March 15, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD New bilingual graphic aims to raise awareness of early MS symptoms A bilingual graphic educational message, dubbed VISIBL-MS, has been developed by researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) to raise awareness about the early symptoms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The graphic ā bearing the word āVISIBLYā in English and āVISIBLEā in Spanish ā uses the letters in each phrase…
June 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Diet rich in plant products linked to fewer symptoms in MS Diet was found to significantly influence the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms among patients living in Denmark in a new real-world study. A diet rich in plant-based products was generally associated with a lower symptom burden than one high in red and processed meats. The same was true…
July 1, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias A New Gift Helps Me Stay Cool in the Summer Heat OK, I know I look silly wearing this ā maybe even scary ā but the Father’s Day gift I received from my son and his family is really cool, especially for someone with multiple sclerosis. Just in time for the hot days of summer, I now have a…
June 23, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Comparing Cases of Multiple Sclerosis Leads to a Logical Fallacy If you werenāt aware (I wasnāt), last Friday, June 17, was National Eat Your Vegetables Day. The day wasnāt created to tout any special diet per se, but to increase awareness of the benefits of vegetables in a healthy diet. If you were already aware of those benefits, then…
June 17, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes Just Because Itās Broken Doesnāt Mean It Isnāt Beautiful I recently did a little research to write an article reflecting on a photograph of the Library of Celsus. This marvelous piece of architecture was commissioned by a Roman consul named Gaius Julius Aquila as a funerary monument for his father. It was once home to…
June 15, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Just Because We Aren’t Relapsing Doesn’t Mean We Are Symptom-free In relapsing-remitting MS, relapses and exacerbations involve a worsening of symptoms or the appearance of new ones for 24 hours or more. My disease baseline has changed many times over the years, but has never returned to how it was before my symptoms began. I’m intrigued by how…
June 1, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Tipping the Scale: When Todayās Choices Become Tomorrow’s Consequences Like watching a scale tip up and down, I’m constantly assessing how any choices I make could affect how I feel tomorrow, or even later today. Although my multiple sclerosis was as aggressive and unstable as a hurricane in my first few years with it, I’ve found a baseline…
May 27, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Another Busted Cane Leads to a Search for Something Better A few weeks ago, my cane mutinied. I’ve been using canes for about 20 years ā first one, and then a pair. I’m tough on them and put a lot of weight on them. I take them out in the heat, cold, and rain. I force them to rest on…
May 4, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Maresin-1 Molecule Eases Inflammation, Symptoms in Mouse Model Administering the maresin-1 molecule ā a natural anti-inflammatory in the body ā in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) led to lower levels of inflammation and improved neurological function, a recent study showed. Maresin-1 and other molecules in its family are called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) and are…
May 4, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Recovering My Self-esteem After Adapting to MS-related Incontinence Without hesitation, I would say that my bladder and bowel issues have been the hardest symptoms to manage and overcome following myĀ MS diagnosis. It comes down to one thing: the fear of having an accident in public.
April 20, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah MS and Emotions: Pessimism vs. Realism in Life With Chronic Illness There is an ongoing difference of opinion between my husband and me regarding my general outlook on life. I consider myself to be a realist, whereas he thinks I tend to err on the side of pessimism. I’m an overthinker. I’ve always felt things incredibly intensely. Interestingly, when I read…
January 26, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Trials and Tribulations of MS Medications “Hey, man, I’m alive. I’m taking each day and night at a time/ I’m feeling like a Monday but someday I’ll be Saturday night.” ā Bon Jovi Multiple sclerosis (MS) medications can generally be separated into two categories: disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and those that help to manage symptoms. While…
January 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Top 10 Multiple Sclerosis Stories of 2021 Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ brought you daily coverage of the latest scientific research, advances in treatment, and clinical trials related to multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout 2021. We look forward to continuing to be a resource for the MS community in 2022. Here are the Top 10 most-read articles of…
September 16, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Roche, Temedica Launch Brisa App to Improve Lives of German Patients Temedica, a Munich-based digital health company, has joined efforts with Roche to launch a free mobile app that aims to improve care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in Germany. Available in German only, the Brisa app will make a record of individual disease progression in…
September 9, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah Making It ‘Through the Looking Glass’ After MS Diagnosis Winston Churchill once wrote, āI pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm ground of Result and Fact.ā This very much sums me up as a person. It was also how I felt when I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS 10 months…
August 26, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell When Restless Legs Syndrome Won’t Leave You Alone The light of the television screen illuminates the darkness. I want so much to sleep, but my body has other plans. After a hot shower and multiple medications, my legs continue to dance. The constant ache, twitch, and kick are a rhythmic routine. But my body is tired and…
August 9, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS US Survey Finds High Rates of Dissatisfaction With Quality of Life, But Satisfaction With Healthcare More than one-third of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who responded to an online U.S.-based survey are dissatisfied with their quality of life, and more than one in four MS patients are pessimistic about their future, according to the results of the survey, conducted by Multiple Sclerosis News…
July 2, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Sativex Study Reports Positive Results in People With MS Could a cannabis spray be just what the doctor ordered to treat our MS symptoms? I’m talking about Sativex (nabiximols), which has been developed as a treatment for moderate and severe MS spasticity. Sativex combines THC, the chef intoxicant in marijuana, with CBD, marijuana’s nonpsychoactive component. It’s sprayed…
June 29, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace When Challenges Arise, Remember Your Resilience A numb, weak leg. Yay. Another thing to add to the list of crappy challenges Iāve had to face this year. If you ask me, itās all been a bit too much, and Iād like to get off this ride and get my money back, please. I recently rang my…
June 24, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Symptoms Often Apparent Years Before Diagnosis Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) start experiencingĀ symptoms of the disease several years before being diagnosed, a new study suggests. While it has long been known that people with MS tend to seek medical attention more frequently in the years before diagnosis than those without the disease, there…
June 15, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace I Seek to Overcome MS Challenges by Being Resourceful Something crazy happened: I felt the strength slowly run out of my leg. It was like it needed a serious charge, but the charging port was nonexistent. Iād received some bad news a few days before that, and I think the stress of the news caused a flare-up. My…
April 29, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell As an Unlikely Warrior, I Must Be Genuine About My SPMS I am the unlikeliest of warriors. Being called one makes me a little uncomfortable. While I appreciate the sentiment, I feel unworthy of the title. A warrior chooses to battle independent of circumstance. I do so because it is my only option. Multiple sclerosis calls me to fight. Perhaps in…
April 23, 2021 Columns by John Connor My Own ‘Left Hand of Darkness’ I was listening to a BBC podcast recently titled “The Sinister Hand,” about the history of left-handers. It seems that in medieval times, left-handedness was associated with sorcery. (What wasn’t?) It was only relatively recently that left-handed children were no longer forced to write right-handed ā sometimes even…
April 9, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias An Update on My Lemtrada Journey, 3 Years After Round 2 Where has the time gone? It’s been three years since I completed my second round of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) infusions. So, it’s time to take another look at where this journey has taken me. Lemtrada is a monoclonal antibody treatment that wipes out rogue B- and T-cells in the…
March 23, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace How an MS Episode Gave Me Mental Strength and Clarity “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” The other night I watched the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and seeing the portrayal of the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as he faced an HIV/AIDS diagnosis brought my own MS diagnosis…
March 2, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace MS Is Like Having a Winning Ticket to a Club You Never Wanted to Join Recently, I was given the exceptional honor of finding stories for MS News Today‘s upcoming “31 days of MS“ initiative. I loved the challenge, and used it as an opportunity to catch up with friends Iāve met over the years while doing…
February 16, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Virtual Reality Could Play a Role in the Future of Our Health This week, I went to Tokyo, saw elephants up close in Africa, flew over New York, and watched a stage show, all in one day. How was it possible? Virtual reality (VR), of course! Being unable to play badminton in lockdown has forced…
February 5, 2021 Columns by John Connor Feeling on Top of Things Meant I Nearly Ended Up on My Bottom Would I jinx it? In last week’s column “How Iām Staying on Top of MSā Many āGifts,'” I wrote about being on top of all my MS-induced ancillary symptoms. Wendy, one of my two readers, pointed out that she didn’t want to jinx me. The trouble was that I’d…
January 29, 2021 Columns by John Connor How I’m Staying on Top of MS’ Many ‘Gifts’ When I was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, my first question to my neurologist was, “Will I end up in a wheelchair?” She patted this question back with the generic, “You may, but no one knows the course that anyone’s MS might take.” Later, I learned that late-onset…
December 17, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell What Do You See When You See Me? If I were using a wheelchair, would you question why I use a handicapped placard? Perhaps some (or all) of the condemnation I now receive would diminish. Maybe the notes left on my windshield would not be written. Perchance, it might temper some of the ugly comments spoken to my…