September 15, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias I may be stressed out, but my MS doesn’t know about it Lightning struck at 3 a.m. the other night. The alarm system in my apartment blared ā beep, beep, beep ā for hours. The dog was barking, the cat was zooming, and I wasn’t sleeping. My stress meter was off the scale. We know that stress can trigger of…
August 19, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Morse Code Keeps My MS Mind in Gear I speak Morse code. It’s my second language, and I’m fluent. I’ve been speaking Morse code since I got my ham radio license nearly 63 years ago. (My call letters are KR3E.) At first, I received what was sent at a very slow speed of five words per minute,…
July 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Review Gives ‘Cautious Support’ to Childhood Trauma as MS Risk Factor Most available studies suggest a connection between childhood trauma andĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), from earlier symptom onset to potentially poorerĀ outcomes, but more research is needed to understand this association, a review paper highlights. While several high-quality studies have been published, the scientists noted “considerable heterogeneity [variability] in methodology, including inconsistencies…
June 3, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes How I’m Making the Most of My Limited Energy as Someone With MS The last few years have been rough for a whole host of reasons, and I think itās safe to say that most of us in the United States feel utterly lost and burnt out. There’s no shortage of things to be stressed about and afraid of. I feel like…
May 12, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stress-reducing Activities Linked to Lower Risk of Depression, Fatigue Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients undertaking stress-reducing activities ā particularly physical and relaxation activities or meditation ā at least once a week are less likely to have depression, an international study shows. Additional links were found between physical activity and reduced risk of fatigue, and between meditation and a greater…
May 9, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Phase 3 Trial to Assess Benefits of Group Resilience Training Program A Phase 3 trial will test the ability of a group resilience training program, called READY, to promote quality of life and better psychosocial outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Involving more than 200 MS patients, the trial will compare the benefits of READY training against those of…
December 31, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Cognition-targeted Exercise May Boost CBTās Easing of Fatigue Cognition-targeting exercise, when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ā a type of talk therapy ā may further ease fatigue and other symptoms in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study found. The study, āThe added value of cognition-targeted exercise versus symptom-targeted exercise for multiple sclerosis fatigue: A randomized…
July 15, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Actively ‘Coping’ With Daily Stress of MS Tied to Better Life Quality Actively taking steps to cope with the chronic stress of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā from keeping a sense of humor to seeking emotional and tangibleĀ support ā can help to improve patients’ quality of life, a small questionnaire-based study from Poland suggests. The study, āThe Role of…
May 4, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Addressing Some Misconceptions About Hypnotherapy After speaking about hypnotherapy recently with a few people I know, I realized that many of them didnāt know that hypnosis can be used to manage stress and anxiety. One person remarked, āWhat do I need to say to get you to quack like a duck?ā Well, it’s not like…
April 27, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Here’s What Happened in My First Hypnotherapy Session I recently wrote about my decision to try hypnotherapy. Iād been feeling out of control over my mental state following a multiple sclerosis flare. I finally admitted that I needed help.Ā I had an initial phone consultation with my…
February 12, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Early-life Trauma Affects MS Development, Treatment in Mice Childhood trauma can affect disease progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and treatment in adulthood, a study in mice suggests. The study shows that mice that experienced early-life trauma were more likely to develop an autoimmune condition and less likely to respond to common treatment with interferon beta. The study,…
November 6, 2020 Columns by Jamie Hughes 5 Ways to Let Go of the Stress Well, folks, we made it to the end of a very long political season and an even longer week. I donāt know about you, but I donāt feel a bit relieved. In fact, I have tension and stress trapped in every muscle and joint of my body. And thatās not…
September 29, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace Internal Conflict Could Be Affecting Your Symptoms āIām just lazy,ā I told myself. āWhy can’t I do the things I need to do? Iām so exhausted and in pain all the time, I just want to sleep. Are my MS symptoms getting worse?ā My body was driving…
September 4, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Amazon’s Halo Judges Your Stress by Listening to Your Voice You’re stressed, and Halo may know it. Halo is a new Amazon service the company says can judge how stressed you are, in part by the tone of your voice. The service uses a wristband that connects to a mobile app. A small sensor in the band monitors temperature, heart…
June 18, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell When You Become the Caregiver, You Must Push Past MS for Love I like my husband. I like his generous heart, his humility, and his penchant for Tommy Bahama shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops. Sure, I love him. Yet our love has changed throughout our 23-year marriage. We have traded passion for patience and lust for loyalty. While each exists, they are…
May 5, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace 3 Techniques to Help You Overcome Anxiety and Stress Bookmark this page! Why? Because in this column, Iāll give you three techniques to help manage your anxiety. Anxiety and stress are unhelpful for anyoneās mind or body, particularly with a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. Feeling anxious or stressed is our brainās mechanism to prepare the body…
September 4, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD MS Relationships Improved by Togetherness and Communication, Study Suggests Relationships between multiple sclerosis patients and their intimate partners were enhanced when the couple worked together to make lifestyle changes, and to develop skills to improve communication, a study shows.Ā
January 25, 2019 Columns by Jamie Hughes ‘Clean Up, Clean Up (Everybody, Everywhere)’ Iād be lying if I said I enjoyed the endless hours of Barney I was forced to endure when I babysat kids in the 1990s, but āThe Clean Up Songā has stuck with me. Why? For one thing, it worked like a charm to get the house…
January 18, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Mindfulness: Putting Mind Over MS Can you use your mind to attack your MS, just as you use things such as medications and physical therapy? Some people who believe in the benefits of mindfulness think you can, at least to some extent. Mindfulness is defined as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware…
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…
July 5, 2018 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Stress and MS: Time to Chill How do you manage stress when you are stressed? How do you avoid letting stress dominate not only your mind but also your physical being? I wish I knew. At my first clinic following my MS diagnosis, the doctor warned me about stress and its effect on MS. I…
January 29, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson Tips to Ease Anxiety, an Often Overlooked Effect of MS Since the onset of my MS, I have been acutely aware that stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on my body. Being anxious is not a comfortable feeling, whether you have a chronic illness or not. This past weekend was my husband’s celebration of life service. With his…
December 7, 2017 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Finding Peace During the Holidays The Christmas season is upon us ā decorations, shopping, and get-togethers dominate the month of December. If you tune into the Hallmark channel you will see this season as synonymous with love, laughter, and an abundance of cheer. With joy the prevailing theme it can be difficult to experience…
August 23, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Researchers Identify Nerve Pathway Linking Brain Inflammation, Gut Dysfunction in MS Chronic stress and inflammation in the brain can cause multi-organ dysfunction including severe gut failure, mediated by a newly identified nerve pathway in animal models of multiple sclerosis, a Japanese study shows. MS is an autoimmune disease caused by CD4+ T-cells that cross the blood-brain barrier protecting the central nervous system. This inflames and stresses the brain and spinal cord. In previous studies, a team led by professor Masaaki Murakami of Japan's Hokkaido University showed that these cells could cross the blood-brain barrier in specific sites. These entrance sites depend on brain regional activation, which was found to be triggered by specific nerve interactions ā a mechanism the team called gateway reflexes. In collaboration with other Japanese researchers and a team from Germany, the project aimed to address the potential correlation among chronic stress, brain inflammation and organ failures in MS. Using mice with MS-like disease ā the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model ā researchers found that animals that had autoreactive CD4+ T-cells and which were exposed to stressful conditions developed severe symptoms such as gastrointestinal failure, or even death. Detailed analysis of the animals' brains showed that in stressed mice, CD4+ T-cells accumulated in two specific sites in the center of the brain around blood vessels. This event would cause inflammation around those vessels, and activation of a nerve pathway that is commonly turned off. This switch led to gut dysfunction, bleeding and failure. "These results demonstrate a direct link between brain micro-inflammation and fatal gastrointestinal diseases via the establishment of a new neural pathway under stress," Murakami, the study's senior author, said in a news release. Researchers were able to prevent gut symptoms by inhibiting inflammation in the brain or blocking the nerve pathway responsible for driving the signals from the brain to the gastrointestinal tract. "Micro-inflammation in the brain is also seen in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease," Murakamai concluded. "So it's of particular interest to investigate possible connections between brain micro-inflammations and organ dysfunctions, including those within the brain itself, in those patients."
June 29, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Poor Caregiver Mental Health Might Shorten Lifespan of MS Patients Under Their Care The stress of caring for a family member with multiple sclerosis (MS) or another neurodegenerative disease may directly affect the quality of care, according to a study showing that poor caregiver mental health causesĀ higher mortality rates among the patients they care for. The study, published in the journal Proceedings…
June 19, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye This Week: Pollution, Salt, Stress, and Air Travel In case you missedĀ them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. **** Air Pollution May Trigger Relapses in MS Patients, French Study Finds Attention if you live in location where the air…
June 14, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Stressful Environment Triggers Inflammatory Cells Linked to Autoimmune Diseases Like MS, Study Shows A stressful microenvironment, characterized by low metabolites and low oxygen levels, triggers the generation of immune cells directly implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āCellular Stress in the Context of an Inflammatory Environment Supports TGF-Ī²-Independent T Helper-17 Differentiation,ā was…
May 31, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD #CMSC17 – Many Caregivers of MS Patients Say the Disease Exhausts Them Physically and Emotionally Most people who care for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are happy to be caregivers, but they admit that their own emotional and physical health ā as well asĀ their financial security ā suffer as a result. That’s according to the online vsMS Survey, supported by Sanofi Genzyme, which assesses theĀ physical…
March 28, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Increased Rab32 Protein Levels May Be Involved in MS Progression, Canadian Study Finds HighĀ levels of a protein called Rab32 may contribute toĀ the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to neuronal loss, a new study concludes. The study, āRab32 connects ER stress to mitochondrial defects in multiple sclerosis,ā appearedĀ in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is involved in the production…
March 27, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Serenity Now: Relaxation Techniques for MS, Part Two My last column “Serenity Now: Relaxation Techniques for MS, Part One” offered some quick and easy suggestions on how to relax in times of stress. This columnĀ is a continuationĀ of that series. Movement, massage and applied pressure to the correct areas have many benefits. Massaging certain areas of…