My guest is Dr. Ellen Mowry, a Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University, where she also serves as the Director of the MS Experimental Therapeutics Program. Dr. Mowry has devoted her entire career to MS research, and her past research has led to breakthroughs in our understanding of MS. Today, Dr. Mowry is the co-principal investigator of an important research study whose outcome could have an impact on the treatment strategy for everyone diagnosed with MS. We're also talking about Worl...
May 25, 2020•35 min•Season 3Ep. 143
MS research has reached an important moment. My guest, Dr. Bruce Bebo, calls it " an inflection point. " Dr. Bebo is the Executive Vice-President of Research for the National MS Society, and we're talking with Bruce about the MS research projects that have him most excited, why now is the time to write the final chapter in solving the riddle of MS, and how we might even go about preventing people from developing MS. We'll also give you all the details about the MS Society's newly published recom...
May 18, 2020•32 min•Season 3Ep. 142
For the past 8 weeks, we've been talking about COVID-19 and MS, but there hasn't been any real data on the effect of COVID-19 on people living with MS. That's finally changed, and we're beginning to see some limited data here in the U.S., as well as data coming out of Italy. My guest is Dr. Robert Shin and we're talking about what the experts are learning from this newly-published data about the effect of COVID-19 on MS. We'll also get into whether someone getting Ocrevus infusions today should ...
May 11, 2020•34 min•Season 3Ep. 141
My guest is Dr. Elizabeth Crabtree, the Medical Director at the Tulane Center for Comprehensive MS Care. Dr. Crabtree is passionate about creating meaningful care models for patients living with MS. And this week, we're taking a deep dive with Dr. Crabtree into the impact of nutrition, diet, and vitamins in managing MS symptoms. We're also going to get into the impact of stress on MS, and Dr. Crabtree will even share some tips on how to best manage that stress. We're also talking about a new mou...
May 04, 2020•32 min•Season 3Ep. 140
This week, we're going to hear from 3 experts on very different aspects of COVID-19 and MS. Kathy Costello, the Associate Vice-President of Healthcare Access for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is going to give us our weekly update on COVID-19 and MS. Mandy Rohrig, a physical therapist who specializes in the rehabilitation of people with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. is going to talk to us about exercises that you can do at home to stay healthy. And then you'll meet Nancy G...
Apr 27, 2020•40 min•Season 3Ep. 139
This week, and for the foreseeable future, we're committed to sharing the most updated and reliable information on COVID-19 and MS. Returning as my guest on the podcast is Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams. Dr. Williams is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Fellowship trained Multiple Sclerosis Specialist who is passionate about educating and empowering people affected by MS to understand the disease process and the goals of treatment. She is a sought-after consultant, speaker, researcher, and author with e...
Apr 20, 2020•34 min•Season 3Ep. 138
This week, and for the foreseeable future, we're committed to sharing the most updated and reliable information on COVID-19 and MS. Joining me as my guest is Dr. Tanuja Chitnis, a board-certified neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis, with a dual appointment at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Chitnis is a Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Scientist at the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham &...
Apr 13, 2020•22 min•Season 3Ep. 137
This week, and for the foreseeable future, we're committed to sharing the most updated and reliable information on COVID-19 and MS. Joining me as my guest is Dr. Kevin Alschuler, a Rehabilitation Psychologist with appointments as an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Washington. Dr. Alschuler also serves as the Psychology Director for the UW Medicine Multiple Sclerosis Center. Dr. Al...
Mar 30, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 135
This week, and for the foreseeable future, we're committed to sharing the most updated reliable information on COVID-19 and MS. Joining me as my guest is Dr. Aaron Miller. Dr. Miller is the Chair of the Society’s National Medical Advisory Committee and is also the Medical Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis and a Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He also serves as Vice-Chair for Education in the Department of Neurology. D...
Mar 24, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 134
The National MS Society's National Medical Advisory Committee has issued its recommendations for MS disease-modifying therapies and the coronavirus (COVID-19), and we're sharing them in this episode. You'll also hear about a new disease-modifying therapy that's about to receive FDA approval. We'll tell you about a clinical trial for a potential disease-modifying therapy for progressive MS that fell short of achieving its goals. And you'll hear about study results that indicate there are still a ...
Mar 17, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 133
Welcome to this MS Awareness Week bonus episode of RealTalk MS. In this special episode, I'm talking with Damian Washington. Damian is an actor and a prolific vlogger. He was diagnosed with MS in 2016, and when you watch one of Damian's videos, it's impossible not to be hooked by his infectious personality. I'm also talking with Dan and Jennifer Digmann. Jennifer was diagnosed with progressive MS in 1997, and Jennifer's husband Dan was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 2000. Dan & Jen...
Mar 12, 2020•31 min
It's hard to talk to anyone about anything without talking about the coronavirus. And because the CDC has announced that people with weakened immune systems may be particularly vulnerable to this virus, people affected by MS can feel as though they have even more reason to worry. My guest is clinical psychologist Dr. Abbey Hughes and we're talking about how people affected by MS should be thinking about the coronavirus, and what they should and shouldn't be doing about it. You'll also hear about...
Mar 10, 2020•35 min•Season 3Ep. 132
My guest is Dr. Jackie Bhattarai and we're talking about her research exploring the disparities in MS-related depression and fatigue symptoms between African-Americans living with MS and Caucasians living with MS. We're also talking about positive clinical trial results for a drug that slows disability progression in people living with primary progressive MS and non-active secondary progressive MS. And we'll tell you about the new MS drug from Novartis that's awaiting FDA and EMA approval. You'l...
Mar 03, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 131
Welcome to this Bonus Episode of RealTalk MS, coming to you from the 2020 ACTRIMS Forum. ACTRIMS is an acronym for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. And this year, 1200 MS research scientists and clinicians have come together to share the latest MS research news and insights. We'll take you inside the proceedings at ACTRIMS and share the highlights of some of the most compelling presentations. My first guest is the recipient of this year's Barancik Prize, P...
Feb 29, 2020•24 min
We're just a week away from the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. And my guest is Diane Kramer, an MS Activist from State College, Pennsylvania, who will be attending the Public Policy Conference for the first time. Diane has experienced some of the same obstacles and frustrations that so many people living with MS experience -- insurance companies preventing her from getting the disease-modifying therapy that her neurologist prescribed, having the high cost of h...
Feb 25, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 130
In just two weeks, the National MS Society is hosting its annual Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. The centerpiece of that conference is our Day On The Hill when 300 MS Activists meet with our Congressional Representatives and Senators to discuss the legislative issues that are most important to people affected by MS. My guest is Bari Talente, the Executive Vice President of Advocacy for the National MS Society and we're talking all about this year's Public Policy Conference and the v...
Feb 21, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 129
My guest is Dr. Riley Bove, and we're talking about some of the things you might want to consider when you're thinking about getting pregnant, some important things to consider when you are pregnant, some things to discuss when you and your doctor are planning your delivery, and things to be aware of following your pregnancy. We're also talking about the results of two different studies that underscore the important relationship between the gut and MS. We'll give you a few different opportunitie...
Feb 11, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 128
This past year, a bill was introduced in the California State Assembly that would create more transparency among pharmaceutical companies and make more lower-cost generic drugs available to Californians by making it easier for the California Attorney General to prosecute pharmaceutical companies for so-called "pay for delay" deals. MS Activists in California talked to our state legislators, asking them to support this bill, known as AB 824, and on January 1st, California Governor Gavin Newsom si...
Feb 04, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 127
Multiple studies show that early and ongoing treatment with disease-modifying therapy is the most effective way to slow MS progression, modify the course of the disease, and maintain optimal brain health. Yet, for many people living with MS, these life-changing treatments remain out of reach. The National MS Society has released the results of a new survey that demonstrates that this problem may be much larger and more serious than you may have imagined. My guests are Tim Coetzee, the Chief Advo...
Jan 28, 2020•23 min•Season 3Ep. 126
Last week, the National MS Society convened the Pathways to Cures Think Tank. I think that we'll look back at this meeting as a historic moment when a flag was planted and intentions were declared. We've taken the first steps toward creating a global consensus for defining specific pathways to stop MS progression, restore lost function, and end MS. The Pathways to Cures Think Tank was an extraordinary event, and we're devoting this entire episode of RealTalk MS to hearing from some of the partic...
Jan 21, 2020•39 min•Season 3Ep. 125
We're exploring the healing power of adventure. My guest is Brad Ludden, the founder of First Descents, a non-profit organization that, since 2001, has taken over 10,000 young adult oncology patients on more than 1,000 outdoor adventures that feature activities like rock-climbing, kayaking, and surfing. Last year, First Descents expanded their programming to include outdoor adventures designed for young adults living with MS. And every one of these adventures is offered at no cost to the partici...
Jan 14, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 124
Access to MS symptom self-management care is extremely limited. That's why my guest, Dr. Anna Kratz, and her colleagues created My MS Toolkit -- a web-based, self-guided symptom self-care program designed especially for people with MS. (And it's FREE!) We're talking with Dr. Kratz about how My MS Toolkit was developed and what makes it such a powerful online tool for people living with MS. We're also talking about the latest petitions filed with the Supreme Court in the battle over the Affordabl...
Jan 07, 2020•38 min•Season 3Ep. 123
MS Warriors are those special individuals whose efforts on behalf of people affected by MS go above and beyond the norm to raise awareness, raise funds, and raise our spirits My guest this week is Marc Boyer. Marc biked more than 4,000 miles, from one end of Canada to the other, raising over $160,000 for the MS Society of Canada. Marc not only raised money that will fund important MS research, his coast-to-coast ride also raised MS awareness throughout Canada. We're also taking a look back at th...
Dec 31, 2019•35 min•Season 3Ep. 122
In this episode of RealTalk MS, we're re-visiting my conversation from ECTRIMS 2019 with Dr. Bruce Bebo, the Executive Vice-President of Research at the National MS Society. 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're also talking about a new report issued by RAND Europe, entitled Exploring the Societal Burden of Multiple Sclerosis: A Study Into the Non-Clinical Impact of the Disease, Inclu...
Dec 27, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 121
Is MS preventable? Is progressive MS modifiable? We'll tackle these questions and more with my guest, Professor Gavin Giovannoni. Professor Giovannoni is not only a leading academic neurologist based at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University London, he's also a prolific blogger, tweeter, speaker, author, and opinion leader. It's a conversation you don't want to miss! We're also taking a look back at the major MS news stories of 2019. We're talking about new ...
Dec 17, 2019•39 min•Season 3Ep. 120
This episode is sponsored by Celgene and the MS MindShift Initiative, which aims to educate about the important role the brain plays in MS. My guest is Cathy Chester, who is a paid spokesperson for the MS MindShift. Cathy has lived with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis since 1986 and knows that although she has MS, MS does not have her. Today, Cathy hopes to empower, educate and inspire others to live a rich, full life despite living with a disability. We’ll be talking to Cathy about how y...
Dec 16, 2019•13 min
What can you do when the MS medication you need can cost $80,000, $90,000 or even $100,000 a year, and you don't have health insurance? Or you have health insurance, but your insurance company won't approve the specific disease-modifying therapy that your neurologist thinks will be best for you? My guest is Lisa Aquillano, a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Multiple Sclerosis at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. And we're talking about specific steps that you can take to overcome the...
Dec 10, 2019•34 min•Season 3Ep. 119
This episode is sponsored by Celgene and the MS MindShift Initiative, which aims to educate about the important role the brain plays in MS. My guest is Jodi Johnson, who is a paid spokesperson for the MS MindShift. Jodi has been living with MS for almost 12 years after having been diagnosed in January of 2008. Since her diagnosis, Jodi has shifted her perspective on the disease to focus on what she can do, instead of what she cannot. We’ll be talking to Jodi about coping with MS through personal...
Dec 06, 2019•12 min
My guest is Stubhy Pandav, the lead singer of Lucky Boys Confusion and The Hoodie Life . Last year, Stubhy was diagnosed with MS. Then, Stubhy's insurance company told him that he couldn't start the disease-modifying therapy that his neurologist had prescribed. We'll talk with Stubhy about how he's managed to navigate this first year since his MS diagnosis, and we'll also talk with him about MS Sucks: Singing for a Cure , a benefit concert that's raising funds for the Accelerated Cure Project fo...
Dec 03, 2019•33 min•Season 3Ep. 118
November is National Family Caregiver Month, and while I was at the 4th Annual National Caregiving Conference in Chicago, I met this week's guest, Caregiver Strategist Penny Patnaude. Penny and I talked about some of the things that caregivers want to be thinking about in planning their own strategy for providing great care to their loved one without losing themselves in the process. I'll also introduce you to Dr. Lindsey Knowles, a young MS rehabilitation researcher who will give us an insider'...
Nov 26, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 117
