Apr
6
New Wesley Research Institute study aims to halt the progression of multiple sclerosis
‘Might prove the most effective treatment of MS ever’ — research leader
A new research study being conducted at The Wesley Research Institute (WRI) aims to stop the progression of early active stage Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in its tracks.
There are currently more than 2.5 million people worldwide with MS, a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system.
They suffer from a range of debilitating symptoms including impaired gait and mobility, bladder and bowel dysfunction, cognitive and visual impairment, and profound muscle weakness.
Principal Investigator of the project at the WRI, Dr Pamela McCombe, is a neurologist at both The Wesley Hospital and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and also Chairman of the WRI Research Committee.
“This study might prove to be the strongest, most effective treatment of MS ever.”
“Current treatments for MS only reduce the progression rate of the disease. This new treatment, if successful, will actually halt the progression of MS.”
“Not only does it aim to stop MS in its tracks but it will also spare MS sufferers from weekly injections replacing them with infusions over three consecutive days every year.”
“The medication targets lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) to decrease the inflammatory reaction responsible for the progression of MS.”
Preliminary studies have demonstrated that as a result of this medication sufferers have experienced fewer disease relapses, a decrease in the formation of central nervous system lesions and a reduction in cumulative disabilities.
Apr
6
Termination shouldn’t be the answer to a disability | Houston Chronicle
Filed Under Work & Disability | Leave a Comment
Termination shouldn’t be the answer to a disability
So when do you tell the boss? And how much do you say?
For workers with a hidden disability — or one that’s not very obvious — they’re thorny questions.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide a reasonable accommodation for employees who can perform the essential functions of their job.
But if you’re feeling vulnerable already, it’s not so easy to ask for help, whether it’s a stool for a cashier or time off to go to the doctor.
First reaction: quit
For those who have been recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, many times their immediate reaction is to think they need to quit, said Alicia Barron, coordinator of programs and services for the Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Houston.
Typically, that’s the time when their symptoms of the autoimmune disorder are the most severe, she said. Multiple sclerosis is most commonly diagnosed between the prime working ages of 20 and 50.
But the symptoms, which vary widely from person to person, can come and go. At times walking can be difficult, while at other times it’s easy. Vision can wax and wane.
The accommodations don’t have to be complicated, said Barron, whose society is part sponsor of a new site, www.msworkplace.com. Some can be as simple as changing a computer font for someone struggling to read a screen.
Looking at a job change
For others, an accommodation isn’t enough, and a job change might be the better option. She said it doesn’t necessarily have to mean a new field, though. If someone is working in construction and finds it increasingly difficult to handle the heat or fatigue or perhaps is having trouble with balance, construction management might be a good alternative.
The key is to keep folks working if that’s what they want to do.
“I think sometimes employers don’t think about how to keep the person. They just let them go,” said Barron, whose dad lost his job after an MS diagnosis.
[more at link]
Apr
6
Social Impact of Multiple Sclerosis - 13WHAM.com
Nancy Koger of Charlotte, N.Y. was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) seven years ago, when she was just 34 years old.
Koger’s symptoms, which included exhaustion and losses of vision & mobility, were so bad, she had to stop working, give up her home, and move into assisted living.
“The only way I can describe it is it feels like something on the inside of you is eating away at you,” Nancy said.
MS also ate away her social life, with her dog Buddy being her only constant company.
Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack the central nervous system. While the physical deterioration is the most visible effect of MS, the disease also can cause mood swings, irritability and pain – symptoms that MS researchers say are often worse than the disease.
Because no two MS patients have the same symptoms or respond the same way to treatments, experts say MS remains among the most complicated and unpredictable diseases to treat.
“The thing to keep in mind with all medications…in multiple sclerosis, is that they are focused on treating damage and preventing new problems,” said Dr. Steven Schwid, Associate Professor of Neurology at UR Medical Center. “But they don’t really treat the symptoms people already have, so we need different types of approaches…”
Nancy does take medication for her symptoms, but she says there’s no pill to change people’s attitudes towards MS.
“That’s probably been the hardest for me,” she said. “If I mention I’d like to do something, go away, take a trip…everybody’s, ‘You can’t do that!’ And it gets depressing knowing…yeah, there are a lot of things I can’t do.”
Nancy hopes eventually more people will realize what she can do, instead of focusing on what she can’t do.