RealTalk MS

MS doesn't only affect individuals. It affects families. And that's probably most clear when we're talking about pediatric MS. The National MS Society estimates that there are about 5,000 diagnosed cases of pediatric MS in the United States and less than 10,000 cases worldwide, but those numbers become far less important when your child is one of those diagnosed cases. We're taking a deep dive int...

The ECTRIMS (European Committee for Treatment & Research in MS) meeting is the largest MS research conference in the world. This year, of course, the ECTRIMS conference was virtual, and so was my conversation with Dr. Bruce Bebo, the Executive Vice President of Research at the National MS Society. Join us in this special episode of RealTalk MS as we take a deep dive into the research breakthroughs...

We're in the midst of the fall MS conference season, and while all the conferences are virtual, there's still lots of news to share. This week, we're talking with EJ Levy, the Founder and President of MS Hope for a Cure, about Big October 2020.      We're also talking about MS rehabilitation science with Dr. Kathy Zackowski, the Senior Director of Patient Management, Care, & Rehabilitation Researc...

A lot of us may have to think back to a time before the pandemic to remember what it felt like to get a good night's sleep. But if you're someone living with MS, you might have to think back even further. Research tells us that more than half the people living with MS report significant disruptions in their sleep and difficulty maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. And that can lead to addition...

Of all the people living with MS, you might assume that people living with progressive MS have experienced the highest levels of anxiety and depression related to the threat of COVID-19. A research team found themselves at the right place at the right time -- conducting a different progressive MS study. They quickly pivoted to investigate the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people liv...

This past weekend, 8,000 MS research scientists and clinicians gathered virtually for the joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. Known as ECTRIMS, this year's conference was appropriately re-branded as MSVirtual2020.   We're talking about great presentations on the MS prod...

You can't control the weather, but you can learn to dance in the rain. And developing resilience teaches you how to dance in the rain. My guest is Dr. Dawn Ehde, a clinical psychologist and professor of rehabilitation medicine at University of Washington Medicine. Dr. Ehde is an expert in understanding resilience, and she's joining us to explain why having resilience is central to improving the we...

Disease-modifying therapies are the cornerstone of any effective MS treatment plan. But with more than 20 approved prescription medications available today, the choices can seem overwhelming.   People living with MS have questions -- Do you start out with a safe but less effective medication, or do you hit MS hard with a high-efficacy drug that may carry more risks? When is the right time to consi...

One of the very few bright spots to emerge during the COVID-19 pandemic is the overall effectiveness and efficiency of telemedicine. And although people living with MS and their doctors have largely hailed telemedicine as a success, there are significant obstacles to overcome before it can become a permanent part of our healthcare system.     My guest is Mei Wa Kwong, the Executive Director of the...

Whether you call it brain fog, cog-fog, or you don't happen to have a name for it, cognitive dysfunction affects more than half of all the people with MS.   Joining me once again is Dr. Meghan Beier, a Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Beier specializes in cognitive rehabilitation and neuropsycholog...

Being a caregiver can be stressful in the best of circumstances. And life certainly doesn't get any easier or less burdensome for a family caregiver during a global pandemic. Research shows that COVID-19 is adding to the long list of things that caregivers worry about, adding a whole new layer of stress and anxiety to the situations they face every day.     My guest this week is MaryAnne Sterling....

One of the things that people affected by MS seem to worry about every year is the flu vaccine. And the question is always the same -- is it safe for someone with MS to get a flu shot?  This year, that question and its accompanying anxiety are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it safe for someone with MS to get a flu vaccination during the pandemic? Is it safe for someone with MS to get a CO...

MS patients experience better treatment outcomes when they actively participate in their own care. And that requires high health literacy. One of my guests is health literacy expert Dr. Kalina Sanders and we're talking about how being an informed patient can have a significant impact on the healthcare you receive.   A well-rounded MS treatment plan will include wellness practices like making smart...

Cognitive decline and depression are two of the more common invisible symptoms of multiple sclerosis, impacting at least half of all the people living with MS.    My guest is Dr. Meghan Beier, an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist. Dr. Beier specializes in cognitive rehabilitation and neuropsychologica...

Pain and fatigue are two of the most common and challenging symptoms of MS. These are the symptoms that can stop you from fully engaging in your life at work, at home, with friends, or family.   My guest is Dr. Heidi Maloni. Dr. Maloni is a nurse practitioner and the National Clinical Nursing Director for the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence East at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wa...

Conversations about MS almost always get around to the high cost of MS disease-modifying therapies. Joining me on the podcast is the CEO of Genentech, Alexander Hardy. Genentech is a biotech company that many of you know as the manufacturer of Ocrevus, the first approved disease-modifying therapy that treats both relapsing-remitting MS and primary progressive MS.   During our wide-ranging conversa...

The International Progressive MS Alliance is about to publish a paper that recommends advancing research on a specific biomarker to predict MS progression, and we're getting a pre-publication preview of what that paper is all about.   My guests are Dr. Robert Fox, a neurologist and Vice-Chair for Research at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute, and Caroline Sincock, who lives with progress...

The guidance for using MS disease-modifying therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic has been updated. My guest is Dr. Aaron Miller, the Chair of the National MS Society's National Medical Advisory Committee, 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, and we're talking about the n...

Integrative medicine combines evidence-based alternative medicine with conventional medicine. My guest is Dr. Allen Bowling, an internationally renowned neurologist who specializes in integrative medicine for MS.      When it comes to care and treatment for MS, Dr. Bowling has published over 100 articles in clinical and basic science journals. He's been involved in research related to nutrition, d...

Over the past several weeks, the United States has been forced to re-visit, re-examine, and reconsider its own history of racial inequality. This difficult but necessary national conversation has been driven by instances of racial injustice that have their origins in much broader systemic or institutional racism. Our conversations on RealTalk MS typically focus on multiple sclerosis research and m...

MS changes as we age and it follows that managing MS should change, too. We're talking about managing MS through different stages of life with Dr. Jennifer Graves, an associate professor of neuroscience at UC San Diego Health, Director of the UC San Diego Neuroimmunology Research Program, and the Director of the Rady Children's Hospital Pediatric MS Clinic.   There's also lots of news to share abo...

Don't miss our recap of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting with Internationally Certified MS Nurse, Cherie Binns. We're talking about aging with MS, managing mood and depression, the latest information on diet and exercise, and more. We have a  lot  to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

My guest this week is Dr. Amy Sullivan, a Clinical Health Psychologist and the Director of Behavioral Medicine at the Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research at the Cleveland Clinic. We're talking about fighting feelings of isolation, building resiliency, caregiver emotional wellness, and how we should be thinking about living in a " new normal " world. Massachusetts General Hospital and iConq...

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 ha...

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...