MS brings a daughter closer to her mother as they search for ways to stay healthy, despite the disease.

By Amy Meisner-Threet, MSW, with Florence Meisner, RN

Like many mothers and daughters, as each of us became more independent from each other over the years, it became harder for my mother and I to communicate with […]

Ed Lash on training the body to fight Multiple Sclerosis

By Ed Lash
Probably the most important reason for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to be exercising is that exercise tends to put the various body systems back into balance. And since MS seems to be a disease of an immune system out of balance, it seems that exercise should be of paramount importance. […]

By Ed Lash
A short time ago I read an article about two major medical associations encouraging doctors to prescribe normal medication for a disease, plus the medicine that aids more ills than any other: exercise.
In my book Multiple Sclerosis…A Patient’s View, I said pretty much the same about multiple sclerosis (MS): “I […]

Researchers in the US and Italy are investigating whether the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone, in a low dose, can relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

By Ronald Hoffman, MD, and Skip Lenz, Pharm D, FASCP
Last month, Action looked at a new use of the drug naltrexone, which was invented to combat addictions to heroin and […]

By Ed Lash
Controlled clinical trials have not been done for allergies and multiple sclerosis (MS). Many neurologists feel that this would be necessary for proof of efficacy. The National MS Society also feels that way, but states that “Good general health, sustained by a well-balanced diet is still the recommendation of our Medical Advisory […]

What we know about multiple sclerosis now, and what we have yet to discover.
By Tom Scott
Jean-Martin Charcot, professor of Neurology at the University of Paris, was the first to complete a detailed study of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. In 1868, Charcot analyzed some unusual symptoms […]

Naltrexone, in a low dose, can boost the immune system — potentially helping those with central nervous system disorders like multiple sclerosis.
By Ronald Hoffman, MD, and Skip Lenz, Pharm D FASCP
“LDN may well be the most important therapeutic breakthrough in over fi fty years,” says David Gluck, MD, editor of www.ldninfo.org, a Web […]

By Ed Lash
In her book, Multiple Sclerosis, a Self-help Guide to Its Management, Judy Graham tells the story of Rita Greer whose husband, Alan, had a particularly severe case of multiple sclerosis (MS). They tried everything and everyone to fi nd him a cure until their money was exhausted. Their poverty was such that […]

By Ed Lash
When I became interested in learning more about aging and multiple sclerosis (MS), I wrote to the Information Resource Center of the National MS Society for information and received the following reply, “In general, MS tends to stabilize with age. It has been referred to as ‘burnout’.” A short article sent […]

Degeneration
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently discovered that a specific form of estrogen can prevent degeneration (a process by which a tissue deteriorates, loses functional activity, and may become converted into or replaced by other kinds of tissue) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) without increasing their risks of developing […]

North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) is a project of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), a not-for-profit professional organization for MS healthcare providers and researchers. The administrative office of NARCOMS, located at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, maintains the largest voluntary, patient driven Multiple Sclerosis (MS) registry in the world. […]

By Ed Lash
One of the most common complications with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a tricky bladder, primarily regarding frequency and urgency. This may cause some people to limit their fluid intake, thereby reducing the flushing action to eliminate waste products through the urinary tract and often resulting in a low-grade bladder infection, which only […]

By Ed Lash
A sufficient amount of water is important for everyone, especially for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). According to an issue of the University of California at Berkely Wellness Letter, “Water is the basis of all body fluids, including digestive juices, blood, urine, lymph, and perspiration. All cell processes and all organ functions depend […]

Make SSDI Work for People with Chronic Illness
I wanted to write to you about the single most important issue (outside of a cure) affecting U.S. citizens who suffer from serious chronically disabling diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
Two months ago, I launched a grassroots initiative to change the way Social Security Disability benefits are […]

Acorda Enrolls First Patient in Phase 3 MS Study
Acorda Therapeutics recently announced that it has begun a second Phase 3 clinical study of Fampridine-SR in multiple sclerosis (MS), with the randomization of its first patient into the treatment phase of the study. The study is expected to enroll approximately 200 patients at 35 leading […]

By Ed Lash
In the last two columns, we looked at a surprisingly common aspect of multiple sclerosis (MS): the tendency of some people with MS to never perspire, even in warm and humid weather. We discussed some of the relatively serious health issues related to non-perspiration. Now we are going to look at methods […]

By Ed Lash

As I mentioned in part one of this article in the previous issue, I was amazed at the answers I received when I asked at my multiple sclerosis (MS) support groups, “Do you perspire?” A number of people told me they did not perspire at all, or perspired hardly at all. Many had […]

By Ed Lash

Multiple sclerosis (MS) poses many baffling questions. For example, why is it that some people with MS are affected by heat to such a great degree that they will be in a state of fatigue from the normal slight rise in body temperature which occurs in all of us each afternoon, while others […]

MS Solidarity
Although I have only been a member of United Spinal Association for a short time, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation for the information you provide.