RealTalk MS

In 2020, the National MS Society convened the Pathways to Cures Think Tank. I shared news and interviews from what I considered a historic meeting back in Episode 125 of RealTalk MS.  The information shared and the work generated by that Think Tank led to the Pathways to Cures Global Summit in 2023. In Episodes 297 and 298 of RealTalk MS, I shared news and interviews from what I described as yet a...

With more than 9,000 MS researchers and clinicians in attendance, the 2024 ECTRIMS meeting in Copenhagen was the largest MS research conference in the world. During the meeting, I had an opportunity to talk with some of the best and brightest minds in MS research and clinical practice. This is your invitation to listen in on my  ECTRIMS EXTRA conversation with Dr. Peter Calabresi. Dr. Peter Calabr...

With more than 9,000 MS researchers and clinicians in attendance, the 2024 ECTRIMS meeting in Copenhagen was the largest MS research conference in the world. During the meeting, I had an opportunity to talk with some of the best and brightest minds in MS research and clinical practice. This is your invitation to listen in on my  ECTRIMS EXTRA conversation with Rachel Horne and Professor Kerstin He...

ECTRIMS 2024, the largest MS research conference in the world concluded last week, and in this week's episode, we'll be hearing two slightly different perspectives on which news, announcements, and presentations stood out at this year's meeting.   The ECTRIMS conference can feel almost overwhelming. You find yourself among 9 or 10 thousand other attendees, trying to determine which of the more tha...

With more than 9,000 MS researchers and clinicians in attendance, the 2024 ECTRIMS meeting in Copenhagen was the largest MS research conference in the world. During the meeting, I had an opportunity to talk with some of the best and brightest minds in MS research and clinical practice. This is your invitation to listen in on my  ECTRIMS EXTRA conversation with Dr. Fred Lublin. Dr. Fred Lublin is t...

Living with the unpredictability of MS sometimes feels like riding a rollercoaster. As you experience the twists and turns of life with MS, you can sometimes feel unmoored from the person you thought you were. You can sense your priorities, motivations, and values shifting. And, in those moments, it becomes easy to lose your sense of purpose.   Clinical assistant professor and rehabilitation psych...

Living with MS is expensive. A recent study funded by the National MS Society found the average cost of living with MS in the United States is $88,487 a year.  Even with insurance, that can turn out to be a heavy lift. One thing you don't need is to be worrying about money while you're already worrying about MS. So, when I think about discussing budgeting and managing your personal finances when y...

Most of us know Medicare as health insurance for Americans who are 65 or older, but when they qualify for Social Security disability benefits, people younger than 65 automatically qualify for Medicare. Today, between 25 and 30% of the people living with MS are Medicare beneficiaries. Whether you already have Medicare or you'll be signing up for Medicare in the future, getting the right coverage re...

If you're a regular listener, you know that I rely on the RealTalk MS listener community to let me know which topics you'd like to hear about on this podcast. A few years ago, in episode 264, listener Dawnia Baynes did a podcast takeover, and interviewed me. Since then, I've heard from a bunch of you who, for some reason, want to hear more about me. So, when listener Kyra Millich asked if she coul...

Getting an MS diagnosis is not always the quick, straightforward process we'd like it to be. For some people, the process can drag on for years. But getting that diagnosis only happens when you and your primary care physician recognize that something's going on. It might be a sudden vision issue. Maybe it's unexplained tingling in an arm or leg. Or maybe it's something more acute that gets your at...

For some people, getting in their car and heading for, well, anywhere represents freedom and independence. For others, it's a way to get to their jobs, get to their medical appointments, get the kids to school, and run necessary errands. MS can change all of that.  Occupational Therapist and Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist Jenny Nordine joins me to discuss how to preserve your independe...

Integrative medicine brings conventional and complementary treatments together in a coordinated way. This approach to health and wellness represents a growing trend across the United States, especially among people who live with a chronic disease like MS. Dr. Lynne Shinto joins me to explain what integrative medicine  is and how to safely incorporate complementary treatments into your MS care plan...

Less than two weeks ago, the National MS Society announced the appointment of Dr. Tim Coetzee as its new President and CEO. The MS Society's board chair, Peter Porrino, commented, " Tim is a trusted voice of the global MS community, a highly respected scientist, and we are excited for him to bring his transformative leadership to drive us into our next era to achieve a world free of MS ." I though...

It's hard to imagine any area of our lives that hasn't been transformed by digital technology. That's certainly true for healthcare in general and MS diagnosis and treatment in particular. Dr. Riley Bove joins me to discuss the role that digital technology already plays in the diagnosis and treatment of MS and to share a preview of what's coming next. The National MS Society has named its new Pres...

As Harvard Fellow Dr. Nara Michaelson treated women who had been recently diagnosed with MS, she recognized they shared characteristics that she had observed in victims of violent domestic abuse. Dr. Michaelson's observation led her to write The Unraveling , an essay that highlights the fear that can accompany the uncertainty of living with MS.  Dr. Michaelson joins me to discuss the experiences t...

The inequities associated with gaining access to quality healthcare are often discussed, and my guest this week has taken steps to address them. Dr. Jaime Imitola and his team at UCONN Health have created a tool called VISIBL-MS, a bilingual framework designed to increase doctors' and patients' awareness of the early signs of MS. We'll also share the results of a study that clearly illustrate prog...

When it comes to living your best life when you're living with MS, the first step is to make smart lifestyle choices. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn't require pills, injections, or infusions. And making smart lifestyle choices can make a real, measurable difference in your quality of life. Joining me to talk about the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and share some tips and strat...

Over the course of her 39-year career with the National MS Society, including the past 13 years as its President and CEO, Cyndi Zagieboylo has been a driving force behind major initiatives that have fundamentally changed the MS treatment and research landscape. Creating a world where cures for MS are now within reach, Cyndi has led the work to make living with MS better today than it's ever been....

Research is the engine that drives the future. And participating in MS research is not only vital to improving scientists' understanding of multiple sclerosis, it's also empowering. And the really good news is that you can participate in MS research from the comfort of your own home. My guest this week is the Managing Director of the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis, Dr. Rob...

Two weeks ago, thousands of clinicians, nurses, physician's assistants, rehabilitation experts, and others traveled to Nashville to attend the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 38th Annual Meeting. This is Part 2 of our coverage from that meeting. In this episode, we're sharing our conversations with some of the experts who were at the meeting to present their research. You'll hear the Nati...

Last week, thousands of clinicians, nurses, physician's assistants, rehabilitation experts, and others traveled to Nashville to attend the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 38th Annual Meeting. Welcome to Part 1 of our coverage from that meeting. In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Kathy Zackowski, Associate Vice-President for Research at the National MS Society, and Dr. Zackowski is shar...

May 30th is World MS Day, and we're taking this opportunity to look at some of the challenges faced by people with MS around the world. Global economics and the peculiarities of different healthcare systems make fundamental issues like access to quality healthcare and affordable MS medications difficult for many and impossible for some. U.K. journalist and MS activist Rachel Horne joins me for a f...

We've reached a moment in time when it seems impossible to avoid at least some level of stress in our lives.  We also know that stress has been shown to make MS symptoms worse and even trigger relapses. We can't eliminate all the stress in our lives, so learning how to manage and minimize stress is an important part of living well with MS. This week, Dr. Grace Tworek, a Clinical Health Psychologis...

There are more than 20 disease-modifying therapies available to treat MS today. Some are considered high-efficacy, some are considered moderately effective, and each has its own risk profile and side effects to consider. So, how do you choose? How much homework should someone living with MS do? Where should you look for reliable information? And what if you and your neurologist don't necessarily a...

As we age, our bodies undergo biological changes. Our immune system changes. Our brain changes with age. Our cognitive abilities change, as do our physical abilities. These changes impact everyone. But these biological processes may impact people with MS differently. And MS may impact these biological processes differently. Just a couple of weeks ago, the International Advisory Committee on Clinic...