RealTalk MS

One of the more confusing aspects of MS is that it can present differently from one person to the next. A research team at University College London may have uncovered a reason for that when they identified two new, and quite different, subtypes of MS. 
 





Joining me to walk us through this discovery and to explain how it may impact MS clinical care is the study's principal investigator, Dr. Arman Eshaghi.
We're also sharing study results that may explain how the Epstein-Barr Virus triggers MS in some individuals.
We'll tell you about the free online fitness and wellness programs for veterans living with MS offered by the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
And we'll explain how the latest entrant in the AI for healthcare revolution can prepare you for your next appointment with your neurologist.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: Discovering 2 new subtypes of MS  :22
Study results show how the Epstein-Barr Virus may trigger MS  1:20
The PVA is offering free online fitness and wellness classes for veterans with MS  5:45
Claude for Healthcare joins the AI in healthcare revolution  7:03
Dr. Arman Eshaghi discusses his team's discovery of 2 subtypes of MS  9:59
Share this episode  28:15

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/438
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com
EBV Infection and HLA-DR15 Jointly Drive Multiple Sclerosis by Myelin Peptide Presentation
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01495-3

STUDY: Combined Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum Analysis Reveals Distinct Multiple Sclerosis Types
https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/148/12/4578/8321558
PVA Offers Free Online Fitness & Wellness Classes for Vets with MS
https://pva.org/sports-recreation/online-programs

Find out about ABLEnow Accounts
https://ablenow.com

Claude for Healthcare
https://claude.com/solutions/healthcare

JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms
REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 438
Guests: Dr. Arman Eshaghi
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I don't have to remind anyone who listens to this podcast that the cost of MS disease-modifying therapies is obscenely high. And we're not just talking about relatively new medications. Older medications -- some decades old -- continue to increase in price without any rational explanation for why or how.
 
On January 2nd, we lost a true warrior in the ongoing battle to lower the price of prescription drugs when David Mitchell, the founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs, passed away.
 





I met David in 2018 at a National MS Society Public Policy Conference, and he was a guest on Episode 31 of RealTalk MS.  This week, I'm re-sharing the conversation we had in 2018.
We'll also tell you about an international workshop that represents the initial steps in developing a global research agenda to end MS.
We're explaining how AI is about to have a major impact on healthcare.
And we'll share the American Medical Association's brief to Congress, making the case for extending access to telehealth.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: We're remembering David Mitchell  :22
The first steps toward a global research agenda to prevent MS were just published  1:02
Doctor AI will see you now  5:45
The American Medical Association asks lawmakers to extend access to telehealth  10:27
David Mitchell in his own words  12:41
Share this episode  27:56
Next week  28:16

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/437
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com
Patients for Affordable Drugs
https://patientsforaffordabledrugs.org

PAPER: Toward a Global Research Agenda for Preventing Multiple Sclerosis
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13524585251398381

AMA BRIEF: The Case for Permanent Telehealth Policy and Expanded Access to Virtual Care
https://ama-assn.org/system/files/issue-brief-telehealth-policy-expanded-access-to-virtual-care.pdf

ChatGPT Health
https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-health

JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms
REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 437
Guests: David Mitchell
Privacy Policy

Scientists are expanding our understanding of MS at an unprecedented pace. This week, Dr. Leorah Freeman discusses why, as new discoveries and medications enter clinical practice, neurologists and MS specialists should ask themselves 3 important questions when considering a patient's treatment plan.

Dr. Freeman is the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also leads the MS and Neuroimmunology fellowship program and the MS Imaging and Outcomes Research Laboratory. 
We'll also tell you about study results that reveal two distinct biologically-informed MS subtypes.
We're explaining some of the confusing background to the FDA's decision not to approve a disease-modifying therapy that achieved positive results in its Phase 3 clinical trial.
And did we really need a study to tell us that people living with MS fear experiencing a relapse or disease progression? Well, yes. We'll explain why.
We're also reminding you to mail your insurance premium payments and other important documents earlier than you have in the past. 
And we're sharing details about the two clinical trials that received $4.1 million in funding as part of the International Progressive MS Alliance Experimental Medicine Trial Awards.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: 3 questions your neurologist should be asking themselves  :22
Public Service Announcement: How the new rule about postmarks could affect your healthcare  1:16
FDA says it's not ready to approve Tolebrutinib  3:16
Study identifies two biologically-informed MS subtypes  6:29
Study results remind us that people with MS fear relapse and progression  10:09
The International Progressive MS Alliance invests $4.1 million in two clinical trials  14:04
Dr. Leorah Freeman discusses why neurologists need to ask themselves 3 important questions when considering a patient's treatment plan  17:18
Share this episode  33:16

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/436
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com
The Multiple Sclerosis Insider
https://themultiplesclerosisinsider.substack.com

STUDY: Combined Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum Analysis Reveals Distinct Multiple Sclerosis Types
https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/148/12/4578/8321558

STUDY: Fear of Disease Progression and Relapse in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Scoping Review
https://frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1680781/full

JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms
REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 436
Guests: Dr. Leorah Freeman
Privacy Policy

We're closing out the year by revisiting the most listened-to episode of RealTalk MS in 2025. And it shouldn't come as a major surprise that this year's most listened-to episode was our review of the largest MS research conference in the world, ECTRIMS.  

This episode features the annual conversation that I have with Dr. Bruce Bebo, right outside of the conference center, just minutes after ECTRIMS adjourns. Dr. Bebo is the Executive Vice President of Research at the National MS Society, and each year, he very generously closes out 3 days of nonstop meetings, presentations, and research reviews by sharing his initial thoughts on the announcements and presentations that caught his eye during the conference.
 
When I produced this episode last September, I also wanted to capture a patient's perspective on what can easily become an overwhelming 3 days of presentations, news, and announcements. Kristine Werner Ozug, a member of the RealTalk MS team who lives with MS, joined me right after the conference to share her perspective on ECTRIMS 2025.









We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: ECTRIMS 2025   :22
Dr. Bruce Bebo shares his first impressions of the news and research presented at ECTRIMS 2025  1:22
Kristine Werner Ozug weighs in with an MS patient's perspective on the news and research presented at ECTRIMS 2025  10:35
Share this episode  22:45
Next week on RealTalk MS  23:06

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/435
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com
RealTalk MS at ECTRIMS 2025 on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATxgj1uHpxNoXakZif9TEkKT6mQSwX_9
Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms
Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 435
Guests: Dr. Bruce Bebo and Kristine Werner Ozug
Privacy Policy

The holiday season gives me the opportunity to indulge in what's become a RealTalk MS tradition. I reserve the last two episodes in December to revisit the most popular conversations that I've had over the past year. 

Women represent two-thirds of the MS population.  Yet, surprisingly, there isn't nearly enough data related to women's health issues and MS. With an estimated 300,000 women living with MS in the United States who are currently in peri- or post-menopause, researchers have started to focus on how menopause and MS interact, and the best ways to treat symptoms of each. 
 
This brings me to a conversation I had last March about managing menopause while managing MS with Dr. Riley Bove. 
 

Dr. Bove is a neurologist and the founding director of the Sex and Gender-Enriched (SAGE) Neurology Program at the University of California, San Francisco, and she's considered one of the world's foremost experts on women's health issues and MS.





We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: Managing menopause while you're managing MS   :22
Dr. Riley Bove discusses some of the issues facing the estimated 30% of the MS population who are currently in peri- or post-menopause  1:53
Share this episode  20:30
Next week on RealTalk MS  20:51

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/434
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com
RealTalk MS at ECTRIMS 2025 on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATxgj1uHpxNoXakZif9TEkKT6mQSwX_9
Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms
Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 434
Guests: Dr. Riley Bove
Privacy Policy