Category Archives: MS Treatment

Ashlyn and Dr. Teri Schreiner (credit: CBS) DENVER (CBS4) -Walk MS is not just a walk its an effort to change lives and fight a disease that affects thousands of people in our state. The money raised helps fund important research. Some of that research has led to three new oral treatments. Strong at 16, Ashlyn is living proof of how advancements in multiple sclerosis research are changing lives. I woke up one morning and I had ringing in my ears and I was really dizzy, Ashlyn said. She noticed something was wrong when she was 13, and a year later, she found out she had MS. Once we figured it out and once I got put on medicine it was a relief just to know that I was going to be okay, she said. MS is a mysterious disease that affects the central nervous system by disrupting the flow of information from the brain to the body. Colorado has one of the highest rates of MS in the country, which is why raising money at Walk MS is so critical. Weve made incredible strides with MS over 25 years, Dr Teri Schreiner with University of Colorado Hospital said. MS … Continue reading →

Ashlyn and Dr. Teri Schreiner (credit: CBS) DENVER (CBS4) -Walk MS is not just a walk its an effort to change lives and fight a disease that affects thousands of people in our state. The money raised helps fund important research. Some of that research has led to three new oral treatments. Strong at 16, Ashlyn is living proof of how advancements in multiple sclerosis research are changing lives. I woke up one morning and I had ringing in my ears and I was really dizzy, Ashlyn said. She noticed something was wrong when she was 13, and a year later, she found out she had MS. Once we figured it out and once I got put on medicine it was a relief just to know that I was going to be okay, she said. MS is a mysterious disease that affects the central nervous system by disrupting the flow of information from the brain to the body. Colorado has one of the highest rates of MS in the country, which is why raising money at Walk MS is so critical. Weve made incredible strides with MS over 25 years, Dr Teri Schreiner with University of Colorado Hospital said. MS … Continue reading →

The annual MS Walk went off as scheduled and to everyones surprise the weather cooperated. For first-time walkers like Jayme Pfeifer, the event has taken on a whole new meaning. I was diagnosed on March 4, this year, and I told the partners at my firm and they wanted to support me in this, she said, about why she walked on Sunday. Jaymes Team fromt the law firm Kanuka Thuringer raised $8,000 in pledges and donations, which earned it the title as top rookie team. Pfeifer said it was surreal to hear the diagnosis and says it still hasnt completely sunk in. It was hard (to hear the diagnosis), she said. My mom has MS so I have been watching her deal with it for several years. After experiencing symptoms such as numbness, Pfeifer decided to get checked. As much as I didnt want to be diagnosed with MS, I kind of expected it, said Pfeifer. It will, hopefully, only affect me a little bit throughout my life and the symptoms I have now are more annoying than debilitating. You can certainly live with it. I heard people say its a life sentence, not a death sentence. She plans on … Continue reading →

30 April 2013 Last updated at 15:51 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Around 4,000 people in Wales have MS, an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system Services for people in Wales with multiple sclerosis (MS) are a "postcode lottery", a leading charity has warned. The MS Society Cymru says less than 60% of people in mid and west Wales can access a neurologist when needed. North Wales was better served with at least 90% of people having access, and at least 70% in south east Wales. The charity urged ministers to ensure everyone with MS had the care and support needed. The Welsh government said progress was being made. The report, being launched in the Welsh assembly on Tuesday, is based on the largest ever survey of people with MS in Wales. It is a neurological condition which can cause fatigue, vision problems and difficulties with walking for those who have it. As well as the varying pattern of services available, the study also found that just a third of people who said they needed support finding or keeping a job could get the help they needed and that there were "far longer" waiting … Continue reading →

Published Monday, 29 April 2013 Ten thousand people across the UK took part in the survey. (Getty) Two of the most effective disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) are Tysabri and Fingolimod. The licensed medicines can reduce the frequency and severity of MS attacks, and in some cases can slow the progression of disability. Just 31% of people eligible for Tysabri are currently receiving it in Northern Ireland. Based on NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) estimates, 16% of people with relapsing remitting MS in the region may be eligible for Fingolimod, the report by the MS Society also revealed. It is an oral tablet which can reduce relapses by up to 60%. In Northern Ireland, around one in every 500 people live with the disabling neurological condition. The region has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world. Tom Mallon, Head of the MS Society in Northern Ireland, said: "These findings worryingly suggest that the likelihood of someone receiving a life changing treatment is often based on luck - like where they live or how helpful their healthcare professional is - rather than their genuine clinical need." Originally posted here: MS patients 'need better access to drugs' … Continue reading →

28 April 2013 Last updated at 21:42 ET Only 40% of people eligible for drugs to combat multiple sclerosis in the UK are actually taking them, says a report from the MS Society. A survey of more than 10,000 adults with MS showed that many were missing out on the seven licensed medicines approved for use. The charity said a lack of information and access to specialists was to blame. It is calling for the government to provide a personalised care plan to every person with MS. The MS Society's survey and accompanying report showed that there were differences in access to disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) across the four nations of the UK. These are medicines that can reduce the frequency and severity of MS attacks, and in some cases can slow the progression of the disabling condition. Someone living in Northern Ireland with MS was twice as likely to be taking a DMT (68%) than someone with the condition in Wales (30%), for example. Access to treatment in Scotland and England was only a little higher at 36% and 40%. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition that affects around 100,000 people in the UK. See the original post: MS … Continue reading →

Custom byline text: Helen Puttick Health Correspondent According to the study, only about one-third of sufferers who could benefit from life-transforming medicines are taking them one of the worst rates in Europe. Four NHS boards are failing to meet official standards for giving patients access to the range of specialists they need, according to the research by the MS Society. The report, titled A Lottery of Treatment and Care MS Services across Scotland and the UK, reveals one-quarter of patients say they cannot see a neurologist when they need help with their symptoms. Christine Carlin, director of the charity in Scotland, says in the foreword: "This report should be a sobering wake-up call for all of us working to improve the lives of people with MS in the UK. "For the 10,500 people in Scotland who live with MS, there remains great inequality in the services, support and care available across the country." Scotland has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, but Ms Carlin said the survey found too many areas where care and treatment lagged behind other parts of the UK. She added: "Some of the statistics in this report are nothing short of shameful." … Continue reading →

The MS Society carried out the survey and is now calling for an end to the 'postcode lottery' of care for sufferers Lucy Clapham Monday, April 29, 2013 7:00 AM A divide between access to specialist treatment for MS sufferers in Norfolk and Suffolk has been revealed - as a campaign to put an end to postcode lottery care is launched. To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in. New figures have shown almost half of patients living in Suffolk have not been able to see an MS nurse in the last 12 months when required - while three quarters of sufferers in neighbouring Norfolk have. The contrast in care has been revealed by leading charity the MS Society, which this week launched its campaign calling for all sufferers to have fair access to the treatments and services they need, when they need them. The society carried out a nationwide survey of people with multiple sclerosis - the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults - and spoke to hundreds of patients in both counties. Its figures - published today - showed 47pc of people in Suffolk who needed to see an … Continue reading →

MS patients 'suffering' in north east Essex 8:00am Monday 29th April 2013 in News MORE than 60 per cent of MS patients in north east Essex are not being given the correcttreatment for the condition. Research carried out by the MS Society centres on access to disease modifying treatment drugs (DMTs) which research suggests can reduce MS relapses by one third. There is a disparity with other parts of the UK, with some commissioning groups being prepared to fund the drugs and others not. The society surveyed 88 people from north east Essex as part of a nationwide poll of more than 10,000 adults living with MS. It is the largest UK survey among people with MS ever conducted. Nick Rijke, Director of Policy and Research at the MS Society, added: These findings worryingly suggest that many people in north east Essex with MS are being denied treatments that can dramatically improve quality of life, reducing relapses and the range of often devastating symptoms that come with them. People with MS are facing a lottery when it comes to accessing the care and support they need to manage their condition and this must change. Not only does access to medicine … Continue reading →

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, notable figures including Eddie Izzard, Sally Gunnell OBE and Billie Piper, called for an end to the postcode lottery and treatment for all. Oritse Williams, a band member of the boy band JLS, who helped care for his mother who has MS while he was growing up, was also a signatory to the letter. Patricia Gordon, the acting Chief Executive of the MS Society, said that the UK is behind the rest of Europe in treating MS despite having high incidence of the disease. Perhaps most concerning is that as many as six out of 10 people with relapsing forms of MS are currently going without any form of disease modifying treatment. Across Europe, only Poland and Romania fare worse. The report found access to Sativex the UKs first cannabis-based licensed medicine and Fampyra which can improve walking speed by 25 per cent is abysmally low. Only two per cent of people with MS have access to these life-changing treatments. Since the survey botox has been licensed for treatment for an overactive bladder, adding to the treatments which should be available for people with MS. The Postal survey of around 10,000 people with … Continue reading →