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…
March 4, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Learning to Ride Along With the Ebbs and Flows of Multiple Sclerosis I am uncomfortable amid ambiguity and unknowns. I find myself searching for rationale when, at times, none exists. I crave clarity yet mostly exist amid the fogginess of MS. I live this way literally and figuratively. My lack of clarity grows with the wait for the COVID-19 vaccine. When I…
February 23, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Why It’s Important to Promptly Address Changes in MS Symptoms Tingling fluttered down my spine and into my butt.Ā āWhat on earth was that?ā I thought. I bent my head forward again, andĀ the same thing happened.Ā āOK, thatās weird.ā I sat on our spare…
February 12, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Early-life Trauma Affects MS Development, Treatment in Mice Childhood trauma can affect disease progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and treatment in adulthood, a study in mice suggests. The study shows that mice that experienced early-life trauma were more likely to develop an autoimmune condition and less likely to respond to common treatment with interferon beta. The study,…
January 28, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell To Thrive With SPMS, I’m Learning to Accept All of My Emotions Optimism is kryptonite to the fear and doubt I keep inside. I am grateful for my cheerful disposition because it allows me to maintain balance. But balance is not healing. Left alone, those feelings that I fear ultimately fester. I tend to push aside sadness or frustration. I…
October 16, 2020 Columns by Jamie Hughes Peace, My Heart, Peace Despite the melatonin and Kava tea, the hot baths and weighted blanket, Iām not sleeping very well these days. I havenāt been for months actually. In addition to the ālow-burnā stresses that come with adulthood and the utterly average cares of the workaday world, I have felt a…
October 6, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace What No One Tells You After a Diagnosis A multiple sclerosis diagnosis is hard to process. Our body that we once knew so well suddenly feels untrustworthy. The truth is that the malfunctioning of our body is a traumatic event. We never expected it to do these things.Ā We are…
September 17, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Tysabri Better Than Other DMTs at Easing Some MS Symptoms Tysabri (natalizumab) is superior to other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) at improving balance and vision, easing bladder problems and sexual dysfunction, and alleviating anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from an Australian study. The study’s findings were presented at…
September 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD COVID-19 Pandemic Had Minimal Emotional Impact in Progressive MS Patients, Survey Finds While theĀ COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the psychological well-being of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), it led to minimal changes in depression, anxiety, and quality of life, according to data from an international survey. This was true even for the 4% of patients who reported…
August 20, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Sailing Beyond Fear With SPMS I grew up sailing the San Francisco Bay. My summers were spent in sailing school. My fatherās daughter, I loved being on the water. There was no place more peaceful or exhilarating. That serenity turned to turbulence one cold and foggy day. While speeding downwind, our boat broached. The…
July 1, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Anxiety and Depression Linked to RRMS Relapse Risk, Study Finds Comorbidities such as anxiety and depression are associated with a significantly increased risk of relapse in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a clinical trial analysis has found.Ā Anxiety and abnormal blood lipids (fats) also increased the risk of any RRMS disease activity.Ā Based on those findings, researchers…
June 30, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace 3 Things to Do If You’re Freaked Out by Blood Tests Note: This column was updated July 23, 2020, to remove erroneous information about red blood cells. We regret the error.Ā When I was newly diagnosed seven years ago, one of the hardest things to deal with was the idea of having…
June 9, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace How to Go on Holiday Without Leaving Your House Who wants to go on holiday?!Ā I know, I know, we canātĀ physicallyĀ go anywhere right now, but what if I told you that you could go anywhere you wanted while staying at home? Stay with me! Itās been really sunny and blindingly hot in the U.K.
June 9, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Biogen, MS Trust Open ‘ACT Myself’ to Help With Emotional Well-being A new digital tool aims to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) deal with the emotional burden of their diagnosis, guiding them to focus on what matters most in their lives rather than the pain of living with MS. The self-help tool, named ACT MySelf, was developed by…
May 26, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace We Are What We Tell Ourselves Thereās something we need to address, right here, right now. Not all of you will like it or agree with what Iām about to say, and thatās OK. I need to get this off my chest, so here it goes.Ā I hear so many people with…
May 14, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Multiple Sclerosis and Melodies: Healing Through Music Music is a spiritual experience. I love music in all of its forms. I grew up being serenaded by parents harmonizing everything from the Phi Gam fight song to Peter, Paul and Mary. After crucifying the clarinet, I played the piano until my late teens. I have fond memories of…
May 5, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace 3 Techniques to Help You Overcome Anxiety and Stress Bookmark this page! Why? Because in this column, Iāll give you three techniques to help manage your anxiety. Anxiety and stress are unhelpful for anyoneās mind or body, particularly with a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. Feeling anxious or stressed is our brainās mechanism to prepare the body…
April 23, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell To Thine Own Self Be Kind: Spreading the Message of Self-care I give freely of my heart and wear it proudly on my sleeve. Those who know me would say it waves. I care deeply for my family, friends, and colleagues. I derive immense joy in my volunteer work with rescue animals. Be it Walk MS, animal welfare, or a…
March 31, 2020 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Calm, Care, and Prayer Will Help During the Coronavirus Crisis No one needs to be reminded of the pandemic weāre in the midst of. We live it every day. The novel coronavirus has attacked with a vengeance, proving that no one is safe from its ruins. The actuality of being quarantined and the practice of social distancing have resulted…
March 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ‘Talk’ Therapy Helps with Insomnia and Fatigue in MS, Trial Suggests Cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of “talk” therapy, may help ease the severity of insomnia, fatigue, and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), improving the quality of their sleep, data from a single-site trial suggest. The study āFeasibility and Treatment Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia…
February 11, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace 5 Things You Should Do When Traveling with a Chronic Illness Traveling is great! We love traveling, seeing new sights, eating different foods, and experiencing new things. But when you have a chronic illness, traveling can also be a nightmare. New germs, different food hygiene standards, sensory overload, jet lag, and crowds can make it difficult. For some, traveling is hard…
February 5, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Having Other Health Conditions Does Not Raise Risk of MS-related Hospitalization, Study Finds Having other health conditions, or comorbidities, along with multiple sclerosis (MS) does not increase a person’s risk of being hospitalized due to MS-specific symptoms, although it does raise the rate of all-cause hospital admissions, a study found.Ā The finding was described…
January 29, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mental Health of Women Affected by Caring for Children with MS, Study Suggests Caring for children with multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect the mental health of their mothers over the long term, a study has found. The study, “Increased mental health care use by mothers of children with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Neurology. People with…
January 16, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Traveling Without the Baggage of Fear Traveling with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is challenging. International travel adds some extra lengthy steps. That said, I have the bug. I’ve always had a hunger to see and experience new people and places. From a young age, I traveled alongside my parents, which gave me a cultural education…
December 10, 2019 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson My Angst Is Not Your Angst A few years ago, I penned a column titled āMy Tired Is Not Your Tiredā that expounded on the severity of fatigue that people with MS and other chronic illnesses experience. I contrasted the general fatigue most people occasionally feel with fatigue related to chronic illness. Reflections on that…
October 31, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Medicinal Cannabinoids Not Effective for Mental Disorders, Small Relief on MS Anxiety, Analysis Suggests A joint analysis of 83 studies, involving 3,000 people, concluded that there is “scarce evidence” to say that the use of medicinal cannabinoids ā chemical compounds in the cannabis plant ā is able to improve mental health conditions. However, the use of pharmaceutical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may lead to…
October 28, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Altered Fear Response, Changes in Brain Chemistry Seen in Mice with Poor Gut Microbiota Depleting microbes in the gut of mice led to an altered fear response, changes in gene expression in brain immune cells and changes in brain chemistry ā returning to a more normal state after their gut microbes were restored, but only if done early in life, a study…
September 23, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Partnership Aims for FDA-approved App That Aids Mental Health in MS, Sanofi Announces SanofiĀ is working with Happify HealthĀ to develop an app that addresses the mental health of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) through cognitive behavior therapy. The physical symptoms of MS, such as fatigue and spasticity, are well-documented. But many patients also struggle with bouts of depression,…
September 3, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Poorer Social Cognition Linked to Worse Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety in People with MS Social cognitive deficits in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with higher levels of fatigue, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, new research conducted at theĀ Kessler FoundationĀ has found. Even though the study included only a small group of participants, it represents a step toward better understanding of the underlying…
August 13, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Shows Range of Psychological and Physical Problems in Opioid-addicted MS Patients Opioid addiction increases the risk for a number of physical and psychological problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study has found. The study, “Impact of opium dependency on clinical and neuropsychological indices of multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in the journalĀ Neurological Sciences. Opioids,…