Hello friends --Hope you all are doing well. I am now - but the last 2 days have been hell - due to withdrawal from a drug that my Nurse Practitioner told me I could just quit - no need to titrate down. I did a video about what I went through as a cautionary tale. PLEASE - be sure to double check all meds you go on and OFF - as to how to do it and potential issues you may encounter. An educated patient is a well-equipped patient. Patient beware!!  Here's a link to that video: Kathy Gets a Scare OK - let's get to it:1.  First things first: I took an unplanned break from podcasting in December. My husband's mother was very sick and we were traveling a lot and then she subsequently passed away. We're grateful for her peace. Today is the first day of the new podcast year!  And it's with fan favorite Dr. Aaron Boster - and we're talking about a simplified plan for treating MS. Dr. B is soooo awesome. He's opening a new MS clinic (The Boster Center for Multiple Sclerosis) in March and I'm seriously considering flying out to Columbus, Ohio to see him twice a year - he's THAT good. Here's the pod: Dr. Boster and His Plan2.  People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) have a better prognosis and a slower progression to disability since the introduction of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) some 20 years ago, according to a retrospective study.  Use of DMT's Changing Natural History of MS3.  A clinical trial has begun testing an experimental stem cell treatment against the best available biologic therapies for severe forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first study doing head-to-head comparison. VERY interesting. Can't wait for the results!!  Trial Compares Stem Cell Transplant to Best Available Drug Therapies4.  Caregivers are special people that often get the shit end of the stick - and are exhausted and frustrated and emotionally drained. Now, there's a hotline just for them. PLEASE share this EVERYWHERE. 😘A Hotline for Caregivers5.  The first participant has been dosed in the Phase 2 REPAIR-MS clinical trial examining the effects of CNM-Au8, Clene Nanomedicine‘s investigational remyelinating therapy, on brain metabolism in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. Remyelination. Let that sink in. WOW! 😲Remyelinating Therapy? YES PLEASE!!6.  Why do some people recover from a relapse quickly, while others don't? Read on friends:  Inside an MS ExacerbationThat's all folks. Hope you get value from this newsletter each week. If you haven't checked it out yet - be sure to get over to the FUMS Facebook Page and the FUMS Twitter Account for more spur-of-the moment FUMS shenanigans!!  Warmly -- Kathy#FUMS

Sometimes it helps the stress, just to say "F-U-M-S"