The Mouse Doc explains how disease modifying therapies work in the body to help to treat multiple sclerosis. He describes the problems with the animal model of MS, and the fact that the disease may well be a B-cell disease, rather than a T-cell disease. If you’ve been reading the Mouse Doc’s posts on B-cells but need a round-up or an explanation, it’s really worth watching this...
Guest post: MS Perceptions: help us understand how we understand MS
It is actually surprising how little most people know about MS. This is important because people who know someone with MS usually want to offer help and support, but don’t know what to offer. Many would offer help if they understood better what was making life difficult for the person with MS, such as fatigue, brain fog, the drug regime, etc. Also many people don’t know anyone...
Off-label disease modification for people with multiple sclerosis in resource poor settings.
Drugs are rationed on the basic of cost-effectiveness. This is all well and dandy if you live in a place where you can get access to treatment x or y because you have socialized medicine or access to a health insurance scheme. However, live outside these regions and your annual income may be less than the cost of all current MS drugs. If you live as a pwMS or work as a Neurologist in a...
Stem cell therapies for MS – why we need to get it right
Hi, my name is Niall (pronounced Neil) and I’m a neurologist working with people affected by MS in the West of Scotland area. I grew up in Lanarkshire and I became interested in MS when I was working as a trainee in Dundee. It’s a complex disease and looking after people affected by MS in clinic gives you a chance to get to know them a bit over the years which is quite nice...
HIIT training in MS
Are you into HIIT? Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018 Jun 13;24:55-63. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2018.06.005. [Epub ahead of print] High intensity interval training for people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review. Campbell E, Coulter EH, Paul L. BACKGROUND: Aerobic high intensity interval training (HIIT) is safe in the general population and more efficient in improving fitness than continuous...
Stornoway research day series: Vitamin D
Dr Stewart Webb talks about Vitamin D and its role in multiple sclerosis. He discusses bone health, falls and fractures. Watch Stewart’s talk on our Youtube channel. Subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on our videos and talks. This is one of the talks from the healthcare professionals day. The audience consisted of district nurses, physios, health visitors, GPs and many others that...
MS Dream Team are on their way!
The team arrived in one piece at Fort William (the home of the tallest peak in Scotland: Ben Nevis) just shy of midnight yesterday. This morning we’ve packed and re-packed our bags, tried out our UK MS Society t-shirts (some of us need to lose weight…), and are deligently checking the weather hour to hour for a wee glimpse of the sun. Scotland even at her worst is simply breathtaking...
Stornoway research day: What does the future hold?
Prof G discusses upcoming treatments for progressive MS and the importance of maintaining brain health and upper limb function. Watch Prof G’s talk on our Youtube channel (it’s a bit longer than the others, but an interesting half an hour if you’ve got the time!) And subscribe to our channel to keep up to date with our talks and videos. This is similar to the last talk we...
Guest post: A snapshot of current disease modifying therapies
There are many disease modifying therapies (DMTs) available for people with Relapsing MS in 2018. DMTs work to prevent MS relapses in the future, and to minimize new MRI activity over time. With many options, it can be hard to decide which therapy to start on, or which one to switch to. Sometimes, a physician may have a preference for starting one therapy over another. However, most of the...
Stornoway research day series: The cost of MS
Dr Niall MacDougall discusses the economics behind MS and the cost to the individual, families and society. Watch Niall’s talk on our Youtube channel. And subscribe to our channel to keep up to date with our videos. This is one of the talks from the healthcare professionals day. The audience consisted of district nurses, physios, health visitors, GPs and many others that look after people...