RealTalk MS

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Emanuelle Waubant is a neurologist who specializes in treating patients with MS, and she is the Director of the UCSF Regional Ped...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Mikael Simons is a neurologist and researcher at Technical University Munich and the Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Mun...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Daniel Reich is a neurologist and neuroradiologist. He is the Director of the Translational Neuroradiology Section at the NIH Nat...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Christina Azevedo is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Southern California. At the ACTRIMS Forum, we talke...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Peter Calabresi is the Director of the Division of Neuroimmunology and the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Johns Hop...

It's MS Awareness Week, and the National MS Society is asking everyone in the MS community to tell MS exactly what they think of it. We're kicking off MS Awareness Week by introducing you to two difference-makers in the MS community who have each found their own way of talking back to MS.   Case Jernigan is an experimental animator, narrative gamemaker, and educator. His short animated documentary...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Nara Michaelson is a Multiple Sclerosis Fellow at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital. We first talked with Dr. Michaelson l...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Dr. Darin Okuda is the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, the Director of  Neuroinnovation, and...

Last week, 1,800 scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents arrived in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. I'm kicking off our coverage of this important conference by sharing two of the conversations I had at ACTRIMS 2025. First, I talked with Dr. Lilyana A...

MS can limit your ability to get around and do the things you like to do. And when that happens, the right mobility device can be a game-changer when it comes to staying safe, staying active, and improving your quality of life. This week, Dr. Evan Cohen joins me to discuss how to know when it's time to consider a mobility device, and how to choose the right mobility device for you. We're also pres...

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by Sanofi.  By now, you may have come across the term smoldering MS and wondered what it means. An international panel of MS experts has published a consensus statement on the definition, biology, and clinical implications of smoldering MS. Joining me is the lead author of that paper, Dr. Antonio Scalfari. Dr. Antonio Scalfari has a research backgro...

More than half of the people living with MS live with pain. And, too often, the distraction and discomfort of MS-related pain can stop you from fully engaging in every aspect of your life. Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman joins me to discuss treatment options for managing MS pain. Dr. Weinstock-Guttman is a neurologist and professor of neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences...

Living your best life with MS means learning to overcome the stigma of having a disability, successfully navigating social relationships, and learning how to ask for and accept help. Joining me to share their perspectives and their experiences in overcoming some of these social obstacles are Denise Schnieders, who was diagnosed with MS just about a year ago, and Fox Rigney, who's been living with...

When we talk about myelin damage, most of us typically think of the brain. After all, that myelin is located in your central nervous system. But the inflammation that causes  myelin damage may be triggered by activity that's taking place well south of your central nervous system, in your gut microbiome, the colony of trillions of bacteria and microorganisms that live in your intestines.  Dr. Ashut...

The TEAAMS study examines the effects of a remotely delivered, racially-tailored exercise training program among African-Americans with MS, who are living in low-income areas of the Southeastern United States, which is a part of the country that doesn't have many primary care or MS clinics that provide full exercise and rehabilitation services for patients with MS. Ashli, who lives with MS and has...

MS symptoms can worsen, and relapses can occur. And when that happens, how do you know whether you require immediate medical care? When is it time to go to the hospital? Dr. Kalina Sanders joins me to talk about when it's time to seek immediate medical care for MS. Dr. Sanders is a board-certified neurologist who specializes in multiple sclerosis and spasticity management at Baptist Health in Jack...

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and is only intended for a U.S. audience. EMD Serono is the healthcare business of Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the United States and Canada. In this special episode of RealTalk MS, Dr. Mary Rensel and Amanda Montague join me to explore HCP (Healthcare Provider) burnout and patient empowerment; and we'll be taking a close look a...

The new year brings with it several significant benefits for many people affected by MS. We're reviewing how the nearly 400,000 people with MS who rely on Medicare for their health insurance will save thousands of dollars, how people with MS who currently have medical debt will see a big improvement on their credit report, and how people who fly with their mobility device will see major improvemen...

There are genetic risks associated with MS, there are demographic risks of experiencing a more severe disease course, and there are also behavioral and lifestyle risks that will increase the chance that someone will be diagnosed with MS. Joining me today to discuss behavioral and lifestyle MS risk factors and how they can be mitigated are Doctor Jared Bruce and Dr. Amanda Bruce. Dr. Jared Bruce is...

One of the most important MS research events every   year is the annual European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS Scientific Congress, usually referred to by its acronym, ECTRIMS.    You've made our podcast episode that followed ECTRIMS the most downloaded episode of the year.  So, this week, I'm revisiting the two conversations that I had immediately after the ECTRIMS conference ended....

The holiday season provides me with an opportunity to indulge in what's become a RealTalk MS tradition. I reserve the last two episodes of the year to revisit the most compelling and important conversations that I've had over the past year. This week, I'm revisiting two conversations I had with two experts on MS and women's health issues. MS affects women almost 3 times more frequently than it aff...

There's an alarming shortage of neurologists in the United States. That shortage makes it hard to be seen by a neurologist and, in some regions of the U.S., you may not even find an MS specialist without having to travel hundreds of miles. The good news is now there's an app for that! Joining me to talk about how an app called BeCare is already changing the game when it comes to MS care is the Chi...

If you're living with MS, you've probably already learned that hot weather, hot baths, or anything that causes your body temperature to increase can quickly cause your symptoms to worsen. But winter can also be a challenging time. Less daylight, frigid temperatures, ice, and snow can all have an impact on MS. Dr. Lisa Doggett returns to the podcast with tips and strategies for enjoying winter whil...

Disease-modifying therapies work, and, as a result, people with MS are living longer. With half the MS population over the age of 55, it's never been more urgent to understand how the process of aging impacts MS and how MS impacts the process of aging. In this special episode of RealTalk MS, Dr. Leorah Freeman discusses the many factors associated with aging with MS. This special episode of RealTa...

More effective treatments and even cures for MS can only happen as a result of clinical research. And clinical research can only happen when people living with MS choose to become research participants. But what are the pros and cons that you should consider when you're thinking about participating in MS research? The National MS Society's Associate Vice President of Research, Dr. Kathy Zackowski,...