About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), which consists of the brain and spinal cord. MS weakens the communication between cells in the CNS by damaging the myelin sheath, an insulating layer that increases the effectiveness of signal conduction. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis range from numbness in the limbs to paralysis and loss of vision. The specific symptoms of multiple sclerosis vary from one person to another. Similarly, the progression of the disease is often unpredictable. Most current treatments are preventative in nature.

Take the Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Finder.

Featured News

5 Questions: Montel Williams confronts MS head on (0 Comments)

By James S. Fell
Montel Williams is not your typical pot-smoking snowboarder.

Best known as an Emmy-winning talk show host, the former Marine and decorated naval intelligence officer was also a champion boxer, bodybuilder and power-lifter.

In 1999, Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and it hit him hard. After a downward slide to rock bottom, Williams decided to get his life back.

Were you active in your younger years?

Featured News

U.S. may speed approval of "breakthrough" drugs (0 Comments)

Experimental drugs that show a big effect early in development for treating serious or life-threatening diseases would get a faster and cheaper path to U.S. approval, under a proposal likely to become law this year.

U.S. drug regulators would be able to label such treatments "breakthrough" therapies, and work with companies to speed up clinical trials, for example by testing the drugs for a shorter time or enrolling fewer patients.

Featured News

FDA warns MS patients about risky treatment (0 Comments)

U.S. drug regulators are warning people with multiple sclerosis that an experimental treatment that props open internal veins in the neck and chest can cause death or serious injury.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said at least two people had died from the procedure, which uses stents or balloon angioplasties to widen veins that connect the brain and spinal cord to the heart. One person was permanently paralyzed, and others had bleeding in the brain, suffered strokes, blood clots or other side effects.

Featured News

Woman fights Multiple Sclerosis with a little help from her friends (3 Comments)

By Tim Goff

When Lauris Hawley was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over a decade ago, members of her family weren't even sure what she'd been diagnosed with.

"Not everybody is the same, everybody is going to be affected by the M.S. completely different," stated her daughter, Kendra Lajoie. "She hides it well, and I'm sure other people are out there doing the exact same thing. I just want people to know that it is out there, and people close to home are affected by it."

Featured News

Cockeysville woman hopes her story inspires many to walk against multiple sclerosis (2 Comments)

By Katie V. Jones

Heather Gildea is the first to admit she has no experience in public speaking.

As the ambassador for the Towson Walk MS, the Cockeysville resident is ready, however, to share her story about her life since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

She will attend the walk on Sunday, April 15, and thank everyone for their support. Most importantly, she hopes to raise awareness of a disease she knows all too intimately.

Latest News

Multiple sclerosis: Federal Way woman turns diagnosis into advocacy (1 Comment)

Hospital pay incentives fail to help patients: study (2 Comments)

Supreme Court divided over Obama healthcare law (2 Comments)

Bike ride allows cyclists to cuise cornfields while supporting multiple sclerosis research (1 Comment)

Doctors talk about controversial treatment for MS (1 Comment)

Discussions

New Blog Postings
Hyper MS

Multiple sclerosis takes; it takes sensations, mobility, memory and more. MS also gives, but its largess is no gift to me. In our pages, we oft read about how MS has stolen this or that from our compatriots in the battle. We can no longer… We’ve lost the ability to… We can’t seem to… We haven’t, however, spent many words on the nasty stuff MS adds to our life. Specifically today, I’d like to address the “hyper” symptoms of MS — the stuff that is heightened by the scraping away of our myelin. More »
Living Day to Day with Multiple Sclerosis 4 comments Anonymous
Courage And A Little Hope 1 comment mssurvivor
Don't give up, It's just me and my MS! 0 comments mssurvivor
The Beginning of My Life With MS 0 comments Anonymous