RealTalk MS

Robots?? Really??? The answer is YES! Dr. Maja Mataric joins us on the podcast, and we're talking about how socially assistive robots could be real game-changers for people living with MS and other chronic conditions, as well as their caregivers. We're breaking down the specific ways that the new U.S. tax code will impact people living with MS. We're also talking about how the FDA just raised a re...

Jon's guest on the podcast is Victoria Reese, founder of the We Are Illmatic campaign. We Are Illmatic is building awareness and providing support for women of color who are living with MS in their lives. We have good news about the U.S. Defense Department's MS Research Program, and the passage of the bipartisan RAISE Caregivers Act. We'll tell you how an MS patient's handwriting may predict a dec...

It's a new year and we have a lot to talk about! There's good news about new clinical trials...the FDA has given a "Breakthrough Therapy" designation for the first MS treatment approved for children and teens living with MS...UCLA researchers have identified why estrogen seems to have real potential as a treatment for MS...prices for some MS drugs are going up...pharmaceutical companies are suing...

The International Progressive MS Alliance is an unprecedented global alliance of MS organizations, researchers, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, and people living with progressive MS, transforming the landscape of multiple sclerosis. This week, we're talking about the work and the progress of the Alliance with Professor Alan Thompson, Dean of Faculty of Brain Sciences at University College Lo...

Multiple sclerosis affects men and women differently. Women are 3 times more likely to get MS, but men often develop more significant disabilities from MS. This week's guest, Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, is a trailblazer in not only exploring the differences between the sexes in MS, but in identifying what seems to be a safe and effective treatment for MS symptoms. So why aren't pharmaceutical companies li...

Whether it's research, news, or even pending legislation, there's a lot happening around the world that's going to impact families living with MS. In this week's podcast, we'll round up some of that news and bring you up to speed on some of the things that you ought to know about.     We're talking about how the pending income tax legislation can be financially devastating to families living with...

November is National Family Caregivers Month, and we're talking all about caregiving. Being a caregiver for a family member with MS or any chronic illness can be one of the greatest blessings that a person may receive. It can also be one of the most stress-producing, anxiety-creating, and even life-threatening undertakings that a person may endure. No one ever applies to be a caregiver, and the jo...

Experts estimate that about 50% of the people living with MS are impacted by depression. And left untreated, depression can darken your entire outlook on the world. It has a way of making everything less . We're going to explore MS and depression with my guest, Dr. Amy Sullivan, Director of Behavioral Medicine at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic.   We're also talkin...

This week's guests are Doctors Lee Hartswell and Katherine Heller, the co-primary investigators of the MS MOSAIC study from Duke University. Everyone listening to our podcast is eligible to participate in this study -- even if you don't have MS. And all of the data collection will be done through your smartphone, so you won't even have to leave home! More than just a study that will help us learn...

Last week, more than 9,000 MS research scientists, physicians, and pharmaceutical industry experts attended ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS, the largest annual international MS research conference in the world. And we're devoting this week's podcast episode to talking about what they were talking about! Welcome to the RealTalk MS ECTRIMS Round-Up! You'll find out about how the "official" number of people with MS...

This week, we're talking about MS Activism with the former mayor of Sacramento, California and current MS Activist, Heather Fargo. In last week's podcast, we talked about the prescription drug price transparency bill that was recently signed into law in California. Heather played an important role in the passage of that law, and we'll be talking to her about why that law is so important to the MS...

This week, RealTalk MS is all about MS research. We often hear about some of the important outcomes of MS research. New drugs, like Ocrevus, are introduced. New information, like the connection between gut bacteria and MS, is published. But how and where does an MS research project get its start? How does it get funded? How much multiple sclerosis research is actively taking place today?    Jon's...

This week's episode focuses on some of the cutting edge research being done in the Progressive MS arena. Jon's guest, Dr. Tim Coetzee, Chief Advocacy, Services & Research Officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, takes us through the work of the International Progressive MS Alliance. Jon and Tim also talk about Ocrevus -- the very first drug to receive FDA approval for the treatment of P...

In this week's podcast, we're talking to Dr. Lilyana Amezcua, the lead investigator in a new research study that looks at how genetics and culture can impact the severity of MS among Hispanic-Americans. We'll also talk about how -- without much fanfare -- the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act last week. We'll look at a new $10.6 million dollar study that's getting unde...

Join host Jon Strum as he talks about the serious threat that the Cassidy-Graham healthcare bill poses to the MS community. Jon is joined by former Representative Donna Edwards, who worked to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and then found herself diagnosed with MS in 2016. We'll also be discussing the passage of an important piece of legislation in California which may end up leading the way...

Jon Strum cuts through all the jargon and breaks down the latest multiple sclerosis news. You'll meet the scientists who are creating tomorrow's MS treatments today. You'll hear from the experts discussing how the latest tweaks and changes to our healthcare laws will impact your MS treatment. And we'll be talking to the courageous MS warriors who are out there advocating on behalf of the MS commun...