January 12, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Compassion-focused therapy eases thoughts about suicide, pain Engaging in online sessions of compassion-focused therapy, which works toward getting people to become more compassionate about themselves, may help women with multiple sclerosis (MS) deal with suicidal thoughts, a small study suggests. Compassion-focused therapy also may help these women overcome pain catastrophizing, which is a tendency to view…
August 11, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias Who says MS doesn’t hurt? Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a pain in my butt ā and other places, too. It hasn’t always been that way. For many years post-diagnosis, I didn’t notice much pain. But of the 43 years I’ve lived with MS, it’s hurt for the past 15. Usually, it’s just…
June 16, 2023 Columns by John Connor I canāt make my own bed or even lie in it! For most of the past six years, Iāve been suffering from that weekly journo disease known as “columnitis.” One column is finished, hurrah! Bathe in the relief of getting that one in the net. (It’s a football reference, American “Ted Lasso” finale fans.) Weāve also just had the…
March 14, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Treatments with electrical nerve stimulation ease pain in small trial Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential currents (IFC) ā both interventions apply electrical stimulation through electrodes placed on the skin ā can help to ease pain in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a small clinical trial. Results suggested that, while both treatments can reduce…
June 10, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Does Medical Marijuana Help the Pain That Comes With MS? Will your doctor approve you to buy medical marijuana (MMJ)? Two of mine will and one won’t. The doctor who won’t, a primary care physician who works within a medical group, told me it’s the group’s policy. The problem, she explained, is that there are no guidelines. How do you…
September 17, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Assessing My Pain, From Zero to 10 Lately, I’ve been thinking about pain ā specifically, how to count my pain. When I was lying on a treatment table while my physical therapist Richard manipulated my shoulder, he asked me to rate my pain, on a scale from one to 10. I’m sure many of you…
August 30, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ocrevus, Myelin Repair, Early MS Problems, Black MS Experience Summit Ocrevus Reduces MS Relapse Risk, But Linked to More Hospitalizations As you can see from the first two paragraphs of this story, these hospitalizations occurred most frequently in older people with MS. Yet, as these researchers point out, the criteria for selecting the people who participated in Ocrevus’ clinical…
March 9, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace On Difficult Days With MS, Try Shifting Your Focus to Gratitude We often focus on what we donāt have rather than what we do. This doesnāt just apply to our relationships, but to everything: our carers, our careers, our children, our homes, our cars, etc.Ā I often hear people wishing they had more:Ā āI wish…
July 16, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Accepting a New Diagnosis I have long preached the merits of acceptance. In embracing my MS, I have mitigated much of the accompanying fear. This modus operandi has enabled me to live alongside my disease as opposed to clashing with it. While ideal, it is becoming increasingly difficult to follow my advice. Two…
February 4, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MS Pain Research, Myelin Studies, Antibody Trial MS Patients Sought to Test Alternative Chronic Pain Treatment Methods Do you have serious pain issues along with your MS? If so, you might be interested in this study that’s looking for participants. By the way, who says that pain isn’t an MS symptom? A clinical trial…
December 18, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MS Pain, Your Bioclock, Remyelination Chronic and Neuropathic Pain in MS Patients Should Be Routinely Evaluated, Study Says The next time a doctor tells you that there’s no pain associated with MS, point them to this study. Yes, MS can cause chronic pain and, yes, the pain can be caused by nervous system lesions.