MS Treatments Episodes

In the seven years that I've been hosting RealTalk MS, no one has ever described a mobility device as life-changing. That is until listener Dee Ecklund reached out to tell me about her experience with the Alinker. One of my goals in producing this podcast is to introduce the RealTalk MS listener community to people who are difference-makers. And Dee's initial DM led to my conversation with Dee and the inventor of the Alinker, a true difference-maker, BE Alink. The National MS Society's 3rd ann...

For some people, getting in their car and heading for, well, anywhere represents freedom and independence. For others, it's a way to get to their jobs, get to their medical appointments, get the kids to school, and run necessary errands. MS can change all of that. Occupational Therapist and Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist Jenny Nordine joins me to discuss how to preserve your independence while protecting yourself and the people around you when you're driving with MS. You'll also me...

It's hard to imagine any area of our lives that hasn't been transformed by digital technology. That's certainly true for healthcare in general and MS diagnosis and treatment in particular. Dr. Riley Bove joins me to discuss the role that digital technology already plays in the diagnosis and treatment of MS and to share a preview of what's coming next. The National MS Society has named its new President and CEO. We're sharing the details! We'll tell you about some of the benefits that are bein...

When it comes to living your best life when you're living with MS, the first step is to make smart lifestyle choices. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn't require pills, injections, or infusions. And making smart lifestyle choices can make a real, measurable difference in your quality of life. Joining me to talk about the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and share some tips and strategies for living your best life when you're living with MS is Dr. Lisa Doggett, a family and lifest...

We've reached a moment in time when it seems impossible to avoid at least some level of stress in our lives. We also know that stress has been shown to make MS symptoms worse and even trigger relapses. We can't eliminate all the stress in our lives, so learning how to manage and minimize stress is an important part of living well with MS. This week, Dr. Grace Tworek, a Clinical Health Psychologist at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic, joins me to talk about best p...

There are more than 20 disease-modifying therapies available to treat MS today. Some are considered high-efficacy, some are considered moderately effective, and each has its own risk profile and side effects to consider. So, how do you choose? How much homework should someone living with MS do? Where should you look for reliable information? And what if you and your neurologist don't necessarily agree? Joining me to talk about your role when it comes to choosing the right DMT through shared de...

If you're a regular listener, you've probably heard me say that the pace of scientific discovery is moving faster than ever before. Or you may have heard the National MS Society remind us that we've seen as many advances in MS research in the past 5 years as we have in the previous 70 years. Have you ever wondered why? A major driver of this acceleration of discovery is the technology that allows scientists to analyze massive amounts of information looking for relationships or identifying chara...

Vision impairment is a key symptom of multiple sclerosis. In fact, many people experience optic neuritis as the very first sign of MS. People living with MS may also experience other vision-related issues including internuclear ophthalmoplegia, diplopia, nystagmus, oscillopsia, and reading fatigue. Dr. Shiv Saidha joins me as we take a deep dive into strategies for navigating MS-related vision issues while managing and optimizing your vision. Dr. Saidha is a professor of neurology in the Divisi...

When people living with MS think about rehabilitation, they often think of physical therapy. And, while physical therapy is an important part of MS rehabilitation, our conversation today goes far beyond physical therapy. Doctors Deborah Backus and Brad Willingham, from the Shepherd Center, join me as we take a deep dive into next-level potentially life-changing rehabilitation tools for people living with MS. Dr. Backus is the Vice-President of Research and Innovation at the Shepherd Center. Sh...

A couple of terms have found their way into the MS lexicon and they have left some people living with MS feeling confused and even frightened. If you've been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS and you've always assumed that disease progression only occurs at the time of a relapse, you may be wondering what progression independent of relapse activity, or PIRA, means and how it may or may not impact your MS journey. And if you are someone whose MS seems relatively stable and well-managed, you ...