This session of Conversations on MS, featuring Dr. Anna Shah of the Rocky Mountain MS Center, was recorded on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
Conversations on MS is an audience-directed discussion covering a wide range of topics. The format is based on user questions submitted before the event, as well as questions asked by the evening’s live audience. This is a unique opportunity to ask questions and explore information there usually isn’t time for during a clinic visit with your neurologist.
A brief list of links mentioned during this session, and an index of all questions addressed during the talk, are included further down on this page.
Links Discussed in This Session:
MS Center Education Summits (upcoming events and archives): https://mscenter.org/education-summits/
Results of the DISCO-MS Study from InforMS Magazine: https://mscenter.org/article/results-of-the-disco-ms-study/
Information on Hydrotherapy and Online Exercise classes with the MS Center: https://mscenter.org/support/hydrotherapy/
More info on research can be found here: https://mscenter.org/research/
General information on all ongoing clinical trials can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/
Please take a moment to fill out our Webinar Evaluation form. Your input helps make sure our Education Programs continue to meet the needs of our community… https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H55Q9D5
Index of Questions and Discussion Topics in This Session
Note: These links will open YouTube in a new browser window.
- 1:51 Recommendations to a 75 years old MS patient, diagnosed 35 years ago, without active MS for at least the last five years?
- 3:20 Will there be more research on discontinuing DMTs?
- 6:08 Is it usual for MS to return after dormancy?
- 8:38 What exercises can I do to strengthen my limbs?
- 11:40 Discuss the effectiveness/dosages of Baclofen for spasticity.
- 16:07 Is there anything more on specific diets, fasting, paleo, plant based, dairy, salt etc.?
- 20:00 What is the best way to deal with the cramp or spasm once it hits?
- 22:07 I am newly diagnosed. What are the most important things I can do to have the best quality of life— exercise and diet?
- 23:40 What are the things I should do to prepare for my neurology appointment? What topics other than my test results would be good to discuss with my neurologist?
- 26:55 What are peoples’ experiences with CBD and medical marijuana for help managing their MS symptoms?
- 29:29 How can somebody participate in a trial?
- 31:20 Can taking a statin cause muscular pain or other side effects that may exacerbate their MS symptoms? Should someone with MS avoid statins?
- 34:22 Please discuss peoples’ experiences regulating body temperature and what might be some changes that I can make to better manage this.
- 38:16 I’d like to hear more about the white matter vs. gray matter and vascular issues.
- 41:57 How predictive are the first decades of the disease, with regard to potential progression?
- 43:10 How do I best to manage the health effects of sitting in a wheelchair full-time?
- 46:26 How can we determine what pain is associated with MS?
- 48:39 What can we do for our brains if we have secondary progressive MS?
- 51:35 What would my neurologist do for slight urinary incontinence?
- 54:29 What is the latest on COVID vaccine bivalent boosters, specifically for patients on B cell therapies?
- 56:25 Should people on B-cell depleting DMTs avoid restaurants and bars, etc? Can getting sick cause my MS to get worse?
- 59:43 Is there a therapy to eliminate traces of slow-acting viruses, such as Epstein-Barr after having mono, measles, herpes and human T-cell lymphoma?
- 1:01:45 What is the latest on remyelination to repair old damage?
- 1:03:20 Discuss the risk of infections (especially bladder infections) vs. DMT usage.
About Conversations on MS
Conversations on MS is our touring and livestreaming workshop series led by one of the MS-specialty neurologists from the Rocky Mountain MS Center at University of Colorado. Our doctors travel the region on a regular basis to bring Conversations on MS to you, and provide livestreaming participation from online audience members via Zoom.
To learn more, including an always-updating schedule of coming events, please visit our Conversations on MS page.
Conversations on MS is made possible in part by sponsorships and patient education grants from our supporters, including Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.