Living With MS Episodes

Shawn Feliciano was diagnosed with MS in 2009, and in 2012, she decided to challenge herself while raising awareness about MS by going on a Big Hike -- hiking 817 miles, from Utah to Arizona. Shawn's Big Hike may have been the perfect metaphor for living with the challenges of MS, and we're talking about having the resilience to take on a challenge, no matter what your personal Big Hike might be. We're also talking about a new study that demonstrates why it's in your best interest to stay on M...

Elizabeth Jameson is an artist who specializes in creating a bridge between art and neuroscience. Since being diagnosed with MS, Elizabeth has transformed her brain MRI scans into remarkable and provocative images that challenge how we view the brain, disability, and illness. In addition to creating her amazing artwork, Elizabeth is an ePatient Scholar and advisor to Stanford Medicine X, and she's written extensively about patient-centered healthcare, design, and the arts. This week, we're sta...

You've heard the statistic before -- 50% of the people living with MS will be diagnosed with depression. And research has shown us that some of the most troubling MS symptoms, including fatigue, cognition, and even physical disability, are all made worse by depression. Unfortunately, among people living with MS, depression is often overlooked, undiagnosed, and left to only get worse. So imagine an app that will tell you when you're heading toward depression before you even feel it. That's not s...

The caregiver's journey doesn't always get paid the proper amount of attention until a family caregiver finds themselves feeling isolated, overwhelmed, drained, and depressed. But it doesn't have to come to that. My guest is Dr. Kate Lorig, lead author of Building Better Caregivers: A Family Caregiver's Guide to Reducing Stress and Staying Healthy. And we're talking about how to go about building better caregivers. We're also talking about a new MRI technique that may enable doctors to identify...

Using cannabis to treat MS symptoms has become a hot topic. And thanks to social media, a lot of opinions about cannabis and MS are posted as if they're facts...and that's not always the case. So, we're talking about cannabis and MS in this episode of RealTalk MS. We'll try to demystify it a bit and we'll give you an idea of what some of the research is telling us. We'll talk about which MS symptoms cannabis might be good for...and which ones it might not be good for. We're also talking about t...

MS Activist Marques Jones is running for public office in his home state of Virginia. Marques and I sat down to discuss how his role as an MS Activist led to his candidacy, and how his MS diagnosis has continued to inform his business life and his political life. We're also talking about the existential threat that now exists for people with pre-existing medical conditions in the U.S., how the MSAA can provide financial assistance for your MRI exam, how Ocrevus may delay the need for a wheelcha...

Experts estimate that depression affects about 50% of the people diagnosed with MS. And, left unchecked, depression can take your vibrant, colorful world and re-draw it in somber shades of gray. If there's good news about depression, it's that it can be treated. In this special Vacation Edition of RealTalk MS, we're going to revisit a really important conversation that I had last November with Dr. Amy Sullivan, Director of Behavioral Medicine, Research and Training at the Mellen Center for Mult...

I've invited a very special guest to talk about the subject that I've received -- by far -- the most requests to discuss on the podcast, and that's sexual function and MS. We're also talking about the International Progressive MS Alliance's future strategies, World MS Day, and we're giving away an Amazon Echo Dot! We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS? ____________ MS Conference Update :51 International Progressive MS Alliance Announces Future Strategies 4:06 World MS Da...

Today -- and every day this week -- the RealTalk MS podcast is coming to you from the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto, Canada, where the International Progressive MS Alliance is holding its 3rd Scientific Congress. The theme of the event is Making a Difference Through Rehabilitation & Symptom Management. In today's podcast, you'll hear from a renowned progressive MS researcher who is leading an international team of experts in a 3-year research study. You'll also hear from a trio of rehabilita...

Living your best life while you're living with MS means learning how to manage and overcome the physical and psychological limitations that MS tries to impose. This week's guest, Dr. Kathleen Zackowski, Senior Director of Patient Management, Care, and Rehabilitation Research for the National MS Society, takes us on a deep dive into MS rehabilitation & symptom management. We're also talking about the FDA approval of Gilenya for treating Pediatric MS, President Donald Trump's announced "blueprint...