Health Expert Lisa Emrich shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. 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/profiles/c/19065/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/19065/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/19065/index http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/161430/listening-voice Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:59:15 -0400 Lisa Emrich It’s been said many times that not everything strange or odd you experienced is caused by MS.  But it is highly important to repeat that thought.   MS is such a bizarre disease which affects the body in many different ways because it disrupts the central nervous system (CNS) which is the headquarters of the body’s electrical system.  Sabotage the electrical impulses traveling to and from the brain and it’s hard... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/161430/listening-voice http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160634/direct-connection Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:57:56 -0400 Lisa Emrich How important is it to you to have full access to the same information neurologists do when it comes to medications, clinical trials, and post-marketing data from a pharmaceutical company?  Or full access to your medical files which include medical history, doctor’s notes, and testing results complete with reports? As patients living with chronic illness, we are arguably the experts in our experience living with MS.  Our... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160634/direct-connection http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160242/complications-ms Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:17:33 -0400 Lisa Emrich With the news this week that Annette Funicello, actress and singer, died from complications of MS, awareness of multiple sclerosis is reaching more people throughout the country.  Annette is well known and loved for her appearances as an original “Mousketeer” on the Disney’s original Mickey Mouse Club and in the popular teen beach party movies of the 1960’s.   Annette Funicello was diagnosed with MS in 1987 and... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160242/complications-ms http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160129/tecfidera-forms Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:58:58 -0400 Lisa Emrich The long anticipated oral MS drug known as BG12 has been approved by the FDA for use in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.  The new drug will be sold by Biogen Idec under the brand name Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate).   Tec-fi-dera is an oral drug which is taken twice daily with or without food.  Take Tecfidera exactly as your doctor instructs you to take it.  Biogen states that the recommended starting dose is one 120mg... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160129/tecfidera-forms http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160009/instinctive-ms Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:15:27 -0400 Lisa Emrich Although each person with MS is unique and the symptoms can vary, sometimes there are subtle things which bind us together as a group.  I noticed one such thing when I was fortunate enough to meet with some fellow MS bloggers a couple of years ago.  We had each traveled to a centrally located home on the East Coast to meet in person for the first time.  We have since met a number of other times.  Our host was gracious enough... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/160009/instinctive-ms http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/159804/pets-battle-ms Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:59:24 -0400 Lisa Emrich Sunday afternoon, St. Patrick’s Day, I’m trapped under a kitty and can’t get up.  Send help.  ;)  No, wait, that’s not necessary.  In actuality, my cat Oscar and I are rather comfortable enjoying some simpatico time on the bed.   Of our three cats, Oscar is the closest to being a “lap cat.”  He likes to sleep on the back of the couch just behind my head during the day and at... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/159804/pets-battle-ms http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/159131/turn Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:00:02 -0500 Lisa Emrich When it is quiet in the house, I can practically hear “a pin drop” or the sound of the cats paws walking across the kitchen floor.  My hearing is very good.  Most of the time. However, as a musician, I have been exposed to enormously dangerous sound levels during various concert and rehearsal settings.  Horn players often sit in front of the percussion, trumpet, or trombone sections, a situation which can lead not... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/159131/turn http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/158982/volume Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:52:47 -0500 Lisa Emrich Respiratory difficulties are a less common symptom of multiple sclerosis.  Problems with breathing may be associated with more advanced disease, however problems can occur at any stage of the disease, even in patients who do not complain of respiratory problems.  Just as weakness of leg and hip muscles can affect walking ability, weakness of the respiratory muscles can affect breathing/pulmonary function. Problems related to breathing... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/158982/volume http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/158825/fruits Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:54:31 -0500 Lisa Emrich Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive motor neuron disease affecting as many as 20,000-30,000 people in the United States.  One of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide, ALS affects people of all races and ethnic backgrounds, typically between the ages of 40 and 60.     ALS attacks the nerve cells (motor neurons) that control voluntary movement and strength. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/158825/fruits http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/158709/ms Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:05:27 -0500 Lisa Emrich Nicotine may protect against the development of multiple sclerosis, according to researchers from the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.  In looking for possible causes and risk factors involved in developing MS, a group of researchers in Sweden have examined several possibilities, including smoking and nicotine use. In a recent study published online, ahead of print, in the journal Multiple... http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/c/19065/158709/ms