Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break, where we welcome community member Natalie Cooper as our guest!  

01:11 Can you tell us a little about yourself, your family, your life, where you live and anything about yourself, you’d like to share? 

03:58 When were you diagnosed with MS and how long have you been following the Overcoming MS 7 Step Program? 

06:56 What is your favorite thing about the program, namely what do you feel has made the biggest positive impact? 

08:02 What was your greatest challenge in adopting the Overcoming MS program, and how did you overcome it? 

10:16 How have you had to adapt your daily healthy habits to the new realities imposed by COVID-19? 

12:41 Do you have any other tips or tricks you can share with our audience that might help them on their journeys? 

If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

Welcome to the Living Well with MS podcast, and we are joined by Caroline Clarke, who is a trustee of Overcoming MS and the 2020 President of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), the representative body for finance staff in healthcare. 

01:34 Why did you choose to follow Overcoming MS and your MS journey? 

09:31 So how does having a high-profile job or high-pressure job affect your MS and how do you deal with that?  

12:43 Practicing mindfulness 

16:54 Any advice for people who have MS in general terms 

22:18 Is there any advice for people with MS now, with COVID-19? 

27:48 Does it make sense for people with MS to isolate themselves as much as they practically can? 

If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

Welcome to Living Well with MS Coffee Break, where we travel to the San Francisco Bay Area to welcome Sarah T as our guest!  

01:23 Can you tell us a little about yourself, your family, your life, where you live and anything about yourself, you’d like to share? 

02:11 When were you diagnosed with MS and how long have you been following the Overcoming MS Program? 

05:45 What is your favorite thing about the program, and what do you feel has made the biggest positive impact on your health? 

06:40 What was your greatest challenge in adopting the Overcoming MS program, and how did you overcome it? 

09:11 How have you had to adapt your daily healthy habits to the new realities imposed by COVID-19? 

12:04 Do you have any other tips or tricks you can share with our audience that might help them on their journeys? 

If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

On this episode of Living Well with MS podcast, and we are joined by Kim Venter, a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor, and nutritional consultant who thoroughly enjoys working with people and helping them overcome various challenges in their lives. Kim is particularly interested in Health Psychology, which is to say exploring the impact on the mind of what is going in the body. Her training has increased her awareness of the psychological impact MS has and how the food we eat affects the health of our minds. 

01:53 What is the gut microbiome and why is it so important? 

03:15 How does what we eat affect our immune system?  

09:01 Is it worth keeping a food diary if you’re having GI symptoms? 

10:15 What is the low FODMAPs diet? 

11:53 What is Leaky Gut Syndrome and how does it effect people with MS? 

19:00 The gut–brain axis: does the blood-brain barrier stop foreign substances from injuring the brain?  

22:12 For people living with MS, what can be done to help the gut and keep it healthy? 

22:51 What are probiotics and prebiotics?  

27:02 What can we to increase both probiotics and prebiotics? 

30:50 How does gut health or lack thereof impact MS? 

39:01 How does intermittent fasting affect gut health? 

If you enjoy this podcast and want to support the ongoing work of Overcoming MS, you can leave a donation here.

Feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing [email protected].

If you like Living Well with MS, please leave a 5-star review.

Welcome to our second installment of Living Well with MS Coffee Break, where we welcome Vicky Argyle as our guest! As you now know, we decided to do something a little different in expanding the range of content we produce here at Living Well with MS. To honor the community that forms the beating heart of Overcoming MS, this special series called Coffee Break features short interviews with members of the OMS community talking about their personal journeys adopting and staying on the OMS 7 Step Recovery Program, the challenges they encountered and how they overcame them, and their tips and tricks for sticking to the path that leads to better health. We hope you enjoy and learn from these intermezzos between our regular episodes, and as always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing [email protected].

Bio:

Vicky originally worked as a music publisher in London before moving to Scotland in the late 1980s and retraining as a massage and reflexology therapist and teacher of Aura-Soma. 15 years later, she moved back to England where she ran a Soil Association Organic Box Scheme in Herefordshire before going on to work in the Renewable Energy Industry. Vicky was diagnosed with MS in 2013, and now works part-time for her partner, a farmer in South Somerset. Finally, she has a chance to put some focus into her true passion, writing.

Questions:

• Can you tell us a little about yourself, your family, your life, where you live and anything about yourself you’d like to share?

Links:

OMS COVID-19 main resource page

Excellent COVID-19 resource page from Dr. Gavin Giovannoni

If you post something concerning OMS and COVID-19, especially if it’s a bit of good news during this rough patch, don’t forget to use the hashtag #positivelyOMS.

Coming up on our next episode:

On the next full-length episode of Living Well with MS, launching May 6, 2020, Geoff Allix  gets a “macro” view on a critically important “micro” topic, Gut Health: Your Microbiome and You, from Kim Venter, a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor and nutritional consultant, who helps us understand the connection between gut health and the immune system.

Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show.

Bio:

Mari L. McCarthy is an award-winning and international bestselling author whose books Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live and Heal Yourself with Journaling Power have introduced people around the world to the power journaling has to help heal the body. After losing feeling and function in the right side of her body in 1998, Mari was diagnosed with MS. Undaunted, she took up a daily journaling practice which over time helped improve her MS symptoms to the extent that she is now an accomplished recording artist with three full-length albums. Mari’s website, CreateWriteNow.com, is the platform she runs to share her methods, expertise and passion for journaling.

Questions:

• Can you please share with our audience a bit about your own personal story, and your journey since being diagnosed with MS?

Links:

CreateWriteNow

About Mari McCarthy

CreateWriteNow Facebook

CreateWriteNow Twitter

CreateWriteNow YouTube

Coming up on our next episode:

Coming up next, treat yourself to a morsel of insight from OMS community member Vicky Argyle on Living Well with MS Coffee Break #2, which launches on Monday, April 20.

On the next full-length episode of Living Well with MS, launching May 6, 2020, Geoff Allix  gets a “macro” view on a critically important “micro” topic, Gut Health: Your Microbiome and You, from Kim Venter, a trained teacher, professional psychological counsellor and nutritional consultant, who helps us understand the connection between gut health and the immune system.

Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show.

Welcome to our first Living Well with MS Coffee Break episode! We decided to do something a little different in expanding the range of content we produce here at Living Well with MS. Since our community forms the beating heart of Overcoming MS, we are commencing this special series called Coffee Break, which features short interviews with members of the OMS community talking about their personal journeys adopting and staying on the OMS 7 Step Recovery Program, the challenges they encountered and how they overcame them, and their tips and tricks for sticking to the path that leads to better health. We hope you enjoy and learn from these intermezzos between our regular episodes, and as always, your comments and suggestions are always welcome by emailing [email protected].

Questions:

• Can you tell us a little about yourself, your family, your life, where you live and anything about yourself you’d like to share?

Bio:

Maisie lives in the Cotswolds of England where she settled in 2018 after travelling the world and being constantly on the move with the British Army. She has two grown children. In 2016, while training for the Berlin marathon, she noticed numbness in her feet, initially thinking it was due to the stress of marathon prep. The numbness continued to spread and caused her difficulty in walking. Running was out of the question. Six months later, after medical referrals and testing, she was diagnosed with MS. Since then, Maisie has left the Army, discovered OMS and is just about to finish an MSc in Nutritional Therapy. She is back to running and last year completed the London and Snowdonia marathons and took part in the Thames Path Challenge for OMS. She is currently cocooned in the Cotswolds due to COVID-19 and the immune suppressing drugs she is taking for her MS.

Links:

OMS COVID-19 main resource page

Excellent COVID-19 resource page from Dr. Gavin Giovannoni

If you post something concerning OMS and COVID-19, especially if it’s a bit of good news during this rough patch, don’t forget to use the hashtag #positivelyOMS.

Coming up on our next episode:

On the next full episode of Living Well with MS, launching April 15, 2020, Geoff Allix explores the power journaling has to help heal the body with Mari L. McCarthy, an award-winning and international bestselling author of books such as Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live and Heal Yourself with Journaling Power. The power of Mari’s own story and the impact she has had on people all over the world will open your eyes.

Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show.

Whether one has MS or not, the world is going through an unprecedented and difficult time. So, we have created this special episode of Living Well with MS, featuring Dr. Jonathan White, to better understand the coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic and how it affects people with MS. Please be aware that knowledge of this virus is changing rapidly, and we are presenting the best information that we have at time of recording, but you should check for updates regularly, with your healthcare professionals and from credible sources on the Web, including the links below in the show notes, to ensure that you have the latest advice. And remember, stay safe, healthy and sane while we work our way through this chapter in history.

Questions:

• What is Coronavirus/COVID-19?

Bio:

Dr. Jonathan White, a practicing medical doctor in Belfast, Northern Ireland, also works with Overcoming MS as a medical consultant and event facilitator. You can learn more about Dr. White’s professional background here.

Links:

OMS COVID-19 main resource page

Excellent COVID-19 resource page from Dr. Gavin Giovannoni

A video on COVID-19 from neurologist Dr. Brandon Beaber

A video on COVID-19 from neurologist Dr. Aaron Boster

If you post something concerning OMS and COVID-19, especially if it’s a bit of good news during this rough patch, don’t forget to use the hashtag #positivelyOMS.

Coming up on our next episode:

On the next episode of Living Well with MS, launching April 15, 2020, Geoff Allix explores the power journaling has to help heal the body with Mari L. McCarthy, an award-winning and international bestselling author of books such as Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live and Heal Yourself with Journaling Power. The power of Mari’s own story and the impact she has had on people all over the world will open your eyes.

Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show.

We all know that exercise is a key component of healthy living, and particularly important too if you have MS, which is why it plays such a prominent role as one of the steps of the OMS 7 Step Recovery Program. But did you know that when you’re exercising your body, you’re working out your nervous system as well? Our guest on this episode of Living Well with MS, Dr. Gretchen Hawley, will explain neuroplasticity (for us lay people, that’s the brain’s ability to continually change, a sign of brain health) and how exercise can impact it, as well as share her insights on helping people with MS improve their strength, balance and mobility.

Bio:

Gretchen Hawley is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist. After graduating from Simmons University in Boston, she developed a Multiple Sclerosis program alongside two of the city's top MS neurologists. Dr. Hawley utilizes the concept of neuroplasticity to improve strength, balance and walking in those with MS by using specific, functional exercises. She has been a keynote speaker at several National MS Society events and other MS focused conferences in 2018 and 2019 and presents frequently to MS groups. Dr. Hawley brings a keen understanding of the challenges faced by people living with MS and has developed a virtual physical therapy program to help people improve their MS symptoms while in the comfort of their own home and guided by an MS specialist. Dr. Hawley resides in Buffalo with her dog, Finn.  

Questions:

• How is MS physical therapy different from orthopedic/"regular" physical therapy?

Links:

The MSing Link

Behind the Scenes Video

About Gretchen Hawley

Coming up on our next episode:

On the next episode of Living Well with MS, Geoff Allix explores the power journaling has to help heal the body with Mari L. McCarthy, an award-winning and international bestselling author of books such as Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live and Heal Yourself with Journaling Power. The power of Mari’s own story and the impact she has had on people all over the world will open your eyes.

Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show.

Living Well with MS is proud to welcome back Dr. Aaron Boster, an Ohio-based neurologist specializing in MS, whom we featured last season on an episode exploring how to make the right medication choices when you have MS. Now we tap his expertise to help us understand the complicated calculus of how the lifestyle choices we make might impact MS and our overall health. We are surrounded by temptations – from that delicious pint of ice cream to the lure of sleeping in instead of hitting the gym – but the lifestyle choices we make come at a price. Whether or not you have MS (but particularly if you do), it’s important to understand the bargain you’re making between living a healthy life and enjoying some of your favorite vices. We hope this episode helps spark your thinking on this crucial topic.

Dr. Aaron Boster’s Bio:

Dr. Aaron Boster is an award-winning, widely published and Board-certified neurologist who currently serves as the Director of the Neuroscience Infusion Center at OhioHealth. Witnessing his uncle’s diagnosis with MS when he was 12, he and his family came to see a lack of coherence in the way MS was treated at the time. That experienced informed Dr. Boster’s drive to do things differently. At OhioHealth, he spearheads a revolutionary model in MS treatment and patient care drawing on interdisciplinary resources and putting patients and families first. Dr. Boster is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and a former Assistant Professor of Neurology at The Ohio State University, where he also formerly headed the Neuroimmunology division. Dr. Boster received his MD from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He also manages a popular YouTube channel covering all aspects of MS.

Questions in this episode include:

• What comprises your “4 for 4” approach?

Coming up on our next episode:

Did you know exercise can help build neuroplasticity (for us lay people, that’s the brain’s ability to continually change, a sign of brain health)? On the following installment of Living Well with MS, Geoff Allix dives into this mind-expanding topic with Dr. Gretchen Hawley, a physical therapist and MS specialist based in Boston who is also the founder of the MS wellness program, The MSing Link.

Don’t miss out:

Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show.