July 8, 2022 Columns by John Connor Living With MS: ‘That Was the Week That Was’ Truly Awful Monday Unlike Prince, my Monday wasnāt manic. It was barreling along quite sedately until my wife, Jane, casually noted, “Remember, youāve got a dental appointment on Wednesday morning.” Er, no, I hadnāt remembered. It was somewhat churlish of me, as Iād been waiting for this appointment for nigh on…
July 6, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Income, Education Levels Linked to Fatigue in MS Patients in New Study Lower levels of income and education, as well as other socioeconomic factors, are associated with the presence and severity of fatigue among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study in Norway found. Women, smokers, and those with other co-existing conditions or a higher disability level also were more…
June 30, 2022 Columns by Stephen De Marzo Fatigue Was One of the First ‘Tells’ of My Primary Progressive MS In poker, a tell refers to a change in an opponent’s behavior or demeanor that may offer clues about the cards they’re holding. This could be a facial movement, an unusual breathing rhythm, an unconscious shift in body position, or a strange monetary bet. Recognizing a player’s tells may help…
June 30, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD UK Study: Fatigue Often Influences Quality of Life in MS Fatigue is a common symptom among people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), and has a significant negative impact on physical and psychological function, as well as quality of life, a U.K. study reported. Citing the study as the “largest study on fatigue in MS from U.K.,” Ā researchers emphasized that…
June 24, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Why I’m Giving 3 MS Medications Another Try Over the many years I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis (MS), I’ve used several medications to treat my MS symptoms. Some have helped, some haven’t, and some worked at first but then lost their efficacy. I recently returned to three of them that I’d stopped using for various reasons.
June 24, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD NICE Updates Its Guidelines for MS Management The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England has updated its guidelines for the diagnosis and management of adults with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Called Multiple sclerosis in adults: management, the new guidelines update and replace the 2014 recommendations and are meant to be followed by…
June 13, 2022 News by Hawken Miller RRMS Put Woman on Path Toward ‘Paying It Forward’ Erin Stevensonās doctor laughed when she asked him 13 years ago if the vertigo she felt while training for a first 100-mile bike ride could be related to her motherās multiple sclerosis (MS). MS isn’t a genetic disease, but Stevenson managed to persuade the doctor to schedule a brain…
June 1, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Tipping the Scale: When Todayās Choices Become Tomorrow’s Consequences Like watching a scale tip up and down, I’m constantly assessing how any choices I make could affect how I feel tomorrow, or even later today. Although my multiple sclerosis was as aggressive and unstable as a hurricane in my first few years with it, I’ve found a baseline…
May 20, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes When MS Takes From Me, I Try to Give Back in Service to Others Last weekend was a busy one. On Friday, I had to drop my eldest son at school at 5:30 a.m. for a field trip and then pick him up at 11 p.m. A nap wasnāt in the cards, Iām sad to say, and at some point in the evening, I…
May 12, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stress-reducing Activities Linked to Lower Risk of Depression, Fatigue Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients undertaking stress-reducing activities ā particularly physical and relaxation activities or meditation ā at least once a week are less likely to have depression, an international study shows. Additional links were found between physical activity and reduced risk of fatigue, and between meditation and a greater…
May 11, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Low Levels of APP Molecule Found in Patients With MS-related Fatigue Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue have significantly lower levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP) ā a molecule involved in nerve cell function ā in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) relative both to those without this common symptom and healthy people, a study shows. The CSF is the liquid…
May 6, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes We Have to Make the Effort to Care Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is hard. I know this is hardly a revelation, especially to those of us who struggle with it on the daily, but I felt like it needed to be said. I was scanning through articles on this site recently, seeing what my fellow…
May 6, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Keto Diet Improved Life Quality of RRMS Patients in Trial Eating a ketogenic diet ā one low in carbohydrates and high in fats ā led to markedly less fatigue and depression for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a small clinical trial that was designed to assess the tolerability of the dietary intervention. Measures of disability and quality…
April 6, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Building Blocks of Becoming a Busy Bee āSerendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.ā ā Lawrence Block When the world was thrown into lockdown at the dawn of COVID-19, I was already an old hand at functioning…
April 4, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Irisin Hormone May Underlie Benefits of Aerobic Exercise for RRMS Six weeks of aerobic exercise led to benefits in cognition, fatigue, and depression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which may be due to increases in blood levels of a hormone called irisin, according to data from a randomized, controlled trial. “Considering the high prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms…
March 9, 2022 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Ketogenic Diet Eases Symptoms, Aids Life Quality in Small RRMS Study A short-term ketogenic diet, which dramatically cuts carbohydrate consumption, is safe and results in significant improvements in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a small study in patients reported. āOur study provides evidence that a ketogenic diet is safe and beneficial, reducing some symptoms for people with MS, when…
March 2, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Double-edged Sword of Fatigue Medications āI close my eyes/ Only for a moment then the momentās gone/ All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity.ā ā Kansas, “Dust in the Wind”Ā The dark cloud of fatigue first swept through my mind toward the end of 2018. I was no stranger to physical fatigue,…
February 23, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Furious Fire of Heat Sensitivity “In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix must first burn.ā ā Octavia E. Butler You know that feeling of waking up in a strange place, and it takes a second to remember where you are? Imagine that coupled with not being able to move from the neck…
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 17, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Fatigue Severity in MS Predicted by Shrinkage of Certain Brain Regions Lower-than-normal volumes of certain brain regions at disease onset ā indicating shrinkage, or atrophy, in those regions ā are significantly associated with current and future fatigue severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Germany shows. Some of these regions also were found to be central brain…
February 9, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Jagged Edges of My Altered Reality “You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming?ā ā James Matthew Barrie Being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis significantly changed my perception of myself and the surrounding world. This drastic shift has been overwhelming and difficult to accept in many ways. The…
January 28, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Hiker Laces Up Her Boots for Appalachian Trail Reservations at a base lodge have been made, and a starting date is circled on her calendar. MS hiker April Hester is ready to start up the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S. It’s always an uphill hike for April, even when the trail is flat. She was diagnosed with…
January 19, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Recovering the Parts That MS Stole From Me āWho in the world am I? Ah, that is the great puzzle.ā ā “Aliceās Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carrol Jan. 9 was my 31st birthday. I remember looking outside, watching the low January sun glisten on the frosty ground as its orange haze thawed the earth. I liken this…
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…
December 6, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD OTC Melatonin Improves Sleep Quality in MS Patients, Trial Finds Taking the hormone melatonin may increase overall sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a clinical trial found. The compound, available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, was particularly effective at extending sleep time in patients. Of note, sleep time decreased with age, meaning that āyounger participants may have…
December 3, 2021 Columns by Jamie Hughes Do What You Can Do (And No More) I donāt know about you, but last week passed in a blur. I typically enjoy Thanksgiving, but this year, things were a little wonky. My husbandās grandfather passed away a month or so ago, so we werenāt about to ask his grandmother to prepare anything. My mother-in-law and I decided…
October 13, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Falling Into Fall: How the Changing Seasons Affect My MS Symptoms “You’re my summer that fades/ To these cold autumn days/ You’re my keepsake, my friend, and my fears/ You’re the strength that’s inside and I swear on my life/ I will always be there by your side.” ā Amber Pacific Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. I…
October 8, 2021 Columns by John Connor Itās Just One of Those MS ‘Snow Days’ “Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” Dylan Thomas wrote in his famous poem about us humans fighting, against all odds, the inevitable moment of death. Oh, yes, I went there. I’m starting with the dark and seeing if I can pull it back with a swath of…
October 6, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I’ve Had Both Good and Bad Outcomes With Methylprednisolone for Relapse I am having an MS relapse, my first in three years. In the first two years after I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in early 2017, I relapsed every two or three months. It got to the point that I couldn’t tell where one relapse began and another ended.
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,…