parenting

While at the ACTRIMS Forum 2018 (which stands for Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in MS), I was surprised to see a colorful display of orange-and-teal colored sock monkeys mixed in with the pharmaceutical company and advocacy organization displays. It was the display booth for Oscar…

The age at which a person is diagnosed with MS is usually between 20 and 50, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. But it can be diagnosed in people much younger. In fact, of the estimated 400,000 people with MS in the United States, 8,000-10,000 are…

I had always envisioned that I would be an active and healthy grandparent when the time came — not one with a disability. I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in the summer of 2010, which also happened to be the same year my first grandchild…

Women who breastfeed for 15 months or longer may have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) than those who breastfeed for shorter periods or not at all, according to a recent study. The study also suggests that women who had their first…

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18, in the U.S. There are a lot of good fathers out there, but one I wanted to tell you about is my friend Jason Clark. He is a caring husband to his wife, Jenny, and an amazing father to his four children.

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…

Mothers with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, have a higher risk of having children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a Norwegian study. The findings were reported in a study titled “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring of Mothers With Inflammatory and Immune System Diseases”…

It’s a question that nearly every MS patient faces. When do I tell my children about my multiple sclerosis, and what’s the best way to do it? In early January I wrote a column about sharing an MS diagnosis. It was prompted by a reader who had told…

Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other demyelinating conditions experience psychiatric disorders more often than other kids, and  mental health professionals need to be involved early in their care so that those with these disorders are identified and treated early, a new study reported. Data from the study, “Risks of…

Danish children of parents with multiple sclerosis (MS) are not hampered in their educational efforts by illness in the home, according to a study finding these children earned higher grades than their peers through elementary and into their high school years. The study, “Children of parents with multiple sclerosis attain higher…

A study exploring the difficulties parents experience when their child develops multiple sclerosis (MS) found that more support and education — from healthcare and school staff, as well as by parents themselves — is key to easing the burden of a child or teenager with this disease. The study, “Parents’…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation recently announced the funding of new research on pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and on the role played by the gut microbiome in brain and autoimmune diseases. Although only around 5% of all newly diagnosed MS cases…

In a new study entitled “Exclusive Breastfeeding and the Effect on Postpartum Multiple Sclerosis Relapses,” researchers investigated how breastfeeding impacts risk for disease relapse in women with multiple sclerosis. The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Around 20 to 30% of women with…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation (MSSRF) have announced the awarding of a $3.2 million grant in support of the Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Network. Canada has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, and is one of the…