RealTalk MS

Early in your MS journey, it's not uncommon to experience minor walking and gait issues. And people living with advanced MS often face more serious mobility challenges. The good news is that rehabilitation can help people on either end of the "mobility spectrum" improve. But different mobility challenges require different approaches to rehabilitation. Joining me to talk about mobility rehabilitati...

Having a job matters. Most obviously, employment provides the economic resources that people need to more easily manage every other aspect of their lives. Perhaps less obviously, we tend to define ourselves through our work. And without work, we not only face potential economic hardship, we sometimes lose that inner sense of purpose or identity...of understanding who we are. The majority of people...

Cognitive issues affect a majority of people living with MS and experts often recommend a cognitive assessment as the first step in managing cognitive dysfunction. But what's that cognitive assessment all about? Patient advocate Cathy Chester has been living with MS since 1986 and she just recently underwent her own 3-hour cognitive assessment. Cathy is joining me to walk us through her experience...

Madison Copot was diagnosed with MS about 9 years ago, just before turning 13. And when she received her diagnosis, Madison was also told that she was too young to be seen by an MS specialist. Today, Madison is a 21-year old young woman, and if you want to hear what a real-life superhero sounds like, you won't want to miss my conversation with Madison. While we're on the subject of superheroes, we...

The FDA has authorized a third dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. What does this mean for people living with MS? Are you eligible for a third dose now? Are you eligible in September? How will your disease-modifying therapy effect that third dose? What if you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? And who is that Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail for? Dr. Nancy Sicotte joins me with an updat...

Imagine being able to see improvement in cognition, motor function, and self-esteem, while enhancing neurological functions like walking and speech without taking another pill or even breaking a sweat. Joining me to talk about the evidence-based benefits that people living with MS can gain through music and art therapy are Dr. Meera Rastogi, Veronica DeNoma, and Betsy Hartman. We're also talking a...

If you've ever wondered about whether MS advocacy makes a real difference, please consider that last year alone, MS Activists helped to bring about these changes: $10 Million increase in funding for the Congressionally-Directed MS Research Program $3 Billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health Sustained funding for the CDC's National Neurological Conditions Surveillance Syste...

Just a few weeks ago, life sciences company Abata Therapeutics came out of stealth mode, unveiling a $95 million dollar investment in a novel cell therapy to treat progressive MS. Joining me to talk about this potentially transformational treatment for progressive MS are the President and CEO of Abata Therapeutics, Samantha Singer, and Dr. Richard Ransohoff, one of the company's co-founders as wel...

Research shows that members of minority communities often experience MS differently. And by differently, we mean worse. -- more severe symptoms, shorter time to disability, and greater levels of disability. That's why ensuring greater diversity in clinical research is of urgent importance. At the same time, the conversation about putting the patient at the center of MS research has grown louder an...

Summertime traditionally means getting out of the house, enjoying outdoor activities, and being active. But if you're living with MS, outdoor activity and summertime temperatures can raise red flags when it comes to your day-to-day quality of life. My guest is Dr. Colin Lenington, an Occupational Therapist and Clinical Specialist at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System and we're talking about getti...

In medicine, a prodrome is a set of signs or symptoms that can appear years before the major symptoms of an illness develop. Recognizing the prodromal phase of MS could mean that, one day, someone who is highly likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis could receive proactive treatment years in advance and, perhaps, never develop any MS symptoms. Dr. Helen Tremlett, a professor, and the Canad...

Every two years, the MS International Federation awards the Charcot Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in outstanding research into the understanding and treatment of MS. My special guest is this year's recipient of the Charcot Award, Professor Alan Thompson, who is being honored for what is truly a remarkable body of work. We'll also share some encouraging news from the FDA about a biomarker...

We're celebrating the 200th episode of RealTalk MS by sitting down with Cyndi Zagieboylo, the President and CEO of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and looking at some of the most vital initiatives ever undertaken by the National MS Society, including the launch of the International Progressive MS Alliance, the MS Society's efforts to support diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the...

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...

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...

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...

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. Andre...

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 con...

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 m...

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...

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...

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 Uni...

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 ma...

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 stud...

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...