Wheelchairs: Don’t be scared, embrace them as friends

Ian Franks has MS and, because he has severe mobility problems, he is also a wheelchair user. Today he says don't be afraid to use wheelchairs, they are tools to help you get around and improve your independence.

Coronavirus and MS: Societies speak out

As MSers seek information and guidance in the face of coronavirus, Ian Franks has some answers from the USA's NMSS and the UK's MS Society.

Awareness needed to drive toward world free of MS

Public awareness is of utmost importance in the fight against multiple sclerosis – in the main for two reasons that are, in my opinion, equally deserving of our attention. Greater understanding of the disease will, hopefully, have the twin effects of improving how people react to those of us living with it, and increase the …

Have fun, raise money and awareness of MS

MS Awareness Month begins on March 1, just three days away, so it is just the right time to look at how many of us are living with the disease, and to look ahead to taking part in, supporting, and having fun enjoying its activities,

Healthy eating can improve MS symptoms, but societies won’t endorse any one diet

Multiple sclerosis organisations around the world back the idea that eating a healthy diet can help people with the disease. But they are refusing, correctly in my view, to get behind any one diet. A new study, published in Neurology, says that eating a healthy diet may be linked with reduced disability and fewer MS …

Nearly 1 million Americans have MS, not 400,000 as previously thought – NMSS Study

A new National MS Society (NMSS) prevalence study estimates that nearly 1 million people have multiple sclerosis in the USA. And that’s more than twice as many as previously thought. The new estimate is that 947,000 people have MS, compared with the long-accepted figure of 400,000. Study results were published as “The Prevalence of Multiple …

Registry set up to compare approved MS therapies

I think it's great that therapies approved as treatments for multiple sclerosis are to be compared for safety and effectiveness. The move is long overdue. Corrona Multiple Sclerosis Registry, which is to carry out the work, has been set up as a result to an important collaboration. A meeting of minds of the US’s National …

A view from the ground: Understand and cut risks of falls

I fall, you probably fall. In fact, anyone with mobility issues that include problems with balance is more than likely to fall from time to time. And that’s how I came to find myself sitting on the ground beside my car. My knee gave way as I was trying to transfer to the car from …

MS medications: Improve access

A call is being made for a change to improve access to medications to treat multiple sclerosis. American National MS Society president and CEO Cyndi Zagieboylo said: “It is time for change. People with chronic illnesses need to have confidence that they’ll be able to get the life-changing medication they need.” The Society’s latest initiative aims …

Help for Anyone Newly Diagnosed with MS

Being diagnosed with MS can be more than a bit of a shock at first. Yes, you finally know what you’ve got, what all those symptoms you’ve having mean, and you have heard what your neurologist told you. Well, you may have heard, but you didn’t take it in because you weren’t actually listening. The …