Ever wondered why your MS seems to be getting worse even though you’re not having any relapses? Your MRI is stable but you feel anything but?

We’re speaking with Dr. Jiwon Oh of the BARLO MS Centre about what the heck Smouldering MS is and what we can do about it. Whether you’re hearing about Smouldering MS for the first time or you’re looking for the latest in scientific research, you’re not going to want to miss this episode.

Highlights:

• Show Intro (00:00)
• “Smouldering MS” - Opening Remarks (00:30)
• Introducing Dr. Jiwon Oh, Medical Director of BARLO MS Center (01:53)
• What is Smouldering MS? (02:30)
• Relapse Biology & MS Progression (05:01)
• Recognition of “Smouldering” Concept in Medical Community (06:45)
• Benefits of MS Medications & Treatments (08:51)
• Patient Reported Outcomes & Tools to Measure MS (12:19)
• Medical Advancements on the Horizon (18:12)
• Clinical Trials of BTK Inhibitors (21:35)
• “How Much Damage Can Smouldering MS Actually Do?” (23:28)
• “Does Smouldering MS Ever Burn Out?” (25:39)
• MS & Aging (27:50)
• Strategies to Help Mitigate Smouldering MS (28:48)
• Effect of Comorbidities on MS (31:33)
• Future of MS Care (33:54)
• Closing Remarks (36:20)

Guest Bio:

Dr. Jiwon Oh is a staff neurologist, scientist, and Medical Director of the Barlo Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Program at St. Michael’s Hospital. Do Oh is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.

She specializes in the care of people living with MS. Dr. Oh’s research focuses on developing advanced MRI techniques in the spinal cord and brain for use in clinical settings.

She leads the MRI research program at St. Michael’s Hospital, and is the principal investigator on numerous local and multi-center collaborative studies, including the Canadian Prospective Cohort Study to Understand Progression in MS (CanProCo), which is a national prospective cohort study designed to better understand progression in MS.

Dr. Oh is also the Secretary and an Executive Committee member of the North American Imaging in MS Cooperative (NAIMS) representing a multi-national collaborative MRI research endeavor in MS with over 35 sites in North America.

She is deeply committed to caring for people with MS, educating future generations of clinicians and scientists, and contributing to scientific developments that will drive the field forward.

Relevant Links:

“Getting Worse” article from MS Selfie

BARLO MS Centre

About Ardra Shephard & Tripping On Air

Tripping on Air is a monthly video podcast that brings Ardra Shephard's part-confessional, part-informational blog Tripping on Air to the podcast airwaves! Ardra and co-host Alex Hajjar discuss what it's like to live with MS, from the best products for those with chronic illness, to successfully navigating a disability benefits claim.

Ardra Shephard is a writer, consultant, and speaker, whose award-winning blog Tripping On Air, enjoys an international reach and reputation.

Ardra is the creator and host of AMI-tv's lifestyle series Fashion Dis. Ardra has a regular column with BezzyMS (Ask Ardra Anything), and is a reporter with LivedHealth where she leads informative and educational conversations with leading MS specialists.

Ardra is on a mission to change minds about what it means to live with chronic illness and to have disability positively reflected as part of a diverse society. Accessible bars in Toronto would also be nice.

Follow Ardra on Twitter: @tripping_onair and Instagram: @ms_trippingonair

About Alex Hajjar

Alex Hajjar is the host, producer, and creative overthinker behind Social Animals, a podcast about friendship.

A civil engineering technologist by trade, Alex is also a punk-rock bass guitarist whose hobbies include world travel, hanging with his cat Nacho, and figuring out how to find chill about his beautiful wife Nicole's MS diagnosis.

Get More "Tripping On Air"

The Tripping on Air podcast airs monthly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit www.ami.ca/Tripping-On-Air.

And be sure to visit Ardra's website & blog: https://trippingonair.com/