Living With MS Episodes

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and MS in the 21st Century. In today's episode, we're talking about empowering people living with MS to become full partners in their MS treatment and the importance of good communication between patients and their doctors. We're also introducing MS in the 21st Century, a resource that has just recently been made available to the MS community in the United States. My guests are Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams and Carolyn Kaufman. Dr. Willi...

Their website says that Destination Rehab takes an "innovative, out-of-the-box approach to physical therapy." This week, my guests are Sally McAllister and the founder of Destination Rehab, Dr. Carol-Ann Nelson. Sally is 70 years old and living with primary progressive MS. We're talking about how Sally's work with Dr. Nelson produced life-changing results. We're also talking about the first study that specifically measures the safety of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID vaccine for people living with M...

MS affects almost 3 times as many women as men. Have you ever wondered why? When it comes to investigating sex differences in MS, my guest, Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, has done more than just think about it. And her recent research may have uncovered an MS treatment for women undergoing menopause. Dr. Voskuhl is the President-elect of the International Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program at UCLA. We're also talking about the potentially game...

Living through a lockdown can be challenging, and it's resilience that helps us get through life's challenges and recover from setbacks. And while resilience may have become a new topic of conversation for the world at large, when you're living with the uncertainty of MS, you come to realize that resilience is one of the most important tools in your self-care toolbox. Joining me to talk about building your resilience is Dr. Meghan Beier. Dr. Beier is a Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist and an As...

We're less than one week away from the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference. This year, the Public Policy Conference is virtual, which means that you have an opportunity to attend and learn how you can advocate for change on important policy issues affecting the MS community. Joining me to talk about the Public Policy Conference and the issues that MS Activists will be discussing with our congressional representatives in the days following the conference is the Executive Vice-Presiden...

When it comes to accessing care and even the disease course itself, MS is not an equal-opportunity disease. We're talking with Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams about the disparities that affect members of minority populations who are living with MS. Dr. Williams is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Multiple Sclerosis Specialist who is passionate about educating and empowering people affected by MS to understand the disease process and the goals of treatment. And Dr. Williams is an expert in understanding...

Welcome to a bonus ACTRIMS Forum 2021 episode of RealTalk MS. ACTRIMS is an acronym that stands for the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and this year, the ACTRIMS Forum is a virtual meeting, bringing together over 1700 MS research scientists and clinicians to share the latest MS research news and insights. We'll take you inside the proceedings at ACTRIMS and share highlights from some of the most compelling presentations. And I'm sitting down to talk with th...

A fulfilling sexual relationship with your partner can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health in a variety of ways. But studies suggest that about 80% of the people living with MS are affected by some kind of sexual dysfunction. We're devoting this entire episode of RealTalk MS to talking about sex and MS with my guest, Dr. Linda Mona. Dr. Mona is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Inclusivity Clinical Consulting Services. She's been recognized by the American Ps...

The National MS Society has updated their COVID-19 vaccine guidance for people living with MS, providing detailed recommendations for timing your disease-modifying therapy with the two COVID-19 vaccines that are approved in the U.S. If you're on a disease-modifying therapy and you've been wondering about your DMT and the COVID-19 vaccines, this episode is for you. My guest this week is Dr. Jaime Imitola, the Director of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Translational Neuroimmunology at UCo...

Research has shown that, for people living with MS, regular exercise and physical activity can improve their quality of life while helping to manage MS symptoms. But research has also shown that people living with MS tend to be less active than people in the general population. In response, the National MS Society convened a group of experts to develop fact-based guidance for promoting exercise and lifestyle physical activity for all people with MS, regardless of their ability level. Joining m...