February 7, 2019 News by Larry Luxner Medical Marijuana ‘Can Help Everyone,’ Says Director at Maryland Cannabis Facility Warning the reporter accompanying him not to take any pictures, veteran horticulturalist Michael Castleman punches an electronic code and unlocks the door to Room 209, nicknamed the āMother Room.ā Photography is indeed forbidden inside this living vault, which contains 20 phenotypes of cannabis plants thriving under the glare of 25…
September 17, 2018 News by Mary Chapman MS Society of Canada Backs Study of Exercise and Rehabilitation in Aiding Cognition in Progressive Patients With a $5 million grant, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MSSC) will support an 12-week international study to determine the effects of cognitive rehabilitation and aerobic exercise on those with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), it was announced in a news release. The investigation is being touted as…
August 13, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Treating Patients’ Perceived Stress and Poor Sleep Important as Both Fuel Depression, Study Reports Patients’ perceptions of stress and sleep quality are both linked to their sense of cognitive difficulties and depression, and focusing on these perceptions may be a way of treating depressive symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā a study reports. The research, āPerceived cognitive deficits and depressive symptoms in…
September 25, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Calming the Cranky Beast That’s Irritability Irritability can strikeĀ anyone at anytime, and pain, illness, depression ā or just having a bad day ā can all lead to feelings of anxiety and irritability. To those of us with multiple sclerosis (MS), being irritable can come from all of those causes, plus a whole lot more.
August 10, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Faces of MS Advocacy Do you ever stop to wonder about the people who write these great columns for Multiple Sclerosis News Today? I have the honor of knowing several of them via telephone conversations and even occasional in-person meetings. You can tell by looking at our bios that we are a…
July 10, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson How to Improve MS-Related Imbalance One of the earliest symptoms that appeared before my multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis was imbalance. I remember turning my head to look at something and feeling slightly off-balance. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but that wobbly sensation gradually increased through the years. Occasionally, I…
July 5, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Another MS Symptom: Sciatic Nerve Pain at a Whole New Level Just when I thought I had experienced every multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom possible, another one emerges:Ā sciatic nerve pain. It can happen to anyone, but it is also associated with MS. A couple of months ago, I woke up with a sharp knife-type pain on the upperĀ back side…
June 19, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson My MS Speech Issues, and Why I Want to Head Off Any Swallowing Problems Many of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis feel random, and can be down right terrifying. I’ve recently been suffering from a scary MS symptom: slurred speech, also known as dysarthria. I open my mouth expecting the words I have chosen to appear. Instead, I slur and stutter…
May 15, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Fear the Future? Change the Way You Think Fear of the future will likely rear its ugly head more often than you’d like when you have multiple sclerosis or any serious chronic disease. It can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering to a very dark place. Worries about how fast your disease is progressing,…
May 12, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Cholesterol Medication Shows Promise as MS Treatment I’ve been taking a statin drug for years to keep my cholesterol low, and it’s doing a really good job. Now, there’s hope that this class of drug also might be useful for MS patients. A major trial in the U.K. is testing the drug simvastatin (used to control…
May 9, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson MS, Chronic Illness and Motherhood: A Salute to Mothers I am well aware of the importance of a mother, or a mother figure, and the significant role she has in the lives of her children and community. I am blessed to have an awesome mother who has profoundly shaped my life. It is her love, guidance, patience…
May 8, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Look What the Cat Dragged In! Like one third of America, Iām a cat lover. Iāve had kitties in my house since I was a child, often in sets. Currently, Iām the proud parent of two fur babiesāIvan (the tabby) and Baker (the Wegie)āand theyāre a great source of joy, entertainment and…
May 8, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Losing Our Independence Due to Multiple Sclerosis Losing our independence due to multiple sclerosis is a profound loss. With that loss comes the grieving process and inevitable change. On Grief.com in “A Message from David Kessler,” he discusses the fiveĀ stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I have experienced all of these…
May 5, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias NYC Subways: A Tough Ride With MS Have you ever been on a New York City subway? I grew up in the Big Apple, and I used to love riding the subway as a kid. I’d travel all over the city without a problem. Not so today. Not so since MS changed my track.
May 1, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Calming the Hidden Beast of Silent Inflammation The inflammation in our bodies can be very sneaky. I am not talking about the good inflammation, also known as the group of hormones called eicosanoids (eye-KAH-sa-noids). This group of hormones provoke our immune system to fight diseases, viruses and other invaders and help in repairing tissues…
April 27, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Crossing MS PATHS ā and Taking a Stand for Patient Rights I knew it was only a matter of time before my MS neurologist would have MS PATHS available to collect clinical data from people who have agreed to participate. MS PATHS is an information- and biological sample-gathering clinical study from Biogen, the leading manufacturer of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying…
April 27, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman Latest Research Bolsters My Confidence in Using Tecfidera Many life-affecting decisions are made at the time of an MS diagnosis. Top of the list? The moment you decideĀ your course of treatment. In my case, the decision wasĀ entirely up to me. This isn’t typical, I’ve discovered. Many people with MS aren’t…
April 26, 2017 Columns by Cathy Chester Why the Future of Science Is Crucial to the MS Community Everything around us, and within us, begins with science. Science is important to the future of humanityās well-being. Science is what makes the world go around. We all think itās love, but actually, at its core, love begins with chemistry. Biological…
April 25, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Chronic Illness and End-of-Life Decisions: Who are We to Judge? For those who read my column, I am certain you can see I am an emotional writer. This is a difficult column to write. I have been thinking about end-of-life decisions for months. I am reminded of my mortality each time I visit the hospital and I’m asked…
April 25, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS, Wheelchairs, Walkers and Guns: Are They Safe Together? When I began writing about multiple sclerosis, I never imagined that, one day, I’d be writing a column about guns. But here I am, staring right into that barrel. The other day as I cruised around MS websites, I ran across a post from a woman who was…
April 24, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Hypothyroidism and What It Shares with MS In 2004, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a condition in which theĀ thyroid is underactive and doesn’t product enough important hormones. Six years later, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā Naturally, I became curious as to whether a link might exist between between hypothyroidism and MS. I am…
April 21, 2017 Columns by John Connor A Very Hip Story: ‘The Shower That Ate Me’ It was three years since I’d seen my best mate Nigel. The last time had been when we said goodbye at London City Airport after our three-day sozzled sojourn (OK, drunken trip) round the Scottish Isle of Islay. To the uninitiated, a pilgrimage for those who worship peat in their…
April 20, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Canadian Neurologist Traboulsee Reflects on Today’s MS Options The American Academy of Neurology‘sĀ (AAN) 2017 annual meeting will bring together physicians who practice in all areas of neurology, including our own multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists. In a recent interview with Anthony Traboulsee, MD, associate professor and research chair of the MS Society of…
April 20, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Cytokines, CSF, Corticosteroids and More ‘C’ Words (Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this third of three parts on terms starting with the letter “C.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and Qs, dot your…
April 19, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Season of Spring is Analogous to the Cycles of Chronic Illness This past week has been uplifting. The sun was out and the weather was enjoyable. Spring has officially arrived, and I was able to get out and really appreciate the nice days. I did not do much of anything, however, I was out and about. Easter Sunday was…
April 19, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias A Rap Reply for a Guy Who Thinks MS is Too Perplexin’ I’m an old guy, and it’s been a looonnnggg time since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This, however, is not the case with BJ Baker. BJ is in his late 20s, and was having a very bad day. He was too tired to do a (seemingly) simple…
April 19, 2017 Columns by Mike Knight Getting a Second Opinion: Three Heads ā or More ā are Better Than Two It was my 2015 annual check-in, and my neurologist and I were in the exam room. I was sitting on one of those little stools with wheels, he was leaning across the exam table. We had just finished discussing my steadily worsening symptoms and treatment plan, which consisted…
April 15, 2017 Columns by John Connor There’s Something Wrong with Both of Us There are a few moments when life changes. In my day, it was meeting your partner across a crowded room. Now it’s sadly the flick of an app. What hasn’t changed is that only later doĀ you realize this really was a moment. This isn’t a story about romance…
April 12, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Spring is an Apt Time to Reflect on MS and Hope T.S. Eliotās opens his masterwork The Waste Land with four stunning lines of verse: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixingĀ Memory and desire, stirringĀ Dull roots with spring rain.Ā It seems odd to say that April is…
April 12, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski RMS Patient Using Ocrevus in Trial: ‘I Feel Great’ Pamela Arterbridge is one of 70 people at Ohio State Universityās Multiple Sclerosis Center taking part in the open-label part of aĀ clinical trial for ocrelizumab, nowĀ best known asĀ Ocrevus.Ā She is a patient of Dr. Michael Racke, who is a pioneer in the field of B-cell treatmentsĀ for MS,…