Past Episodes

In today's special episode of RealTalk MS, Dr. Michael Kornberg is going to give us a glimpse into emerging research and the future of MS treatments. So, if you'd like to peer into the not-too-distant future for a preview of the new MS therapies that will be available to you, this is the conversation you're looking for. Dr. Kornberg is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and, in addition to his clinical work, Dr. Kornberg's lab is focused on id...

With 200 million Americans having already received their COVID-19 vaccination, public health officials are warning that vaccine hesitancy is a growing challenge to our nation's ability to fully bounce back from the pandemic and resume something resembling the life we once knew. If what you're seeing and hearing about the COVID vaccines on social media or from well-meaning friends and family is making you nervous, my guest, Dr. Dorlan Kimbrough, is joining me to set the record straight. Dr. Kim...

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...

More than half of all the people living with MS will develop problems with cognition. And while experiencing cognitive dysfunction can be challenging and frustrating, these kinds of changes can also be frightening. Joining me to talk about things you can do to better manage cognitive changes and preserve healthy cognition is neuroscientist and neuropsychologist, Dr. Victoria Leavitt. We're also talking about the encouraging results from a small clinical trial that tested stem cell therapy to t...

About 80% of the people with relapsing-remitting MS will eventually be diagnosed with secondary progressive MS. At that point, their remissions stop and their MS symptoms continue to worsen. And about 15% of the people diagnosed with MS are diagnosed from the beginning with primary progressive MS. So identifying ways to optimally treat progressive MS is a priority. Joining me with updates on progressive MS research, treatment, and rehabilitation are Dr. Kathy Zackowski and Dr. Daniel Ontaneda. ...

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...

It's MS Awareness Week and we're talking with two remarkable women, Sarah Quezada and Tracey Cooper-Harris, who are living their lives out loud, refusing to let MS define them. We're also inviting you to participate in the first-ever RealTalk MS Listener Survey (and be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon Gift Card!). We'll share research announced at the recent ACTRIMS Forum that explores whether we may be headed toward Cognitive-Dominant MS. We're also talking about how the National MS ...

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...