Olympian Joins Team Stork at Brigham and Women's Hospital The Stork Fund promotes healthier babies and moms at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). Members of BWH's Boston marathon team, Team Stork, raise money to su... By: Brighamandwomens … Continue reading →

The death this week of actress and one-time Disney Mouseketeer Annette Funicello from complications of multiple sclerosis raised the specter of a debilitating disease and the need for further research to one day find a cure. It serves to remind us there are many, many people in our country and around the world with MS, said Nicholas LaRocca, vice president of health-care delivery and policy research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Were all striving for the goal of a world free of MS. But not everybody responds to treatment in the same way, so the more options there are, the better. Funicello, 70, was diagnosed with the disease in 1987 and went on to become an advocate for multiple sclerosis awareness and research. In Massachusetts, several companies have developed drugs to treat multiple sclerosis, which affects an estimated 400,000 people in the United States and 2.1 million worldwide. Biogen Idec has three such drugs: Avonex, Tysabri and, most recently, Tecfidera, which received federal approval two weeks ago. All of them are disease-modifying therapies that reduce the number of relapses and slow the progression of MS ... until we can find a cure, which is what were all committed to, … Continue reading →

by Staff Report GDTnews@civitasmedia.com Gallipolis Daily Tribune GALLIPOLIS Jami Jo Cox has been named Ambassador of Walk MS: Gallipolis, 2013. Walk MS: Gallipolis is slated for 10 a.m. April 20 at Haskins Memorial Park. Funds raised during the event will benefit the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National MS Society. Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and it stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide. Cox, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003, will serve as the Walk MS team captain. MS makes some activities slightly more difficult for … Continue reading →

Public release date: 10-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Carolann Murphy CMurphy@kesslerfoundation.org 973-324-8382 Kessler Foundation West Orange, NJ. April 10, 2013. John DeLuca, PhD, VP of Research & Training at Kessler Foundation, will speak at the Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown-Lakefront in Chicago, Illinois, on April 26, 2013. This one-day CME-accredited program, "Assessing and Managing Neuropsychiatric Problems in Multiple Sclerosis (MS): From MRI to Treatment" is chaired by Ralph Benedict, PhD, and hosted by the Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC). Organized in 1986 under the direction of neurologists interested in the clinical care of MS, CMSC has grown to become a multi-disciplinary organization providing a team approach to MS care and a network for all health care professionals and others specializing in the care of persons with MS. The educational needs of healthcare professionals working with patients with MS include knowledge of cognitive impairment, which may be mild, moderate, or severe. Dr. DeLuca, an expert in cognitive rehabilitation research, will address "Behavioral Approaches to Cognitive Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis." The program faculty includes Fred Foley, PhD, Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, Anthony Feinstein, MD, PhD, and Sarah Morrow, MD, FRCPC, MS. Registration deadline is April 17. To register: http://www.mscare.org/events/event_details.asp?id=293444&group= For … Continue reading →