March 6, 2024

Hey - It's March. You know what that means, right??? It's almost Spring 🌸 AND most of the country (except YOU Arizona, Hawaii, and the overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands) will spring forward this coming weekend. YIPPEE!! The longer days filled with sunshine are coming!! REJOICE!! 🌞  Get out and soak up some of that yummy Vitamin D-producing sunshine, ease your depression and anxiety, and just generally feel better by getting outside!Let's see what's going on in the world of MS:1.  Do you get migraines? Did you before your MS dx?? I did. I went to the ER more than once with "cluster headaches" and eventually had (and still get) Optic Migraines. The first neuro I ever saw about the "numbness on my feet" asked me if I ever got migraines. He was on to something.  "Worldwide up to 43% of patients with MS report migraine. Recent data point to a 3- to 5-year clinically symptomatic prodromal phase of MS and suggest migraine may be one of its potential constituents."  Migraine a Forerunner of Multiple Sclerosis?2.  Hello breastfeeding mamas - or those thinking of breastfeeding babies: good news. Breastfed babies whose moms received monoclonal antibody treatments for MS did not develop any more developmental delays than babies not exposed to the drugs through breast milk, a new study found. MS drugs safe taken by breastfeeding moms won't hurt babies3.  Who's got MS and anxiety?? 🙋🏽‍♀️  Seriously - that many of you?? Yep - I knew it! Makes sense, right? I mean who gets a dx like MS and just takes it in stride?? It's a life-altering kick to the gut. Add the meds we're taking, etc. and well, you know, anxiety is rampant in our community.  Here's some encouraging news: there may be ways you can reduce the impact of this challenging combination. What’s the Link Between Anxiety and Multiple Sclerosis?4.  Now this is exciting: Researchers from King’s College London (KCL) and the University of Exeter have developed a new genetic risk tool that could save sight and help diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) in young adults much earlier.  New genetic risk tool could predict multiple sclerosis in young adults much earlier5.  MS is a spectrum disorder. You get that, right? Putting MS in neat little packages like relapsing and progressive just doesn't capture all the nuance that we understand there to be with this disease. An expanding understanding of this truth will likely lead to an expanding vocabulary to better describe and identify the various "types" of MS. The Changing Paradigm of Multiple Sclerosis6.  New findings presented by Larissa Jank, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2024, held last week in Florida show Indole 3-lactate supplement as 'a potentially safe new remyelination agent'.   Molecule made by gut bacteria seen to ease MS in mice  🐭That's all folks. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. Otherwise, just keep saying FUMS!! 🧡Cheers -- KathyKathy Reagan YoungFounderFUMSP.S. Check out my video with a suggestion for how to avoid stirring up your MS when you're prepping for a colonoscopy:  PRO TIP

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