Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease in which your body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers your nerves. The disorder disrupts communication between your brain and the rest of your body, meaning your nerve signals slow down or stop. We don't know exactly why this happens. The most common thought is that a virus or gene defect, or both, are to blame. Environmental factors may even play a role. We do know that the disorder affects more women than men, that you may get the disorder if you have a family history of MS, and that you are at higher risk if you live in a part of the world where MS is more common. It's typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but we see the disorder at any age. Now you may ask, how do you know you have multiple sclerosis?On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with one of the foremost experts in treating patients with MS and other Nero immune disorders, Dr Michelle Fabian. She is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and an attending physician at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis Center. She received a BS degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a MD degree from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her neurology residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she served as Chief Resident. In 2009, she was named The Mount Sinai Hospital Resident of the Year. She was the recipient of a 2009-2011 Sylvia Lawry Fellowship from the National MS Society, after which she joined the CGD faculty in 2011. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com