The MS Wire

Stem Cell Transplants Get a Shot in the Arm

Posted on November 9, 2020November 8, 2020

Is the United States a step closer to approving a form of stem cell transplants as a treatment for multiple sclerosis? That’s because the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has slightly changed its view of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or aHSCT. aHSCT involves removing a patient’s own stem cells from the blood or bone marrow, using chemotherapy to kill off most of the immune system, and then injecting the…Continue Reading

Who Do You Tell About Your MS, and When?

Posted on November 2, 2020October 24, 2020

My multiple sclerosis (MS) was diagnosed 40 years ago in August. I never kept my MS a secret, but I didn’t go around advertising it, either. I’ll bet, for the first 20 years or so, very few people at work knew I lived with the disease. When my MS stuck, I was working as the news director of a large radio station in a major U.S. city. I managed about…Continue Reading

Tattoos and MS: Can You Have too Much Ink?

Posted on October 26, 2020October 24, 2020

Many people with MS get tattoos. Often it’s a way to deliver a statement about MS to the world, or perhaps it’s a personal message to the person sporting it. But a new report cautions that too much ink might create a health issue for some folks. According to that study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the concern is heat, and we know how bad heat can be…Continue Reading

MS and Dental Fillings – A New FDA Recommendation

Posted on October 12, 2020October 10, 2020

For years, some people have warned of a possible connection between multiple sclerosis and the amalgam dental fillings many of us have (or had) in our teeth. The concern has been that these fillings contain mercury, which can be toxic, especially if those fillings are removed. In large part, these concerns have been poo-pooed. I’ve been one of the naysayers, along with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, whose dental booklet…Continue Reading

My Month of MS Moving Madness

We’ve been moving and I’ve been stressed. That’s redundant, I know. Moving is stress on wheels — which isn’t good for someone with MS. Studies have shown a link between stressful life events and MS exacerbations, known as flares. Researchers, if you’re reading this, you should have been watching me. I’ve been a symphony of stress! My wife, Laura, and I have been moving from a two-bedroom-plus-den condo to a…Continue Reading

Flu Shots – More Important Now Than Ever

Posted on September 14, 2020September 13, 2020

Labor Day has come and gone here in the U.S. Now, flu season has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. This isn’t the novel coronavirus we’ve been fighting all year. It’s the regular seasonal flu virus that’s knocking on our door again. Each year, some people with multiple sclerosis wonder if they should get a flu shot. My wife and I have been getting one for as long as I can…Continue Reading

Can Halo Judge my Stress by Listening to my Voice?:

Posted on September 8, 2020September 6, 2020

You’re stressed, and Halo may know it. Halo is a new Amazon service the company says can judge how stressed you are, in part by the tone of your voice. The service uses a wristband that connects to a mobile app. A small sensor in the band monitors temperature, heart rate, and body motion. It also has a pair of microphones that listen to your voice. That voice feature is…Continue Reading

Could This Lawsuit Threaten Patient Assistance Programs?

Posted on September 1, 2020August 31, 2020

The manufacturer of Copaxone is the target of a US Justice Department lawsuit and its outcome could affect many of us who receive copay help for our medications. The legal case involves the interaction between pharmaceutical companies and nonprofit organizations that provide grants to people who need help paying for their treatments. For example, when I couldn’t afford the monthly copay for Aubagio (teriflunomide) several years ago, I qualified for…Continue Reading

Do I Walk Better With the Bioness L300 Go?

Posted on August 24, 2020August 23, 2020

I’ve used a Bioness L300 Functional Electronic Stimulator for almost 8 years to help me walk. Has the benefit been worth the cost?

Tongue Stimulation to Stimulate the Brain?

Posted on August 18, 2020August 17, 2020

How does this potential MS therapy sound to you: a device that stimulates your tongue with a mild electrical current to help you walk better. A company is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a product that would do that. The device is called a portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS). It’s a flat card, about half the size of a credit card, with electrodes on its end.…Continue Reading

"People newly diagnosed with MS will truly benefit from this book, while those of us who’ve lived with MS for a while will wish we’d had it ourselves!…Neurologists should consider keeping a copy of this book in their waiting room because their patients are going to need it." - Tamara K. Sellman, reviewing for Multiple Sclerosis.net.

The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox is designed for MS "newbies" but it's great info for everyone. I combine more than 40 years of living with MS with some easy to understand info about diagnosis, treatments, visiting the neuro, relationships, mobility aids, travel and more…a lot of what you get in this blog. A paperback and an e-book are available on Amazon.