Rehabilitation can help people regain, keep, or improve the physical or cognitive abilities they need to successfully navigate their daily lives, which makes it an important aspect of managing MS. In this episode of RealTalk MS , we're focusing on a concept that may not be as familiar to you -- prehabilitation, a proactive approach to maintaining your mobility and independence longer. Returning to RealTalk MS to discuss the value and benefits of prehabilitation is the National MS Society's Assoc...
Aug 14, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 311
Dr. Stephen Hauser's research as a physician-scientist has revolutionized our understanding of the genetics, immunology, and treatment of MS. It was Dr. Hauser's research that led to the development of a b-cell therapy for MS, which has been shown to be highly effective in treating all forms of MS and the only treatment approved for treating progressive MS. Dr. Hauser joins me this week, to discuss some of the pivotal moments in his remarkable career. Dr. Hauser's memoir, The Face Laughs While t...
Aug 07, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 310
The ability to speak is something so basic to our day-to-day lives that you may not ever stop to consider it until you realize something about your speech may be changing. And swallowing is something that's so automatic, we take it for granted. Until, that is, something changes, and you find yourself choking on a sip of water. Speech and swallowing problems are fairly common MS symptoms. And joining me to discuss some of the most common speech and swallowing disorders people with MS might encoun...
Jul 31, 2023•36 min•Season 6Ep. 309
This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by Sanofi. In this special episode of RealTalk MS, Dr. Aaron Boster walks us through everything you need to know about clinical trials. If you've ever wondered what the difference is between a Phase 1 clinical trial, a Phase 2 clinical trial, or a Phase 3 clinical trial, you're about to find out. If you're curious about how a clinical trial participant's privacy is protected, how safety is ensured, and how you can learn about clinical trials that ...
Jul 28, 2023•26 min
Experiencing difficulty walking is one of the most common mobility challenges faced by people living with MS. The good news is that there are things you can do -- both with a physical therapist and by yourself, at home -- that can make a real difference. Joining me to discuss improving your gait, avoiding falls, and what experts are learning from the latest research in this area is the Director of Research for the Department of Health Care Sciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine, D...
Jul 24, 2023•36 min•Season 6Ep. 308
Learning to effectively manage stress and anxiety is important for everyone. And if you're living with the unpredictability of MS, it may be doubly important. Joining me to discuss the impact that stress and anxiety can have on your physical and mental health, along with strategies you can use to manage the stress and anxiety in your life, is Dr. Bree Wannamaker. Dr. Wannamaker lives with MS, and she's a Licensed Professional Counselor and Chief Therapist & Consultant in her practice, Just U...
Jul 17, 2023•35 min•Season 6Ep. 307
Living your best life with MS often means planning ahead and, when circumstances require, knowing when and how to adapt. Many of us find ourselves in the kitchen every day. And, while cooking can be pleasurable, it can also be a chore that only gets worse if you're dealing with pain, fatigue, mobility issues, tingling in your hands and arms, unsteady balance, or other MS symptoms. Award-winning author, chef, and blogger, Trevis Gleason joins me to talk about how planning ahead and adopting new b...
Jul 10, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 306
2023 marks 30 years since the very first MS disease-modifying therapy received FDA approval. To say that changed everything would be an understatement. Two of the top MS experts in the world have published a reflection, looking back at how MS research and treatment has progressed over the past 30 years and looking ahead at the challenges that remain in solving the riddle of MS. Joining me this week are the authors of that reflection, Dr. Fred Lublin and Dr. Stephen Krieger. Dr. Lublin participat...
Jul 03, 2023•32 min•Season 6Ep. 305
Just a couple of weeks ago, the International Progressive MS Alliance convened its fourth Scientific Congress in Vienna, Austria, bringing together nearly 200 international scientists and MS leaders, including people affected by progressive MS, to report and review the progress being made in developing new, effective treatments for progressive MS. In Part 2 of our coverage, we're taking you back inside this Scientific Congress, where you'll hear from some of the top MS researchers in the world w...
Jun 26, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 304
Last week, the International Progressive MS Alliance convened its fourth Scientific Congress in Vienna, Austria, bringing together nearly 200 international scientists and MS leaders, including people affected by progressive MS, to report and review the progress being made in developing new, effective treatments for progressive MS. In Part 1 of our coverage, we're taking you inside this Scientific Congress, where you'll hear from some of the top MS researchers in the world who participated in thi...
Jun 19, 2023•55 min•Season 6Ep. 303
When you’re living with MS, air travel can sometimes get complicated. We’re heading into the summer vacation season, so the timing couldn’t be better to talk with Dr. Scott Crawford. Dr. Crawford is a neuropsychologist who lives with MS and has extensive experience as a passenger on commercial airlines. Dr. Crawford is also an MS Activist and he's joining me to walk us through how to de-stress airline travel and to explain your rights as an airline passenger if you're living with a disability. Y...
Jun 12, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 302
Last week, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers brought together over 2,000 neurologists, MS nurses, rehabilitation specialists, and other healthcare professionals in Aurora Colorado, for their annual conference. This week, we're taking you inside the meeting and sharing our conversations with some of the difference-makers i n the MS Movement. Next week, we're traveling to Vienna, Austria to attend the International Progressive MS Alliance Scientific Congress, where we'll hear updates on...
Jun 05, 2023•50 min•Season 6Ep. 301
Welcome to the 300th episode of RealTalk MS! Yikes! In last week's episode of the podcast, Dr. Bruce Bebo walked us through the latest research on the prevalence of MS in the United States, and the data serves as a clear reminder that anyone can get MS. However, not everyone with MS receives the same quality of care. My guest today is clinician-researcher Dr. Lilyana Amezcua, and we're discussing her work in exploring healthcare disparities among minority populations. In addition to celebrating ...
May 29, 2023•34 min•Season 6Ep. 300
Evidence shows that MS can affect members of minority communities differently. But how does that impact the total number of people who are living with MS? For multiple reasons, it's a tricky problem to solve. Yet, it's important that the numbers reflect everyone living with MS and no one is left behind. This week, the National MS Society's Executive Vice-President of Research, Dr. Bruce Bebo, is on hand to walk us through the just-published results of a study that provides a more granular estima...
May 22, 2023•36 min•Season 6Ep. 299
Don't miss the second installment of our Pathways To Cures Global Summit coverage. For this unprecedented event, the National MS Society brought together the best and brightest minds in MS research, the CEOs of major MS Societies, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, and people affected by MS to update the scientific foundation of the Pathways To Cures research roadmap and set the global MS research agenda for the next 3-5 years. In Part 2 of our coverage, we're taking you back insi...
May 15, 2023•37 min•Season 6Ep. 298
This past week, the National MS Society hosted the Pathways To Cures Global Summit, bringing together the best and brightest minds in MS research, the CEOs of major MS Societies, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, and people affected by MS to update the scientific foundation of the Pathways To Cures research roadmap and set the global MS research agenda for the next 3-5 years. In Part 1 of our coverage, we're taking you inside this historic meeting, where you'll hear from some of ...
May 08, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 297
This week, we're in New York, attending the Pathways To Cures Global Summit. The National MS Society is convening the world -- bringing together the best and brightest minds in MS research, the CEOs of major MS Societies, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry and people affected by MS -- to update the scientific foundation of the Pathways To Cures research roadmap and set the global MS research agenda for the next 3-5 years. Don't miss next week's episode of RealTalk MS, when you'll h...
May 01, 2023•36 min
In this week's episode, we're talking about a set of MS symptoms that can range in intensity from mildly annoying to completely debilitating. These symptoms include numbness, tingling, pain, that "electric shock" feeling you might experience traveling down the back of your neck, and the infamous MS hug . Joining me to walk us through how to best manage these sensory symptoms is Dr. Jeffrey Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez is a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner who specializes in multiple sclerosis....
Apr 24, 2023•43 min•Season 6Ep. 295
Welcome to Part 2 of a special two-part RealTalk MS series highlighting conversations with past recipients of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research. The Barancik Prize is awarded at the annual meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, a meeting better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Several past Barancik Prize winners gathered at the 2023 ACTRIMS Forum to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Barancik Prize, and I took that opportunity to chat wit...
Apr 19, 2023•37 min
Disclosing your MS to your employer is an important decision that can sometimes be tricky and can sometimes lead to unintended consequences. Joining me to discuss some of the things you want to be thinking about when it comes to disclosing your MS in the workplace is a Manager on the Benefits, Employment, and Insurance Team at the National MS Society, Christina Forster. We're also extending an invitation for you to spend a quick couple of minutes taking the RealTalk MS listener survey...and we'r...
Apr 17, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 294
Welcome to Part 1 of a special two-part RealTalk MS series highlighting conversations with past recipients of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research. The Barancik Prize is awarded at the annual meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, a meeting better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Several past Barancik Prize winners gathered at the 2023 ACTRIMS Forum to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Barancik Prize, and I took that opportunity to chat wit...
Apr 12, 2023•31 min
You've told me that the subject of diet and MS is one of your top three interests. And a quick scan of social media platforms reveals that a lot of people living with MS agree! This week, Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, the Associate Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai, joins me with an update on what the latest research is revealing about the impact of diet on MS, and to answer that eternal question -- Is there an MS diet? We're also talking about the l...
Apr 10, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 293
If you've listened to this podcast before, you already know that we avoid hype, and we stick to talking about evidence-based science. So, let me say right up front -- today, the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. However, a research team has identified a bacterial toxin that may prove to be the cause of MS onset as well as MS relapses. Joining me for an exclusive conversation about this discovery is Dr. Timothy Vartanian, who leads the team that made the discovery, and Dr. Richard Rudick, w...
Apr 03, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 292
To tell or not to tell. When it comes to disclosing your MS to friends and family, that is the question. Choosing when to disclose and to whom to disclose is a deeply personal decision. Joining me to talk about some of the risks and benefits of disclosing your diagnosis is Dr. Victoria Leavitt, a clinical neuropsychologist, researcher, and assistant professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University. Well also tell you about a just-announced collaboration to develop an Epstein-Barr Virus vaccin...
Mar 27, 2023•34 min
If you're a regular listener, you've heard me say that the things that people affected by MS want the most -- access to quality healthcare, affordable prescription medications, and funding for MS research -- are, to a large extent, functions of public policy. The people who decide whether we get these things are our elected officials at both the state and federal level. That's why advocacy should be a high priority for everyone affected by MS. Make no mistake. MS advocacy delivers real results. ...
Mar 20, 2023•29 min•Season 6Ep. 290
For many people, one of the most challenging aspects of living with MS is living with uncertainty. Living with unanswerable questions like, " Is today the day I experience a relapse? " " Will my disability worsen? " " Will I be able to continue working? " " Will I be able to take care of my family? " These are all very real questions, and while there may not be answers for them today, there are steps you can take and strategies you can adopt to ensure that you're managing and minimizing the unce...
Mar 13, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 289
When you visit the Oceans of Hope U.K. website, it reads, " Oceans of Hope is for people with MS, led by people with MS. " It goes on to say, " Our aim is to offer people from all over the world the opportunity to experience sailing as a way of learning new skills and restoring the self-confidence which can be stolen by MS. " The folks at Oceans of Hope U.K. can make that claim with high confidence. My guest today is the founder of Oceans of Hope U.K., Robert Munns, who lives with MS himself. Ro...
Mar 06, 2023•39 min•Season 6Ep. 288
Last week in San Diego, the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis convened their annual meeting, the ACTRIMS Forum. One of the highlights of this meeting is the presentation of the Barancik Prize, awarded in recognition of exceptional innovation in MS research. This year's winner of the Barancik Prize is Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, a clinician scientist at the University of Manitoba. The Barancik Prize is administered by the National MS Society, and this year's award recog...
Feb 27, 2023•34 min•Season 6Ep. 287
Two years ago, the National MS Society made a public commitment to do more to ensure that the MS movement was open to and reflective of everyone affected by MS. When you stop to consider issues like access to healthcare or MS clinical research, it quickly becomes apparent that diversity, equity, and inclusion aren't only organizational goals for the MS Society. They also address some of the systemic barriers that directly impact the quality of MS care for members of historically marginalized com...
Feb 20, 2023•34 min•Season 6Ep. 286
Between 3 and 5% of the people living with MS are diagnosed before their sixteenth birthday. In many respects, pediatric MS is just like MS in adults. But it carries with it a distinct set of what I call social complications that can feel even more challenging to navigate than MS itself. Just think back to the awkwardness of your pre-teen and teenage years. The pressures of school, friends, and dating are a lot for any kid to contend with. And that's without having to think about living with a c...
Feb 13, 2023•39 min•Season 6Ep. 285
