Support
Here's a quick article reviewing some of the options for financial aid we've reported on before, but all in one place.
We've reported on NeedyMeds.org before, but now they have a new MS specific page. Check it out to find assistance programs for medications you might be taking.
The GaitAid Virtual Walker, a nonprescription virtual-reality device, represents a significant advance for Multiple Sclerosis patients. Developed by MIT-educated Computer Science Professor Yoram Baram, PhD, it consists of a cell-phone-size, lightweight control unit and a set of comfortable high-tech goggles that provide sensory feedback of visual images and sounds in response to the patient's movements.
Worn for practice-walking just 20-30 minutes a day, GaitAid improves walking (sometimes from the first step) and "rewires" the wearer's brain to follow a healthier walking pattern--an effect that often continues even when it isn't being worn.
The MS Association of America puts out great treatment reviews. The current issue has a wonderful review of treatments for symptoms such as fatigue, spasticity, weakness, tremor, and others.
MS In Focus has a whole issue on spasticity. Read it online or download a PDF.
If you don't find clowns weird enough, then you might want to check out the naked clown calendar that is raising money for MS. This would be a calendar of naked clowns, not a naked calendar with clowns on it. In case you were wondering.
As reported here, Apple Inc. is redesigning iTunes music software to make it easier for blind people to use. This was done at the urging of the Massachusetts Attorney General, but without legal action being brought against Apple. Whether or not you use iTunes, it is noteworthy that it is taking this action "voluntarily" and we can hope that others will do the same.
The device, called the Glove and invented by two Stanford biologists, is used by the San Francisco 49ers during games and at practice for players' health. But its applications are far broader: from treating stroke and heart attack victims to allowing soldiers to remain in the field longer under intense heat. And maybe even MS!
"We learned that you can actually reverse that muscle fatigue in a short amount of time," co-inventer Heller said. "And if you cool muscles during rest, you get a much greater recovery than if you rested without cooling."
The use of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) has increased recently with devices utilized to assist people experiencing foot drop. There has been an increase in the public’s awareness of these devices and their use in people living with multiple sclerosis. This article is a good overview.
