Living with MS

Belong.Life has launched an app that allows health professionals to build and manage their own online communities of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Called i-Belong – Connecting Communities, the app offers to healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, and patient advocacy and other groups a platform to effectively and efficiently educate…

A real-world study confirmed the effectiveness and safety of interferon beta-1b in treating older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), those over the age of 40. “These findings from a real-world setting are promising and demonstrate the positive benefit-risk ratio for [interferon beta-1b] in this study population of middle-aged and…

Moderate-to-severe bowel dysfunction was detected in 14.5% of adult people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study reports. The prevalence of bowel dysfunction was increased in women and in patients with progressive forms of MS, higher disability, older age, and longer disease duration. Despite the prevalence of bowel dysfunction…

Most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. have health insurance, but many lack important other types of insurance, such as life insurance, short-term disability insurance, and long-term care insurance, according to an online survey of patients. Its findings suggest that MS patients who are likely to be…

I’ve had pee problems for as long as I’ve had multiple sclerosis. Many folks with MS have issues, including urinary urgency, frequency, or both, bladders that don’t empty completely, or streams that don’t start when you need to go. There are medications to treat these problems. The…

As the federal election looms in Canada, a nation that has one of the world’s highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS), the MS Society of Canada is urging patients and advocates to inform candidates about issues of importance to the MS community. The letter-writing and social media campaign,…

D.C. United and its official sponsor, Leidos, opened a campaign to donate up to $20,000 to the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, the soccer team announced. The initiative aims to support the almost one million people in the U.S. living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Among them is…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will host the second edition of its Black MS Experience Summit, a virtual event to help forge connections among those who understand the experience of living with multiple sclerosis (MS) as a Black person. Register here to join the interactive, two-day…

Christina Applegate, star of classic ’90s films like “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” and TV shows like “Married with Children,” announced last week that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 49. She didn’t share much beyond that, only that it’s been “a tough road” since…

Now that a third COVID-19 vaccine shot has been approved in the U.S. for immunocompromised people, and vaccine boosters are expected to be available to the general public sometime after Sept. 20, Walgreens and CVS have lost no time in offering the additional shot to those who…

A smartphone-based app called Floodlight can reliably assess cognition, arm and hand function, and walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new analyses. “Detection of progression onset or worsening is critical to optimally adapt the therapeutic strategy” patients are using to treat the neurodegenerative disease,…

Trial Will Test Mavenclad for Advanced Progressive MS I often think that researchers have forgotten about people whose MS has progressed to an advanced stage. But MS patients who have moved into a wheelchair deserve treatment with a disease-modifying therapy as much as those who are just beginning their…

I have always liked the odd horror movie, the odder the better. I was a bit of a fan of the trash Troma Studio mob, where their tongue was so firmly in their cheek it usually stuck right through it. For you youngsters out there, think the “Sharknado”…

Can I survive without dessert? Can I live without ice cream, chocolate, and fruit pies, or with only a small amount of beef when I want a burger? The other day, my wife decided to start the ketogenic diet to try to lose some weight. I’m a skinny guy,…

Visits to the hospital related to multiple sclerosis (MS) are more common when it’s hot or when temperatures are more variable, but less likely to be needed when it’s humid, a new analysis suggests. The results were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, in…

MS Australia is again teaming up with Jean Hailes‘ Women’s Health Week, to promote good health for all women and girls and to support the multiple sclerosis (MS) community. About three times more women than men are affected by MS. “We are pleased to again be partnering…

To the person who left the note on my windshield: I wish you would have asked. I would have told you that I have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, a neurological disease that impairs my ability to walk. My MS has worsened over time and will continue to progress. I can’t…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experienced relapses in the previous year are more likely to have better adherence to their current treatment regimen, a cross-sectional study reports. The research also identified associations between treatment adherence and a lower body mass index (BMI), and between better perceived mental health…

Meeting people and dating is challenging for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but the experience of dating is highly personal and influenced by past experiences and beliefs, a small study reveals. The study, “Dating with a Diagnosis: The Lived Experience of People with Multiple Sclerosis,” was published in…

More than half of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who require an informal caregiver have experienced abuse or mistreatment by that caregiver, according to a study conducted in California. The study, “Validity and Reliability of the Scale to Report Emotional Stress Signs–Multiple Sclerosis (STRESS-MS) in Assessing…

A nurse and PhD candidate with multiple sclerosis (MS) is looking for disease biomarkers that can help healthcare providers better estimate how individual cases of MS will progress. The goal of Stephanie Buxhoeveden’s research, now supported by a grant from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), is…

More than one-third of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who responded to an online U.S.-based survey are dissatisfied with their quality of life, and more than one in four MS patients are pessimistic about their future, according to the results of the survey, conducted by Multiple Sclerosis News…

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This week, my sons returned to school. Both are now in middle school, and let me tell you, this freaks me out deeply as a mother. When we adopted them, the younger boy was only beginning kindergarten, and today, I sent him into the unknown hallways of sixth grade. (Granted,…

May I vent, please? In the five years that I’ve been writing this column, I don’t think I’ve ever used it to get something off my chest. But I need to today. It’s about an experience I had at a restaurant the other night. My wife and I went…

Accessing healthcare providers knowledgeable about multiple sclerosis (MS) and being able to afford additional services to improve overall health were the most pressing healthcare concerns among Canadians with the condition, a survey suggests. “These findings provide healthcare planners prioritized concerns and a profile of [people with MS] that have…

It’s with a heavy heart that I write this. I don’t want to, but I have to do what’s right. This will be my last column. Lately, things have been crazy busy for me, with a mix of expected events, such as moving to a new home, and a few unexpected…

“Burgers to Beat MS,” A&W Canada‘s annual fundraiser to support the MS Society of Canada and people with multiple sclerosis (MS), returns for its 13th year on Thursday, Aug. 19, aiming to raise over $1.5 million. Canada has one of the highest MS rates globally, with more than 90,000…

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) reaffirmed its support for the work of the National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) in aiding people with paralysis — either due to multiple sclerosis (MS), accidents, or other disorders — with a five-year grant. Under a collaborative agreement, the PRC — operated…

“Change is the only constant in life,” a quote paraphrased from Greek philosopher Heraclitus states. This ancient wisdom still prevails today. Life is in a constant flux. We evolve, we grow, and we shift, and we are never the same. When I suffer, I cling to this knowledge. And…