News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
Would it be useful to monitor your Multiple Sclerosis symptoms during the course of your day so that you and your doctor could be alerted that an exacerbation might be just around the corner? A research project based in Europe is studying whether a wearable device and a smart phone could be used to monitor MS patients and those with two other relapsing/remitting central nervous system diseases; epilepsy and depressive…Continue Reading
OCT was new to me. When I read, in the MS Connection newsletter, about a test that might show some of what an MRI shows, but without having to slide into that tight tube, I had to investigate further. OCT, or optical coherence tomography, uses light waves to take a picture of your retina. You’ve probably had one during an eye exam. It’s that test where they put drops in…Continue Reading
Lipoic Acid is an antioxident that’s been used in Germany to treat some diabetes symptoms; including numbness, pain and burning of legs and arms. Do those symptoms sound familiar? Similar to some of our Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, right? A small study led by Rebecca Spain, MD, MSPH, from the VA Portland Healthcare System and Oregon Health and Science University looked at using Lipoic Acid as an inexpensive M.S. therapy. The…Continue Reading
Could an over-the-counter drug, used to treat sniffles, help ease M.S. symptoms and maybe even repair myelin? Maybe…someday. The drug is clemastine fumarate, a common antihistamine used to treat cold and allergy symptoms. In a small, preliminary study involving M.S. and optic neuropathy, (damage to the nerve that sends info from the eye to the brain), participants who took clemastine fumarate showed what the study terms a “modest” improvement in…Continue Reading