Source MS Trust: The Risk Sharing Scheme: What is it and how has it made a difference for people with MS?

Diagnose and adios

“Diagnose and adios”. This was the phrase used to describe the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) up until the mid-1990s.

It’s hard to fathom today, but back then neurologists had little to offer people with MS by way of drugs and treatments and many were left to deal with complex and unpredictable symptoms alone.  “Neurologists routinely told people like me ‘You’ve got MS – go home and learn to live with it’,” MS Trust co-founder Chris Jones remembers.

The landscape was bleak. MS specialist nurses were few and far between, research into the condition was limited and, understandably, hope was in short supply.  Read on.

Source Independent Living: Travelling around the UK is certainly not easy for wheelchair users. Many wheelchair users have, in fact, faced prejudice while attempting to get around independently.

Comedian, Tanyallee Davis, recently suffered and expressed her humiliation on a train journey during which the driver insisted she move from the disabled space she was rightfully occupying, to make way for a woman boarding with a pram.

Unfortunately, the situation escalated to the point where she was taken more than 50 miles away from her destination.

Situations such as this only highlight the need for accessible venues and spaces. With that in mind, Karma Mobility – specialist suppliers of powered wheelchairs – are sharing their greatest apps for accessible travel.  Find out more here.

Making a lasting power of attorney for your health and wellbeing and financial affairs has never been easier! You may never need it, but it’s a good idea to plan ahead just in case!

The government online service will guide you through the process to create a lasting power of attorney. Find out more here.

Source F1000 Prime: Fox et al. present the results of the eagerly awaited SPRINT-MS trial – a multi-centre phase II double blinded placebo controlled study of ibudilast in decreasing brain atrophy in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Ibudilast was previously trialled in relapsing MS and whilst it did not prevent the reduction of new T2 lesions, it had an effect on decreasing brain atrophy and conversion of gadolinium-enhancing lesions to T1 black holes. Coupled with its immunomodulation properties and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, ibudilast was felt to be worth studying in progressive MS (PMS).  Read on (click on the abstract tab)

Source MS Trust: Want to know more about how what you eat can affect your MS? We put some of your questions to Dr Conor Kerley, a registered dietitian who was diagnosed with MS at 16.

Every week there seems to be media coverage of a new piece of research, suggesting that what you eat or drink could make a difference to how your MS progresses. But diet is a hugely controversial topic in the MS world, partly because it’s so hard to do research. As two new large-scale studies of diet begin in the US, we put some of your questions to Dr Conor Kerley, a registered dietitian who was diagnosed with MS when he was 16. Read on.