Past Episodes

Welcome to Part 1 of a special two-part RealTalk MS series highlighting conversations with past recipients of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research. The Barancik Prize is awarded at the annual meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, a meeting better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Several past Barancik Prize winners gathered at the 2023 ACTRIMS Forum to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Barancik Prize, and I took that opportunity to chat wi...

You've told me that the subject of diet and MS is one of your top three interests. And a quick scan of social media platforms reveals that a lot of people living with MS agree! This week, Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, the Associate Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai, joins me with an update on what the latest research is revealing about the impact of diet on MS, and to answer that eternal question -- Is there an MS diet? We're also talking about the...

If you've listened to this podcast before, you already know that we avoid hype, and we stick to talking about evidence-based science. So, let me say right up front -- today, the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. However, a research team has identified a bacterial toxin that may prove to be the cause of MS onset as well as MS relapses. Joining me for an exclusive conversation about this discovery is Dr. Timothy Vartanian, who leads the team that made the discovery, and Dr. Richard Rudick, ...

To tell or not to tell. When it comes to disclosing your MS to friends and family, that is the question. Choosing when to disclose and to whom to disclose is a deeply personal decision. Joining me to talk about some of the risks and benefits of disclosing your diagnosis is Dr. Victoria Leavitt, a clinical neuropsychologist, researcher, and assistant professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University. Well also tell you about a just-announced collaboration to develop an Epstein-Barr Virus vacci...

If you're a regular listener, you've heard me say that the things that people affected by MS want the most -- access to quality healthcare, affordable prescription medications, and funding for MS research -- are, to a large extent, functions of public policy. The people who decide whether we get these things are our elected officials at both the state and federal level. That's why advocacy should be a high priority for everyone affected by MS. Make no mistake. MS advocacy delivers real results....

For many people, one of the most challenging aspects of living with MS is living with uncertainty. Living with unanswerable questions like, "Is today the day I experience a relapse?" "Will my disability worsen?" "Will I be able to continue working?" "Will I be able to take care of my family?" These are all very real questions, and while there may not be answers for them today, there are steps you can take and strategies you can adopt to ensure that you're managing and minimizing the uncertainty...

When you visit the Oceans of Hope U.K. website, it reads, "Oceans of Hope is for people with MS, led by people with MS." It goes on to say, "Our aim is to offer people from all over the world the opportunity to experience sailing as a way of learning new skills and restoring the self-confidence which can be stolen by MS." The folks at Oceans of Hope U.K. can make that claim with high confidence. My guest today is the founder of Oceans of Hope U.K., Robert Munns, who lives with MS himself. Rober...

Last week in San Diego, the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis convened their annual meeting, the ACTRIMS Forum. One of the highlights of this meeting is the presentation of the Barancik Prize, awarded in recognition of exceptional innovation in MS research. This year's winner of the Barancik Prize is Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, a clinician scientist at the University of Manitoba. The Barancik Prize is administered by the National MS Society, and this year's award reco...

Two years ago, the National MS Society made a public commitment to do more to ensure that the MS movement was open to and reflective of everyone affected by MS. When you stop to consider issues like access to healthcare or MS clinical research, it quickly becomes apparent that diversity, equity, and inclusion aren't only organizational goals for the MS Society. They also address some of the systemic barriers that directly impact the quality of MS care for members of historically marginalized co...

Between 3 and 5% of the people living with MS are diagnosed before their sixteenth birthday. In many respects, pediatric MS is just like MS in adults. But it carries with it a distinct set of what I call social complications that can feel even more challenging to navigate than MS itself. Just think back to the awkwardness of your pre-teen and teenage years. The pressures of school, friends, and dating are a lot for any kid to contend with. And that's without having to think about living with a ...