April 22, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Coming Full Circle in My Relationship With My Mother She held me in a fierce hug. It had been a year since I had held my mother so closely. I rested my chin on her shoulder and silently thanked God. As I looked up, my eyes met hers. I knew what question was coming, along with the weight of…
October 30, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Adults With MS Wanted for 12-week Trial Assessing Health Benefits of Tele-exercise Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders are being recruited to take part in a 12-week clinical trial that aims to assess the health benefits of home-based tele-exercise ā performed while seated ā led by the Burke Neurological Institute, in New York, according to an…
February 21, 2020 Columns by Jamie Hughes Thinking Outside the Box Thereās a story I love to tell about my dad, a retail warrior with more than 30 years of experience under his belt. And itās one that I think is apropos for those of us dealing with multiple sclerosis. Back in the 1980s when he was a department manager…
March 13, 2019 News by Mary Chapman On the Heels of New MS Prevalence Study, the National MS Society Marks MS Awareness Week with Patient Stories Spurred on by a recent multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence study, which revealed that the number of MS patients in the U.S. is double (nearly one million) what had been previously thought, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is marking MS Awareness Week by sharing stories of those affected…
February 19, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson The Power of Resilience After taking a tumble this week, I am reminded of the power of resilience. Dictionary.comĀ defines resilience as: “1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. 2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity,…
February 6, 2018 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson I Choose to Address Chronic Illness on My Terms Who decides how we choose to chronicle our journey of illness? I have thought about this for the past few days. Many people believe that sharing the negative aspects of illness exacerbates fear and pessimism. The mindset is that if our words are inconsistent with hope and optimism, we…
January 23, 2018 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Look to the Hills: Words of Encouragement from a Cancer Survivor to an MS Warrior We endured another devastating loss this week. My beloved sister-in-law, a cancer survivor whom I affectionately called sister, passed away. Although we knew her disease was terminal, she passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. Death is never easy, and no matter how much we try, we cannot entirely prepare…
November 16, 2017 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell An Anniversary of Sorts: 7 Years Since My Diagnosis Anniversaries often invoke reflection about the beginning, the journey, and where we now find ourselves. With luck, lessons will have been learned from the invariably good and bad experiences that couple any passage of time. In November 2010, I sat, eyes firmly affixed, as my neurologist read my…
November 14, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson The Awe of Autumn: Welcoming Change , Spring has always been my favorite season. There is something about flowers blooming, grass growing and the germination process that invigorates me. Spring reminds me that a new season is coming and it ignites hope. I am discovering that autumn deeply resonates with me as well. When I…
September 26, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Retreating from the Noise: the Importance of Peace Our world is chaotic right now. I literally have to disengage from social media and periodically turn off the news just to rejuvenate my spirit and find some peace. It is difficult to remain positive in a pessimistic society. We are divided by politics and spiritual beliefs. We are…
September 12, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson MS, Chronic Illness and Strength: When Courage Is Silent Courage is a recurring theme in my column. Many of us are familiar with the cowardly lion from the Wizard Of Oz. The lion itself is an animal known for its strength, beauty and valor. Thus, to think of a lion as a coward appears to be a…
July 24, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson How MS Helped Me Embrace Living in the Present My multiple sclerosis (MS) brings fatigue, pain, and instability into my life, but surprisingly, it also makes me more aware of my life and surroundings. For me, that means being more aware in the present moment and focusing on the good in my life right now. Living in…
July 17, 2017 News by Janet Stewart, MSc Combined High-Intensity Interval, Resistance Training Improves Physical Health and Quality of Life in MS In a pilot study with patients with multiple sclerosis, high-intensity interval training combined with resistance training improved physical capacity and quality of life in a pilot study of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā whether or not they were disabled. French researchers at the University of Strasbourg assessed physical capacity, strength and quality of life before the training started, and then again after completing a 12-week exercise program. They divided participants into two groups: one of 18 patients with no disabilities, and a group of eight with disabilities. Participants followed a personalized exercise program involving both high-intensity interval training ā a kind of cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods ā and resistance training to improve muscular strength and endurance. Scientists used a French version of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality Of Life-54 test ā a questionnaire filled out by MS patients to measure health-related quality of life ā with five additional questions. After the exercise program, women improved significantly in vitality, general well-being and physical health composite scores in the quality of life assessment, while men showed no significant improvements. Vitality and general well-being only improved in the group with no disability. Peak oxygen consumption improved by 13.5 percent, and maximum tolerated power ā a measure of maximum energy that can be expended ā by 9.4 percent. Muscle strength increased in both quadriceps and hamstrings. Women showed better improvements than men in peak oxygen consumption, maximal tolerated power, strength in both quadriceps and hamstrings, and quality of life. Both groups showed increased peak oxygen consumption and strength. āOur study has shown that high-intensity interval training combined with resistance exercise training induced an improvement in physical capacity and quality of life. Moreover, this study allowed patients, irrespective of their sex or EDSS [Expanded Disability Status Scale] score, to resume exercise autonomously,ā the team wrote. "High-intensity interval training is well tolerated too and can be used in clinical rehabilitation with resistance training, in both men and women with and without disabilities."
June 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – Aging MS Patients Experience Greater Physical Dysfunction There is a greater number of older people with multiple sclerosis than ever before, and the number is likely to continue growing. That combination, of old age with MS, puts people at risk of significantly reduced physical function than those without the disease. This was a key finding of a…
June 8, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD #CMSC16 – Tai Chi Shown to Improve Balance and Strength in MS Patients Researchers atĀ Texas Womanās University identified tai chi as a beneficial therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with impaired balance, as it can improve their endurance and strength and decrease fatigue. The results of the study, “The Benefit of Tai Chi for Balance and Gait in People with…