Living With MS Episodes

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 dating are a lot for any kid to contend with. And that's without having to think about living with a ...

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 guests in this episode are Debby Bennett, the Manager of Community Engagement at the National MS Socie...

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 have handled them. But I'm pretty sure that next to the word "resilience" in the dictionary you'll ...

A quick scan of the news on any given day should remind all of us that natural disasters can strike anywhere at any time. Whether it's massive snowstorms, earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes or floods, no one is immune when Mother Nature chooses to act up. That's why being prepared for a natural disaster is important for everyone. And if you're living with MS, it's especially important for you to have your family's emergency preparedness plan in place. Senior Medical Advisor to National Disaster...

Spasticity is one of the most common symptoms of MS, impacting up to 80% of the people living with MS. It can feel like mild muscle tightness that you wish would just go away or it can be so painful and debilitating that it keeps you from moving. Dr. Michelle Cameron joins me in this episode to discuss what spasticity is and how to best manage it. Dr. Cameron is a neurologist and physical therapist, a professor in the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University, Interim Chief ...

This week's episode of RealTalk MS was recorded in front of a LIVE audience at the National MS Society's 2022 Leadership Conference. Joining me in this special episode are Lori Turley, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, and whose commitment to fundraising and advocacy is already producing dividends, and Dr. Bradley Zuchero, an MS Society-funded research fellow whose lab has discovered the biological mechanism that produces myelin in our central nervous system. In addition to my questions, our ...

When we talk about managing MS on this podcast, we're usually talking about treatments based upon traditional Western medicine. But there are also complementary therapies that have been shown to improve MS symptoms. And acupuncture is one of those complementary therapies that's been shown to be effective in treating pain, spasticity, numbness or tingling, bladder problems, and depression. Joining me to talk about the therapeutic effects of acupuncture in treating MS symptoms are Jennifer Mohr-B...

A couple of months ago, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law. And while it touches on many different areas, it will be remembered as the most consequential healthcare bill since the Affordable Care Act. From the emails I've received, I know that many of you are wondering how and when this new law will impact what you pay for your prescription medications. The National MS Society's Vice-President of Advocacy, Steffany Stern, and MS activist Judy Wilson, join me in this episode to expl...

It's flu season and that makes it an excellent time to talk about vaccines. People living with MS often have questions about whether a particular vaccine is good for them or whether it might carry with it the risk of a relapse or other negative health consequence. Dr. Lisa Doggett joins me to brief us on all things related to vaccines and MS. Dr. Doggett is a family doctor as well as the Senior Medical Director at HGS AxisPoint Health. She was a 2021-2022 American Academy of Family Physicians V...

Living with MS can make everyday run-of-the-mill tasks like bathing, cooking, and driving more challenging than they have to be. The National MS Society's Associate Vice President of Research, Dr. Kathy Zackowski, joins me with a whole list of simple adjustments and easy modifications that you can make that will make the things you do every day easier. Get ready to take some notes! A lot of you have reached out to me, sharing your thoughts about Selma Blair competing on Dancing with the Stars. ...