Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis

Welcome to Living Well with MS, the podcast from the Overcoming MS charity. In each episode, your host Geoff Allix explores a different aspect of the Overcoming MS Program in greater depth by talking with experts and people with MS about health lifestyle changes. New episodes are published on Wednesdays and feature interviews with scientists, neurologists, fitness specialists, diet experts, stress reduction professionals. The podcast also features inspirational, real-life stories from people with multiple sclerosis following the Overcoming MS program, about the challenges and victories of managing symptoms through lifestyle modification.

Webinar Highlights: Resilience following Overcoming MS with Dr Rachael Hunter | S6E17 08/21/2024

Webinar Highlights: Resilience following Overcoming MS with Dr Rachael Hunter | S6E17 Welcome to Living Well with MS, the podcast that empowers you to take control of your health and wellbeing. Today we’re sharing the highlights from our webinar on ‘Resilience following Overcoming MS’ with the fantastic Dr Rachael Hunter. Rachael is a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer in clinical and health psychology at Swansea University. She's an OMSer herself and wrote the chapter on resilience in the She gave us so much interesting information and many helpful tips - we hope you find this really useful in bringing resilience into your own life. Let us know what you think! Watch this episode on YouTube and keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 00:59 Dr Hunter’s professional background and an overview of the Overcoming MS Program 04:30 What happens to the body physiologically during a stress response 06:55 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the fundamentals of wellness 09:37 Managing emotional wellbeing and scheduling “worry time” 14:30 Managing anxiety through self-compassion and mindfulness 17:24 The benefits of positive relationships with others Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis?   to hear our latest tips. More info and links: ’ Follow Dr Hunter on , and New to Overcoming MS?   Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out:  to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you  to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation . /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/32668517

Nutritional Therapy with Bristol Ambassador Jenna Cox | S6E16 08/07/2024

Webinar Highlights: Overcoming MS with ‘talkhealth’ and Dr Jonathan White | S6E15 07/31/2024

Webinar Highlights: Overcoming MS with ‘talkhealth’ and Dr Jonathan White | S6E15 In this episode, we’re sharing highlights from a ‘talkhealth’ webinar: ‘TH+ Expert Webinar with Dr Jonathan White: Overcoming MS’. In the webinar, Overcoming MS medical advisor, Dr Jonathan White speaks about the evidence and benefits of the Program, his personal MS journey and making healthy changes for life. ‘talkhealth’ is a patient-centric online health community based in the UK, that provides a full range of support services. Topics and timestamps: 02:25 Intro: Jonathan’s MS diagnosis and Overcoming MS journey. 09:27 The importance of a compassionate diagnosis. 10:14 Finding hope with an MS diagnosis with a healthy lifestyle. 11:29 An overview of the Program. 12:35 How Overcoming MS can prevent other conditions. 13:14 The history of the Overcoming MS charity. 16:27 Connecting through Overcoming MS Circles. 18:39 The research behind the Overcoming MS Program. 22:41 The benefits of physical activity for people with MS. 24:53 Mindfulness and mental health. 28:21 Disease-modifying drugs for MS. 32:14 Preventing MS in family members. 39:24 How to change your life, for life. 42:13 The increase in plant-based options at stores and restaurants. More info and links: Hear Jonathan on other episodes including the , , an , Learn about creating habits with Learn about meditation from New to Overcoming MS?   Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out:  to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS or on your favourite podcast listening app. If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by . Make sure you  to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation . /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/32272687

Following and supporting Overcoming MS as a couple | S6E14 07/24/2024

Following and supporting Overcoming MS as a couple | S6E14 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Jane and Ian Airey-Regardsoe as our guests! Jane is a member of the Southwest, UK Circle and her husband, Ian is cycling to France as a fundraising challenge, supported by Jane, to benefit Overcoming MS. They chat about adopting the Overcoming MS Program as a couple, their fundraising challenge and why they’ve chosen to support the charity. Watch this episode on YouTube . Topics and Timestamps: 01:22 Jane’s MS diagnosis and Overcoming MS journey. 06:49 Adopting the Overcoming MS Program as a partner. 10:08 Tips for adopting the Overcoming MS Program. 11:17 How to improve low vitamin D levels. 14:53 Jane and Ian’s ‘Door to Door cycle’ fundraiser. 16:56 The impact of raising money for Overcoming MS. 18:24 How to prepare for a physical challenge. 24:03 Tips for starting your own fundraising efforts. Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Door to Door Challenge Facts: Date: 8th to 27th September Distance: 950 miles (1,564 km) Total Ascent: 59,000 ft Total Descent: 46,400 ft Route: Holcombe Rogus, Poole, Normandy, Britanny, The Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Limousin, Midi Pyrenees View the Contribute to Jane and Ian’s New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/32062692

Highly Sensitive People and MS with Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Rachel Burn | S6E13 06/26/2024

Highly Sensitive People and MS with Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Rachel Burn | S6E13 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Rachel Burn as our guest! Rachel is a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and follows the Overcoming MS Program. In this episode, Rachel talks to Geoff about who should work with a therapist, how to choose a therapist, how to unpack our emotions and how to know if you’re a highly sensitive person. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:46 Rachel’s background and her MS and Overcoming MS journey. 08:14 Who should work with a therapist? 09:49 How you should choose a therapist and style of therapy. 12:27 How to unpack your emotions scientifically as waves of chemicals. 16:06 Unhelpful tactics of clinging to emotions or suppressing them. 19:29 The connection with highly sensitive people (HSPs) and autoimmunity. 21:43 How to know if you’re highly sensitive. 26:05 The power of the Overcoming MS community for the newly diagnosed. Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Connect with Rachel on the Follow Rachel on TikTok Listen to on meditation tips Find out more about the books that Rachel mentions: Gabor Mate’s book Elaine Aron’s book Bessel van Der Kolk’s book Susan Gehrig’s book Lisa Feldman Barrett’s book: Read about the New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/31895982

Accessible Live Music with Bee Grzegorzek from Attitude is Everything | S6E12 06/19/2024

Accessible Live Music with Bee Grzegorzek from Attitude is Everything | S6E12 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Bee Grzegorzek (she/they) as our guest! Bee is the Inclusive Communities Manager for UK-based charity, Attitude is Everything, which connects disabled people with music and live event industries to improve access together. They talk to Geoff about making a festival safe and enjoyable, her top tips for finding accessible venues and red flags to look for in a venue’s accessibility. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 00:56 Introduction: What is Attitude is Everything? 03:10 Environmental, organisational and attitudinal barriers to access. 05:34 Advances in accessibility in the last 20 years. 07:36 Whose responsibility is it to educate people about accessibility? 08:57 Bee’s top tips for finding accessible venues. 10:49 Red flags to look for when asking about a venue’s accessibility. 15:13 What to do if there’s an accessibility problem during an event. 17:52 Bee’s recommendations for making a festival as safe and fun as possible. 21:51 How to navigate food at venues with dietary requirements. 23:50 The benefits of accessibility scheme cards. 25:21 Personal assistant tickets. 26:38 Helping disabled artists get their access needs met. Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: UK for Welsh access for access needs Visit website for dietary needs New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/31694702

Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Fraser Quin | S6E11 05/29/2024

Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Fraser Quin | S6E11 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we explore topics relating to living a full and healthy life with multiple sclerosis. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Dr Fraser Quin as our guest! Dr Quin is the Executive Director of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM), a charity that promotes the role of lifestyle medicine in improving people’s health and wellbeing. He speaks to Dr Jonathan White about the role of lifestyle medicine for people with MS, the importance of sleep and how healthcare professionals are training to support their patients with lifestyle medicine. Topics and Timestamps 00:00 Dr Quin’s background and role at the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM). 04:02 What is lifestyle medicine? And what isn’t lifestyle medicine? 07:02 The role of the BSLM in the healthcare landscape. 10:28 The history and future of lifestyle medicine across the globe. 16:08 Why sleep is such an important pillar of lifestyle medicine. 20:28 How doctors are being trained in lifestyle medicine. 29:27 The #1Change Campaign: How making one small healthy change can change your life. Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Find out more about the Find out more about the Learn more about the Learn about creating habits with New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Dr Quin’s bio: Dr Quin’s career Dr Fraser Quin is the Executive Director of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, European Lifestyle Medicine Council and World Lifestyle Medicine Organisation. Fraser is currently a Non-Executive Director of Ark Housing Association and was previously Chair of Deaf Action, Scotland’s largest Deaf charity. His academic background Fraser also has a background in higher education and was formerly a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, completing his PhD at Edinburgh University. His personal life Fraser is a strong advocate for Lifestyle Medicine and is in his own words “living the dream” as a keen cyclist, with his type 2 diabetes currently in remission. He is also an avid motorcyclist and regularly tours Europe and the UK on his Triumph. Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/31514957

Webinar Highlights: Accessible Movement for the Overcoming MS Community with Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S6E10 05/15/2024

Webinar Highlights: Accessible Movement for the Overcoming MS Community with Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S6E10 In this episode, we’re sharing highlights from our webinar ‘Accessible Movement for the Overcoming MS Community’ with Dr Véronique Gauthier-Simmons. Véronique is a qualified yoga therapist who follows the Overcoming MS Program and supports Overcoming MS as a facilitator. She discusses the benefits of exercise, how to make it more accessible and how to stay motivated. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:01 The benefits of exercise. 07:09 How you can set SMART goals to stay motivated to exercise. 12:40 How you can modify physical activity for your ability and balance. 15:14 Breathing exercises to work your core muscles. 20:46 Examples of chair-based exercises for the arms, legs and spine. 29:15 Your intention can change how an exercise feels in your body. 34:20 Dopamine release doesn’t occur until six weeks into a new exercise routine, so don’t give up! Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Watch the Read: The Joy of Movement by Find out more about Try an New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/31307322

Sticking with the Overcoming MS diet with Kim Venter | S6E9 05/01/2024

Sticking with the Overcoming MS diet with Kim Venter | S6E9 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Kim Venter as our guest! Kim is a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor, and nutritional consultant. She is also currently training to become a facilitator for Overcoming MS. In this episode, she discusses how to switch to a plant-based diet, how to make your healthy habits stick and her experience starting disease-modifying therapy. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:04 Kim’s diagnosis and MS journey 06:45 Switching to a plant-based diet. 07:38 Top tips on meal planning and grocery shopping on the Overcoming MS diet. 10:08 Making your healthy habits stick. 13:09 Mindful activities you can do to manage your stress. 15:09 Her experience with disease-modifying therapy. 17:23 How diet and pharmaceuticals complement each other. Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Listen to Kim’s Create your own Learn more about Learn more about New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. Kim’s bio: Kim Venter is a British South African currently living in London who was diagnosed with MS in 2010. Kim’s professional background She is a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor and nutritional consultant who thoroughly enjoys working with people and helping them overcome various challenges in their lives. Kim is particularly interested in health psychology, which explores the impact on the mind of what is going on in the body. She feels that this training has increased her awareness of the psychological impact MS has and how the food we eat affects the health of our minds. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/31060093

Webinar Highlights: Your opportunity to ask a qualified nutritional therapist about the Overcoming MS diet with Sam Josephs | S6E8 04/17/2024

Webinar Highlights: Your opportunity to ask a qualified nutritional therapist about the Overcoming MS diet with Sam Josephs | S6E8 In this episode, we are sharing highlights from our webinar, ‘Your opportunity to ask a qualified nutritional therapist about the Overcoming MS diet’ with Sam Josephs. Sam is a qualified nutritional therapist and Overcoming MS facilitator. In this episode, she discusses fasting patterns, tips for Overcoming MS-friendly meals on a budget and how to prevent weight loss. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 02:40 Can fasting help you reduce inflammation? 05:58 How much calcium is safe for you with high doses of vitamin D3? 08:11 Comparing benefits: flax oil supplements vs Omega-3 rich foods. 09:40 Can you have coconut or meat in the absence of Overcoming MS-friendly options? 11:25 Vitamin D2 vs D3 in fortified foods. 13:40 The link between eating dairy and osteoporosis. 16:48 The different types of saturated fats. 19:11 Can you ever eat fast food or processed foods? 22:12 Can you eat egg yolk or meat occasionally? 25:59 How much vitamin K should you have to prevent calcium buildup? 27:16 Is there a limit to the number of egg whites you can eat? 28:18 Can you eat lean meat on the Overcoming MS diet when trying to put on weight? 30:12 What minerals can you take to help with spasticity and tight muscles? 21:46 Tips for cooking Overcoming MS-friendly meals with a busy schedule. 36:48 Snacks to help you prevent weight loss on the Overcoming MS diet. 40:23 Alternatives to flax oil for Omega-3 supplementation 41:59 The benefits of a variety of whole grains for your gut bacteria 44:20 Budget tips for cooking Overcoming MS-friendly meals Selected Key Takeaways: Highly processed foods have negative health implications. 20:11 “Highly processed foods sometimes irritate the gut lining, which can affect our friendly bacterial populations. We're only just starting to understand the detrimental effects of some of these unknown food chemicals, not to mention high levels of salt, and high levels of sugar, all of which on a metabolic level are not good for us. Salt can cause excretion of calcium, which we're trying to retain. The sugars can cause metabolic issues, things like becoming overweight and obese.” A variety of whole grains is beneficial for the gut. 42:35 “It’s important not to rely too heavily on one grain or another. But to keep that variety because each grain has a different nutritional profile and will be broken down differently in the body. The more variety you have with your grains, the more you're encouraging healthy bacteria which indirectly calms MS activity so think about different rice: what about wild rice [or] the red rice? What about buckwheat? Have you tried quinoa yet?” There are multiple intermittent fasting methods to suit your lifestyle. 03:05 “Some people do the five-two diet, which involves eating normally five days of the week, and then just eating dinner on two days of the week, consuming much lower calories. You could fast overnight for 16 hours and then eat your food in a much smaller window of eight hours. It could be done as a water fast where you don't eat anything at all, and just drink water one day a week or a couple of days a month.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Sam Josephs has been featured on , , and New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/30850078

Mindfulness with MS Nurse and Overcoming MS Facilitator, Sue Tibbles | S6E7 04/03/2024

Mindfulness with MS Nurse and Overcoming MS Facilitator, Sue Tibbles | S6E7 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Sue Tibbles as our guest! Sue is an MS nurse and Overcoming MS facilitator who follows the Program. She is a qualified mindfulness teacher with a Master’s in Mindfulness from the University of Aberdeen. In this episode, she discusses tips for setting up a mindfulness practice, the role of stress and MS and shares some different mindfulness practices. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:19 Sue’s stress-related MS diagnosis. 05:59 Navigating the difficulties of starting a mindfulness practice. 09:24 Effective ways you can settle the mind. 10:54 Practical tips for setting up your own mindfulness practice. 13:05 The role of an MS Nurse. 16:23 How to talk to your healthcare provider about the Overcoming MS Program. 18:52 Tips for when you are newly diagnosed or new to the Program. 24:51 The impact of stress in MS flares. 30:21 Formal vs informal mindfulness practices. Selected Key Takeaways: Don't stress if your healthcare professional initially dismisses the Overcoming MS Program 17:03 “I think it's a really nice opportunity for you to be able to teach [your healthcare professional about the Program]. If you come across resistance from them, I don't think there's an awful lot of point in becoming resentful about that. That's not going to achieve anything at the end of the day. There is lots of support within [the] Overcoming MS [community], if you're not getting it from your MS nurse or your neurologist. Although I think a lot of healthcare professionals are becoming better at being open about these things.” We can’t control what’s going on outside of us, but we can control our response to it 24:51 “I will regularly say to my patients, 'We can't change what's going on outside of us, we can't change that stressful situation at work, we can't change the builders coming in and messing up. We can't change any of that, but we can change our response to it.’ That's what we need to work on, and mindfulness helps with that.” There are no downsides to following the Overcoming MS Program 34:30 “When I was first diagnosed and discovered the Program, I remember thinking to myself, ‘What have I got to lose? By eating a bit more healthily, doing a bit more exercise, [and] doing a bit of mindfulness, what have I got to lose? What is there to gain?’” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Read the Learn more about Listen to Find out more about the Check out one of our New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/30662713

Advanced cell therapy for progressive MS with Dr Stefano Pluchino | S6E06 03/20/2024

Advanced cell therapy for progressive MS with Dr Stefano Pluchino | S6E06 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Dr Stefano Pluchino as our guest! Dr Pluchino is a Professor of Regenerative Neuroimmunology at Cambridge University and has been researching stem cell therapy for progressive MS. In this episode, Dr Pluchino speaks to Geoff about what advanced cell therapy is, the success of his phase one trial and what the future of DMTs looks like indicating what people with MS may experience. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:31 Dr Pluchino’s background and research into stem cell therapy for progressive MS. 02:52 The difference between types of MS. 05:09 Navigating DMT options for progressive MS. 08:40 Dr Pluchino’s advanced cell therapy research trial: The success of phase one and plans for phase two. 21:05 How advanced cell therapy compares to HSCT or bone marrow transplants. 26:02 What it means for the future of DMTs. 33:39 How you can be part of groundbreaking MS research and trials. Selected Key Takeaways: There are nuances in types of MS beyond ‘relapsing’ or ‘progressive’. 04:23 "It is becoming more complex between active and non-active types of primary and secondary progressive MS where activity is attributed to other episodes. Clinical episodes of disease or radiologically evident episodes of disease, which can be identified by the use of contrast agents at the time of the MRI. So, they are very complex very heterogenous types of disease, with or without activity, which inevitably undergo accumulation of neurological deficits.” The next generation of DMTs will target progression rather than relapses. 06:39 “What's becoming very interesting is that [over the last] few years, there is a general worldwide consensus that progressive MS is becoming and has become a clinical unmet need. The old MS world is concentrating on financing, funding and efforts towards stopping MS through the development of a new generation of DMDs which will eventually target progression rather than relapses.” The future of advanced cell therapy research will look at remyelination, reduction of inflammation and neuroprotection. 19:10 "There is space for assessing whether a proportion of the injected cells [can] differentiate in vivo into new myelin-forming cells. There is a space to assess whether some of the cells [can] increase the survival of neurons in the brain. There is space to assess whether the transplanted cells [can] reduce the type of inflammation which characterises progressive MS, which is what we call a smouldering inflammation. These highly diffuse homogeneous, low-level activations of microglia (immune cells of the central nervous system) and astrocytes (star-shaped cells that hold nerve cells in place) might be reduced by means of advanced cell therapy and the reason why I am specifically alluding to these three major biological mechanisms of disease, remyelination, reduction of inflammation and neuroprotection is because we have managed to identify each of these mechanisms in clinically relevant animal disease models in the last 25 years. So, there is [an] expectation that a clinical trial designed in a way that will allow us to establish the efficacy of the treatment will reveal what we have established already in one of these models.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/30455763

Change your life, for life with health coach Laura Crowder | S6E05 03/06/2024

Change your life, for life with health coach Laura Crowder | S6E05 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Laura Crowder as our guest! Laura is a health coach and recently joined the Overcoming MS team as an Overcoming MS facilitator. In this episode, she talks to Geoff about what the ‘Change your life for life’ pillar means, how to make lifestyle changes easier to adopt and the importance of looking at your overall lifestyle. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:02 Intro: Laura’s MS diagnosis. 02:08 Laura’s new role as an Overcoming MS facilitator. 03:48 Change your life, for life: What it means and how you can implement it. 08:18 How finding your deep ‘why’ makes lifestyle changes easier to adopt. 13:40 How you can feel empowered by following the Overcoming MS Program. 15:28 The impact of reducing alcohol on your physical and mental health. 25:48 What it means to feed the soul and the body. Selected Key Takeaways: Positive lifestyle changes can have immediate health effects. 05:08 “The minute I read [the Program was] evidence based, I thought, ‘I've got to read this.’ I read the entire book, and I jumped straight in. I implemented the diet and the vitamin D straight away, I couldn't do much about the exercise at the time, because I was still off my feet. Eventually, I started walking and then running. It was brilliant. I felt the effects instantly, I think because my previous lifestyle was so poor.” Some people find reducing alcohol consumption can have a positive impact on mental and physical health. 17:05 “Karen Law speaks about this in the Overcoming MS Handbook about how she just noticed that her stress response was better without alcohol in the mix. I think that was probably quite a significant part for me as well. My running improved hugely, I actually completed my first marathon last year, and just my health in general [improved]. So, for me, I decided that I didn't want to start drinking again.” Our health is impacted by our overall lifestyle. 27:00 “Our health is not just what we eat, it isn't just exercise [or] supplementation. Things like our career, relationships and finances, these aspects of our lives are so important in terms of nourishing us. If we're dealing with conflict or unresolved issues, or if we have got very destructive or negative relationships in our lives, that's going to have a really adverse effect on our health, even if we're eating all the superfoods in the world.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Find out more about New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/30253598

Webinar Highlights - Mental Health and Wellbeing with MS with Michelle Overton | S6E04 02/21/2024

Webinar Highlights - Mental Health and Wellbeing with MS with Michelle Overton | S6E04 In this episode, we are sharing highlights from our webinar, ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’ with Michelle Overton. Michelle is a qualified counsellor and Mental Health First Aid Instructor Trainer. She discusses the impact of life’s challenges on your mental health, coping mechanisms for stress and her top self-care tips. You can watch the original webinar . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:03 Michelle shares her own mental health journey. 06:05 How does mental health shape your self-esteem and confidence? 08:27 The impact of life's challenges on your mental wellbeing. 11:00 Stress and how it can affect your DNA. 13:53 Shifting from unhealthy to healthy coping mechanisms. 19:14 Michelle’s top self-care tips for improving your mental health. 24:02 The power of listening. 25:46 How you can find ways to improve sleep and mindful practices. Selected Key Takeaways: Mental health impacts many aspects of life. 07:01 “Confidence can be gauged in new situations [by] learning new skills [or] it could be in a workplace. Self-esteem is how you value yourself on the inside. Our mental health will govern how we feel, how we think, how we behave and how we manage change. It will [also] govern how we make, sustain and end relationships.” Stress can impact our physical health. 10:35 “After you've been experiencing stress for more than two weeks, your body will start to kick out hormones. Your double helix is your DNA and at the bottom of it, you've got the bottom of your shoelace strings that keep it together at the bottom, when the hormones are being kicked out from the stress, what happens is the shoe lay strings get corroded, and it comes undone. And this is when we start to get rogue DNA going around. And that's why it's been linked to being carcinogenic." Find what works for you and your mental health. 25:52 “It's finding what's right for you. I find talking has been a really helpful space for me, whether that's in therapy, or whether it's support services. Making sure that you're hydrated as well. Water can be a very simple thing that can really help instantly.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Follow Michelle on social media on or Study: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/30048353

Career and Employment with MS with Yasmin Neves | S6E3 02/07/2024

Career and Employment with MS with Yasmin Neves | S6E3 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Yasmin Neves as our guest! Yasmin is an HR professional and recently joined the Overcoming MS team as a facilitator through our ‘Train the Trainer’ programme. In this episode, she talks to Geoff about topics to help you with your work: navigating work with MS, how to talk to your employer about your MS, taking time off work for MS and the pros and cons of being self-employed after an MS diagnosis. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:11 Intro: Yasmin’s MS journey. 04:10 Yasmin's new role as an Overcoming MS facilitator. 08:14 Navigating your work with MS: when and how you share your diagnosis with your employer. 13:40 Job interviews and MS: should you disclose or not disclose? 18:50 Taking time off or leaving work with MS: practical considerations for you to think about. 26:32 Self-employment after an MS diagnosis: weighing up the pros and cons. Selected Key Takeaways: All the adjustments you can ask your workplace for. 17:23 “In terms of adjustments whilst you're at work, it could be adjusting your working hours, it could be adjusting to working from home more or working at a different location. It could be changing your setup or how you sit on a chair or at your desk. The list is endless. They have to be tailored to your MS, how your symptoms affect you and what is needed as [part of the] job. It's all about making sure that you are given the support for you and your role.” Keeping motivated and having a purpose when taking time out of work. 19:46 “How are you going to feel if suddenly you've got a whole year off? How are you then going to find your purpose? How are you going to keep motivated without having that thing in your life that maybe was once important? That can go either way.” Weighing up the pros and cons of working for yourself. 28:21 “Work-life balance is very important to me because I'm my own boss, I can decide my own diary. There are obviously cons because I don't get things like sickness benefits, which might be quite helpful with a condition like MS. But then I do get other perks, like I can decide who I work with. Stress is so important with this condition, if there is a client or a project that doesn't quite align with my purpose and it causes me stress, I'm fortunate enough that I can say actually, this isn't for me, and I can turn it away.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Want to adopt the Overcoming MS program over 6 months like Yasmin did? New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/29772903

Overcoming MS Charity Updates with CEO Alex Holden | S6E2 01/24/2024

Overcoming MS Charity Updates with CEO Alex Holden | S6E2 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are thrilled to bring you our 150th episode! Donations make our podcasts possible – so we’d like to take the opportunity of this milestone to ask if you could . As we mark this significant milestone, we are pleased to welcome Overcoming MS CEO, Alex Holden as our guest. Alex joined Overcoming MS in March 2023 and, during her time at the Charity, has completed a lot! In this episode, she talks to Geoff about meeting the Overcoming MS community, her experience at the ECTRIMS conference (the world’s largest research meeting in multiple sclerosis) and the exciting plans for the Overcoming MS charity! Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:17 Learn about Alex’s background, expertise and how she became CEO of Overcoming MS. 03:30 Alex’s view of the most compelling pillars of the Overcoming MS Program and changing your lifestyle based on evidence. 04:46 The mental and physical benefits of wild swimming. 05:56 Meeting the resilient and hopeful Overcoming MS community. 07:58 Abseil off the ArcelorMittal Orbit and other ways to support Overcoming MS. 10:22 How she keeps busy with her teenagers outside of work. 11:23 In-person Overcoming MS events taking place in 2024 you might like to attend. 14:15 Join the Live Well Hub – the Overcoming MS app – where over 2,000 community members are already sharing tips and advice. 17:43 Alex’s experience at the largest MS research conference in the world, the 2023 ECTRIMS conference (European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis). 21:06 Future plans for the Overcoming MS charity. Selected Key Takeaways: Put respect for individuals at the forefront. 02:32 “Everybody needs respect, no matter what struggles they have, no matter what they've gone through. Understanding people's situations are so individual to them, I think that's shaped where I've gone with the rest of my career.” Your diet can contribute to your well-being and energy. 03:42 “I've always been very interested in nutrition. At one point I did consider training as a nutritional therapist. So that's something that I'm really passionate about the importance of diet and how that contributes to your wellbeing rather than taking things out of your diet, how you look at what's contributing to energy.” One of the main reasons Alex was drawn to Overcoming MS was because of the community 06:42 "It is such a strong community and a very giving community. People who have had really quite devastating news are managing to give each other so many levels of support, tips, positivity and hope. To be part of that community and amongst those people who have that mindset, I feel very fortunate. As an organisation, we're really small. We are absolutely dependent on people who are in our Circles, our Ambassadors, and people fundraising for us. There are only twelve staff members, and most of us are part-time; the only way we can support a global community is through the community themselves.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Watch the Learn more about the New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/29631908

Motivation to follow the Program with Claire and Nev Dean | S6E1 01/10/2024

Motivation to follow the Program with Claire and Nev Dean | S6E1 Happy New Year! Welcome to season 6 of Living Well with MS. We are excited to kick off the new season with the musicians of our fantastic, brand-new theme tune, Claire and Nev Dean. Claire was diagnosed with MS in 1999 and has been following the Overcoming MS Program since 2008, her husband Nev also follows the Program even though he doesn’t have MS. They generously wrote a new theme tune just for the Living Well with MS podcast. We really enjoyed speaking with them about their experience following the Overcoming MS Program, Claire’s passion for physical activity and hearing from Nev about being married to someone with MS. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:08 Introducing Claire and Nev, musicians who follow the Overcoming MS Program. 04:27 Claire’s MS diagnosis. 06:58 The benefits of following the Overcoming MS Program even when you don’t have MS. 09:46 Online exercise sessions for people with MS. 12:29 Feeling motivated to follow the Overcoming MS Program. 14:21 Writing the new theme music for the Living Well with MS podcast. 17:17 The importance of exercise and core strength in MS. 19:29 Tips for navigating marriage when a partner lives with MS. 21:35 The importance of meditation, even if you only have one minute. Selected Key Takeaways: The Overcoming MS diet is healthy for everyone. 02:11 Nev: “When we got married, I was rather larger. When we started the diet, I did all the cooking. Obviously [as I was doing the cooking], I started eating the same diet as Claire because I had to cook food for her. Over the years I've lost over six and a half stone.” Following the Overcoming MS Program has stopped Claire’s progression. 12:25 Claire: “The year before we found Overcoming MS, we got married, and I was using a wheelchair. Since I've been following the [Overcoming MS] diet, I haven't got any worse and my progression has stopped.” Working out in bed is a viable option. 17:17 Claire: “During lockdown, the MS Centre was closed, and I remember my uncle said to me I could do crunches. I just lay in bed, and I worked on my stomach muscles. I went from 20 [crunches] a day up to 300. I've continued to work on my stomach and my abs. Since then, I've started on the pull-up bar, and I do that every morning.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/29425313

Sophrology for MS with Audrey Zannese | S5E38 12/13/2023

Sophrology for MS with Audrey Zannese | S5E38 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Audrey Zannese as our guest! Audrey is a mindfulness expert living with MS and specialises in the relaxation method, sophrology. This practice has helped her to live well with MS. She talks to Geoff about her MS journey, what sophrology is and the research behind it. At the end of the episode, Audrey gives a guided sophrology practice. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps 01:19 Audrey’s MS journey. 05:25 Managing stress. 08:19 The origins of sophrology. 11:22 The aims and benefits of sophrology. 14:00 Audrey’s switch from research scientist to sophrologist. 18:43 The research into the positive effects of sophrology. 22:25 Guided sophrology practice. Selected Key Takeaways Sophrology is a stress-reduction technique. 06:14 “Sophrology is a uniquely structured mind-body practice that combines both Western relaxation methods and Eastern meditative practices. It can be used for personal development, enhancing performance, but also for improving health and well-being. It includes a variety of exercises that are accessible and easy to incorporate into your daily life. There are gentle body movements, breathing exercises [and] aspects of mindfulness and meditation.” The aims and benefits of sophrology practice. 11:22 “The aim of sophrology is to help you reconnect with yourself. Self-awareness of how you're feeling inside helps you build the capacity to regulate your internal state but also builds the capacity as you would find in mindfulness and meditation of acceptance and letting go when things cannot be changed. Through this work, as it is repetitive and very much a practice, you get to a place where you are feeling balanced in terms of your mind, body, and emotions.” Sophrology is a big part of how Audrey lives well with MS. 15:04 “I remember one day I came out of my flat, and I was so happy to be alive. I didn't feel [my] MS anymore. I wasn't scared, I knew I had everything in me to live my best life, in a way I had never been [able to] before when I was healthy. When I look back, I look with compassion, but I realise that through this journey, what it was to be happy.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Visit the New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps our charity to share how to live well with MS with more people. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/29057263

Dying Well with filmmaker Krystina Christiansen | S5E37 12/06/2023

Dying Well with filmmaker Krystina Christiansen | S5E37 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Krystina Christiansen as our guest! Krystina is a filmmaker who has recently finished a documentary about an end-of-life letter she found, written by a man with MS. Overcoming MS wants everyone to live a full and healthy life with MS, but it is inevitable that everyone, with or without MS, will pass away. It is therefore unhelpful that death is often a taboo subject. Krystina talks to Geoff about healthy ways to think about your own mortality, her new film, ‘Dear Brandon’ and planning ahead for your end of life, which is something that everyone needs to consider. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 02:29 Krystina found an end-of-life letter from a man with MS on a mountain in Hawaii. 04:12 ‘Dear Brandon’ is a film about death and grief, but also hope and community. 10:41 Healthy ways to think about your own mortality. 12:31 Writing a will and planning your funeral. 14:55 Resources at the end of life. 18:00 Death doulas can help the dying and their families. 20:18 Death cafes are safe spaces to talk about mortality. 24:35 Follow along with Brandon’s story and Krystina’s films. Selected Key Takeaways: Talking about death and dying doesn’t have to be taboo 07:03 “To know Brandon is to know someone who is going to die, he is on his deathbed. That's the social contract that you agree to when you become friends with him. I’d also like to point out that that's the social contract you have with everybody. It's just more obvious with him, I guess. I've learned that sometimes just talking about [death] does make it a bit easier for everyone.” Make a plan for your funeral and estate 09:32 “Make sure that you plan for your death if it is something that we have the opportunity to do. Planning makes not only your end of life a bit smoother, but also for the ones you leave behind. It makes their lives a lot better and allows them to just focus on grieving versus dealing with the business of death.” Death is not an emergency 19:05 “If you have someone in the home who passes away, you don't have to call anyone immediately. You can take your time and be with your loved one. There is no rush. You can even have people come over and say goodbye in the home. You can prepare the body in the home, there are so many different options.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28957358

Webinar Highlights: Ask a Neurologist with Dr Aaron Boster | S5E36 11/29/2023

Webinar Highlights: Ask a Neurologist with Dr Aaron Boster | S5E36 Welcome to Living Well with MS. In this episode, we are sharing the highlights from one of our ‘Ask Aaron’ webinars, where neurologist, Dr Aaron Boster, answers questions about MS from the community. In this episode, Dr Boster covers a range of topics, including heat intolerance, when to start a DMT and his tips for self-managing MS. You can watch the original webinar . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 02:13 Considerations for changing to a less stressful job and stronger DMTs. 05:09 Talking to clinicians about stress. 06:25 Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. 08:11 Stem cell transplants for PPMS. 10:35 Tysabri during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 12:23 MS and Stroke. 13:52 MRI showing brain cysts. 16:57 Betaferon and slow progression. 19:45 Changing from Tysabri to Ocrevus. 21:41 Vertigo. 23:05 Ampyra for walking, spasticity, and nerve pain. 25:50 Types of inflammation. 28:05 Anesthetic or epidural and MS. 30:15 B-cell depletion therapy and allergies. 31:17 Tips for self-managing MS. 37:42 Heat intolerance. 40:30 When to start on a DMT. 41:22 Ocrevus and low lymphocyte levels. 43:40 Diet and MS. 48:50 Nausea as an MS symptom. 51:30 CBD for MS. 52:45 Bursitis and MS. 53:36 Choosing a DMT and considering side effects. 55:16 Invisible illness in an ableist world. Selected Key Takeaways: Exercise as part of your daily lifestyle 34:42 “Exercising as part of a lifestyle means that if you do it, you're not rewarded. There's no reward for doing something as part of your lifestyle and if you don't do it, there's no punishment - you're not sent to the naughty corner. So, for example, I have a lifestyle of brushing my teeth. I don't tweet about it. I don't make YouTube videos about it. I don't even talk about it when I get to work. It's just something I do every morning and if I happen to forget to brush my teeth before I head off to the office, I'll run upstairs and do it. This is part of my lifestyle. So, I need people impacted by MS to exercise as part of their lifestyle.” Plan your day to minimise symptoms like heat intolerance 39:43 “We can conserve energy during those times when it's really hot out. Whereas I would normally encourage a patient to park at the back of the parking lot to get their steps in. If it's the middle of the day, [walking that far is] going to sap all your energy so that when you get to the grocery store you can't shop, that doesn't really work very well, does it? And so that's an example where we would have someone drop us off at the threshold of the grocery store so that you can be successful in your shopping.” Be brave in using mobility aids and seeking accommodations. 57:27 “I tell people who are embarrassed by their cane, ‘Don't you dare be embarrassed by your cane, a cane is a sign of intelligence.’ A person with a cane would like to not fall. So, when a little boy is walking with [his] mum, and says, ‘Mummy, why is she using a cane?’ That's an opportunity for the mother to say, ‘Well, she doesn't want to fall, she has a problem with her leg and the cane helps her.’ It normalises it. So, one of the things that we need to do is to be brave. I'll remind you of the definition of bravery, ‘doing something despite being scared’. The second thing is, I want you to be very selfish. You need to be selfish; you live your life once. You're not living your life so some stranger, you don't know, thinks nice polite things about you.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Watch the original webinar . Dr Boster was on three previous Living Well with MS episodes: Check out Dr Boster’s popular covering all aspects of MS. New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28841813

Webinar highlights: Guide to the Overcoming MS Diet with Gillian Robertson and Ashley Madden | S5E35 11/15/2023

Webinar highlights: Guide to the Overcoming MS Diet with Gillian Robertson and Ashley Madden | S5E35 Welcome to Living Well with MS. In this episode, we are sharing the highlights from our webinar, ‘A guide to the Overcoming MS Diet’, with Gillian Robertson and Ashley Madden. Gillian and Ashley are both professional chefs who follow the Overcoming MS Program. In this webinar, they discuss how to adopt the diet, the benefits of a plant-based diet, dairy substitutes and much more. Watch the original webinar . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps 02:52 Practical ways to adopt the Overcoming MS Diet. 08:56 What is a plant-based diet? 14:58 Meals and snacks that offer a complete protein. 22:32 Substituting cheese and ice cream. 27:13 Cooking without oil. 33:13 Meal planning equipment. 39:33 Plant-based meal planning on a budget. Selected Key Takeaways A whole food, plant-based diet is health-promoting. 11:00 Ashley Madden: “A plant-based diet is high in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fibre. It's overall anti-inflammatory because we're getting a lot of antioxidants from all those colourful plant foods. It's low in saturated fat, which is important for us, of course, and also has extensive health benefits that go beyond. A plant-based diet has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers, it can help with weight loss or weight stabilisation, and it can also decrease the risks and sometimes reverse some of the modern-day chronic diseases that we're seeing in a lot of the developed countries.” It’s easy to get enough complete protein on a plant-based diet. 14:27 Ashley Madden: “What modern science has taught us is that the amino acid gaps in one plant food are filled in by another plant food. The bottom line is that you don't need to strategically pair plant foods in specific meals to get the protein that you need. We now know that eating a variety of whole plant foods will get you all of the essential amino acids that are required. I have here listed just some simple meal and snack ideas that actually do offer you complete protein that you're probably already doing and don't even know it. So brown rice and beans, oatmeal, and nuts and seeds or soy milk, sprouted bread is a great one because it has a combination of legumes and grains and nuts and hummus on whole wheat toast.” Plant based cooking can be done on a budget. 39:45 Gillian Robertson: “Organic now is a big trend. Obviously, it can be very expensive. Don't feel that you always have to buy organic. As long as you're washing your fruit and vegetables well, you're going to be okay. And it's okay to look at frozen fruit and vegetables as well as fresh ones, these are often cheaper, they're just as nutritious and they can help save time because they're often pre-prepared as well. Frozen fish can also be much more economical. If you start thinking about the inexpensive items in plant-based cooking, [such as] grains, pulses, seasonal vegetables, if you make those the base of your meals, then your meals really are not going to cost that much money. More info and Links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, we’d appreciate it if you could leave us a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would appreciate it if you can leave a donation . /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28652563

Ask Jack – Cooking with Tofu | S5E34 11/08/2023

Ask Jack – Cooking with Tofu | S5E34 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Jack McNulty as our guest! Jack is a professional cook and a longtime follower of the Overcoming MS Program. In this episode, he answers questions from the community about how to cook with tofu. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:42 What is tofu? 02:37 Is it possible to make tofu from scratch? 03:59 Benefits of adding tofu to your diet. 05:54 Debunking the myth that ‘tofu is bland’. 07:03 Saturated fat levels in tofu. 08:52 Different types and textures of tofu. 16:24 The difference between tofu and tempeh. 21:49 Ways to change the texture of tofu. 28:57 Do you have to press tofu before cooking? 31:22 Jack’s favourite tofu marinades and recipes. Selected Key Takeaways: Tofu is an affordable, easy-to-digest, source of protein. 04:25 “Tofu is fairly easy to digest. A lot of people who may have trouble [digesting] legumes can actually digest tofu a little bit easier than they can from the whole bean, which is nice. It's definitely a good source of protein. It’s really affordable. The other thing that I think that's really interesting with tofu is it's basically just a blank canvas." Tofu vs. tempeh 17:01 “Tofu is made from soy milk from the whole soybean turned into milk and then coagulated. Tempeh which originates from Indonesia (and you see it a lot in Indonesian cooking) is [made from] whole beans. It's generally soybeans, but it can be made with other kinds of beans like chickpeas and is pressed together and inoculated with a mold and then packaged so it has this sort of white net around the beans, which gives it a very specific flavour.” Pressing tofu can make it dry. 29:19 “You want to be careful [pressing tofu] because you're forcing out a lot of the moisture from the interior of the tofu that's going to make it fundamentally dry at the end. I would be very cautious with recipes that say, ‘start off by pressing the tofu’. I think it's much better to take a different approach, maybe freeze it, maybe pour some boiling salted water over it, or marinate it rather than pressing it.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28553192

Oils and Fats with industrial chemist Mike Newton | S5E33 11/01/2023

Oils and Fats with industrial chemist Mike Newton | S5E33 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Mike Newton as our guest! Mike is an industrial chemist and follows the Overcoming MS Program. He lives in Australia and has been following the recommendations of Dr Roy Swank and Professor George Jelinek for 25 years. He talks to Geoff about the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, heating oils and his Overcoming MS journey. Watch this episode on our YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 01:13 Defining oils, fats, triglycerides and lipids from a cooking and chemistry perspective. 07:35 Fats to avoid and include in your diet. 12:54 What’s the difference between plant, animal and fish triglycerides or fats? 16:44 Why do we want to increase our Omega-3s and decrease Omega-9s? 19:24 The difference between monoglycerides and diglycerides is in the melting point, lower melting points are better for brain health. 22:50 Overcoming MS and Dr Roy Swank Selected Key Takeaways: Defining Oils and Fats 01:40 “Triglycerides are the encompassing description of all oils and fats, whether they are from plants or animals, and whether they are liquid or solid. The terms oil and fat are more for the layman and the cooking man. Oil is a liquid at room temperature, and fat is a solid at room temperature.” Hydrogenated fat in commercially produced foods 16:09 “The reason that they use hydrogenated fats is to give the [food] structure so that they can make a pie that you can eat with ease without it all collapsing around you while you're eating it. So, it's purely done for your mouthfeel and structure, so you can eat it (more easily).” Roy Swank’s theory on fat and MS 24:27 “Swank took the theory that the brain is made of a very high percentage of fat and cholesterol. If [your brain] is rock hard like this candle, then when it's rattling around in your head, the lesions in your brain will be scraping against your skull or another very hard piece of brain, causing more symptoms than that you would get if your brain was fluid and malleable.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28484372

Autoimmunity with Dr David Bilstrom | S5E32 10/25/2023

Autoimmunity with Dr David Bilstrom | S5E32 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Dr David Bilstrom as our guest! Dr Bilstrom, MD is the Director of the International Autoimmune Institute & Bingham Memorial Center for Functional Medicine and an expert in treating autoimmune diseases. He talks to Geoff about what autoimmune diseases are, about Vitamin D and gives his tips for sticking with lifestyle change. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Topics and Timestamps: 00:59 Dr Bilstrom’s introduction and work in autoimmunity. 01:48 Reversing MS symptoms. 03:32 Infections and autoimmune diseases. 05:52 Vitamin D and MS. 10:45 Supplementing with butyrate. 12:23 Leaky gut and autoimmunity. 14:34 Oestrogen dominance and autoimmunity. 19:03 Adverse childhood events and autoimmunity. 23:40 Tips for sticking with lifestyle change. Selected Key Takeaways: The risk of autoimmunity increases if a parent has an autoimmune disease. 02:04 “It's so easy if you get one autoimmune disease to get a second or third or fourth, but also, if a parent has an autoimmune disease, the child is at a higher risk of every autoimmune disease. For example, if a parent gets rheumatoid arthritis, that child is at a 5.4 times greater risk of getting type one diabetes. We want to educate people about what we know about why people get autoimmune diseases.” Vitamin D and prevention of autoimmune diseases 06:38 “If a woman's vitamin D is above 50 during pregnancy, she's going to decrease the risk of her child ever getting MS by 50% … Vitamin D is uber important when it comes to immune system stuff, such as preventing MS in pregnancy. Cancer is the flip side of the same coin, that's [another] autoimmune disease. If a woman's vitamin D is above 60, she has automatically decreased her risk of ever getting breast cancer by 82%. Kids that take vitamin D 2000 IU in the first year of life will decrease the risk of ever getting type one diabetes by 90%.” Epigenetics and autoimmunity 11:11 “We used to think our genes, our DNA in our cells, [that] whatever we got from our parents [and] grandparents we’re stuck with it. If a parent has MS, they’d think “well, I wish I could change some of the genes my child has.” Well, it turns out, it's not what genes you have, it’s which ones get turned on and turned off. So, it's epigenetics, the things that influence gene expression. There are a lot of bad genes that drive chronic disease, we’ve got to turn those guys off, as well as good genes that drive health, we’ve got to turn those guys on.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps our charity to share how to live well with MS with more people. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28418831

Webinar Highlights Breathwork with Dr Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S5E31 10/18/2023

Webinar Highlights Breathwork with Dr Véronique Gauthier-Simmons | S5E31 In this episode, we are sharing highlights from our webinar, ‘Breathwork for people living with MS’ with Dr Véronique Gauthier-Simmons. Véronique is a qualified yoga therapist, follows the Overcoming MS Program and has supported Overcoming MS as a facilitator. She discusses what breathwork is, how it can help people living with MS and ends the talk with a breathwork practice for you to try. Watch the original webinar . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Véronique’s bio. Topics and Timestamps 00:58 Véronique’s background 06:25 Véronique’s breathwork training 08:58 Breathing basics 11:24 Dysfunctional breathing patterns 13:31 The power of the breath 16:00 Using the breath to influence other body systems. 18:37 Benefits of breathwork for MS 24:01 The diaphragm 27:00 Breathwork practice Selected Key Takeaways You can take control of your breath. 15:22 “We don't have to think, ‘I need to breathe in, I need to breathe out.’ It happens automatically. But we can also tell the brain, ‘I'm taking over the control, I'm in charge now’. That is the only system in the body that can do that, and that gives us the power to change how we feel because they are connected. We can use the breath as a language to communicate with the different systems in the body.” You can reduce inflammation with breathwork by stimulating the Vagus Nerve 20:26 “There is a really interesting link between breathing and inflammation. I'm sure you've all heard about the Vagus Nerve, and we can stimulate the Vagus Nerve with breathing, [which] reduces stress and inflammation, [as] we know that stress leads to inflammation. So, there is an indirect way to reduce inflammation via the Vagus Nerve with breathwork.” A tense diaphragm can negatively impact our breathing.26:12 “The problem with the diaphragm is that we are not very aware of it, and it can get tense because it’s linked with the Vagus Nerve and the psoas muscle, which connects the upper body and the lower body. So, when we spend many hours sitting [and] when we are stressed, everything tightens, everything gets tense. This affects the movement of the diaphragm and our breathing.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Find out more about Véronique here: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episode . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28353857

Mindfulness and Self-compassion with Melanie Lown | S5E30 10/11/2023

Mindfulness and Self-compassion with Melanie Lown | S5E30 Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Melanie Lown as our guest. Melanie is a mindfulness teacher, has an M.A. in Psychology, and follows the Overcoming MS Program. She talks to Geoff about her MS diagnosis, the power of mindfulness and the importance of self-compassion. Watch this episode on YouTube . Topics and Timestamps: 01:30 Melanie’s introduction and MS diagnosis. 03:58 Balancing self-advocacy with compassion for healthcare professionals. 07:07 Using a diagnosis to discover your purpose. 09:48 Discovering Overcoming MS. 12:02 Our lived experience is as valid as datasets. 13:29 DMTs and COVID. 16:31 The growing popularity of mindfulness in Western medicine. 21:45 Meditation physically changes the brain. 23:33 Depression and spiritualism are opposite sides of the same neural pathway. 27:54 The awakened brain vs. the achieving brain. 29:39 Activating the parasympathetic nervous system with self-compassion. 33:39 Emotions are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’. 35:44 Mindfully choosing your healthcare team and treatment. 42:22 Tips to incorporate mindfulness into your lifestyle. 47:54 Non-judgmental awareness. More info and links: Visit or follow her on Instagram: @welcometothemat. Melanie’s Recommended Meditation teachers and guides: New to Overcoming MS? Melanie’s Recommended Books: The Awakened Brain by Dr. Lisa Miller Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach Cured by Jeffrey Rediger Learned Hopefulness by Dr. Dan Tomasulo Melanie's Recommended Scientific Articles: Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American psychologist, 60(7), 678. Miller, L., Bansal, R., Wickramaratne, P., Hao, X., Tenke, C. E., Weissman, M. M., & Peterson, B. S. (2014). Neuroanatomical correlates of religiosity and spirituality: a study in adults at high and low familial risk for depression. JAMA psychiatry, 71(2), 128-135. Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Gameroff, M. J., Sage, M., Tenke, C. E., & Weissman, M. M. (2012). Religiosity and major depression in adults at high risk: a ten-year prospective study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(1), 89-94. Portnoff, L., McClintock, C., Lau, E., Choi, S., & Miller, L. (2017). Spirituality cuts in half the relative risk for depression: Findings from the United States, China, and India. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4(1), 22. Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28285604

Developing new DMTs with Professor Stephen L. Hauser | S5E29 10/04/2023

Webinar Highlights: Movement and Breathing with Gillian Robinson | S5E28 09/27/2023

Webinar Highlights: Movement and Breathing with Gillian Robinson | S5E28 In this episode, we are sharing highlights from our webinar, ‘Movement and Breathing Better whilst Living Well with Overcoming MS’ with Gillian Robinson. Gillian is a physiotherapist at the MS Therapy Centre in Lothian, Scotland. She discusses how MS affects breathing, how to breathe better and the importance of physical activity for people with MS. This webinar was recorded as part of our Finding Hope with Overcoming MS webinar series. Watch the original webinar . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Gillian’s bio. Topics and Timestamps 00:57 Why and how we should breathe. 04:22 How MS can affect respiration. 09:13 Consequences of ineffective breathing. 11:00 Monitoring and slowing your breathing helps with fatigue and stress management. 14:05 Posture and nasal breathing are important. 20:19 Deep breathing exercises can be part of your meditation practice to strengthen respiratory muscles. 27:23 Benefits of exercise for people with MS. 33:00 Include both aerobic and anaerobic activities in your routine. 36:38 Vestibular retraining, physiotherapy, Tai Chi and Thera Bands can be helpful for people with MS. 38:16 Breathing exercises can strengthen your pelvic floor and abdominals. 40:06 Virtual reality and visualisation can both be used to improve wellbeing. 41:53 Noticing your breathing is the first step to improving it. Selected Key Takeaways Breathing can be affected by MS, so it’s important to keep active to strengthen muscles in the respiratory system. 04:24 “It's only in recent years that it's been demonstrated that the respiratory system can be affected quite early on in MS. I think most of us are aware that it can be affected in the more advanced stages of MS. [These early effects are] logical really, as we know that muscle strength can be affected by MS in the disease process itself, as wherever your lesions are, they can cause muscle weakness in the rest of our body. So, it makes sense that it will cause muscle weakness in our respiratory system. Not only is this primary weakness a result of the MS itself, but if you're not using [your] muscles and reducing levels of activity, you can develop secondary weakness or deconditioning.” Nasal breathing is really important for optimal health.17:17 “Nasal Breathing is really important. We know that chronic mouth breathing can cause problems with your respiratory system and your lung function and certainly impair the effectiveness of your breathing. You can get dental problems by breathing through your mouth, and you're losing 40% more moisture than you do by breathing through your nose.” Visualisation whilst breathing can help strengthen muscles. 41:00 “An interesting bit of research out there shows that through visualisation activities alone, you can improve muscle strength. So, if you struggle with activity and getting your body moving, visualise activities that you might enjoy. The more detail that you can add to your mental imagery, the better and the more likelihood of success. Just try to bring your awareness of your breath. We've talked about how important breathing technique and exercising your respiratory muscles is.If your breathing is optimised, it most definitely has a knock-on effect on your wider wellbeing.” Noticing your breathing is the first step to improving it.42:39 "Notice your breathing responses during activity, so notice what your breathing patterns do. Do you start to get more shallow as you get more effortful? Do you start to breathe through your mouth? Be more mindful of how your breathing responds to activity." Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episode . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation. Gillian’s bio: Gillian’s qualifications and career background After graduating from Dundee University with a BSc Hons in Anatomical Sciences, Gillian went on to study physiotherapy. She graduated in 2002 and worked in Croydon University Hospital for 10 years where she cemented her passion for neurology. During her time in Croydon, she completed an MSc in Acupuncture from Coventry University, a useful tool for the treatment box. The MS Therapy Centre In 2012, Gillian moved to Edinburgh where she began working at the MS Therapy Centre Lothian as Lead Physiotherapist. Here she has developed a reputable service for those who attend the centre and has established strong links with the medical and healthcare professionals who are involved in their clients’ care. The ethos promoted by the MS Therapy Centre is one of supported self-management, encouraging and enabling the clients to understand and take control of their symptoms. Within her role Gillian is dedicated to helping people explore their capabilities and facilitate them to achieve a fitter, healthier, happier self. The Health Design Collective – designing products to support people with MS. Gillian is also a director of the social enterprise, Health Design Collective. Set up in 2019, they have a vision to create innovative products for people with long-term health conditions through co-design with the end users. Their first product currently under development is footwear for people with foot drop. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28156253

A Newfound Gratitude for Health with Mike Kennedy | S5E27 09/20/2023

A Newfound Gratitude for Health with Mike Kennedy | S5E27 Welcome to Living Well with MS. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Mike Kennedy as our guest. Mike was diagnosed with MS over 10 years ago and is an advocate for living a healthy life and following the Overcoming MS Program. He will be discussing with Geoff the lessons he has learnt along the way, including when he deviated from the Overcoming MS diet. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways. Questions and Timestamps: 00:33 Could you introduce yourself? 02:32 Can you tell us about your MS and Overcoming MS journey? 11:21 Unhealthy vegan food 18:25 Experience with first neurologist 21:42 Cryotherapy or cold exposure 25:26 Hyperbaric oxygen therapy 29:50 Homeopathy 33:15 The placebo effect 38:31 Family prevention 43:44 Tea and plant-based milks 45:38 Matt Embry’s influence 49:28 What advice would you give to someone newly diagnosed? Selected Key Takeaways: Change your life for life 15:01 “If I was told right now, ‘Mike, you no longer have MS, you will not [get] it again', I would not go back to eating cheese. I would not go back to eating dairy. I would not go back to eating big fat burgers. Honestly, I think that it's all habitual because these are the habits that I built around my life.” Cryotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy helped Mike’s inflammation. 23:13 “At the 10-year mark, my symptoms at that time were a little more pronounced. I tried hyperbaric oxygen [therapy] for an hour and then cryotherapy. I can only say it was the most incredible relief or feeling I've [ever] experienced. [When] I got out of the cryotherapy tank, I felt like I could run a marathon, and I have never run a marathon. All the inflammation in my legs [was] gone; it was just like fresh blood came into my legs and it was the most incredible feeling. I recommend anyone with problems with inflammation or MS to try cryotherapy.” There can be a silver lining to an MS diagnosis 53:40 “Believe me, it's not all bad news. There's so much you can do to make this situation much better for yourself. In fact, in so many ways, I'm a lot healthier now than I would have been had I not had MS. I know that sounds pretty strange, but it's true. I got healthier; my weight’s a lot healthier. I'm not saying I wouldn't wish I didn't have it, but it certainly gives me a lot of positives as well as negatives, without doubt.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: Connect with Mike on Twitter @mrmikekennedy or Instagram @miketonykennedy Listen to Dr Gretchen Hawley's podcast episodes: Find out more about New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28093565

Assistive Technology with Kristi Peak-Oliveira | S5E26 09/13/2023

Assistive Technology with Kristi Peak-Oliveira | S5E26 Welcome to Living Well with MS. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Overcoming MS Ambassador Kristi Peak-Oliveira, who has been following the Overcoming MS Program since 2016 and is an Ambassador for the Boston Circle. She is also a pathologist and the assistant director for assistive technology services at ‘Easterseals Massachusetts’, whose clients include people with multiple sclerosis. Watch this episode on YouTube . Keep reading for the key episode takeaways and Kristi's bio. Questions and Timestamps 01:00 Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your MS diagnosis? 05:08 How did you come across Overcoming MS? 07:14 Tell us about how you became the Ambassador for the Boston Circle. 11:44 Have you talked to your neurologist about Overcoming MS? 18:28 You work as a speech pathologist and as the assistant director for assistive technology services at ‘Easterseals Massachusetts’. Could you tell us what that is? 21:08 What are some examples of assistive technology that can help symptoms like cog fog and memory issues? 24:54 Do you have examples of assistive technology for fine motor control as well? 26:13 Is there anything we can do ourselves to make our devices more accessible? 26:59 Can you tell us about your upcoming trip to Peru, to take assistive technology to orphan children with disabilities? 31:39 You have always loved dancing, are you still able to dance with your MS symptoms? 35:41 What advice would you offer to someone who has been newly diagnosed with MS? Selected Key Takeaways Assistive technology helps people complete daily tasks more independently. 18:45 “Assistive technology is a broad category, but it's basically almost anything that can compensate for your disabilities to help you access different life skills, whether it's working on a computer, cleaning your house, or remembering to take your medication. Augmentative communication is what I do as a speech pathologist, [and] is a subset of assistive technology. It focuses on someone who is not able to use speech as their primary means of communication. So, we're helping them with technology.” Kristi credits the Overcoming MS Program for giving her the confidence to take a humanitarian trip to Peru. 30:32 “My yoga teacher got this idea; it's called ‘Project Give a Voice’. I'm going with her in September for two weeks to bring augmentative communication to students in Peru who are not able to speak. I'm really excited about it [and] she's excited about it [too]. It's because of Overcoming MS. If it wasn't for Overcoming MS, I might not ever have tried yoga or ended up with this teacher. [Following] Overcoming MS gives me the confidence to know that I'm going to physically be able to participate in this trip.” Finding a reason to live well helps Kristi stay motivated. 32:58 “You have to find something that's really motivating. For me, it was my dance class. I didn't want to give up my dance class, I love the women there. That was the thing that really motivated me to dig into Overcoming MS. Over time, foot drop was an issue [and] I've definitely fallen in the class. But over time, I've definitely noticed especially my right foot, (my right side is more affected) has gained in strength.” Want to learn more about living a full and happy life with multiple sclerosis? to hear our latest tips. More info and links: . It was written by a speech-language pathologist who works at a nursing home dedicated to people with progressive neurological diseases whom Kristi knows professionally. Listen to the episodes Vickie the Ambassador from Connecticut was on: New to Overcoming MS? Follow us on social media: Don’t miss out: to this podcast and never miss an episode. Listen to our archive of Living Well with MS episodes . If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing . Make sure you to hear our latest tips and news about living a full and happy life with MS. Support us: If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, we would really appreciate it if you could leave a donation . Every donation, however small, helps us to share the podcast with more people on how to live well with MS. Kristi’s bio: Kristi’s MS and Overcoming MS journey Kristi was diagnosed with MS in July of 2016 and started following the Overcoming MS program later that year. She has been a part of the Boston, US Circle since it began and now serves as the Ambassador. Kristi’s personal life Kristi is married with two adult children, and thanks to Overcoming MS continues to enjoy activities such as yoga, dance class, gardening, and singing in her church choir. Kristi’s career Kristi has been a speech-language pathologist for over 30 years and currently serves as assistant director of assistive technology services at Easterseals Massachusetts, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to serving the needs of individuals with disabilities. Clients include those with multiple sclerosis, and they are provided with assistive technology (AT) solutions to compensate for sensory, physical and cognitive challenges. Kristi has used AT solutions herself to deal with MS symptoms and exacerbations and is happy to share the information so others with MS can benefit. /episode/index/show/overcomingms/id/28019613

Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis

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