RealTalk MS

For years, the standard medical advice for someone diagnosed with multiple sclerosis was simple, cautious, and as we now know, incredibly limiting: "Take it easy. Don't overexert yourself. And get plenty of rest." 
Today, like almost every other aspect of MS care, neurological rehabilitation is being entirely rewritten. It's no longer about just managing decline; it's about leveraging emerging technologies to proactively build resilience, retrain the brain, and adopt cutting-edge exercise science to fundamentally change the trajectory of life with MS.
This week, three experts share their thoughts on what MS rehabilitation looks like in 2026...and it's not your father's MS rehab!


Dr. Brian Sandroff breaks down his groundbreaking research on how tailored exercise regimens—like treadmill walking—can actually improve memory, boost processing speed, and spark cognitive recovery.
Dr. Brad Willingham discusses the game-changing world of continuous remote monitoring, explaining how wearable sensors and AI are turning real-world, 24/7 data into hyper-personalized, dynamic treatment plans.
And Dr. Laura Rice delivers a practical exercise blueprint for individuals with MS who use wheelchairs. You'll learn how to jumpstart a safe fitness routine while effectively managing risks like heat sensitivity, shoulder overuse, skin breakdown, and the fear of falling.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: We're taking a deep dive into MS rehabilitation :22
Dr. Brian Sandroff answers the question, "Can exercise be used to treat cognitive impairment?"    2:10
Dr. Brad Willingham explains how AI can play a meaningful role in MS rehabilitation and clinical care  13:41
Dr. Laura Rice shares tips and strategies for exercising safely if you rely on a wheelchair for mobility   26:18
Share this episode  46:27
Next week  46:47

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/459
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 459
Guest: Dr. Brian Sandroff, Dr. Brad Willingham, and Dr. Laura Rice
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This week, our coverage of the Consortium of MS Centers annual meeting continues with my guest, Dr. Stephen Krieger. In a wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Krieger offers a very encouraging clinical trial update, shares his thoughts on what treating someone living with advanced MS ought to look like, and points out potential obstacles to implementing the updated criteria for diagnosing MS. 


Dr. Krieger is a Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and a Multiple Sclerosis Specialist at the Corinne Coldsmith Dickinson Center for MS.
We're also sharing results of a study that revealed some surprising connections between caffeine, alcohol, opioids, and MS symptoms.
And if you're living with MS and you're the parent of a young child, we'll tell you about a book that belongs on your bookshelf.


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

This Week: We're at the CMSC annual meeting with Dr. Stephen Krieger  :22
Study reveals the connection between caffeine, alcohol, and opioids and your MS symptoms    1:12
My Superhero with Wheels is the book you need if you're living with MS and have young children  5:15
Dr. Stephen Krieger discusses exciting clinical trial results, treating people with advanced MS, and potential challenges in implementing the updated criteria for diagnosing MS   8:39
Share this episode  30:22
Next week  30:41

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/458
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: Daily Temporal Associations Between Psychoactive Substances and Fatigue, Pain, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms in People with Multiple Sclerosis
https://archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(26)00035-3/fulltext

BOOK: My Superhero with Wheels
https://amazon.com/My-Superhero-wheels-True-Story/dp/B0GWVGSWX5/ref=sr_1_1

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 458
Guest: Dr. Stephen Krieger
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Last week, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, best known as CMSC, hosted its annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, where we had a chance to talk with some of the world's top MS experts. We'll be sharing those conversations over the next few episodes of the podcast. Welcome to Part One of our coverage of CMSC 2026!

In what has become an annual tradition at this conference, Dr. Kathy Zackowski, the National MS Society's Associate Vice-President of Research, joins me to share her impressions of the sessions and presentations that stood out to her.
I also caught up with Dr. Valerie Block and Dr. Riley Bove on the first day of the CMSC annual meeting, and we discussed how wearable devices and digital tools are finding their way into MS care and how they can improve the quality of care for people living with MS.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: We're reporting from CMSC  :22
Dr. Kathy Zackowski shares the CMSC presentations that caught her eye  1:04
Dr. Valerie Block and Dr. Riley Bove discuss how wearable devices and digital tools are reshaping MS care  14:29
Share this episode  28:20
Next week  28:39

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/457
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 457
Guests: Dr. Kathy Zackowski, Dr. Valerie Block, Dr. Riley Bove
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May 30th is World MS Day! This year, the theme for World MS Day is "My MS Diagnosis," and I've been thinking about what happens right after that diagnosis. After an individual hears, "You have MS."
This week, Dr. Nancy Sicotte joins me to discuss the things you should know, the things you should be thinking about, and the things you should be doing in the first 100 days following an MS diagnosis. 


Dr. Sicotte is the Chair of Neurology and Director of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, and she's the past Chair of the National MS Society's National Medical Advisory Committee. 
We're also sharing results of a study that showed an exercise hormone protected neurons from inflammatory attack in a mouse model of MS.
And we're sharing encouraging news about an experimental nasal spray that's been shown to delay disability progression and improve fatigue among people with non-active secondary progressive MS.


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

This Week: World MS Day!  :22
Study reveals an exercise hormone has neuroprotective effects on a mouse model of MS    2:40
Tiziana shares evidence that Foralumab delays progression and improves fatigue in people with non-active secondary progressive MS  4:34
Dr. Nancy Sicotte looks at the first 100 days following an MS diagnosis  8:40
Share this episode  28:51
Next week  29:12

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/456
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
World MS Day Poster Maker
https://worldmsday.org/poster-maker
STUDY: The Exercise Hormone Irisin Has Neuroprotective Effects in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-026-01527-7
CLINICAL TRIAL: A Study of Nasal Foralumab in Non-Active Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Patients
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06292923

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 456
Guest: Dr. Nancy Sicotte
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When we talk about managing Multiple Sclerosis, our conversations naturally focus on things like disease-modifying therapies, mobility, MRI scans, and symptom management. But in this week's episode, we're shining a light on a critical aspect of MS wellness that doesn't get nearly enough attention: your oral health.


Living with MS can introduce a whole host of unexpected challenges to maintaining a healthy mouth. And beyond preventing tooth decay and gum disease, emerging research suggests that chronic oral inflammation, like periodontal disease, can trigger systemic inflammation throughout the body.
Dr. Ann Spolarich joins us to break down the science, explain the risks, and offer practical suggestions for maintaining oral health for people living with MS and their care partners.
We're also sharing study results that revealed 1,000 differences between immune cells in men and women. (And we're explaining why that's important)
If you're a parent or caregiver for a child or teen with MS, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the FDA approval of Ocrevus for treating pediatric MS.
We're sharing the details of an AI partnership designed to shorten the time to an MS diagnosis and track progression in real time.
We're sharing the details of another AI partnership designed to test a pill that will ease MS-related depression and fatigue.
And we'll tell you about a way that you can participate in MS research from the comfort and convenience of your own home.


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

This Week: The connection between your oral health and MS  :22
Study reveals 1,000 differences between men's and women's immune cells    1:30
FDA approves Ocrevus for children over the age of 10 with relapsing remitting MS  3:28
An AI partnership designed to shorten the time to an MS diagnosis and track progression in real time  5:43
An AI partnership to test a pill that will ease MS-related depression and fatigue  9:24
An opportunity to participate in MS research from the comfort and convenience of your own home  13:16
Dr. Ann Spolarich discusses the connection between your oral health and MS  13:16
Share this episode  29:45
Next week  30:05

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS
Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/455
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: The Impact of Sex on the Immune System Explored at the Single-Cell Level
https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(26)00153-9
ONLINE SURVEY: Bladder-Related Fall Risk in People with MS
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/participate-in-research-studies/rs-bladder-fall-risk
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 455
Guest: Dr. Ann Spolarich
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