living with MS

Throughout 2025, the team at Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought our readers the latest advances and updates in research related to multiple sclerosis (MS). Below are the top 10 most-read news stories we published this year. We look forward to continuing to serve the MS community in 2026 and…

This year has been a lot for me to deal with. It’s held more grief, trauma, and growing pains for me than any year before it. And it all started with a relapse of my relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) that came after nearly nine years of remission following my…

Disability progression in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to follow one of four distinct patterns, according to long-term data from more than 5,000 people with relapsing-onset MS followed in an Italian registry. The study specifically found that disability progression could generally be categorized into four patterns: minimal-worsening,…

Fear of a sudden relapse or a gradual worsening of MS symptoms is common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a systematic review analyzing data from more than 3,000 people with MS. Those fears are not only widespread but also closely tied to poorer mental health, greater fatigue,…

When I checked into the hospital last month, I answered all the usual diagnostic questions, but then one caught me off guard. A social worker asked if I had an advance directive in place. My first thought was to wonder just how bad the lab results were since I hadn’t…

Eating more oily fish and wholegrain or wholemeal bread may help reduce a person’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study that used data from a large U.K. database. The findings contribute to growing evidence showing that diet is “a potentially modifiable factor in MS…

There’s a kind of loneliness that comes from being almost understood — close enough for someone to recognize your outline, but not close enough to feel your weight. It’s a loneliness that doesn’t creep in all at once. It settles slowly, the way dust gathers on a shelf you thought…

I wrote in the summer about changing the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for my multiple sclerosis (MS). I’ve familiarized myself with the available DMTs, and I plan to ask my neurologist for her recommendation next week and then make a decision. As I’ve researched my options, I’ve become interested…

To call my medical career a series of random pivots is an understatement. I have multiple sclerosis (MS) to thank for this wandering journey, one with an uncertain destination, but a surprisingly meaningful landing place. Anesthesiology was my first love. I adored tinkering with the anesthesia machine, working with…

Due to my uneasiness with heights, I complained a lot about parachuting throughout my career in the U.S. Army. There’s a small chance, however, that I haven’t been entirely fair. Sure, I was afraid every time, made some less-than-stellar landings, and sustained a few injuries, but those were really…

The heat has always been a part of my life in central Texas, whether I liked it or not. Every year, it seemed to linger for longer than most people would have liked. When I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, I realized the heat was definitely not…

Regular physical activity was independently linked to lower disability, fatigue, and depression over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. Other lifestyle factors also supported better outcomes. For example, eating a higher-quality diet was independently associated with less disability, while not smoking was…

A few months ago in Barcelona, at the annual conference of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), thousands of participants from dozens of countries convened for Patient Community Day 2025 (PCD). This annual event brings together researchers focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) and associated…

A six-month gluten-free diet significantly eased disability and supported a healthier body composition in women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new small study found. The findings support growing evidence linking the gut-brain axis and metabolic inflammation to MS, and suggest that a gluten-free diet may be a promising dietary…

Octave Bioscience is entering into a collaboration with Quest Diagnostics to expand access to its multiple sclerosis disease activity (MSDA) test, which uses data from a set of blood biomarkers to measure how active a patient’s disease is in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although the MSDA…

People who drink coffee may have a more than 20% lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with those who do not, according to a new analysis of published studies that pooled data from more than 4,500 participants from seven countries. “These results suggest that coffee consumption might…

I mentioned last week that I had been in the hospital recently with pneumonia and promised to elaborate. Without further ado or any gross details, I give you my recent tale of woe. As with many of my experiences, may it serve as a warning of what not to do.

I was introduced to the spoon theory not long ago in a graduate school class. The spoon theory, created by lupus patient Christine Miserandino, utilizes a kitchen utensil to illustrate the energy budget of a person living with a disability or chronic illness, which helps quantify…

Some mornings with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel like being stuck in quicksand. Fatigue appears first, followed by aches, and then the fog that turns simple tasks into mini mountains. On those days, I ask one small question to get moving: What color is my hope today? Dressing for dopamine,…

Adherence to either the Mediterranean or the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets was associated with better performance in certain areas of thinking and memory among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.K. study suggests. The Mediterranean diet reflects foods traditionally eaten in countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have higher levels of Fusobacterium nucleatum in the mouth — bacteria that can contribute to periodontitis, a serious gum infection — may be more likely to experience more severe symptoms, according to a study from Japan. This finding adds to recent preclinical evidence…

Resistance training may be the most effective type of exercise for easing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), especially when programs last longer than eight weeks, a meta-analysis found. The study, “Effects of exercise on fatigue and quality of life in multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysis…

“Don’t thank me yet.” Whenever I use that phrase, I mean it in the way it’s traditionally meant. Whatever it is that you’re thanking me for isn’t complete, so wait until I’m done in case you’re not entirely thankful for the results. That’s how I’ve perceived the idiom for most…

The holidays tend to arrive with a mix of excitement and stress, even for people without a chronic illness. But for those of us living with multiple sclerosis (MS), the season can feel like its own kind of marathon, full of expectations, overscheduling, symptoms that flare when we least…

The holidays have a way of turning up the volume on everything. The lights feel brighter, rooms feel busier, and even soft conversation seems amplified. Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has taught me that this kind of noise isn’t just sound — it’s work. It’s one of the…

I am a 63-year-old psychologist, clinician, professor, and poster child for multiple sclerosis (MS). After more than 30 years with the disease, I’m still mobile, sometimes with a cane. My speech isn’t impaired, though my volume is, and my memory is taking a nosedive. I have no working taste…

November feels like an inhale that hasn’t yet decided whether to sigh or sing. The mornings are quieter now, the air cooler, and for the first time in months, I also feel more peaceful. On the other side of a recent relapse with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, facing…

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reflecting on what gratitude really means. Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has taught me that thankfulness isn’t just about the big, joyful milestone moments; it’s about noticing and appreciating the small victories that make each day possible. The truth is, life with…

Like a lot of people disabled by a chronic disease, I don’t do well with unsolicited advice. The kind that suggests there is something I can do about my disease, that I’m not doing enough, not looking hard enough for a solution, that they would do better. I’d prefer they…

When the lights come up at the MS Focus on Fashion gala, the runway will be more than a showcase for beautiful designs. The Nov. 14 event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will be a celebration of confidence and connection for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to…