RealTalk MS

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 wee...

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 i...

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...

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 air...

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...

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...

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...

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 glo...

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 P...

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...

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 Hernan...

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 F...

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 in...

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 F...

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 di...

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 disco...

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 Univers...

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...

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  ar...

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 confidenc...

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...

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 system...

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 da...

MS can sometimes feel isolating. And the ironic thing about those feelings of isolation is that you can experience them even when you're with other people. It's the feeling that, while everyone is being supportive, nobody really gets it . They've never experienced what it's like to actually live with MS. That's why connecting with others who are living with MS can be such a difference-maker. My gu...

Faith Bigam was diagnosed with MS in 2014, when she was 12 years old. She didn't know what MS was because, well, why would any 12-year-old kid know what MS is? But Faith quickly learned and just a year later, she had already become an Ambassador for the MS Society of Canada. The initial years of Faith's MS journey weren't easy, and I'm not sure how someone of any age who had less resilience might...