United Spinal's Action Online Magazine » Multiple Sclerosis

Acupuncture and Multiple Sclerosis: Part I—What Is Acupuncture?

Ziggi — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:29:54 +0000

A licensed acupuncturist explains why the ancient Chinese practice may be beneficial for alleviating symptoms of MS.

By Gabrielle Gottlieb

When I chose a career in integrative healthcare and became an acupuncturist, it was out of a deep-rooted desire to empower patients to take an active role in their own health and wellbeing. As a practitioner, I help my patients gain a new perspective on what it means to be “healthy” by teaching them to “re-wind” and look inward so they can reexamine their lifestyle, thoughts and the behavioral processes and patterns that may be standing in their way.

Oriental medicine teaches that the [...]

Dina Mishev to Join Team of Women with MS on Climb of Kilimanjaro

Ziggi — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:17:50 +0000

In June 2006, Dina Mishev was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) In February 2009, she set the world record for the most vertical feet skied uphill by a woman in 24 hours. In July 2011, she hopes to travel to Africa and Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet the highest free-standing mountain in the world, as part of a team of 24 climbers, half with MS and half without.

The expedition is being organized by Lori Schneider, the first person in the world with MS to have summitted Mt. Everest. Since summitting Everest, Lori has been traveling the world spreading a message of Empowerment Through [...]

Pilates and MS

Ziggi — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:42:11 +0000

Gentle but rigorous, Pilates has features that make it especially beneficial to people with limited mobility.

By Amy Meisner-Threet, MSW

Carolyn Robinson-Pritchard was teaching physical education to Colorado preschoolers when she suddenly collapsed.

“I couldn’t speak,” she recalls of the terrifying moment. “I had a CAT scan, went into the hospital and had an MRI. I was relieved when I finally got the diagnosis.”

Carolyn was diagnosed in 1987 with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). Her symptoms included optic neuritis and numbness, from the waist down and in her left arm, which would come and go.

In 1998, Carolyn started doing Pilates, a kind of [...]

What Is Hemiplegia?: A One-Sided Life

Ziggi — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:22:50 +0000

The author’s MS has progressed in a way that leaves her left side completely paralyzed.

By Clare Willson

You could say I am half the woman I used to be, but only when it comes to mobility. Mentally I’m still pretty much firing on all cylinders.

When I heard the term “hemiplegic” for the first time I realized, Aha! That’s me! I had wondered for a while how to classify my physical impairments. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1987; three sons later, a re-location from Great Britain to the US, a divorce, and ten years of single parenthood have [...]

MyBrainGames for MS Cognition

Ziggi — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:59:59 +0000

| TECH EDGE

By John M. Williams

I do not have multiple sclerosis (MS), but as a writer on assistive technology, I was interested to visit MyBrainGames (www.mymsmyway.com), a free suite of online cognitive and dexterity games for people with multiple sclerosis created by The MS Technology Collaborative.

MS is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS)—that’s the brain and spinal cord. Predominantly, MS is a disease of the “white matter” tissue, made up of nerve fibers, which is responsible for transmitting signals both within the CNS and between the CNS and the nerves supplying rest of the body. Worldwide, MS is thought [...]

LDN for MS: Results of Three Clinical Trials

Ziggi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:57:49 +0000

International studies probed the safety and efficacy of a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis in pill form.

By Ronald Hoffman, MD

In January 2008, Action published an article about low-dose naltrexone (LDN), detailing a brief history of this drug and how it works. Originally developed as a treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction, beginning in 1985, researchers began to test it at low doses for treating conditions of the immune system like multiple sclerosis (MS).

In the February 2008, we reported on three on-going clinical trials of LDN for the treatment of MS.

Those trials are now complete. Following is a summary of [...]