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MS Living Well: Key Info from Multiple Sclerosis Experts

MS Living Well: Key Info from Multiple Sclerosis Experts

Barry Singer, MD

Barry Singer, MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, interviews global expert guests about the latest treatments, innovations and tips for people living with multiple sclerosis.

45 - Mind Over MS: Strategies for Staying Positive
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  • 45 - Mind Over MS: Strategies for Staying Positive

    Facing the first symptoms and a new multiple sclerosis diagnosis can be terrifying, leaving you with a flood of questions about your future. How do you navigate your career, relationships, and whether to start a family? The uncertainty can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to go it alone. Support from loved ones and connections with others living with MS can help light the way.

    As MS progresses, the mental challenges often intensify. The battle to accept mobility aids—devices that many resist—can feel like a loss, but in reality, they can expand your world. In this episode, we dive deep into the mental strategies to better cope with MS. Two inspiring advocates living with MS describe embracing change, turning their struggles into stories of strength, adaptability and hope.

    Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

    Ardra Shephard, writer, podcaster and television host based in Toronto, Canada

    Tyler Campbell, professional inspirational speaker and former college football player from Austin, Texas

    Tue, 01 Oct 2024 - 38min
  • 44 - Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis

    In this era of highly effective treatments, early intervention for multiple sclerosis can be life changing. However, the wide range of initial symptoms often leads to many people being undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leaving them without the proper care for years. In this podcast episode, we'll discuss the early signs of MS and the key tests, such as specific MRI and spinal fluid results, that are crucial for a timely and accurate diagnosis.

    Criteria to diagnose MS continues to evolve to help make a diagnosis more swiftly and correctly. Specific MRI findings in the brain and spinal cord can allow for an immediate diagnosis of MS with the first attack. Brand-new updates highlight the role of the optic nerve and even offer a path to diagnosing MS in people who show no neurological symptoms. With so much at stake, a timely and accurate diagnosis of MS is more important than ever.

    Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

    Xavier Montalban MD PhD, Chair of Neurology, Director of CEMCAT (Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia) at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain  

    Léorah Freeman MD PhD, Assistant Professor, Dell Medical School Department of Neurology, UT Health Austin Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center 

    Tue, 10 Sep 2024 - 35min
  • 43 - MS & The Spinal Cord

    The spinal cord serves as the main communication highway between the brain and body. Did you know that 80% of people with multiple sclerosis have spinal cord lesions on MRI? These lesions can disrupt specific neural pathways, leading to common MS symptoms like numbness, weakness, impaired coordination, balance issues, bladder problems, constipation, and sexual dysfunction. For instance, damage to the corticospinal tract on one side of the spinal cord can weaken an arm or leg.

    A remarkable autopsy study revealed that nearly 90% of people with MS still had active inflammation in the spinal cord. This finding brings new hope for potential treatments, even for older and progressive MS patients. Advances in imaging technology, including more powerful MRI scanners (3 Tesla and higher), are enhancing our ability to see inside the spinal cord, which is as thin as a pinky finger. Improved spinal cord imaging is driving the development of new therapies in clinical trials and helping identify those at risk for worsening disability, ultimately guiding better treatment decisions.

    Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

    Gabriele De Luca MD DPhil, Professor of Clinical Neurology and Experimental Neuropathology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

    Bruce Cree MD PhD, Professor of Neurology at University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

    Tue, 20 Aug 2024 - 39min
  • 42 - Uncommon Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

    Awareness of the more uncommon multiple sclerosis symptoms can lead to an earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment. For instance, experiencing electrical shock sensations when bending the neck forward, known as Lhermitte’s sign, may indicate an attack on the cervical spinal cord. Likewise, excruciating bolts of pain across either side of the face, called trigeminal neuralgia, can be caused by a MS relapse. The MS hug, an unfriendly, squeezing sensation around the torso, can respond to muscle relaxants and nerve pain medications. Some MS symptoms, like tingling in legs, only surface when exercising or overheated (Uhthoff’s phenomenon).

    Vertigo, a spinning sensation, can be a sign of MS, especially when lasting days and accompanied by other symptoms like gait imbalance, facial numbness and double vision. Brainstem attacks may also lead to swallowing issues and shaky vision. While MS bladder issues are commonly addressed,  bowel problems, including constipation, urgency, incontinence and trouble evacuating, should not be overlooked. Overcoming stigma is essential to treat sexual dysfunction.

    Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

    Mary Ann Picone MD, Medical Director, MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, New Jersey

    Bruce Hughes MD, Director of the Ruan Multiple Sclerosis Center, MercyOne, Des Moines, Iowa

    Tue, 07 May 2024 - 35min
  • 41 - Harnessing AI: Transforming MS Care

    Prepare to be intrigued by the groundbreaking intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and multiple sclerosis care! By combing through extensive databases, including genetic information and real patient records, AI can forecast with remarkable accuracy the likelihood of MS onset. In the near future, AI could even serve as a guiding light for clinicians and MS patients in selecting the most suitable disease-modifying therapies, armed with predictive algorithms tailored for each individual.

    But the marvels of AI don’t stop there. In a recent study, AI detected an astonishing 93% of new and enlarging T2 brain lesions in MRI scans, far surpassing the 58% accuracy rate of routine radiology reads. Artificial intelligence is also making waves in drug development and early clinical trial design, accelerating the quest for innovative therapies to combat MS.

    Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

    Tal Arbel PhD, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal

    Michael Barnett MBBS (Hons) FRACP PhD, Professor in Neurology, University of Sydney and Director of the MS Society Clinic & MS Clinical Trials Unit at the Brain and Mind Centre

    Tue, 09 Apr 2024 - 39min
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