Multiple Sclerosis Expert Lisa Emrich shares Multiple Sclerosis management news and commentary at MultipleSclerosisCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065 http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065 http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/95209/adverse Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:08:29 -0500 Lisa Emrich   The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program   “Your FDA gateway for finding clinically important safety information and reporting serious problems with human medical products.”   Consumers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)   Consumers play an important public health role by reporting to the FDA any adverse events (unexpected side effects) after using a medical product, or... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/95209/adverse http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/95044/central Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:52:34 -0500 Lisa Emrich Last week, the FDA held a 2-day hearing on the subject of Social Media, the Internet, and Pharmaceutical Advertising (please read post and comment ).  I attended an event which HealthCentral hosted Thursday evening and afterwards had dinner with a small group of folks.   At one point during the conversation, Jeremy Shane asked, "but with MS, once you are on a particular medication, you tend to stay on that medication for life. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/95044/central http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/94237/social Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:23:57 -0500 Lisa Emrich I’m looking for your thoughts and opinions on a matter which may directly impact us as patients and the manner in which we get information.  This Thursday and Friday (November 12-13, 2009), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding a public hearing “on how pharmaceutical companies use the web and social-media tools to market their products - the first step to providing guidelines around this type of marketing. Sixty-two... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/94237/social http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/93342/ms-hike Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:42:31 -0500 Lisa Emrich Those are words I said in an unguarded moment sometime last month when I was visiting my primary doctor because of bronchitis.  I was coughing up a storm, could hardly breathe due to the spasms caused by the irritation in my lungs, and was hacking up the grossest globs of opaque gunk you’ve ever seen come out of a lung.   In addition to checking up on my current state of (un)health, she asked about how my MS was... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/93342/ms-hike http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/92687/tysabri Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:08:10 -0400 Lisa Emrich Tysabri has been in the news again this week.  Last Friday the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) announced that they would review the benefits and risks for Tysabri.   The Committee started a review of the benefits and risks of Tysabri, in view of reports of 23 cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) worldwide since Tysabri has been on the market. This review is initiated to discuss any additional measures necessary... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/92687/tysabri http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/92215/central Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:58:05 -0400 Lisa Emrich Welcome to the final week of October!!  The one in which young ghouls and goblins plan their festive activities, while the rest of us try not to eat all of the candy before the parade of Tricks and Treats come along.  (or maybe that's just me, )     In honor of Halloween, I'd like to know.....   What would be your perfect MS costume? Or rather, what costume or character best fits your current MS... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/92215/central http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/91934/friday Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:39:07 -0400 Lisa Emrich Last week I mentioned Exciting News!  One tidbit was that I will be trying a different medication to treat my rheumatoid arthritis but which will hopefully help my MS too.   One of the other bits of news, about which I was under wraps, is now launched and public.  Monday was the launch of a new website which seeks to provide information and inspiration for persons living with multiple sclerosis.  A few other bloggers and... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/91934/friday http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/91630/anxiety Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:25:30 -0400 Lisa Emrich In discussing aspects of mental health and multiple sclerosis, we have covered depression symptoms, depression causes, and depression treatments, mood swings and medication side-effects.  Much has been written about MS and depression, but very little about MS and anxiety disorders, specifically panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.   I found a fascinating article in the journal Multiple... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/91630/anxiety http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/91024/news Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:09:12 -0400 Lisa Emrich Did that headline grab your attention?  It would me if I knew the person behind the computer screen.   "What news, Lisa?  Tell us," you say.   I really want to but am under wrap until Monday for one piece of news.  For another, we just need to see how long agreements take to be made.   But for the last piece of news, I think I can safely share.   Yesterday I had a visit with my rheumatologist because as... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/91024/news http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/90576/grand Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:58:51 -0400 Lisa Emrich "Ain’t Life Grand?"  These are words I spoke (wrote) last night in a thread on Facebook between myself, my brother and our cousin.  The three of us were having a spirited conversation regarding healthcare, capitalism, markets, reform, government involvement, costs of healthcare, consumer choice, etc......   For the purpose of this post, it doesn’t matter what the specifics were in our conversation; the significance... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/90576/grand