News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
(This post appeared as my regular column on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com) Flight is freedom in its purest form, To dance with the clouds which follow a storm; To roll and glide, to wheel and spin, To feel the joy that swells within; To leave the earth with its troubles and fly, And know the warmth of a clear spring sky — Gary Claud Stokor I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’ve climbed…Continue Reading
[This is an updated version of a post that first appeared in my weekly column on www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com] Do you remember when you first applied for a handicapped license plate? I put it off for quite a while after I was diagnosed. After all, I could easily walk several city blocks. I could still play tennis. Why did I need to park in a handicapped place? But, there were days…Continue Reading
I’m about to start a new adventure: Exercise. Well, it’s not really new. I swim some laps most days in the summer, weather permitting. In the cooler months I do some upper body strength exercises a couple of days a week, my spirit permitting. But, in all the years that I’ve had Multiple Sclerosis I’ve never really had a structured exercise program. Today I’m investigating a way to start down…Continue Reading
Have you seen the TV ad for Tecfidera? The one that shows a woman being able to do all sorts of active things because she’s on the drug, which has reduced the frequency of her Multiple Sclerosis exacerbations? I was surprised when I saw it on my screen one day. Frankly, I didn’t think there was enough of an audience of potential Tecfidera users to justify the cost of this…Continue Reading
If you have Multiple Sclerosis the chances are good that you’ve used, or will use, a drug made by Biogen. The biophamaceutical company makes Avonex, Tysabri, Tecfidera, Fampya, Plegridy and Zinbryta to treat MS. I’ve used two of them myself and participated in the double-blind study for Avonex, way back when. Now, Biogen’s Chief Executive Officer, George Scangos, has announced that he’s leaving. What will that mean to those of…Continue Reading
Whole body cryotherapy is one of the latest “treatments” claiming to help multiple sclerosis patients. Those who sell WBC machines and who operate WBC “spas” claim that it can also help a range of other ailments, from asthma to rheumatoid arthritis. They say it can improve blood circulation, increase metabolism, improve recovery and soreness after workouts and relieve joint and body pain. That’s a lot of problems, and the Food…Continue Reading
A few years ago I got back in the saddle again. At age 63, more than 30 years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and about 50 years since I’d last ridden a horse, I found my feet in the stirrups, butt in the saddle and riding a gentle, friendly horse that was led around the ring at the Great and Small therapeutic riding center in Boyds, MD outside Washington,…Continue Reading
A friend of mine was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about fifteen years ago. She’s been very stable since her DX without being on any disease modifying drugs. But, we’ve both wondered if she should be proactive and start using using Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, Tysabri or another of the many disease modifying therapies that are available today. So far, her neurologist has suggested that my friend hold off. I’ve lived with…Continue Reading
Kaleidoscope, Part I. Jameson digitally manipulated MRIs of her own brain to create a collage. All images courtesy of the artist. Elizabeth Jameson wants you to look at her brain. Actually, she wants you to stare at it. Over the last 20 years, she’s chronicled her multiple sclerosis by making vibrant prints of her magnetic… via Kaleidoscopic MRI Art Brings Beauty to Neurological Illness — The Creators Project RSS Feed
They’re not multiple sclerosis patients, but researchers using electrical stimulation of the spinal cord have returned some above-the-waste movement to two quadriplegics. In the past, researchers have been successful returning some voluntary leg movement to quads when the lower spinal column was stimulated by electric pulses, but this appears to be the first report that electrical stimulation of the cervical spine can produce movement above the waist; in this case,…Continue Reading