Podcasts about relapsing remitting ms

Last week, at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, Dr. Amit Bar-Or received the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for his multiple achievements that have advanced our knowledge of neuroimmunology, precision medicine, and biomarkers in MS. We talked with Dr. Bar-Or about how some of the latest discoveries in MS research would impact patient care.   Tolebrutinib, an investigational disease-modifying therapy, is currently making its way through the FDA's regulatory process. Last week, the results of the Phase 3 clinical trials for Tolebrutinib were published, and we're sharing the details. We'll also tell you about MindGlide, an AI-powered tool for analyzing MRI scans that will significantly reduce MRI exam times. We're talking about the results of the Phase 3 clinical trial for high-dose Ocrevus. And we'll tell you about a cell therapy that doesn't use stem cells that successfully repaired myelin in the mouse model of MS -- twice!  We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Hauser and Dr. Alberto Ascherio  :22 This Week: The impact of breakthrough MS research on MS care  2:17 Results of the phase 3 clinical trials for Tolebrutinib have been published  3:07 An AI-powered tool for analyzing MRI scans will significantly reduce MRI exam times for patients  4:21 Results of the phase 3 clinical trial for high-dose Ocrevus  8:13 A cell therapy that doesn't use stem cells has successfully repaired myelin in the mouse model of MS -- twice!  10:14 Dystel Prize winner Dr. Amit Bar-Or discusses how some of the latest discoveries in MS  research will impact MS care  12:39 Share this episode  22:36 Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app?  22:56 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/397 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Become an MS Activist Web: https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy Email: msactivist@nmss.org RealTalk MS Episode 310: The Face Laughs While The Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor with Dr. Stephen Hauser https://realtalkms.com/310 RealTalk MS ECTRIMS Extra: Results from the Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Tolebrutinib and Relapsing-Remitting MS with Dr. Jiwon Oh https://realtalkms.com/ectrims244 VIDEO: RealTalk MS ECTRIMS Extra: Results from the Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Tolebrutinib and Relapsing-Remitting MS with Dr. Jiwon Oh https://youtu.be/zcBmAHRTotA VIDEO: RealTalk MS ECTRIMS Extra: Results from the Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Tolebrutinib and Nonrelapsing Secondary Progressive MS with Dr. Robert Fox https://youtu.be/tJQ93qdlXrU STUDY: Tolebrutinib Versus Teriflunomide in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis https://nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2415985 STUDY: Tolebrutinib in Nonrelapsing Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis https://nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2415988 Enabling New Insights from Old Scans By Repurposing Clinical MRI Archives for Multiple Sclerosis Research https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58274-8 Fibroblast Technology https://fibrobiologics.com/technology/#cnsms Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 398 Guests: Dr. Amit Bar-Or Privacy Policy

Managing MS means staying focused not only on your MS but also on your overall health. That includes getting routine health screenings to stay ahead of potential complications. Recent research has shown that, compared to healthy people, people with MS are more likely to develop some cancers.    Clinician-scientist Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie joins me to discuss which cancers pose a greater risk to someone with MS, why you need to make those appointments for cancer screenings, where you can find low-cost or no-cost cancer screenings, and things you can do to further minimize your risk of developing cancer. Dr. Marrie is a professor of medicine and the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Research Chair at Dalhousie University in Canada. She's a past recipient of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research and is recognized as one of the world's leading MS experts. We'll also explain how and why we're going to be discussing the impact of those devastating federal budget cuts and mass layoffs in the federal agencies responsible for healthcare and MS research on this podcast. We'll tell you about the FDA's decision to grant priority review to Tolebrutinib. (We'll also explain why Tolebrutinib isn't just another DMT. We're even sharing the projected date when the FDA will make its approval decision!) And you'll learn what happened when a research team set out to identify the diversity-related characteristics of the MS population in Canada. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! How we'll be talking about the impact of public policy on people affected by MS (and why we must)  :22 Hear what's on the minds of some of the attendees at last week's National MS Society Public Policy Conference  3:55 This Week: The importance of cancer screenings for people with MS  12:52 Tolebrutinib, an investigative DMT from Sanofi, is granted priority review by the FDA  13:44 What happened when researchers set out to identify the diversity-related characteristics of the MS population in Canada  17:56 Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie discusses the importance of cancer screenings for people living with MS  20:02 Share this episode  30:03 Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app?  30:23 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/396 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Become an MS Activist Web: https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy Email: msactivist@nmss.org VIDEO: Tolebrutinib and Non-Relapsing Secondary Progressive MS with Dr. Robert Fox https://realtalkms.com/tolebrutinib1 VIDEO: Tolebrutinib and Relapsing-Remitting MS with Dr. Jiwon Oh https://realtalkms.com/tolebrutinib2 VIDEO: RealTalk MS 2025 ACTRIMS Forum YouTube Playlist https://realtalkms.com/actrims STUDY: Characterizing the Diversity of the Multiple Sclerosis Population in Canada: A Scoping Review https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20552173251321814 STUDY (PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION): Characterizing the Diversity of the Multiple Sclerosis Population in Canada: A Scoping Review https://tremlettsmsresearchexplained.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/characterizing-the-diversity-of-the-multiple-sclerosis-population-in-canada-a-scoping-review-explained Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 396 Guests: Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie Privacy Policy

Physician Assistant and prior C&P examiner Leah Bucholz discusses What to Expect in a TMJ Veterans Disability C&P Exam.Leah discusses Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with Veterans Affairs (VA) disability. She explains that MS, an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, can be linked to service-related factors, including exposure or symptoms that began during active duty. MS has various types, including Clinically Isolated Syndrome, Relapsing-Remitting MS, Primary Progressive MS, and Secondary Progressive MS, each with distinct characteristics and progression patterns. For VA disability, a current MS diagnosis, an in-service event, and a nexus linking the event to MS are essential. Leah highlights the VA's presumptive criteria, which considers MS diagnosed within seven years of service exit as service-connected if it's compensable to a 10% degree. She suggests that medical records can help establish a connection even if diagnosed later.

Long term use of disease modifying treatments (DMTs) poses challenges in terms of safety and pharmacoeconomics, while preventing disability progression. As such, there is an ongoing debate on how long disease modifying treatments should be continued and if discontinuation should be considered in stable multiple sclerosis.   In this episode, Alan Thompson, Editor in Chief of the MS Journal, speaks with Gilles Edan, Professor of Clinical Neurology and chair of the Department of Neurosciences, University Hospital of Rennes; and Eva Strijbis, neurologist at the Department of Neurology, MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers.

Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #32, where we are pleased to welcome Regina Beach as our guest!   Our Coffee Break series is your chance to get to know members of our diverse OMS community. In each episode, you'll join Geoff Allix for an intimate chat with a different member of our global community. Our guests will share their personal stories and talk about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.   As always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Regina is a very special guest for many reasons, including being an American living in the UK, and being an OMSer who works for the charity as its Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager. We hope you enjoy this episode's conversation with Regina, coming to you straight from the UK.   Regina's Bio:   Regina Beach is an American living in the Welsh Valleys with her British husband. She was diagnosed with RRMS in April 2021 and adopted the Overcoming MS program shortly thereafter. She is a yoga teacher and writer who regularly leads workshops and publishes poetry and essays.  She enjoys cooking and is writing an oil-free vegan cookbook with her husband. She also works part time as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager for Overcoming MS. Prior to diagnosis she was an avid long-distance cycler. Her goal is to feel strong enough and balanced enough to get back in the saddle.     Questions:   Regina, welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break. We're so pleased to have you on our program. The purpose of this series is to better get to know some of the diverse members of our community from around the world, and today you're in the hot seat. Can you tell us a little about your day-to-day life? When were you diagnosed with MS? Can you provide some context on that? When were you diagnosed and how did you initially deal with it? At which point did you come across the OMS program? How was that experience for you? Why did you decide to start following it? I understand that you're rated as having significant disability on the EDSS scale. Has the OMS Program helped alleviate this, or had no effect? What are your thoughts on people with MS choosing other types of diets or lifestyle protocols that are not OMS? Let's shift gears a little bit and talk about your professional life. You used to be a schoolteacher in the US, but now you live in the UK with your British husband, and you actually work part-time for OMS as its Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager. How did that transition come about? OMS is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, and there are some special events in the wings. I understand you're involved in some of these, such as OMS Birthday Trivia in June, and the Big Picnic in July. Can you tell us a little about what to expect? Since you work in fundraising, what advice would you give to people in our community who want to get involved in this domain to help the charity? My next question straddles the personal and professional realm: you're a devout yoga and meditation practitioner, and you also teach it. Can you tell us how that's helped you, and share some tips on how others can get into the groove of a daily mindfulness practice? Regina, thank you so much for being on Living Well with MS Coffee Break and allowing our community to get to know one of its own a little better. One last question before you go, and it's a bit of a tradition in that we ask it of all our Coffee Break guests. If you tap into your experience with MS generally and OMS specifically for a nugget of wisdom that would help people ease into and better adopt the OMS program, what would that advice be?   Three Interesting Facts About Regina (in her own words):   I'm a yoga teacher and have changed my practice to be gentler and exploratory. I used to teach hot 26+2 (Bikram style).  I used to be a public-school teacher in Chicago where I taught secondary art and design. I have significant disability, with my neurologist most recently rating my EDSS at 6.5. I have incomplete remission, so my symptoms are always with me.     Regina's Links:   Check out Regina on Instagram, all about her adventures with whole food plant-based eating. Read Regina's newsletter, all about creativity through movement, art, and whole food plant-based cooking. Have a peek at Regina's website.   Coming up on our next episode:   On the next episode of Living Well with MS, premiering June 15, 2022, meet Shari Short – MS patient advocate, professional in healthcare communications, and naturally, a standup comedian – and learn from her experience with MS how laughter can be a powerful medicine in itself.   Don't miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. For your convenience, a full episode transcript is also available on all platforms within 72 hours of each episode's premiere. If you like our program, don't be shy and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   S4E52b Transcript Coffee Break #32 with Regina Beach   Geoff Allix (00:00): Welcome to Living Well With MS Coffee Break, a part of the Living Well with MS podcast family from Overcoming MS, the world's leading Multiple Sclerosis healthy lifestyle charity, celebrating its 10th year of serving the MS community. I'm your host, Geoff Allix.   Today, you'll meet someone living with MS from our diverse and global Overcoming MS community. Our Coffee Break series invites you into the lives of each guest. They share their personal MS journeys, and speak openly about their challenges and victories, large and small. We hope you find some common cause and a source of inspiration from the stories of these very special people.   You can check out our show notes for more information and useful links. You can find these on our website at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. If you enjoy the show, please spread the word about us on your social media channels or leave a review wherever you tune into our podcast. Finally, don't forget to subscribe to Living Well with MS on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. So, get your favorite beverage ready, and let's meet today's guest on Living Well with MS Coffee Break.   Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break #32, where we are pleased to welcome Regina Beach as our guest. Regina is an American living in the Welsh Valleys with her British husband. She was diagnosed with Relapse-Remitting MS in April 2021 and adopted the Overcoming MS program shortly thereafter. She's a yoga teacher and writer who regularly leads workshops and publishes poetry and essays. She enjoys cooking and is writing an oil-free vegan cookbook with her husband. She also works part-time as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager for Overcoming MS. Prior to diagnosis, she was an avid long-distance cycler. Her goal is to feel strong enough and balanced enough to get back in the saddle.   Regina, welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break. We're very glad to have you on our program. So the purpose of this series is to get a better understanding of the members of our community from around the world, and today you are in the hot seat. So, could you tell us a bit about your day-to-day life?   Regina Beach (02:12): Sure. Thanks, Geoff, for having me. I am American, but I do live in the UK. So, my day-to-day life takes place in South Wales where I am a writer, a yoga teacher, and I also work part-time for Overcoming MS as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager, which means I help people who want to do a charity bike ride, or a race, or if they want to sell something, or raise funds for OMS. I help in whatever way, sending out swag, helping promote and advertise, and working with some really cool OMSers doing amazing things.   In terms of my day-to-day, I was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS in April of 2021, so not that long ago, and so I am still in the middle of figuring out what works best for me and how to fully embrace the OMS lifestyle. I jumped in right away about a month after diagnosis, I found the website, devoured it, and soon after got the book, read it, joined the Facebook group. I really feel like this is the pathway back to health, or to living as well as I possibly can, for me.   Geoff Allix (03:40): So how was it being diagnosed mid-COVID pandemic? I'm guessing that's made a difference.   Regina Beach (03:50): Yeah, absolutely, because I really put off getting the tingles in my feet checked out for a long time. I wasn't really in pain; I wasn't really having mobility issues. I was just having lots of numbness in my feet. And since I had been extra active in 2019, I did miles of swimming, biking, and running, I thought I was just experiencing some overuse residual something. And I really put it off and put it off, and it wasn't until my acupuncturist was like, "Your cold tingly feet, really, I haven't been able to do anything about this. I really think you should go to your GP and get some blood work done." And I'm really glad that she said that because I think, especially for people who like to tough it out or who are used to doing physical things and maybe having their body have adjust to stuff, I really wasn't thinking that I had something neurologically wrong with me.   And so then, obviously it took a little bit of time to check, I didn't have low B12, I didn't have low iron. My GP thought maybe I had a pinched nerve and just ordered a cervical MRI, and then eventually a full MRI. And then I ended up in the hospital for a week because I was having, I guess, a big relapse where I really had some terrible symptoms, and was losing mobility, and ended up with the diagnosis about a year after I really first started having those tingles. So, I do feel like I'm getting good care now, but I feel like the road to finding that diagnosis and really finding my way was definitely prolonged because of the pandemic.   Geoff Allix (05:38): And I think MS is a difficult one anyway, because it's not like we have a key symptom. Most things you can say, "Yeah, that's likely to be that because you've got this key symptom." We're like, "Well, actually it could be anything." Your nerves do everything in your body, and we've got a problem with our nerves, so it could be, people have got eye problems, walking problems, bladder problems, temperature problems, pins and needles problems, and they're all MS. So yeah, it is really difficult.   Regina Beach (06:07): Yeah, exactly, and you don't necessarily think of, "Oh, I need to pee all the time," as being connected to this idea that the grip in my left hand is not as strong as it used to be. You don't make that connection naturally, I think, because MS symptoms can run the gamut.   Geoff Allix (06:25): So, when did you come across OMS? How did you find out about OMS? And how did that go for you?   Regina Beach (06:33): My whole life, I have said, "If I ever get really sick," kind of jokingly, "I'm just going to become a monk and be a vegan and live in the woods." And so obviously, one of the first things I Googled was, what's the best diet for MS, because I understand that what we put into our body is the molecules that we become. And so I thought, okay, someone has got to have been doing research on this, and so I came across Swank, and then came across Jelinek, and then the evidence was just so compelling to me. I spent a month researching recipes, getting rid of stuff in the fridge, overhauling things.   My husband's been really wonderful and has changed his diet too, so we cook together. We're writing down our recipes and compiling a cookbook. We have an Instagram where we post recipes. It's been really fun, and it's been a huge change because I used to really love cheese and dairy, and my husband used to be big into smoking meats and grilling meats, and so we've just done a 180 with our meals, and it's really helpful to have somebody to co-plan with and cook with.   Like last night, we had some smoked fish and veg, and it's actually really amazing what you can do, cooking without oil, that I had no idea was possible. So I'm actually really happy that we found this. He's a triathlete and has found a lot of benefits from the diet portion of Overcoming MS as well, and I've always been a meditator of sorts, but now I feel like it's really key, and I definitely carve out the time more than I used to for that component.   And yeah, I do take a DMT, and I'm hopeful that with everything together, I'll get some more mobility back because I walk currently with two sticks, and I'm really hoping to one day be able to walk without a mobility aid.   Geoff Allix (08:42): Yeah. That was the next thing I was going to ask actually, so you are listed as having significant disability on the EDSS scale. So what's two sticks? That's somewhere up like four and a half, five, or something on the scale?   Regina Beach (08:55): Yeah, so I don't leave the house without at least one stick and it really just depends on how my balance is feeling that day. And sometimes, if we're at a museum or if I'm out and about in a big public arena, I've used a wheelchair before, just because walking long distances is really tough for me. And that was really heartbreaking because it was something that, hiking and long-distance trekking are things that have been a really important part of my life up to this point. I did the Camino de Santiago, and I've done a lot of long-distance cycle trips across Europe and Asia and North America, and I feel really lucky that I was able to do those things. But yeah, so being in this new body of mine that doesn't function the same way, and is really slow, and I have foot drop on the left side, and it's really a big adjustment, and I don't think I'm totally there. I dream of running sometimes, or I dream that I can walk.   Geoff Allix (10:08): Literally in your dreams?   Regina Beach (10:09): Literally in my dreams.   Geoff Allix (10:10): I have that as well. Some people say, "Does that make you sad because you've lost it?" And it's actually no, when you half wake up and you're just coming out of a dream, if I'm getting back to sleep, I'm just like, "I'd love to get back into that dream again," the one where I'm running around.   Regina Beach (10:25): Yes.   Geoff Allix (10:26): Because it's like memories of what used to be, and very similar stuff I used to do, like do a lot of mountain walking and hiking and cycling and stuff. The things now that I think would be an amazing achievement, whereas before it would be climbing Mont Blanc or something, now it's like, something less daunting. I mean, if I can do something like Snowden, or something that's not a hard mountain, that would be such an achievement for me. I mean, I don't know if it's achievable because I'm not really, I'm similar to you, I always take a stick when I go out, but I'm not ruling out that I can get a bit better.   Regina Beach (11:04): That's how I feel.   Geoff Allix (11:06): There are people I've come across, who like me, think those aids, they're not disabling, they're enabling. So, using mobility aids, and certainly, yeah, so I've got an E-Trike that I use partly also as a mobility scooter sometimes because I can just put it a walk mode and just trundle along. Because I just, yeah, the distance is the problem really, whereas I'd love to go on a city break where I just wander around all day. But now I-   Regina Beach (11:39): I love that, yes, where you're just walking miles and miles and seeing all the things, and now you have to be a little more deliberate about where you're going to go, how long is it going to take, and where can you take a rest? But it doesn't mean you can't do it. So I was really nervous to take my first international trip since having mobility issues, but my husband and I went to Egypt over Christmas and New Year's, and it was amazing how much we were able to do and how accommodating people are when you just explain the situation, and how much people want to help and make things as easy as possible. So, we did a snorkeling trip and everyone on the boat was super helpful because that is, as someone who has balance issues, it's a nightmare to walk around on a boat.   Geoff Allix (12:27): Yeah. Well I've been scuba diving twice since I've had MS.   Regina Beach (12:27): Nice.   Geoff Allix (12:33): Yeah, I've been scuba diving in Costa Rica and in Thailand, because I used to scuba dive a lot, but actually I thought, well, why not? Because there's not a balance issue.   Regina Beach (12:33): Yeah. Once you're in the water, it's great.   Geoff Allix (12:44): Yeah. And actually when you're scuba diving, you don't really, really, it's not a lot of exertion, because otherwise you use up all your air basically. So you are trying to do everything in a very gentle motion, so I still have the skills, and yeah, the problem is getting on and off the boat. On the boat, because it's moving around, there's loads of stuff to hold onto because everyone's got to hold onto stuff, so actually it wasn't that bad. So yeah, I could do that, and that was really cool.   Regina Beach (13:11): Yeah, and it is just about finding what you can do and leaning into what you can do, and making new goals, like you said. There's a little lake, we live right near the Cwmcarn Forest Drive, and one of my goals is to make it around that whole little lake without taking a break. And that is a very small goal compared to maybe what I used to be doing, but that's fine, that's where I'm at right now, and I'd rather be getting out there and trying for that. And also I just really appreciate my good days because, obviously, I used to take walking and running for granted, and now I'm like, "Oh, I feel great today. I'm definitely going to go out for a walk or for a little hike." So there's the small joys.   Geoff Allix (13:58): Yeah. And the next question is, what are your thoughts on people with MS choosing other types of diets or lifestyle alternative to OMS?   Regina Beach (14:11): Yeah, so this is really interesting. Since being diagnosed and disclosing my diagnosis, I've had a lot of people say, "Oh I have MS too," or "I have another autoimmune condition," which I think is really interesting, how much you don't know about your acquaintances. I feel like disclosing brought me really close to some people who I had no idea also had things that they were dealing with. But I also think that it's a really personal decision about how you're going to self-manage your condition, and so I've definitely had to be firm, but kind, in my approach saying, "I'm sticking with OMS. This is what I want to do. If you want to do paleo, you want to do another diet, that's fine."   I think it really comes down to how you feel and what you can stick with. And so anybody who is managing through lifestyle, I think deserves big kudos. Anyone who's making these big changes in their lives, whether it's adding exercise or mindfulness, or taking supplements, or whatever it is. I think we're not really at odds with most of the other diets, they are mostly whole food based, they are mostly much healthier than the standard Western diet, and I think that you want to be encouraging, this idea that we have autonomy to make changes that aren't just dictated from a neurologist or a GP, that we can do something for ourselves.   Geoff Allix (15:46): Yeah, and I've spoken to people on different protocols, Mathew Embry, Best Bet Diet, talked to him, and the commonality is greater than the differences.   Regina Beach (16:00): Much more.   Geoff Allix (16:01): And with the Wahls protocol similarly, basically they're all non-dairy, they're all low saturated fat, they're all whole food based. Now it may be that you have organic grass fed, lean meat occasionally on the Best Bet Diet. It may be that you have, gluten is okay on OMS, which is not on others. So there's little bits on the edges, but the core bits are really the same, low saturated fat, whole food diet with no dairy, is basically common across all of them. And I think-   Regina Beach (16:39): Yeah, and even Swank had low fat meat after year one on his original diet, which the OMS diet is built on, so there is so much that is in that same vein.   Geoff Allix (16:53): Yeah. I think some people, as well, because there's a lot of stuff with fasting now as well, and I think there's a lot of interest in fasting. And the paleo diet, if you cut out all your carbs, then you put your body into a fasting state, but when you talk to the neurologist about this, when you are proposing this, they're saying, "Oh yeah, we're not actually encouraging you to just go on an Atkins diet because that would put you into a fasting state, but that's not actually healthy. What you want to be doing is going to fasting state by reducing the time window you eat, or not eating for a day, a week," these different ways of doing it, and then eating a healthy lifestyle. So there's sort of like-   Regina Beach (17:35): Yes, and not just putting yourself into ketosis for the sake of it by not consuming carbs, which are really in everything, and as long as you're eating whole grains, is very, very healthy. That's what so many cultures and indigenous people's whole diets are based on, potatoes, or rice, or other grains. And I think cutting them out is, like you're saying, it's not healthy for the long haul.   Geoff Allix (18:06): So, to change a little bit and talk about your professional life, you were a schoolteacher in the US, moved to the UK and live with your British husband, and now work part-time for OMS as the Trusts and Community Fundraising Manager, as you mentioned. So how did that transition come about?   Regina Beach (18:27): Oh my gosh, I feel that life in Chicago, when I was teaching in public schools there, is a lifetime ago. I was really burnt out, it's a really tough job. I really give a lot of praise to all of the schoolteachers out there, especially in these strange times. But I was really at a point in my career where I was turning into the type of teacher I didn't want to be and needed to pivot, and so I decided to take a year to do a Fulbright Fellowship in Laos in Southeast Asia, and that was my last full year of teaching. I taught teacher candidates there, and that's actually where I met my now husband, who was on a motorcycle adventure through Southeast Asia, and came back to visit me a couple times.   And so, through that process, I was really thinking, okay, what is it that I really like? What is it that I really want to do? I did yoga teacher training. I became a lot more interested in mindfulness and moving meditation, and pivoted back to my first love, which was writing. I studied journalism in university, and really decided, okay, I want to pursue writing. And so some of my work with Overcoming MS is grant writing, and blog writing, and press releases, and I also write essays and poetry in my own time. And so, I'm just trying to carve out a life that's more reflective of my values and what I really enjoy and what I want to spend my time doing. And I was kind of already in that mode when I was diagnosed, but since diagnosis, it's been even more acute that, the time I have, I want to spend it focusing on the things that I really enjoy, and the things where I feel like I can make a big difference.   Geoff Allix (20:31): So OMS is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, and you've got some special events upcoming, there's various OMS birthday trivia, OMS big picnics, and other events. So could you tell us a bit about the events upcoming?   Regina Beach (20:45): Yeah, so we're really excited to celebrate a decade of the charity promoting the OMS program for people worldwide. And so, yes, the big picnic is a great way to get family, friends, your OMS Circle, involved in some outdoor fun, a barbecue, maybe, bringing OMS compliant foods, teaching people about what the diet pillar is about and why, and possibly even doing some fundraising for the charity. And we are going to do a big birthday quiz on Zoom this year, so that will be really fun, having people answer questions both about the program and also just fun trivia stuff.   And so, this year is really important because 10 years ago, Linda Bloom decided that the OMS program needed a cheerleader. I feel the organization is a mouthpiece to help deliver the content and help people who have MS understand that there are thousands of us who are living better because we're self-managing through the program. So, yeah, if you would like to get involved, email fundraising@overcomingms.org. We're really excited to celebrate. We're celebrating the launch of the new brand, we're celebrating what we're moving towards in the future, and hopefully it will be another 10 years of growth and expansion, and yeah, great food and great fun.   Geoff Allix (22:28): So my next question straddles personal and professional, so you're a devout yoga and meditation practitioner, which you also teach, so could you tell us a bit about how that's helped you? How that yoga and meditation side of things has helped you, and share some tips to others about how they could get into a daily meditation practice?   Regina Beach (22:50): Yeah, for sure, so I used to teach a very yang, very physical style of yoga, the 26+2 Bikram series, which is done in a 40-degree Celsius hot room, which I can't do anymore because heat really exacerbates my symptoms, and a lot of the standing series involves so much balance that it is just out of reach for me right now. So I really have had to adjust my practice and my teaching from this really intense [inaudible 00:23:24] to a much gentler, more yin, more long hold, more floor-based yoga.   And so that was really tough for me at first, because obviously this is something I've been doing, I took my first yoga class when I was in university, I was 18 years old, it's been with me for a long time. I'm trying to see it as, I have all of these years of experience, but now I have a beginner's body where I can't necessarily do all of the things that I used to do, and I'm now reteaching myself.   And so, coming at it from that perspective, I feel has been really helpful because it's just being curious about, what can I do today? Being curious about, how does my body feel today? And leaning into that, and saying, "Okay, this is how I feel. This is what I can do. This is how much I can do." And just letting the rest go, and that's where the mindfulness and meditation come in because we cannot force ourselves to do something that we're not able to, and that doesn't necessarily have to lead to frustration. I think that piece is so crucial, when you are able to accept where you are at today, then everything just floats a little better and we're a little more at ease.   I think you can do meditation no matter what you're doing, whether you're doing yoga, whether you're just sitting mindfully, whether you're drinking tea mindfully, whether you're just taking a nice walk and observing the birds and the trees. I think all of that is just, what can I do? Where am I now? How am I feeling in my body? All of that is mindfulness.   And I'm just appreciating where I'm at, and what I can do, and moving towards little goals to improve my balance, to improve my flexibility, and not necessarily treating my old body as the goal, because I might not be able to do all of those yoga asanas in the future, and that's fine, that doesn't mean I can't deepen my practice. And for a while I was thinking, well, does this make me a terrible yoga teacher if I can't do all of these poses? And I've come to the realization that people don't actually care if their yoga teacher can do fancy arm balances, what they care about is if their yoga teacher can meet them where they're at, and help them find comfort and ease, and a little bit of stretch and relaxation in their own body. And so that's also been just a new version of my yoga practice and my yoga teaching.   Geoff Allix (26:03): Yeah. I mean, Usain Bolt's coach is not a world record runner, so you can teach without being at that level, can't you?   Regina Beach (26:13): Exactly.   Geoff Allix (26:14): So, thank you so much for joining us on the Living Well with MS Coffee Break, and allowing the community to get to know you a bit better. So there's one last question that we have that we tend to always ask people, which is, if you could tap into your experience with MS generally, and OMS specifically, for a nugget of wisdom to help people, particularly if they're new to the OMS program, what would that be?   Regina Beach (26:39): I think, really planning out who you'll tell, and how, and what you need from those people you tell is really important because, for as strong as we all are, you need a community behind you. So whether you're going to lean on your OMS Circle, or your family, or your friends, I think having a plan and knowing how you're going to react when someone doubts that what you're doing is helpful. Because I think as a newly diagnosed person, it can be really crushing to hear someone say, "Oh, there's no proof for that," or "Why are you doing that? That's pseudoscience," or whatever the negative, we always remember the negative more than the positive. And so building a community of trusted people, of people who are supporting what you're doing, and having ways to deflect any naysayers, would just go a long way because the mental health aspect of having MS is no joke and it takes a village to keep people moving forward and living well, and taking care of all of these different components of the lifestyle.   But we can do it, and we can do it together, and I think things like the podcast, and the OMS Circles, and all of the wonderful OMSers really do support one another. I think that's the best part of this program, is the community.   Geoff Allix (28:03): Thank you. And thank you very much for joining us, Regina Beach, and thank you for all your work that you do with OMS as well.   Regina Beach (28:11): Thanks, Geoff, it was great to talk to you today.   Geoff Allix (28:13): Thank you for listening to this episode of Living Well with MS Coffee Break. Please check out this episode's show notes at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. You'll find all sorts of useful links and bonus information there.   Do you have questions about this episode, or do you or someone you know want to be featured in a future Coffee Break episode? Then email us at podcast@overcomingms.org. We'd love to hear from you. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. Living Well with MS Coffee Break is kindly supported by a grant from the Happy Charitable Trust. If you'd to support the Overcoming MS charity and help keep our podcast advertising free, you can donate online at www.overcomingms.org/donate.   To learn more about Overcoming MS and its array of free content and programs, including webinars, recipes, exercise guides, OMS Circles, our global network of community support groups, and more, please visit our website at www.overcomingms.org. While you are there, don't forget to register for our monthly e-Newsletter so you can stay informed about the podcast and other news and updates from Overcoming MS. Thanks again for tuning in and see you next time.   The Living Well with MS family of podcasts is for private non-commercial use and exists to educate and inspire our community of listeners. We do not offer medical advice. For medical advice, please contact your doctor or other licensed healthcare professional. Our guests are carefully selected, but all opinions expressed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Overcoming MS charity, its affiliates, or staff.  

Multiple Sclerosis News Today columnist, Jenn Powell discusses how anxiety and depression increase the potential of relapse in those with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Are you interested in learning more about Multiple Sclerosis? If so, please visit https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/

In this podcast, Dr DeLuca discusses the clinical course and prognosis of cognitive impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, as well as cognitive rehabilitation tools that are currently available and on the horizon. For more podcasts like this, visit www.consultant360.com/neurology.

Access to MS symptom self-management care is extremely limited. That's why my guest, Dr. Anna Kratz, and her colleagues created My MS Toolkit --  a web-based, self-guided symptom self-care program designed especially for people with MS. (And it's FREE!)    We're talking with Dr. Kratz about how My MS Toolkit was developed and what makes it such a powerful online tool for people living with MS. We're also talking about the latest petitions filed with the Supreme Court in the battle over the Affordable Care Act (and why this is so vitally important to people affected by MS!). If you're using gabapentin (Neurontin) to manage MS pain, we'll tell you about the warning that was just issued by the FDA. Yet another study gives us yet another reason to start disease-modifying therapy as soon as possible. And we'll explain why collecting real-world data about MS is so important, and what a team of MS experts is recommending to improve the process of real-world data collection and analysis. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! ___________   Where I'll Be in January  :27 National MS Society Joins 23 Other Patient Organizations in Requesting Supreme Court Expedites Its Review of the ACA  3:00 FDA Issues Warning About Gabapentinoids  6:51 Disease-Modifying Therapy Use Has Changed the 'Natural History' of Relapsing-Remitting MS  7:57 Paper Explores How Real-World Data Can Be Better Leveraged to Speed Solutions to People Living with MS  9:34 My Interview with Dr. Anna Kratz  15:04 Share This Episode  36:00 Download the RealTalk MS App  36:29 ___________ SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email:  http://realtalkms.com/123 ___________ ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.comPhone: (310) 526-2283 ___________ LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com My MS Toolkit FDA Warns About Serious Breathing Problems when Gabapentin and Pregabalin Are Used With CNS Depressants or By Patients with Lung Problems STUDY: Outcomes in a Modern Cohort of Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients Followed from Diagnosis Up to 15 Years Leveraging Real-World Data to Investigate Multiple Sclerosis Disease Behavior, Prognosis, and Treatment Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 123 Hosted By: Jon Strum Guests: Dr. Anna Kratz Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, MSActivist, MSSociety, Gabapentinoids, ACA, RealTalkMS Privacy Policy

Episode 119 Lindsay Bileau shares her journey overcoming Multiple Sclerosis. This is the 6th episode focused on people sharing their personal experiences with reversing their MS with a whole food, plant-based diet and there are more to come as this way of eating gains more ground in the mainstream. A low fat, whole food, plant-based diet has been proven time and again to press pause on Relapsing Remitting MS and this finding is what lead myself and all the guests on this show to completely turn our lives around, reclaim our health and live symptom and disease free. Check out Lindsay's incredible story and please take a moment to SHARE her story with your family and friends.

In episode 10, Lauren conducts her first international interview with actress Katie Georgiou, who lives in London (UK). Katie has been living with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since she was young, and waited 10+ years for her official diagnosis at age 19. In this conversation, she tells us what her flares look and feel like, gives her frank opinion of her experience with the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, and shares about the perspective shift that enables her to survive with grace (hint: it’s all about taking responsibility for her healing and taking ownership of her condition). Listen as Katie shares…    - how she first experienced symptoms at the age of 9, but wasn’t properly diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS until she was 19  - that even when she was given her official diagnosis, she was never given an immediate treatment protocol – only prescribed an anti-depressant to assist in reducing the swelling in her brain  - that when she was given a diagnosis, she felt her world fall apart – because nobody told her what to expect or how to cope  - her initial concerns about taking anti-depressants as an artist  - what a flare looks like for her: incontinence, often uncontrolled muscle action, tingling and numbness in her extremities, slurred speech  - the key to her survival: finding the humor in her illness, and OWNING her condition without apology  - that, before she was able to openly acknowledge, cope with, and treat her condition, she felt like she was living with a monster…her behavior was erratic and she felt out of control (both of her body and of her mind). At this time, her illness had ownership of her – and her stress would increase her symptoms.  - that, as an adult, she was treated with steroids – and that this treatment was not only invasive and inconvenient, but was, at the time, not tested for long-term side effects. This lack of market research gave Katie pause and made her wary of being fed information without further research, and taught her to say NO: because she knows her body better than anyone else.  - her current health protocol: more regimented sleeping and a largely vegetarian diet, resting when she needs to, and taking active steps to control stress  - that she still struggles daily with the the concept of WHEN to share her health story – especially in work situations, where she fears judgment  - that, as an invisibly ill person, you make one of two choices: you become an advocate, or you get on with your life  - that, especially with neurological disorders, positivity of mind, spiritual health, confidence, and a lack of shame are key…but are often lacking in online forums, which can be full of “symptom porn”  - that key to her perspective shift is gratitude. It has allowed her to make peace with living with MS and lighten up, stop judging others for not understanding, and experience her body in a way that enables her to empathize with others  - that she is grateful for the NHS (nationalized health), but sees its downside as well  - that no caregiver has ever asked her about how her illness affects her mood – which is central to the invisible illness experience  - the importance of representation, and our best MS example to-date: President Bartlet in The West Wing  - that stem cell and chemotherapy treatments for MS are not readily available in the UK  - that one of the best things those of us in the invisible illness community can do for ourselves is to become articulate about our needs and experiences – and be willing to share with others, without shame  - that we are ALL WORTHY of respect, care, and love – and that low self-esteem is rampant in the invisible illness community and we have to shift away from it  - the responsibility of artists and creatives to use their platforms to continue the dialogue about invisible illness and “taboo” topics in their work

We know about the importance of disease-modifying therapy (DMT) in managing MS and slowing its progression. But you may not know that there are two very different schools of thought when it comes to how and why your neurologist may recommend one DMT over another. My guest is Dr. Aaron Boster, the System Medical Chief for Neuroimmunology at OhioHealth, and we're talking about an important conversation that you should be having with your neurologist. We're also talking about the newly published clinical trial results that demonstrate that stem cell therapy may be more effective than DMT in managing disease progression among people living with relapsing-remitting MS. We'll tell you about a study that shows how mindfulness can be valuable in improving the well-being for people living with MS, we'll tell you about this year's winner of the National MS Society's Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research, and if you're living with secondary progressive MS, we'll tell you about a survey that you should really participate in. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS?! ___________ Stem Cell Therapy More Effective Than DMT in Managing Progression in Relapsing-Remitting MS   1:27 Mindfulness Improves Well-Being for People Living with MS  4:21 Stress, Depression & Fatigue Impact Caregiver Health Status  6:19 National MS Society Announces Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research  7:22 An Important Survey for People with Secondary Progressive MS  9:27 My Interview with Dr. Aaron Boster  11:58 ___________ SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS, AND IDEAS I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jonstrum@RealTalkMS.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 ___________ LINKSIf your podcast app doesn’t allow you to click on these links, you’ll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Download the RealTalk MS App for Android STUDY: Effect of Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation vs Continued Disease-Modifying Therapy on Disease Progression in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis STUDY: Longitudinal Associations Between Mindfulness and Well-Being in People with Multiple Sclerosis STUDY: Quality of Life and Emotional Strain in Caregivers of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis MS Coalition/ICER Survey About Secondary-Progressive MS Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 74 Hosted By: Jon Strum Guest: Dr. Aaron Boster Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, OhioHealthMS, HSCT, Mindfulness, Caregiver, Caregiving, MSSociety, ICER, RealTalkMS

Thinking about LDN (low dose naltrexone)? Want to know more? This podcast is for you! On Monday, April 18, 2016 Dr. Jess Armine has the great pleasure, once again, to interview the creator of the LDN Research Trust, Linda Elsegood! Diagnosed with Relapsing/Remitting MS in August 2000 at the age of 44, Linda was told that she had Secondary Progressive and there was nothing anyone could do to help. She decided to take matters into her own hands, and started LDN in December 2003.  LDN  helped her with fatigue, restless legs, bladder, bowel, burning legs, leg strength, tingling in feet, sleeping and 'fog in the head'. She now has a better quality of life and hope for the future. As a result of her amazing improvement, this indefatigueable and loving individual created the LDN Research Trust which disseminates information about LDN throughout the world and empowers people to speak with their doctors about LDN and empowers healthcare providers with information about this vital substance. She takes no money whatsoever. (www.ldnresearchtrust.org)  In this prerecorded interview (she is in UK), Linda will update us on all the research concerning low-dose naltrexone (LDN) including the benefit of LDN in cases of autoimmune diseases, posttraumatic stress disorder, Crohn's disease, MS, autism, autism spectrum disorders, chronic fatigue, CFS/ME and cancer. She will introduce the new book about LDN that is presently available on Amazon worldwide (search for "The LDN Book"). Join us and learn from this facinating and dynamic woman!  See you then!  Dr. Jess.

Leslie is one of those people who you meet and walk away feeling better for doing so.  She radiates positive energy from her core.  I am a huge believer that our mindset effects and determines the course of our disease and of course our life.  When Leslie was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS 4 years ago she didn't let it stop her life or positive attitude.  Today she is in better physical shape because exercise has become such a huge part of her daily routine.  Just ask her and she'll flex for you.  She did for me and I was blown away...as I was with her exuberance for life.  She is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan and like their Steel Curtain defense, Leslie is STRONG.