RealTalk MS

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 e...

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. Crab...

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...

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...

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...

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. Al...

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 M...

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 fel...

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...

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...

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...

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 som...

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...

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 fo...

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 u...

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, aski...

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 b...

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 extra...

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...

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'...

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, hi...

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...

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 t...

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 othe...

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...