Past Episodes

Every two years, the MS International Federation awards the Charcot Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in outstanding research into the understanding and treatment of MS. My special guest is this year's recipient of the Charcot Award, Professor Alan Thompson, who is being honored for what is truly a remarkable body of work. We'll also share some encouraging news from the FDA about a biomarker for progressive MS clinical trials. We'll tell you about the outcome of a study that shows high-e...

We're celebrating the 200th episode of RealTalk MS by sitting down with Cyndi Zagieboylo, the President and CEO of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and looking at some of the most vital initiatives ever undertaken by the National MS Society, including the launch of the International Progressive MS Alliance, the MS Society's efforts to support diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the MS movement and in MS clinical research, and the groundbreaking Pathways to Cures blueprint. Over ...

Receiving an MS diagnosis can be frightening. And receiving that diagnosis as a young adult can feel like your whole world just got flipped upside down. When Matoaka Kipp (she/her/hers) received her MS diagnosis at the age of 21, she not only had to come to terms with how that diagnosis would change her life but as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Matoaka also had to confront some of the systemic inequities of our healthcare system. Matoaka joins me this week to share her MS journey. We're al...

At some point, about 50% of the people living with MS will experience clinical depression. This goes beyond simply feeling sad. Left unchecked, MS-related depression can sometimes lead to tragic consequences. As it relates to multiple sclerosis, mental health must be de-stigmatized, studied more rigorously, and discussed more often. Returning to the podcast to talk about managing the mood-related symptoms of MS is Dr. Anthony Feinstein, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto an...

Some people call them flares, some people call them exacerbations, and some people call them MS attacks. But all those terms refer to the very same thing -- an MS relapse. What does a relapse really mean in terms of disease progression? What's the difference between a relapse and a pseudo-relapse? How does pregnancy make you less likely to experience a relapse and then more likely to experience a relapse? Dr. Michelle Cameron is joining me to answer these questions and to share some advice on h...

The challenge of living with MS often begins with the challenge of getting a timely and accurate diagnosis. There are no symptoms, physical findings, or laboratory tests that can, by themselves, determine if someone has MS, and the most common symptoms of MS can often resemble symptoms of other conditions. All of these variables can sometimes lead to patients getting the wrong diagnosis. Dr. Andrew Solomon, Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences and Division Chief of Multiple Sclerosis at...

As the United States begins to move past the pandemic and toward something much closer to life as we once knew it, I've received a lot of questions from members of the RealTalk MS listener community who are concerned about how their disease-modifying therapy may affect the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, whether the authorized vaccines will protect them from variants, and whether they should continue wearing a mask, despite encouraging recommendations from the CDC. As Chair of the National MS...

When Pierluigi Montovani saw what was available to help his father rehabilitate his MS-related foot drop, he was motivated to invent something better. Pierluigi recruited a couple of friends and their efforts led to a breakthrough solution for foot drop that was declared the winner of the Lyfebulb and Bristol Myers Squibb Addressing Unmet Needs in MS: Innovation Challenge. Pierluigi joins me as my guest this week to discuss EvoWalk, his award-winning example of innovation in MS rehabilitation. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has created what experts are calling a mental health crisis of unparalleled proportion. Many people affected by MS have had to add pandemic-related stresses and anxieties to the already existing anxieties that come from living with a chronic illness. And that's a lot to carry around every day. Joining me to talk about managing your mood and quieting some of the noise in your head is psychologist, psychoanalyst, Certified Multiple Sclerosis Specialist, and MS Partner in Car...

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...