Receiving an MS diagnosis can be frightening. And receiving that diagnosis as a young adult can feel like your whole world just got flipped upside down. When Matoaka Kipp (she/her/hers) received her MS diagnosis at the age of 21, she not only had to come to terms with how that diagnosis would change her life but as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Matoaka also had to confront some of the systemic inequities of our healthcare system. Matoaka joins me this week to share her MS journey. We're also...
Jun 21, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 199
At some point, about 50% of the people living with MS will experience clinical depression. This goes beyond simply feeling sad. Left unchecked, MS-related depression can sometimes lead to tragic consequences. As it relates to multiple sclerosis, mental health must be de-stigmatized, studied more rigorously, and discussed more often. Returning to the podcast to talk about managing the mood-related symptoms of MS is Dr. Anthony Feinstein, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and ...
Jun 14, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 198
Some people call them flares , some people call them exacerbations , and some people call them MS attacks . But all those terms refer to the very same thing -- an MS relapse. What does a relapse really mean in terms of disease progression? What's the difference between a relapse and a pseudo-relapse? How does pregnancy make you less likely to experience a relapse and then more likely to experience a relapse? Dr. Michelle Cameron is joining me to answer these questions and to share some advice on...
Jun 07, 2021•25 min•Season 4Ep. 197
The challenge of living with MS often begins with the challenge of getting a timely and accurate diagnosis. There are no symptoms, physical findings, or laboratory tests that can, by themselves, determine if someone has MS, and the most common symptoms of MS can often resemble symptoms of other conditions. All of these variables can sometimes lead to patients getting the wrong diagnosis. Dr. Andrew Solomon, Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences and Division Chief of Multiple Sclerosis at ...
May 31, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 196
As the United States begins to move past the pandemic and toward something much closer to life as we once knew it, I've received a lot of questions from members of the RealTalk MS listener community who are concerned about how their disease-modifying therapy may affect the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, whether the authorized vaccines will protect them from variants, and whether they should continue wearing a mask, despite encouraging recommendations from the CDC. As Chair of the National MS ...
May 24, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 195
When Pierluigi Montovani saw what was available to help his father rehabilitate his MS-related foot drop, he was motivated to invent something better. Pierluigi recruited a couple of friends and their efforts led to a breakthrough solution for foot drop that was declared the winner of the Lyfebulb and Bristol Myers Squibb Addressing Unmet Needs in MS: Innovation Challenge . Pierluigi joins me as my guest this week to discuss EvoWalk , his award-winning example of innovation in MS rehabilitation....
May 17, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 194
The COVID-19 pandemic has created what experts are calling a mental health crisis of unparalleled proportion. Many people affected by MS have had to add pandemic-related stresses and anxieties to the already existing anxieties that come from living with a chronic illness. And that's a lot to carry around every day. Joining me to talk about managing your mood and quieting some of the noise in your head is psychologist, psychoanalyst, Certified Multiple Sclerosis Specialist, and MS Partner in Care...
May 10, 2021•39 min•Season 4Ep. 193
This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and MS in the 21st Century . In today's episode, we're talking about empowering people living with MS to become full partners in their MS treatment and the importance of good communication between patients and their doctors. We're also introducing MS in the 21st Century , a resource that has just recently been made available to the MS community in the United States. My guests are Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams and Carolyn Kaufman. Dr. Willia...
May 06, 2021•17 min
In today's special episode of RealTalk MS, Dr. Michael Kornberg is going to give us a glimpse into emerging research and the future of MS treatments. So, if you'd like to peer into the not-too-distant future for a preview of the new MS therapies that will be available to you, this is the conversation you're looking for. Dr. Kornberg is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and, in addition to his clinical work, Dr. Kornberg's lab is focused on ide...
May 03, 2021•38 min•Season 4Ep. 192
With 200 million Americans having already received their COVID-19 vaccination, public health officials are warning that vaccine hesitancy is a growing challenge to our nation's ability to fully bounce back from the pandemic and resume something resembling the life we once knew. If what you're seeing and hearing about the COVID vaccines on social media or from well-meaning friends and family is making you nervous, my guest, Dr. Dorlan Kimbrough, is joining me to set the record straight. Dr. Kimbr...
Apr 26, 2021•32 min•Season 4Ep. 191
Their website says that Destination Rehab takes an " innovative, out-of-the-box approach to physical therapy ." This week, my guests are Sally McAllister and the founder of Destination Rehab, Dr. Carol-Ann Nelson. Sally is 70 years old and living with primary progressive MS. We're talking about how Sally's work with Dr. Nelson produced life-changing results. We're also talking about the first study that specifically measures the safety of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID vaccine for people living with ...
Apr 19, 2021•34 min•Season 4Ep. 190
MS affects almost 3 times as many women as men. Have you ever wondered why? When it comes to investigating sex differences in MS, my guest, Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, has done more than just think about it. And her recent research may have uncovered an MS treatment for women undergoing menopause. Dr. Voskuhl is the President-elect of the International Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program at UCLA. We're also talking about the potentially game-c...
Apr 12, 2021•36 min•Season 4Ep. 189
More than half of all the people living with MS will develop problems with cognition. And while experiencing cognitive dysfunction can be challenging and frustrating, these kinds of changes can also be frightening. Joining me to talk about things you can do to better manage cognitive changes and preserve healthy cognition is neuroscientist and neuropsychologist, Dr. Victoria Leavitt. We're also talking about the encouraging results from a small clinical trial that tested stem cell therapy to tre...
Apr 05, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 188
About 80% of the people with relapsing-remitting MS will eventually be diagnosed with secondary progressive MS. At that point, their remissions stop and their MS symptoms continue to worsen. And about 15% of the people diagnosed with MS are diagnosed from the beginning with primary progressive MS. So identifying ways to optimally treat progressive MS is a priority. Joining me with updates on progressive MS research, treatment, and rehabilitation are Dr. Kathy Zackowski and Dr. Daniel Ontaneda. D...
Mar 29, 2021•40 min•Season 4Ep. 187
Living through a lockdown can be challenging, and it's resilience that helps us get through life's challenges and recover from setbacks. And while resilience may have become a new topic of conversation for the world at large, when you're living with the uncertainty of MS, you come to realize that resilience is one of the most important tools in your self-care toolbox. Joining me to talk about building your resilience is Dr. Meghan Beier. Dr. Beier is a Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist and an Ass...
Mar 22, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 186
We're less than one week away from the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference. This year, the Public Policy Conference is virtual, which means that you have an opportunity to attend and learn how you can advocate for change on important policy issues affecting the MS community. Joining me to talk about the Public Policy Conference and the issues that MS Activists will be discussing with our congressional representatives in the days following the conference is the Executive Vice-President...
Mar 15, 2021•40 min•Season 4Ep. 185
It's MS Awareness Week and we're talking with two remarkable women, Sarah Quezada and Tracey Cooper-Harris, who are living their lives out loud, refusing to let MS define them. We're also inviting you to participate in the first-ever RealTalk MS Listener Survey ( and be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon Gift Card! ). We'll share research announced at the recent ACTRIMS Forum that explores whether we may be headed toward Cognitive-Dominant MS. We're also talking about how the National MS S...
Mar 08, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 184
When it comes to accessing care and even the disease course itself, MS is not an equal-opportunity disease. We're talking with Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams about the disparities that affect members of minority populations who are living with MS. Dr. Williams is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Multiple Sclerosis Specialist who is passionate about educating and empowering people affected by MS to understand the disease process and the goals of treatment. And Dr. Williams is an expert in understanding ...
Mar 01, 2021•32 min•Season 4Ep. 183
Welcome to a bonus ACTRIMS Forum 2021 episode of RealTalk MS. ACTRIMS is an acronym that stands for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and this year, the ACTRIMS Forum is a virtual meeting, bringing together over 1700 MS research scientists and clinicians to share the latest MS research news and insights. We'll take you inside the proceedings at ACTRIMS and share highlights from some of the most compelling presentations. And I'm sitting down to talk with this...
Feb 27, 2021•30 min
If you spend more than a minute on social media it can seem like there's more misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines than there is legitimate, fact-based information. And I've heard it said that if you repeat a lie enough, it becomes the truth. So we're doing some major COVID-19 vaccine myth-busting with Dr. Scott Newsome. Dr. Newsome is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of Neurosciences Consultation and Infusion Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine. He also serves as the Co-Direc...
Feb 22, 2021•34 min•Season 4Ep. 182
A fulfilling sexual relationship with your partner can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health in a variety of ways. But studies suggest that about 80% of the people living with MS are affected by some kind of sexual dysfunction. We're devoting this entire episode of RealTalk MS to talking about sex and MS with my guest, Dr. Linda Mona. Dr. Mona is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Inclusivity Clinical Consulting Services. She's been recognized by the American Psy...
Feb 15, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 181
The National MS Society has updated their COVID-19 vaccine guidance for people living with MS, providing detailed recommendations for timing your disease-modifying therapy with the two COVID-19 vaccines that are approved in the U.S. If you're on a disease-modifying therapy and you've been wondering about your DMT and the COVID-19 vaccines, this episode is for you. My guest this week is Dr. Jaime Imitola, the Director of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Translational Neuroimmunology at UCon...
Feb 08, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 180
Research has shown that, for people living with MS, regular exercise and physical activity can improve their quality of life while helping to manage MS symptoms. But research has also shown that people living with MS tend to be less active than people in the general population. In response, the National MS Society convened a group of experts to develop fact-based guidance for promoting exercise and lifestyle physical activity for all people with MS, regardless of their ability level. Joining me ...
Feb 01, 2021•36 min•Season 4Ep. 179
Paleo...Wahls...Swank...Mediterranean...intermittent fasting. Is there such a thing as "The MS Diet"? Joining me to offer an expert opinion about diet and MS is Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, the Associate Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS and Co-Director of the Center’s Wellness Program. Dr. Katz Sand's recent and current research studies include a clinical trial of dietary interventions for MS and exploring the role of the gut microbiome in MS. Dr. Katz Sand is also a member of t...
Jan 25, 2021•34 min•Season 4Ep. 178
As Chair of the National MS Society's National Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Nancy Sicotte led the expert task force that the MS Society convened to develop the COVID-19 vaccine guidance for people living with MS. Dr. Sicotte is returning to RealTalk MS to answer your questions about the vaccine and MS. Dr. Sicotte is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she's also the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Pr...
Jan 18, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 177
The National MS Society has issued its initial COVID-19 vaccine guidance for people living with MS and we're covering every detail of this anxiously awaited and important announcement. We're also taking a look back with Dr. Barbara Giesser at some of the things that made life better for people living with MS in 2020. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! National MS Society releases COVID-19 vaccine guidance for people living with MS 1:44 Some of the things that made life...
Jan 11, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 176
Research creates the future for people affected by MS. And clinical research can't happen without your participation. Joining me as my guest is Sara Loud, the CEO of iConquerMS, the people-powered-research network that puts you at the center of MS research. We're also celebrating a whole list of MS advocacy wins that will translate into making life better for people living with MS in the United States. We'll tell you about a study that clearly demonstrates why it's essential to start disease-mod...
Jan 04, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 175
In this episode of RealTalk MS, we're re-visiting my conversation with Dr. Bruce Bebo, the Executive Vice-President of Research at the National MS Society, about some of the most interesting research announcements made during the MSVirtual2020 conference. This is one of my favorite conversations of the entire year, and you've made it this year's most downloaded and listened to RealTalk MS episode. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! Happy New Year! :23 My interview with...
Dec 28, 2020•29 min•Season 4Ep. 174
It's safe to say that this year, the biggest gift of the holiday season has been the arrival of not one, but two COVID-19 vaccines. Still, while the COVID-19 vaccines have created a tremendous amount of hope, they've also created an equal number of questions among people who are living with MS. So the National MS Society has convened a group of experts to provide guidance for people living with MS when it comes to making decisions about the safety, efficacy, and the timing of COVID-19 vaccines a...
Dec 21, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 173
Feeling some of the stress and anxiety that often come with the holiday season? Who could blame you? If the holidays aren't enough, this year, we're also going through what's looking like the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress and anxiety aren't guaranteed, but they aren't exactly unexpected, either. My guest this week, Megan Weigel, is here to share some techniques and strategies that we can use to de -stress during the holidays. Megan is a nurse practitioner specializing in neurologic...
Dec 14, 2020•34 min•Season 4Ep. 172
