My Wife Says I Should Follow My Own (MS) Advice
I have to be honest: I haven’t always been honest. I don’t always practice what I preach. My wife called me out on that as we watched an interview I did recently about multiple sclerosis on Montel…
The MS Wire — Ed Tobias
People say to write what you know and Ed Tobias knows about MS. He’s lived with the illness since 1980, when he was 32 years old. Ed’s a retired, award-winning broadcast journalist and his column combines his four decades of MS experiences with news and comments about the latest in the MS community. In addition to writing his column, Ed is one of the patient moderators on the MS News Today Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites. He’s also the author of “The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox: Hints and Tips for Living with M.S.” Ed and his wife split their time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Florida’s Gulf Coast, trying to follow the sun.
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After more than 7 years, ‘The MS Wire’ column is moving on
This is my 823rd column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. It is also my last. Over the past seven and a half years, I’ve written about multiple sclerosis (MS) fatigue and frustration, about treatments…
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MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: EBV, Stem Cell Transplant, NurOwn, Progression Without Relapse
T-cells Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus at High Levels in MS Patients The evidence of a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to mount. The current thinking is that the immune…
An Interpretation of My MS Dreams: What Freud Might Say
I studied psychology in college, but haven’t thought much about Sigmund Freud since then. I did the other night, though. I had a couple of puzzling dreams. Thinking about them after I woke up and putting a little of…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Immunoadsorption, Off-label DMTs, Resistance Training, COVID-19 Vaccines
Immunoadsorption Better Than 2nd Round of Steroids for MS Relapse This is an interesting study, particularly because of the physical problems that can be caused by significant steroid use over the years. Of course,…
Need Help Choosing the Right Medication to Treat Your MS?
It’s not easy choosing a multiple sclerosis (MS) medication. There are shots and pills and intravenous infusions. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society lists more than 20 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on its website. Some, such as Lemtrada…
Researchers Hit a Bump on the BTK Inhibitor Road
A little over a year ago, I wrote about whether Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi’s) might be the next big thing in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments. BTKi’s are small molecules that selectively block an enzyme that’s important…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr, Aqua Exercise, Diagnosing SPMS, Myelin Repair
Epstein-Barr Virus and MS Risk: New Link to Mono Found in Study Add this study to the mounting evidence that there’s some type of association between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — the virus associated…
Do You Cry and Don’t Know Why? It Might Be PBA
I often see posts on social media from people with multiple sclerosis asking if crying for no reason is an MS symptom. It can be. Laughing for no reason can be, too. Both can be…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: PBA, Pregnancy, Interferon-beta, Pediatric MS Test
Early Detection of Pseudobulbar Affect May Help Ease MS Symptom I often see posts on social media from people with MS asking if crying for no reason is an MS symptom, because it…
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…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 Vaccines, Robot Training, Bladder Treatment, Tysabri
Anti-CD20 Therapies Help Mount T-cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccines Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been concerns that anti-CD20 therapies, such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), may interfere with the ability of a…
Dr. Amazon Will See You Now: Online Retail Giant to Acquire Healthcare Services Company
Are you ready to buy your healthcare services from the same place you can buy almost everything else under the sun? Amazon hopes you are. Last month, the giant of online sales announced plans to acquire One…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Transplant, Tysabri, Exercise, Zinc
Stem Cell Transplant Found to Reduce MS Relapses, Ease Disability This is excellent news for those of us who would like to see stem cell transplant for MS become more available and affordable. These…
New Service Takes a Shark-size Bite out of Medication Costs
My multiple sclerosis medications cost me a lot, even with good insurance. Yours probably do, too, if you don’t live in a country where the government picks up your drug costs. But now billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Vitamin D, Brain Health, Digoxin, Natalizumab
No Link Between MS Severity, Vitamin D-related Mutations: Study Several studies over the years have indicated that there could be a link between a person’s vitamin D level and the risk of multiple sclerosis…
Dreams, Diagnoses, and Disclosures: When to Tell Others About MS
The other night I dreamed I was standing in a military formation when my leg began to twitch with an MS spasm. I couldn’t stay in line. The top sergeant yelled while the other soldiers laughed. Suddenly, the…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Intermittent Fasting, Roe v. Wade, IRLs
Intermittent Fasting in MS Leads to Immune Cell, Metabolic Changes Although the National MS Society will tell you there is no such thing as an “MS diet,” many people follow various diets that…
Can MS, Medical Marijuana, and Guns Safely Coexist?
It seems to me from my anecdotal observations that a fair number of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a gun. When I wrote about the issue a few years ago, I discovered…
MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: ATA188 in Progressive MS, Early Symptoms, Yoga, Rituximab
EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead Is this another small step toward an MS cure? AT188 is an experimental therapy designed to kill cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
How to Avoid Trouble While Traveling Internationally With MS Medications
The case of Women’s National Basketball Association star Brittney Griner is an important reminder for all of us who travel internationally with our medications: What you might be able to do in your home country, might not be the…
