Podcast
RealTalk MS
Hosted by Jon Strum · EN
Jon Strum cuts through all the jargon and breaks down the latest multiple sclerosis news. You'll meet the scientists who are creating tomorrow's MS treatments today. You'll hear from the experts discussing how the latest tweaks and changes to our healthcare laws will impact your MS treatment. And we'll be talking to the courageous MS warriors who are out there advocating on behalf of the MS community every day, as well as the men and women who are committed to living their best lives with MS and living their best lives as MS caregivers. If you're dealing with multiple sclerosis in your life -- as a patient, caregiver, family member, or friend -- join us each week for RealTalk MS.
45episodes
Episodes
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Episode 416: The Updated McDonald Diagnostic Criteria for MS with Dr. Andrew Solomon
Aug 1800:27:52Summary readySince 2001, clinicians have relied on the McDonald Diagnostic Criteria as the gold standard for diagnosing someone with multiple sclerosis. As science continues to add to our understanding of MS, the McDonald Criteria have been updated in 2005, 2010, 2017, and most recently in 2024. This latest iteration of the McDonald criteria will be published in September, and today, Dr. Andrew Solomon is giving us a preview of what these changes are, what they mean, and how they're going to improve the process of diagnosing someone with MS. We'll also share results of a study that show MS may actually start 15 years before someone experiences their first MS symptom. We'll tell you about a study that shows a decline in the number of people with MS who are progressing to secondary progressive MS. We'll give you all the details so you can participate in the Shaping Tomorrow Together initiative with the FDA. And we'll remind you that Burgers to Beat MS Day is just two days away! We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Updated criteria for diagnosing MS :22 Study results show that MS actually starts many years before the first symptom 1:21 Study shows a decline in the number of people progressing to secondary progressive MS 7:40 A unique opportunity for you to impact future treatments and share your experience of living with MS with the FDA 9:51 We're just 2 days away from Burgers to Beat MS Day! 13:06 Dr. Andrew Solomon shares a preview of the updated McDonald Diagnostic Criteria for MS 14:40 Share this episode 26:20 Coming next week 26:41 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/416 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com PARTICIPATE: Take the Shaping Tomorrow Together Survey https://s.alchemer.com/s3/Perspectives-on-MS REGISTER: Attend the virtual Shaping Tomorrow Together meeting with the FDA https://nmss.quorum.us/event/25463 STUDY: Health Care Use Before Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Onset https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2837128 STUDY: Health Care Use Before Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Onset (PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION) https://tremlettsmsresearchexplained.wordpress.com/2025/08/05/healthcare-use-before-multiple-sclerosis-symptom-onset-explained STUDY: Multiple Sclerosis From Onset to Secondary Progression: A 30-Year Italian Register Study https://researchgate.net/publication/392714813_Multiple_sclerosis_from_onset_to_secondary_progression_a_30-year_Italian_register_study DONATE: Burgers To Beat MS https://burgerstobeatms.ca Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 416 Guest: Dr. Andrew Solomon Privacy Policy
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Episode 415: Your Money -- Ways to Earn and Hold Onto More of It When You're Living with MS with Beth Scott and Paula Cole
Aug 11, 202500:29:04Summary readyLiving with MS is expensive. Very expensive. It's estimated that the average cost of living with MS is over $88,000 per year. How, in the midst of financial stress and uncertainty, can you formulate a financial plan that takes MS into account? Paula Cole lives with MS, and she also lives with a lot of financial planning savvy. Paula joins the podcast to share tips and strategies for establishing a personal financial plan for you and your family -- even while you're coping with MS. And Beth Scott, the director of case management at the Patient Advocate Foundation, joins us to explain how you can take advantage of work incentive programs that allow an individual to keep working or even try returning to work while they're receiving Social Security Disability cash benefits. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Ways to earn and hold onto more money when you're living with MS :22 Beth Scott explains how you can benefit from work incentive programs while you're receiving Social Security Disability cash benefits :35 Paula Cole shares tips and strategies for establishing a personal financial plan for you and your family when you're living with MS 12:48 Share this episode 27:47 Next Week: The new criteria for diagnosing MS 28:07 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/415 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Become an MS Activist https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 415 Guests: Beth Scott, Paula Cole Privacy Policy
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Episode 414: Finding Peace in the Midst of Uncertainty with Andrea Arzt, LCSW, MSCS
Aug 4, 202500:33:45Summary readyLiving with MS has always meant living with uncertainty. Left unchecked, that uncertainty can lead to anxiety, which can make your MS symptoms feel worse. This week, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Andrea Arzt, joins me to share tips and strategies for finding peace in the midst of uncertainty. You'll also meet the CEO of the MS International Federation, Dr. Lydia Makaroff. And you'll hear how artist Gordon Keith is combining his art with philanthropy in support of MS Canada. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Finding peace during uncertain times :22 Dr. Lydia Makaroff discusses the work that the MS International Federation is involved in on behalf of the global MS community :58 Gordon Keith discusses his life as an artist and how he's using his art to raise funds for MS Canada 10:43 Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Andrea Arzt, offers strategies for finding peace of mind while facing uncertainty 21:40 Share this episode 32:12 Next Week: It's all about the money! 32:32 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/414 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Become an MS Activist https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 414 Guests: Dr. Lydia Makaroff, Gordon Keith, and Andrea Arzt Privacy Policy
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Episode 413: How AI Will Impact MS Patient Care with Dr. Brad Willingham
Jul 28, 202500:34:48Summary readyWe're witnessing the early stages of a paradigm shift, as artificial intelligence is beginning to impact virtually every aspect of healthcare, from research to patient care. And there's much, much more to come. This week, Dr. Brad Willingham, the Director of MS Research at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, joins me to discuss how AI will impact MS patient care. We'll also share the encouraging results from a Phase 2 open-label extension study for Fenebrutinib, an investigational disease-modifying therapy. We'll tell you about study results that show exercise interventions that follow physical activity guidelines for MS can have a significant impact on MS-related depression. And we're sharing the results of a study that illustrate what can happen when you delay starting a disease-modifying therapy. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: How AI will impact MS patient care :22 Fenebrutinib shows positive results after one-year extension study 1:33 MS-related depression can be significantly eased through exercise intervention that follows physical activity guidelines for MS 3:36 What happens when you delay starting disease-modifying therapy? 8:46 Dr. Brad Willingham discusses how artificial intelligence is impacting all aspects of healthcare 14:29 Share this episode 33:18 Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app? 33:38 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/413 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Become an MS Activist https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy STUDY: Safety and Efficacy of Fenebrutinib in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (FENopta): A Multicentre, Double-Blind, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Trial and Open-Label Extension https://thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(25)00174-7/abstract?rss=yes STUDY: Effects of Meeting Exercise Guidelines on Depression and Anxiety in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09593985.2025.2518261 Exercise and Physical Activity Recommendations for ALL People with MS https://nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/news/exercise-and-physical-activity-recommend STUDY: Delayed Access and Adherence are Real-World Challenges That Compromise Effectiveness of Natalizumab in Multiple Sclerosis https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211034825003694 Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 413 Guest: Dr. Brad Willingham Privacy Policy
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Episode 412: Understanding Late-Onset MS with Dr. Jacqueline Nicholas
Jul 21, 202500:30:58Summary readyMore people over the age of 50 are being diagnosed with MS than ever before. When you consider the other health conditions that often develop as we age, and you add the fact that our immune system changes with age, there's a lot to think about when it comes to diagnosing and treating late-onset MS. This week, Dr. Jacqueline Nicholas, the System Chief of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis at the OhioHealth Multiple Sclerosis Center, joins me to help us better understand late-onset MS. We'll also tell you about research results that could lead to a simple blood test that can predict MS years before someone experiences a single symptom. You'll learn about an ultra-high resolution brain imaging tool that could open the door to precision neuroscience and revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders The FDA wants to talk with people about what living with MS is like, and what they're looking for in future treatments. We'll tell you how and where to register for an informational webinar that will give you all the details about the Shaping Tomorrow Together initiative. And if you're in or around Northern California, we'll remind you that you can join us this Saturday in Napa Valley at Crush MS! We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Understanding Late-Onset MS :22 How a simple blood test may predict MS years before someone experiences any symptoms 1:34 How a new ultra-high resolution brain imaging tool may revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders 6:40 Are you interested in telling the FDA what it's like living with MS, and what you want in future treatments? 8:53 Are you ready to support MS research while spending the afternoon in a Napa Valley vineyard? Get all the details to attend Crush MS 10:29 Dr. Jacqueline Nicholas discusses what's different and what's the same in treating late-onset MS 12:09 Share this episode 29:26 Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app? 29:46 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/412 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Become an MS Activist https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy STUDY: Early Identification of Individuals at Risk for Developing Multiple Sclerosis by Quantification of EBNA-1-381-452-Specific Antibody Titers https://nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61751-9 REGISTER: Informational Webinar on the FDA "Shaping Tomorrow Together" Listening Session https://nmss.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hHdHhEE3TBmPJ2glcgME0Q#/registration EVENT: Crush MS https://crushms.org Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200 Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Deviceshttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 412 Guest: Dr. Jacqueline Nicholas Privacy Policy
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