Past Episodes

MS can sometimes feel isolating. And the ironic thing about those feelings of isolation is that you can experience them even when you're with other people. It's the feeling that, while everyone is being supportive, nobody really gets it. They've never experienced what it's like to actually live with MS. That's why connecting with others who are living with MS can be such a difference-maker. My guests in this episode are Debby Bennett, the Manager of Community Engagement at the National MS Socie...

Faith Bigam was diagnosed with MS in 2014, when she was 12 years old. She didn't know what MS was because, well, why would any 12-year-old kid know what MS is? But Faith quickly learned and just a year later, she had already become an Ambassador for the MS Society of Canada. The initial years of Faith's MS journey weren't easy, and I'm not sure how someone of any age who had less resilience might have handled them. But I'm pretty sure that next to the word "resilience" in the dictionary you'll ...

The CDC tells us that 36 million falls are reported each year, resulting in 3 million adults being transported to the emergency room and 32,000 adults dying from their falls. Studies have shown that, in any six-month period, more than 50% of the people living with MS fall at least once, and more than 30% fall multiple times. Falling can cause broken bones, brain damage, and worse. That's why I'm dedicating this entire episode of RealTalk MS to fall prevention. Dr. Sara Migliarese joins me with...

Today, we're talking about a topic that you've told me is the topic that you'd most like me to cover on this podcast -- autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT. And I'm dedicating this entire episode of RealTalk MS to a deep dive on the subject with the man who pioneered autologous HSCT as a treatment for relapsing-remitting MS, Dr. Richard Burt. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Autologous HSCT with Dr. Richard Burt :23 Dr. Richard Bu...

Last week, in Episode 279 of RealTalk MS we talked with Professor Tanja Kuhlmann about a new framework for researching, diagnosing, and treating MS that was proposed by the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in Multiple Sclerosis. This proposed framework represents the next evolutionary step in diagnosing and treating MS. Joining me this week to talk about how this proposed framework will impact people living with MS is the National MS Society's Chief Advocacy, Services, and Sc...

Every episode of RealTalk MS features updates and reports about emerging science. And, as you listen, some of you may wonder, 'When will these scientific achievements benefit me? When will these breakthroughs and advancements make their way from the laboratory workbench to the clinic?' That's exactly what the panel of MS experts who comprise the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS are proposing in a new framework that leverages what scientists are continuing to learn and r...

When people ask me how I go about deciding who to interview for this podcast, my answer has always been the same. I look for difference-makers. People whose efforts are making a real difference in the MS community. They might be a researcher, clinician, rehabilitation specialist, MS Navigator, fundraiser...it's a long list. A difference-maker might also be someone who motivates and inspires all of us by the way they choose to embrace life. My favorite conversation this year was with just that k...

For me, the holiday season is a time for joy, celebration, and reflection. And when I reflect upon the advances in MS research that we've seen in the past year, it's hard not to feel encouraged. 2022 will be remembered as the year when the National MS Society published the Pathways to Cures research roadmap, a bold initiative focused on stopping MS progression, restoring lost function, and ending MS forever. I talked about this pivotal moment in the history of MS research with Dr. Carol Whitacr...

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and MS in the 21st Century. In this special episode of RealTalk MS, I'm joined by Professor Peter Rieckmann, Stanca Potra, and Maria Paz Giambastiani. We're taking a look back at the advances that have been made in treating MS and focusing our eyes ahead to determine the work that still needs to be done. Professor Rieckmann is the Chief Physician of Neurology and Clinical Neuroplasticity at the Medical Park Loipl, Germany. Professo...

Some of you might remember that at the end of October, I was in Amsterdam, attending the 2022 ECTRIMS Congress. ECTRIMS is an acronym for the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, and their annual scientific congress is the largest MS research conference in the world. As the conference ended, I sat on some steps outside the conference center alongside the National MS Society's Executive Vice-President of Research, Dr. Bruce Bebo. And Dr. Bebo shared his initial imp...