Current Treatments
BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Patients with multiple sclerosis in whom efficacy has been demonstrated include patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis

AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a) is a 166 amino acid glycoprotein with a predicted molecular weight of approximately 22,500 daltons. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology using genetically engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary cells into which the human interferon beta gene has been introduced. The amino acid sequence of AVONEX® is identical to that of natural human interferon beta.

COPAXONE is the brand name for glatiramer acetate (formerly known as copolymer-1). Glatiramer acetate, the active ingredient of COPAXONE, consists of the acetate salts of synthetic polypeptides, containing four naturally occurring amino acids: L-glutamic acid, L-alanine, L-tyrosine, and L-lysine with an average molar fraction of 0.141, 0.427, 0.095, and 0.338, respectively. The average molecular weight of glatiramer acetate is 5,000 – 9,000 daltons. Glatiramer acetate is identified by specific antibodies.

Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) is a purified 166 amino acid glycoprotein with a molecular weight of approximately 22,500 daltons. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology using genetically engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary cells into which the human interferon beta gene has been introduced. The amino acid sequence of Rebif® is identical to that of natural fibroblast derived human interferon beta. Natural interferon beta and interferon beta-1a (Rebif®) are glycosylated with each containing a single N-linked complex carbohydrate moiety.

Tysabri is a monoclonal antibody that affects the actions of the body's immune system. Monoclonal antibodies are made to target and destroy only certain cells in the body. This may help to protect healthy cells from damage. Tysabri is used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. 		Gilenya™ is a new class of medication called a phingosine 1-phosphate receptormodulator, which is thought to act by retaining certain white blood cells (lympohcytes) in the lymph nodes, thereby preventing those cells from crossing the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS). Preventing the entry of these cells into the CNS reduces inflammatory damage to nerve cells.

Early Symptoms
The most common early symptoms of MS include:
* Tingling * Numbness
* Loss of balance
* Weakness in one or more limbs
* Blurred or double vision

Less common symptoms of MS may include
* Slurred speech
* Sudden onset of paralysis
* Lack of coordination
* Cognitive difficulties
Listed above, the early symptoms. I tend to be a poster child for these. The symptoms that occur later on are too numerous just to list. There will be a link included that will get you to a site where these symptoms are listed and explained. Keep in mind that someone may have some of these or many of these, there is no way to tell.
Multiple sclerosis statistics show that approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this disease. The life expectancy for people with multiple sclerosis is nearly the same as for those without MS. Because of this, multiple sclerosis statistics place the annual cost of MS in the United States in the billions of dollars. MS is five times more prevalent in temperate climates -- such as those found in the northern United States, Canada, and Europe -- than in tropical regions. Furthermore, the age of 15 seems to be significant in terms of risk for developing the disease. Some studies indicate that a person moving from a high-risk (temperate) to a low-risk (tropical) area before the age of 15 tends to adopt the risk (in this case, low) of the new area and vice versa. Other studies suggest that people moving after age 15 maintain the risk of the area where they grew up.

Monday, January 31, 2011

ASK THE EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST: TELEPHONE Q&A SESSION

Do you have an employment question you would like answered?

Are you curious about workplace disclosure, social security benefits, need a reasonable accommodation or are you thinking about returning to work?

On February 2 employment specialist Barbara McKeon, CRC, LMHC, Director of Employment for the NYC - Southern NY Chapter of the National MS Society, will be available to address your questions regarding employment concerns for people living with MS.

Dial-in information will be provided with registration confirmation. Participants will be asked to present their question in advance during registration.

February 2, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

To register click on the teleconference date/time or for more information, call 1-800-344-4867 and have your question ready!

Visit www.MSnewengland.org to register for this program online.

Facebook Become a fan of the Greater New England Chapter on Facebook


National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Greater New England Chapter
101A First Avenue, Suite 6
Waltham, MA 02451-1115
tel: 1 800-344-4867
fax: 1 781-890-2089
http://www.MSnewengland.org
Posted by Steve at Monday, January 31, 2011 0 comments

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Federal Focus - January 2011 More Info Society's 2011 Federal Priorities Set

With valuable input from the Society's Federal Activism Council, the National MS Society's 2011 federal policy priorities have been determined. Beginning at the 2011 Public Policy Conference in March and continuing throughout 2011, MS activists will urge their federal lawmakers' support on the following three priority issues:

* Increased Access to Neurologists: The Affordable Care Act provides a 10 percent bonus to Medicare physicians who specialize in family medicine, internal medicine, geriatric medicine and have allowed charges for evaluation and management services that account for at least 60 percent of their total allowed charges. Neurology is the only group of physicians who are responsible for coordinating overall patient care that are left out of the incentive and in 2011, MS activists will seek to correct that inequity.
* Adult Day Achievement Center Enhancement Act: MS activists will urge support of this legislation that would sustain and grow Adult Day programs by establishing a new grant program within the Administration on Aging that is specifically designed to support Adult Day programs targeting a younger population of people, such as those living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and similar diseases.
* MS Research in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP): MS activists have successfully advocated for a new federal funding avenue that thus far, has yielded approximately $13 million for MS research. MS activists will request robust appropriations for MS research in the CDMRP in Fiscal Year 2012.

In 2011, MS activists and the Public Policy Office will continue advocating for other Society priorities including the Lifespan Respite Care Program, the Part D Off-label Prescription Parity Act, effective implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Social Security Adminsitration (SSA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The 112th Congress has convened. Please stay tuned for updates on progress and opportunities to advance issues important to people living with MS and their families!

To keep future MS activism messages out of your junk folder, add the following address to your contacts or safe sender list: MSActionNetwork@nmss.org
Posted by Steve at Saturday, January 15, 2011 0 comments

Thursday, January 6, 2011

This Year, Get Your Friends in Gear, too! Bike MS: Tour de Farms Participant

We know it's cold outside, but now is not the time to hibernate — it's time to reflect on the past and resolve to make the year ahead even better. At the Greater Illinois Chapter, we remember and appreciate individuals like you who, through the funds and awareness you raised as a Bike MS: Tour de Farms participant, have given so much to the more than 20,000 people in Illinois affected by MS.

For 2011, we're also excited that you've already resolved to join us again, and encourage you to make it an even better year by also recruiting a friend, family member or co-worker to Join the Movement® as a teammate, individual participant or volunteer at Bike MS.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary for Bike MS in Greater Illinois, so it's bound to be more fun than ever, especially if you bring a few loved ones along! Encourage those you know to save-the-date for Bike MS June 25 & 26 in Dekalb, Ill., and get them to register now by following the steps below:

1. Have them visit bikeMSillinois.org to register.

2. Remind them to use their existing User Name and Password to log-in, if they have one. (They should have one if they've ever volunteered or donated to the chapter.)

3. They can then follow the registration prompts, and if they enter "earlybird" as a discount code, they'll even save a few bucks. Earlybird registration is only $15!
(The code is case-sensitive.)

Thanks again for your continuing participation. We look forward to seeing you in June, and to meeting your friends and family members, too!

Elle_Ullum_signature_web

--Elle Ullum, Manager
and the entire Bike MS: Tour de Farms staff
Find Bike MS: Tour de Farms online here: Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Check out our photos on Picasa

bikeMSillinois.org
Posted by Steve at Thursday, January 06, 2011 0 comments
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About Me

My photo
North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States
Well-educated, disabled at this point with Multiple Sclerosis. I am very glad that I was able to do the things that I have been able to do over the years. had to change the picture, this one's more realistic.