely available on Spotify and cover a range of topics to…
April 1, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Wise Will Seek FDA Approval for Digital Anxiety Management Therapy Wise Therapeutics intends to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of an anxiety management therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), following the positive results of a clinical trial. In addition to conducting a proof-of-concept study in MS, Wise tested its digital technique ā called attention bias…
March 23, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace How an MS Episode Gave Me Mental Strength and Clarity “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” The other night I watched the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and seeing the portrayal of the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as he faced an HIV/AIDS diagnosis brought my own MS diagnosis…