Welcome back to the third and final part of our coverage of the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum. This week's episode bridges the gap between groundbreaking clinical research and the nuanced reality of living with MS every day.
First, we'll dive into the “before” and “after” of a diagnosis, starting with Dr. Helen Tremlett's insights into the MS prodrome—those subtle, early signs that appear years before typical MS symptoms. We'll also talk with Dr. Tremlett about how other health conditions can predict long-term outcomes in sometimes surprising ways.
Dr. Ilana Katz Sand shares her latest research on the connection between diet, MRI findings, and clinical disability. Dr. Katz Sand also shares her list of foods you want to include and those you need to exclude when you choose the MIND diet. And Dr. Katz Sand explains the complementary roles of lifestyle choices and disease-modifying therapies in creating the most effective MS treatment plan.
Finally, we ground these scientific advancements in the lived experience as Kathy Smith joins us to challenge the clinical labels we use to describe MS, questioning whether terms like “relapsing-remitting” or “secondary-progressive” truly capture the day-to-day reality of her two-decade journey with the disease.
We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!
This Week: The 2026 ACTRIMS Forum (Part 3) :22
Dr. Helen Tremlett discusses the prodromal phase of MS, which comorbidities are predictive of better or worse patient outcomes, and the role of the environment in pediatric MS 1:19
Dr. Ilana Katz Sand shares her latest research on the impact of diet on MS 10:44
As someone who has lived with MS for two decades, Kathy Smith takes on the question of whether the current labels like ‘relapsing-remitting' or ‘secondary-progressive' actually describe what life is like on a day-to-day basis for someone living with MS 22:35
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Next week's episode 34:49
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RealTalk MS Episode 443
Guests: Dr. Helen Tremlett, Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, and Kathy Smith
