MS Treatments Episodes

If you're living with MS, you know by now that quitting smoking, getting exercise, and making smart food choices have all been shown to improve your physical health and your quality of life. There's one more tool that, when necessary, can be a game-changer. Joining me to talk about how assistive technology can help people living with MS maintain their independence and improve their quality of life are assistive technology experts Alex Burnham and Bill Binko. We'll also share one more reason wh...

Eating well is an important part of a wellness plan. At first glance, making healthy food choices seems simple. But with so much conflicting information and opinion masquerading as fact on websites and in social media, what do you believe and where do you begin? Joining me to separate fact from fiction and share smart strategies that will get you started on solid nutritional footing is my guest, Mona Bostick. Mona is a registered dietician-nutritionist and a multiple sclerosis certified special...

Before the availability of MRI technology in the 1980s, MS was frequently misdiagnosed or even missed completely. Today, an MRI exam is a valuable tool in diagnosing MS, following disease progression, and evaluating someone's response to their MS treatment. Recently, a team of international experts updated the MRI recommendations for people living with MS. Dr. Scott Newsome, a member of that expert panel, is joining me today to talk about some of those recommendations and to help us understand ...

We met Dr. AJ Joshi, Chief Medical Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics, at ECTRMS 2019, when he gave us our first update on ATA 188, Atara's investigational cell therapy for MS. This is the third year in a row that we've connected with Dr. Joshi during ECTRIMS for an update on the progress of ATA 188. This year, he's also sharing news about an unexpected discovery that investigators encountered during their Phase 1 clinical trial (HINT: It's a pretty interesting discovery!) We'll get an advocacy ...

The annual health insurance open enrollment period has begun! And a lot of people tend to get through open enrollment on autopilot, assuming that the health insurance that they had last year will continue to serve them well next year. But policies change. Physician networks change. And prescription drug formularies change. If you're living with MS, you can't afford to be on autopilot when it comes to making health insurance decisions. Those decisions can cost you -- in time, money, and unnecessa...

After reviewing evidence on the use of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the National MS Society has concluded that aHSCT is a good treatment option for some people living with MS. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, the Director of the Cleveland Clinic's Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, joins me this week to share all the details about aHSCT and explain who is and who isn't an ideal candidate for this treatment. We'l...

Getting a good night's sleep is often easier said than done. About half of the people living with MS experience sleep disorders. Dr. Abbey Hughes is joining me to talk about how sleep and lack of sleep affects MS, and she'll share some specific strategies that you can use to better manage sleep difficulties and get the rest that your mind and body require. We're also sharing a very encouraging update on ATA 188, Atara Biotherapeutics experimental stem cell therapy. Investigator Dr. Anthony Tra...

Early in your MS journey, it's not uncommon to experience minor walking and gait issues. And people living with advanced MS often face more serious mobility challenges. The good news is that rehabilitation can help people on either end of the "mobility spectrum" improve. But different mobility challenges require different approaches to rehabilitation. Joining me to talk about mobility rehabilitation for people who are more recently diagnosed with MS as well as rehabilitation for people living w...

The FDA has authorized a third dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. What does this mean for people living with MS? Are you eligible for a third dose now? Are you eligible in September? How will your disease-modifying therapy effect that third dose? What if you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? And who is that Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail for? Dr. Nancy Sicotte joins me with an update on vaccines, variants, boosters, and antibodies, explaining how they all may impact people living...

Imagine being able to see improvement in cognition, motor function, and self-esteem, while enhancing neurological functions like walking and speech without taking another pill or even breaking a sweat. Joining me to talk about the evidence-based benefits that people living with MS can gain through music and art therapy are Dr. Meera Rastogi, Veronica DeNoma, and Betsy Hartman. We're also talking about the shocking and deeply concerning outcome of a study used to validate the reliability of a n...