RealTalk MS

If you Google the term "shared decision making", you'll find it defined as a collaborative process where patients and clinicians work together to select tests, treatments, and care plans based on clinical evidence and the patient's personal values and goals.
But shared decision-making isn't an automatic happy pill. It takes work, it takes discipline, and it takes a clear understanding of both the patient's and the clinician's roles. This week, Dr. Aliza Ben-Zacharia and Linda Lachman join me to share how shared decision-making has worked for them over the course of their longtime doctor-patient relationship, and how it can work for you.


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

This Week: We're taking a deep dive into shared decision-making  :22
Dr. Aliza Ben-Zacharia and Linda Lachman discuss how they have made shared decision-making work, and what to do if it isn't working for you and your neurologist  2:39
Share this episode  32:05
Next week  32:25

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/467
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com
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 X, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 467
Guests: Dr. Aliza Ben-Zacharia and Linda Lachman
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We get more listener emails about diet and MS than almost any other topic. If you're curious about how some of the well-known diets for MS actually stack up, or you're interested in understanding the connection between diet and MS-related fatigue, or you want to know what the biggest obstacle to staying on a new diet is (and this may surprise you), then this is the episode for you.
We're devoting this week's entire episode to my conversation with Dr. Tyler Titcomb, an assistant professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, and a registered dietitian with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences in the Department of Neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.


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

This Week: We're taking a deep dive into diet and MS  :22
Dr. Tyler Titcomb breaks down what you need to know about how diet influences multiple sclerosis and why it plays such a key role.  :54
Share this episode  25:22
Next week  25:41

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/466
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com
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 X, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 466
Guest: Dr. Tyler Titcomb
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During his fellowship in the United States, Dr. Avinash Chandra trained to become an MS specialist at a world-class MS center. Then he returned home to Nepal and discovered that MS was largely considered non-existent. But Dr. Chandra knew it wasn't. 
In this week's episode, Dr. Chandra discusses his experience creating a framework for MS care in Nepal that hadn't existed before. He also explains the necessary trade-offs in providing costly medical treatment in a country where the average family of four lives on an income of $500 a month. 


It's been well-established that males living with MS tend to experience faster and more severe disease progression than females. We're sharing results of a study that shows clear differences in healthcare use by sex up to a decade before the onset of MS. 
We'll tell you about a newly published review of 30 years of data measuring the efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT).
And we're sharing the registration details for ECTRIMS Community Patient Day (it's a free live and online event you won't want to miss!)
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: MS care in a country that considered MS non-existent  :22
A study analyzed sex differences in healthcare usage between males and females with MS up to a decade before the first MS symptom develops   1:45
30 years of accumulated data show significant benefits of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in treating relapsing forms of MS   6:17
It's time to support the National MS Society's $119.6 million active investment in MS research   9:32
Dr. Avniash Chandra discusses MS care in Nepal  12:43 
Share this episode  35:40
Next week  36:01

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/465
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com
STUDY: Sex Differences in Healthcare Use Before the First Multiple Sclerosis-Related Demyelinating Event
https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(26)00396-2/fulltext

PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY: Sex Differences in Healthcare Use Before the First Multiple Sclerosis-Related Demyelinating Event
https://tremlettsmsresearchexplained.wordpress.com/2026/07/22/sex-differences-in-healthcare-use-before-the-first-multiple-sclerosis-related-demyelinating-event-explained
LISTEN: Dr. Helen Tremlett Discusses the MS Prodrome
https://realtalkms.com/321

STUDY: Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Sclerosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41482159
REGISTER: ECTRIMS Patient Community Day
https://ectrimspatientcommunity.eu
SUPPORT: National MS Society Research
https://nationalmssociety.org/research
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 X, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 465
Guest: Dr. Avinash Chandra
Privacy Policy

If you've spent any time at all living with or caring for someone with multiple sclerosis, you know that medical textbooks and information-filled websites can give us facts, figures, and symptoms, but they rarely capture the sometimes messy, sometimes overwhelming, and sometimes darkly funny reality of what it actually feels like to get a diagnosis of MS and realize your life has suddenly shifted under your feet.
Our guest, Liat Shalom, was diagnosed with MS in 2021, at the age of 30. Instead of letting that diagnosis define her, Liat picked up her pen and created Unravelled—a groundbreaking graphic memoir that refuses to sugar-coat the MS experience.  


For about five years, we've known that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) triggers MS. We'll explain what biologists just discovered about how EBV triggers MS, and what that could mean for future treatments.
We're sharing evidence from an important study that shows a simple blood test is as accurate as MRI in determining whether someone is experiencing a relapse or a pseudo-relapse.
We're sharing details of a study showing that virtual reality (VR) therapy is effective in treating MS-related brain fog.
And if you're a woman between the ages of 45 and 60 and you're experiencing perimenopause, we'll share an easy way for you to participate in MS research without leaving home.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: Unravalled, Liat Shalom's darkly humorous graphic novel about her MS journey  :22
Scientists discover how the Epstein-Barr virus triggers MS  1:53
A simple blood test can determine whether someone is experiencing a relapse or a pseudo-relapse  4:08
It's time to support the National MS Society's $119.6 million active investment in MS research   6:58
Virtual reality therapy can improve MS-related brain fog   9:16
An opportunity to participate in MS research for women between 45-60 who are experiencing perimenopause  11:41
Liat Shalom discusses her journey to an MS diagnosis that led her to create Unravalled, a darkly humorous graphic memoir  13:11 
Share this episode  30:32
Next week  30:52

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/464
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com
Unravelled: The Story of an MS Warrior by Liat Shalom
https://unraveledgraphicnovel.com

STUDY: CD4+ T-Cells Reactive to Epstein-Barr Virus Late Lytic Antigens are Enriched in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adz6566
STUDY: Utility of Multi-Analyte Protein Assay to Distinguish Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Relapse from Pseudoexacerbation
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40120-026-00984-2
STUDY: Effectiveness of Immersive and Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Interventions on Cognitive Function in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/12/4534
PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH: Perimenopause and Multiple Sclerosis
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/news/ms-study-alert-perimenopause-survey
STUDY: Effectiveness of Immersive and Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Interventions on Cognitive Function in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/12/4534
SUPPORT: National MS Society Research
https://nationalmssociety.org/research
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 X, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 464
Guest: Liat Shalom
Privacy Policy

Living with depression has been described as "like living under a wet, heavy blanket". It can stop someone from showing up at work, meeting up with friends, and even connecting with their family. 
One out of every two people living with MS will experience depression at some point in their MS journey. The METS for MS study is focused on a novel approach to treating major depressive disorder among people with MS -- one that doesn't require another infusion, injection, or pill.
This week, Dr. Robert Motl, principal investigator for the METS for MS study, joins us to explain what the study is about and what his team is learning.  And Kelly, who lives with progressive MS, joins us to share how her participation in the study became life-changing. 


We'll also tell you about the $500,000 donation to MS research that Fernando Mendoza and his family just made.
We're sharing the details about the CAR-NKT cell therapy for MS that's being developed at UCLA.
You'll learn about the novel nanoparticle therapy for MS that's being developed by a team at Syracuse University's BioInspired Institute.
And we're sharing the surprising results of a study that measured the effectiveness of Rituximab versus Ocrevus. 
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: A study focusing on a novel approach to treating MS-related depression  :22
Fernando Mendoza and his family donate $500,000 to MS research  1:18
UCLA research team receives a $7.49 million dollar grant to develop CAR-NKT therapy for MS  2:22
Syracuse University research team receives NIH grant to develop novel nanoparticle therapy for MS   6:22
Study results: Rituximab and Ocrevus were compared head-to-head and the results are surprising   9:43
Dr. Robert Motl explains the Mood and Exercise Training Study for Multiple Sclerosis, and Kelly explains how her participation in the study turned out to be life-changing  14:22
Share this episode  35:43
Next week  36:03

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/463
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION
I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!
Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283
And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS
If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com
STUDY: Rituximab versus Ocrelizumab in Newly Diagnosed Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2600993
PARTICIPATE: Mood and Exercise Training Study for Multiple Sclerosis (METS for MS)
Email: METSforMS@uic.edu 
Phone Ariel: (312) 355-1790
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 X, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.
RealTalk MS Episode 463
Guest: Dr. Robert Motl, Kelly
Privacy Policy