February 13, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Naturopathic Approach Has Made Gains in Quest to Lose Weight For many years I have been fighting the battle of the bulge while trying to decipher and combat many food intolerances. Every year I seem to come up short in the battle with losing weight, but I continue to try to shed the pounds. There are many challenges…
February 9, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression Lately, I have been reading more and more about the potential connection between the blood brain barrier and multiple sclerosis. I have been researching the blood brain barrier (BBB) to better understand it and share my findings with readers. The BBB is a network of endothelial cells…
February 8, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn Interferon Hangovers: Managing Treatment Side Effects Interferons (Beta and Alpha) are the oldest of the disease-modifying treatments, or DMTs, for people with MS. Interferons include Avonex, Betaseron, Rebif, and Plegridy. This column wonāt get into the pros and cons of each of these treatments. Instead, Iād like to focus on one of the more…
February 7, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Marathoner Cheryl Hile Conquers Antarctica Back in September I told you about Cheryl Hile. Cheryl is a young woman with MS whose goal is toĀ become the first person with MS to run in seven marathons on seven continents. In September she had just completed her first marathon,Ā in Cape Town,…
February 3, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Listen to the Music of Multiple Sclerosis You may not have heard this song, but I bet its lyrics will strike a chord. I cannot feel my body. I cannot feel my face. My legs are pins and needles and my mind is a disgrace. I see in double…
January 31, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS and Falling the ‘Right Way’ Uh oh! My cat, T.J., is under my feet trying to nibble my ankles as I stumble toward the bathroom in the middle of the night. I know what’s about to happen. As I try not to step on T.J.’S tail, it’s already started. I’m going down. It…
January 30, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Tips to Fend Off Invasion of the Common Cold The common cold is upon me as I sit here laboring to breathe, with water-soaked eyes and a rumbling cough. I am under attack, an enemy has infiltrated my multiple sclerosis-weakened immune system. The antagonists have found a warm home and they are fighting to stay. It is…
January 25, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Indeed, Laughter is the Best Medicine “Laughter is the best medicine.” We may never know where this quote originated, but it’s a good one. The benefits of a loud, robust belly laugh are many! According to many internet sites laughter has great short-term effects. When you laugh, it doesn’t just lift you mentally, it…
January 25, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman MS in the Information Age, Part 2: Healthy Skepticism This is second in a 2-part series. You can findĀ Part 1 here.Ā Being proactive about your MS means staying up-to-date on current theories, treatments, products, and strategies. It’s safe to say that most people will turn to the internet at least a few times to look up…
January 23, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson ‘It Could Be Worse:’ A Teachable Moment Have you ever had someone tell you “it could be worse?” They are making a valiant effort to comfort and console you. However, there is not much consolation in the words. They almost sound a bit insensitive. I have been told this several times. I think many people…
January 20, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Bicycle is Designed to Mimic the Symptoms of MS Want to know what living with MS feels like? Take a ride on this bike. Those of us who have MS know that our disease has lots of symptoms. There are the legs that feel like they have 20-pound weights on them … balance that can have you…
January 18, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman MS in the Information Age, Part 1: Be Discerning Serving as co-administrator for a large MS forum has shown me that, while we live in a world of easy access to information, we may not always be prepared to understand and interpret it. While Iām not a medical doctor, I do work in the healthcare field and have…
January 17, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Grief, Self-preservation and Multiple Sclerosis Grief can weaken our immune system, elevate our blood pressure, and affect our overall health. During a loss, especially one ofĀ the magnitude of a loved one, self-preservation is not always a top priority. For those of us with multiple sclerosis, the mental anguish that isĀ grief can exacerbate our already…
January 17, 2017 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD Like the ADA, the ABLE Act Has Significant Potential When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, there seemingly were as many opponents as there were proponents. All these years later, the standards and expectations of that landmark legislation have become second-nature in mainstream America. Concerns about costs and consequences were…
January 13, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Drug Treatment Costs Start the Year Headed Up I don’t think this will surprise you. Multiple sclerosis drugs, some of the most expensive drugs there are, are getting even more expensive. Drug industry analyst Eric Schmidt, quoted in the Boston Business Journal, reported that Biogen began the new year by upping the price of Tecfidera,…
January 10, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Lemtrada for My MS: First Month Report It’s been a month since I completed my first round of Lemtrada infusions, so it’s time to bring everyone up to date on how things are going. I was told to expect a roller coaster of side effects. I’m pleased to say that, at least so far, it’s…
January 6, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Planning to Succeed in the New Year Now that 2016 is thankfully behind us, itās time to start a new year ā fresh, rested, and ready to kick butt and chew bubble gum. That being said, rest in peace David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Glen Frey, Prince, Nancy Reagan, George Kennedy, Gary Shandling, Anton Yelchin, Gene…
January 5, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman Forget About Resolutions and Remember to Focus I’m already tired of hearing aboutĀ New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like me, youĀ find that for those who spend their social media time listing goals in earnest, there’s a smidgen of luxury to theirĀ actions.Ā After all, most of these goal-making champions are not chronically ill. They don’t have to think…
December 16, 2016 Columns by Jamie Hughes Hope Lights the Way to a Cure for MS āThis first candle in the advent wreath,ā I told my kids as I clicked the lighter and set its flame atop the wick, ārepresents hope. What does that word mean to you guys?ā In the warm glow of the purple taper, we talked about everything from wishes and…
December 16, 2016 News by Charles Moore Calcium Channel Research Could Lead to More Effective MS Treatments Scientists at the University of Buffalo have identified a critical step in the process of nerve myelination after birth, a discovery that holds promise for the development of more effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchĀ involved the study of voltage-operated calcium channels, which initiate many physiological…
November 15, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Have Scooter, Will Travel “Round, round, get around. I get around.” I was humming that classic 1960s Beach Boys tune this morning (yes, I’m that old) as I thought about a feature story that I saw on one of the TV networks recently. The story profiled Cory Lee. Cory has spinal muscular…
October 12, 2016 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD The ABLE Act: A Tax-free Benefit for People with MS That Could Be Better Disability from multiple sclerosis develops, on average, within 10Ā years of diagnosis. Financial catastrophe was often the consequence, until Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) ā signed into law on Dec. 19, 2014, by President Obama. This act allows you or anyone to…
September 22, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Growing Old with MS I hate to admit it, but I’m getting kind of old. That’s not to say that 68 is really old, but I’m probably older than a lot of you who are reading this. I’m also 36 years old in “MS years.” I was diagnosed the month that Ronald Reagan…
August 30, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Doc Leaves MS Patient ‘Horrified’ ā¦ and Me Too! The other day I received a very troubling direct message from someone on another Multiple Sclerosis website: “I was diagnosed with MS in 2004 but, foolishly, dismissed it. Other than bad spacisity [spasticity] and a few little episodes, I was relatively symptom free. That is until…
August 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Treating MS Soon After Symptoms Appear Can Delay Relapses, Study Says A long-term study underscoresĀ the potentialĀ benefits, especially in terms of relapses,Ā ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients beginning treatment as soon as possible after symptomsĀ appear ā even before the disease is definitely diagnosed.Ā āThe 11-year long-term follow-up study from the randomized BENEFIT CIS trialā was published in the journal Neurology. Researchers in…
August 7, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Foundation Asks Public to Help Grant 30 More Wishes for Its 30th Anniversary The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Foundation wants to mark itsĀ 30thĀ anniversary by granting 30 more wishes to MS patients in need this year throughĀ its Brighter Tomorrow GrantĀ program. To do this, the organization is asking the public to help itĀ raise $30,000 before Dec. 1,Ā so it can increase by 30…
August 4, 2016 News by Ćzge Ćzkaya, PhD TENS Seen as Low Cost and Accessible Way to Ease Spasticity in MS Patients Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) might be an option to treat spasticity, one of the more common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a literature review conducted by researchers from Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Toledo and Hospital Nacional de ParaplĆ©jicos de Toledo, in Spain.
May 30, 2016 Columns by admin Run to Win the Race Against MS Welcome to this, the very first installment of my new regular column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Here, you canĀ join the race to beat this disease. Run to win. First, let me introduce myself. I am, shall we say, mature ā aged 63; having spent my working life doing what…
March 24, 2016 News by admin MS Animal Study Suggests That Placental Cells Might Serve as Future Stem Cell Therapy Research on a specific type ofĀ stem cell found in the placenta, known asĀ decidua-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DMSC), suggests these cells might be the source of futureĀ treatments for multiple sclerosis. The report,Ā “Restrained Th17 response and myeloid cell infiltration into the central nervous system by human decidua-derived mesenchymal stem…
October 19, 2015 News by admin Marijuana Now Legal in Croatia for Medical Purposes, Including Multiple Sclerosis As of October 15, 2015, Croatia has been added to the list of European Union (EU) countries that now allow marijuana for medical purposes. Other countries within the EU that permit some degree of marijuana use include Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. The legalization of the sale…