RealTalk MS

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...

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...