Multiple Sclerosis: Joyful Living Guide - Healthy Lifestyle and Brain Health

14 March, 2026 Guided meditation with Dr Agne Straukiene

Mindful Park Walk- Nature’s Healing Moments

Dr Agne Straukiene films a mindful walk in Cockington Village park in Torquay, dedicating the video to people who struggle to get out due to mobility difficulties, such as wheelchair users without ramps. Agne invites viewers to spend a few minutes listening to birds, noticing spring, and appreciating nature’s beauty despite background sounds like toddlers. The walk includes stopping by a small cafe to enjoy water and ice cream while resting and regaining energy, reflecting on nature’s therapeutic power and the idea that life is beautiful but often overcomplicated.

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25 January, 2026 Guests Interviews and Charity events

But you look well- When MS Is Invisible

In this episode of the BeewellwithMS Podcast, Dr. Agne Straukiene, a neurologist, discusses the concept of 'invisible illness' in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with Amy Thompson, founder of the MS Together charity. Amy shares her daily struggles with symptoms like fatigue, pain, and brain fog, which are often invisible to others. They also explore the importance of communication, self-advocacy, and the need for empathetic understanding from society. The episode dives into the challenges of living with an invisible disability, the necessity of realistic goal-setting, and leveraging technology for support. Finally, the discussion highlights the value of creating safe, inclusive spaces for young people with MS to connect and share their experiences.

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Welcome to Be Well with Emmett, a space where we talk honestly about living with multiple sclerosis, beyond MRI scans, clinical events, relapses, and what's visible in the outside world. I am doctor Agnes Storghiena, neurologist, and the first of Be Well with MS podcast. Today, we are talking about something many people with MS live with every single day, invisibility. And this is often described as invisible disease. You can look well, even be told you're doing great. Everything is fine. You're fine. Whilst quietly managing fatigue, pain, tingling, brain fog, uncertainty, and sometimes loss. Today, I'm joined by Amy Thompson, the founder of MS Together charity supporting young people living with MS. With lived experience of MS, Amy's deeply passionate about reducing isolation, changing misconception around invisible illnesses, and creating safe, inclusive spaces for connection and support. So welcome to this episode, Amy. Thank you so much. Very happy to be here. How are you today? I'm really good. Thank you. Yeah. All good. Amy, if MS were visible on the outside and people actually can start seeing what's going on, what do you think they would finally understand about your day to day living with MS? Yeah. So I think people would definitely understand MS a lot better if they could see it. I think they would understand that every day involves a lot of calculation and adaptation. And I think, for example, I wake up every day and I evaluate for one feeling, so how much energy I have, what I need to do that day, whether I'll have enough energy to do it. And I always say that I compare it to is if someone has, for example, a broken leg, people immediately understand the limits that they have and the frustration or pain that they might be feeling. But with MS and lots of other invisible conditions, it's just not that simple. And I think even though MS can be visible for some people, the fact that MS affects everyone so differently, it just makes it so much harder for people to understand what you're actually going through. And I think for me, it's just, like I said before, the kind of constant management. So pacing yourself, adapting, planning rest, and listening to your body when you need to. And just the uncertainty around living with MS as well and just not knowing how you feel from one day to the next. So I think, yeah, people would just understand that, yes, sometimes I can push through and I can do all the things I want to do, but other days, there is a lot going on beneath the surface, and that's always shifting as well. I think if people could see that, there would be a much better understanding of what people go through. I believe that maybe, Amy, that would build an empathy. Yeah. Better understanding of the nature. Living with this chronic condition that you're describing really captures that something is hidden and no one thing can be seen, and it shapes, like, every day's decision. There are days that perhaps it limits you if it is a severe fatigue and people look as you're you're making gliders, your hair is nicely done, you're glowing in your skin, you just done your marathon, you run five k. But then two days later, you maybe want to spend some time on the sofa because there is an exhaustion that is part of the of illness and disease. And if people could see all these kind of different colors and if these kind of symptoms could lighter color, it's like amber, green, or red, and it's a a it would be a cue for people to okay. She she needs some rest. She needs some good time to pamper herself and spend some time doing nothing, maybe. And that could give a better people confidence in communicating with you adequately by using their empathy and without causing you an anxiety and fear of things that you can't do at the time because of the lack of energy. And then people could stay away from you and then come back when they see this kind of green light when you are, like, fully energetic. But I think, Amy, it's a language, isn't it? You need to be more communicative. You need to express yourself often because what's not visible then how do you how do you communicate? How do you explain things? And building that kind of connection with other people that they could find you whether it's a facial expression or certain things that you start doing at home that indicates to other people and family members that you're really now exhausted and you will need some time. So do you have any sort of tips like how how is your partner noticing that he needs to stay away and give you some space? Or are there any sort of recommendations for people day to day? I think it is just pretty much what you've said. It's around communication. And I think to begin with, I wasn't that good at doing that, and I I didn't communicate my needs. But I think that is the only way that you'll get the support that you need because I understand that one day I'm able to run a marathon and the next day I might not be able to do anything. I understand that it's very difficult for someone to understand and comprehend. So I think that is where you have to advocate for yourself, speak up when you do need those, when you do need that rest. Take the time to rest. And then I think, yeah, communication is one thing, but then I think your loved ones, the more you do communicate how you're feeling, the more they then might pick up on those kind of subtle cues and signs that might mean that you need a bit more time or space or rest. So yeah. Because there is a constant need to explain, justify, prove that you are struggling with invisible disease, isn't it? This is is never ending. And it may feel exhausting activity because people come at you and say, hey, you look well. Have you ever felt painful and in invalidating rather than reassuring when people come and tell you, you're fine. Nothing is wrong with you. Like, how does that feel? Yeah. I think definitely in the beginning. So when I first got diagnosed and I first started telling people that I had MS, I was constantly met with comments like, you don't look ill. You look so well, and, like, a lot of confusion around that as well, which, again, I do completely understand. Amy, I'm just thinking nobody has got any bad intentions by saying that. They all feel like they're gonna uplift your spirits and say, hey, but you're you're nice. You're everything is so good. So I think that could be such a well intended phrase, yet it can land very differently when you're living inside the body that it doesn't feel comfortable on occasion. So I guess, again, maybe some implementing some sort of acceptance steps. I don't know. Cognitive behavior therapy, would that help? And acceptance therapy, okay, This is gonna happen to me more often because people potentially have no intentions for me to hurt each time I hear these words to me. Maybe taking it gently and and observing from other person's perspective and saying, hey, looking at the whole thing for more neutral, trying not to take that personally as a and you know what you're doing to help yourself anyway to feel better. And maybe gently reminding whilst you're hearing these kind of hurtful words to you that you're internally inside your you use your own voice and say, yeah, people. You should know better. But, obviously, don't say that to other people because that would be classed rude, in particular in The UK. Okay. That would be rude. So just listen, nod if you can, but have your own sort of strategies in place when you each time hear that kind of conversation because it it it can be overwhelming and emotionally upsetting. But if you have a nice strategy, psychological strategy in place like cognitive behavior therapy, CBT, or ACT acceptance therapy of the your situation and having some sort of kind words to yourself at the time when it happens. It may really help you to move throughout the day without dwelling too much what you just heard about yourself. Would you agree, Amy, that some sort of internal trash do you talk to yourself? I I spoke yeah. I guess I I have over the years when that conversation does come up. But I think the other thing is as I've gone through my LS journey and as I've got more confident in kind of talking about the condition and as I've learned more about the condition as well, I think it's pushed me in the other way to almost challenge those assumptions in a kind way. But it's almost an opportunity to open up conversations around invisible illness and, you know, educate people on the fact that, yes, I might look well, but I'm still managing these symptoms. And I think just having those conversations is what can hopefully just educate people more about the condition in general and then hopefully mean that they say less of those things. But, yeah, I think in the beginning, it was definitely harder to hear, but over time, I realized that it is just people not understanding, and it's always coming from a good place. Yeah. Yeah. Then my recommendation would be live your life as it is. Own your own reality. And you don't need to pay into someone's delusion. We you can think about for as a delusional thought, maybe, of someone who goes and tells you the stories of how things are, how wonderful things are. But if you are grounded, if you know your own reality and you're living what is here, now, and always, That's how you come to your own identity and who you are without any distraction and mental overwhelm. Moving on to Amy, the work and related issues. Currently, the lives we're living is ambitious. You have to prove your point. You have to achieve goals, and you have to be ambitious. You have to be productive every single day, especially in the world that is giving you rewards, visible outputs. We have a lot of going on in this world. How do you manage this? Yeah. I think it's very difficult. I would say that I'm still very ambitious. I don't think that's changed very much at all, but I am more aware of pace and boundaries that I need to put in place and the long term impacts that has as well. And I think founding a charity while living with MS hasn't been easy, but it's taught me that productivity isn't about constant output. It's more about doing what you can when you can. And over a kind of longer period, you will still get the output that you want. It just might sometimes take a bill a little bit longer. But that said, it is something that I definitely do still struggle with. And I think for the reasons that you mentioned, Dagny, I think we live in a world that revolves around output. And I think unlearning that kind of idea and being a bit easier on myself when it comes to that has been a learning curve in itself. And there are still days when, you know, taking a rest day feels uncomfortable. And I think I just then have to remind myself that it's just a whole it is it's a part of managing the condition, and and it's not a failure. It's just necessary to keep going in the longer term. So, yeah, it's something that I think is an ongoing struggle because of the world we live in, but I think it's something, again, that I've learned over time that it is so important to take that time to pace yourself, to set boundaries when you need to. And I think it does help me in the long run. Run. Yeah. Totally. What you're describing is like rewriting what the success looks like these days. And I think this rule applies to anybody, not necessarily living with MS. It's applied to me and everyone else. We have to pace and we have to slow down. We have our own lane of this kind of marathon or competition, and we're competing only with ourselves, nobody else. We choose our own battle. We choose sometimes, well, do you want to overtake maybe, or we want to take our time and slow down and not to compete at all. It's it's our conscious decision and choice. And, you know, we should all move away from constant productivity, assessing the goals, achieving in particular, I'm talking about the fixed goals that is difficult to achieve, going to gym forty five minutes a day every day type of goal. Who is gonna achieve that? I can't do this, can you? Nobody can. And get getting to this kind of more flexible goal setting, which would be, I'm moving to the right direction. I've done some exercise this week. I'm feeling okay. If I do more, I'll feel even more better. If I don't, I will be having more rest. That kind of language with ourselves, I think, shapes how we feel day to day. And I think we're moving towards more sustainability rather than productivity, which is we're not working in the factory. We can take time, and there are so many other tools to help and assist us to with the daily tasks. My patients are using some Alexa, which is going to switch on now, switch off Alexa, stay well. There is different other devices that people could use to help to increase their productivity and moving into the AI world with the writing on your behalf, setting the plan setting the plan for the traveling or journey or whatever it's maybe a visit at the hospital or preparation for visits with your nurse, etcetera, etcetera. So there's a lot to rely on. Would you agree? I mean, what do you think about the helping yourself with technology to navigate? Yeah. There's a lot of things out there that can help, and I think it is just finding what works for you and what would support you the best. But I loved what you said about goals as well, and I think it is just about being realistic and not setting yourself up for failure. There's back a few years ago, I would set myself really strict goal that I would never achieve complete because you have to be realistic and you have to realize that some days are gonna be good, some days aren't, and that's okay. So it's just about, yeah, being flexible and, yeah, just realistic, kind to yourself, and get in support from as many different places as possible because like we said, there's so many things now that can help us with so many different things. So yeah. Our brains tends to fixate on some events, some sort of stories in our minds. We're always constantly thinking about something. Our mind is busy all the time, everyone. So it's not just you that is obsessed about something, but it's just how we set ourselves, how we take our step backwards and observe these thoughts from a distance. Imagine maybe you're floating on the nice fluffy cloud, and the other clouds are your thoughts that keeps coming. But what you could choose is not to build a whole story or drama inside your mind, but let these kind of thoughts that keeps coming, they will be coming. The more you try to suppress, the more they become visible and and accessible. So try to I think my recommendation would be try to observe these kind of thoughts and without creating another story because that's how you keep your resilience and awareness in that present moment without overwhelming yourself. Amy, I would like to speak about your favorite topic that you're most passionate about is MS together. And you're doing the wonderful job throughout MS together, and you create spaces for people, young people who don't have to perform maybe that they are too well or super good. They all more or less on the same boat. They don't need to hide anything, their struggles. You have a open, honest conversation, especially with young people in their early life. So tell us a little bit your ideas around this project and charity and how people evaluate what you do and what do they find when they join MS together. Yeah. So I think that the reason behind setting up MS together was it started through my own personal journey. So it started with me getting those kind of comments like, but you don't look ill, but you look so well. And that led me to start a blog, which I named, but you don't look ill. And I just started to share my whole journey about MS from kind of start to the diagnosis to, I mean, trick choosing a treatment, to just living everyday life, to navigate in dating, to work, to so many things. And through that, I then found lots of other young people that were feeling very similar to me. And I think that then made me realize that there were lots of other young people out there that also didn't really feel like they had anyone else to speak to about the condition. I think I found lots of great support out there. There were so many amazing charities offering lots of thing, kind of different services. But what I didn't find was that age specific support and spaces for people to just, like you said, just speak to each other and have those kind of open conversations without feeling judged, without feeling that they needed to perform. And it started with just a very informal support group, and then over years, it just grew into what it is today, which is now, like you said, a charity, and we provide lots of different services. But I think the main thing and the reason why I think people don't feel like they have to perform when they come to us is because we have designed everything with people living with MS. And that means that there's a lot of flexibility. There's permission to show up exactly as you are, and we don't expect people to be positive all the time. There are lots of people that are positive all this time, but we don't expect that. We don't expect them to have to explain themselves, and there's no kind of pressure to engage in any particular way. There's lots of different ways that people can get involved from our kind of support groups to our events. And and I think in practice. It's been building kind of that flexibility into the charity. For example, with our event, people can arrive late. They can leave early. They can take breaks. They can join a virtual call, and they don't need to turn their camera on. They can just sit there and listen and take in the information. And there's just no expectation, which I think is so important in kind of creating that safe space for people. And it being as another example is in our support groups, we are very clear guidelines, then prioritize kindness and respect and mutual support. And I think it is just about creating a space that people feel safe in, and they a space where they feel like they won't be good, and they won't be pressured to present themselves in a certain way. That idea of permission not having to pretend feels incredibly powerful. And if you are age 35, is this is the limit's age? And if you're younger than 35, you are fully accepted to be part of the MS together. Is that correct, Amy? What's the Yeah. We most of our services are aimed at people aged 18 to 35 in The UK and Ireland, but we do have some services. So we've got a support helpline. We've got a newly diagnosed guide that's currently being developed, and those are all open to anyone affected by a math. So we predominantly focus on the age group because we feel like it's important for that kind of age group to have age specific support. And and, yeah, we didn't want to completely close off everything as we know that, obviously, MS affects so many people from all age groups. Yeah. It's important that we still offer some things to Wonderful. Wonderful. And how people can find you? Is it they Google MS Together, or there is a specific link that they need to follow? Yeah. So Google MS Together. We're also on social media platforms, and our bundle is MS Together official. But, yeah, you should be able to find us by Googling. And our website, it's mstogether.org as well. Okay. Wonderful. So people tune in to and listen to all these positives that we just described and find your peers that are living with MS and experiencing exactly the same, and they were numerous enough of times told that they're not good. Nothing is wrong with them. So there is a and behind the real world, there is a an alternative world that I tried to summarize in one of the recent series. You can go and listen to the latest episode and read around stranger things in MS. But what we'd like to say that, Amy, I think you're giving an opportunity and a lifeline for majority of people, and this is initiative with some psychology service and support, giving opportunity for people to be open and honest and talk to each other. We are social creatures. We have to connect and communicate with each other because it takes your mental overload when you start expressing yourself. Even if you are introvert and you want to hide yourself, exchanging a few thoughts and ideas is that's how you start feeling more sane about yourself living with this condition. And in particular, if it is invisible MS. And my last question, what's one assumption you wish clinicians, employers, and even loved ones would stop making about people living with invisible MS? I think I'm probably going to repeat myself, but I think it is just the fact that looking well doesn't always eat poor feeling well. And, yeah, just just because someone doesn't look poor doesn't look unwell doesn't mean they aren't managing symptoms or the kind of emotional weight of MS. And I think also many people with MS are capable driven and, you know, doing amazing things with their lives, but that doesn't mean that they don't need understanding flexibility and sometimes just a bit of patience. And I think just because someone is doing all those amazing things, then they might come across as, like, they're doing really well. I think just try and keep in the back of your head that there could be a lot more going on. Mhmm. And I think I also wish that there was more trust in people's self knowledge. And I think MS can affect women in so many different ways like we've talked about. But if you have assumptions about how it will affect someone and you're not really listening to them, even though they're the expert, I think, yeah, that's when misunderstandings can happen, and the support might not be there for that person. And so I think, yeah, just listening, asking, and believing is what I would say. Listening to someone's experiences and how they're feeling and how it's affecting them, asking how you can walk down and how you can help them and what's going on that day, and then believing what they're saying because I've heard so many stories from these people into people in the where they don't get believed about sentence and and not of that is because they're not visible. But I think we belong, you know, and I think the fact that MS is known as a and then with a good nips when we just need to get that forever. Believe again, he was experienced. So and I can't believe it. That's such an important reminder. Assumptions, even kind ones, can quietly cause a lot of emotional problems, sometimes harm. And although intentions are not bad, but always think about these sensitive questions or comments that you give it to people. It's just being good communicating. We should invest more time to learn how to best communicate with each other. And for that, I suggest people read books. Read books. It really helps to understand the practicality and improves our language. And what do we say? And we sometimes we need to be quiet and just listen, be present, and offer some help. That's not gonna harm anybody if you offer your help. Amy, thank you. Not just for sharing your story, but for giving language to experiences to so many people who living with this condition will recognize that. And we very rarely have a chance to reflect back when we've done already and we said things, but this is a chance for us to if you're living with MS, reflect what you had already without building these stories and dramas in your mind, just observing these kind of previous experiences and let them go as clouds. For people who never approached or never met a person living with MS, this is a learning point for you to learn how to use the language and not to expose with unnecessary comments that may be harmful and emotionally impacting and causing a lot of trouble. For carers and parents and family members, a reflection time during this recording and trying to improve. If you want to see the change or have a different outcomes each time, you need to change your language, to change what you're doing, to change your habits, whatever it matters to you. If you're listening and parts of this conversation felt familiar, please know this invisible MS does not mean mild MS. And certainly, it doesn't mean you owe anyone proof. At Be Well with MS, we believe care begins with communication, understanding. Understanding begins when we listen. If this episode resonate with you, consider sharing with someone who might need to hear all this. A friend, a colleague, a carer, a parent, maybe your clinician needs to listen to this. Until next time, be gentle with your energy. Take care of your nervous system. And remember, just because something is invisible doesn't mean it's insignificant. Take care, everyone. Thank you for joining us. Bye. Evening. Bye.

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11 January, 2026 Easy Explained MS by Dr Agne Straukiene

Stranger things in MS

In this episode, MS Neurologist Agne Straukiene explores the complex nature of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) using metaphors from the popular TV series Stranger Things. She explains the different 'worlds' of MS: the visible symptoms and medical findings, the subtle day-to-day changes often not captured by scans, and the deep biological processes driving the disease. The video emphasises the importance of early diagnosis, ongoing treatment, and a multidisciplinary approach including lifestyle changes for better brain health. Dr. Straukiene also discusses the role of advanced technologies in understanding and managing MS.

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Hello, world. It's me, Agnes Dorgan, MS neurologist. Have you seen film which is called Stranger Things? The most popular, the most exciting in history TV series. So, I would like to explain you couple things about this TV series of Stranger Things. I want to share a way of understanding MS that many people have told me feels intuitive, reassuring, and validating, especially if you ever felt that your experience didn't quite match what your scans or tests showing. So we are going to explore MS through the idea of different worlds that exist at the same time as their Stranger Things film series. If you wish to see the TV series of Stranger Things, just go in and start watching. I promise you're gonna have a great time. That means that I'm going into that kind of I don't know what you call it. Trans status? Maybe. Yeah. So it's exciting what you could get out of the interesting, engaging movie, an interview maybe, a podcast, whatever, that attaches a new blue to the screen. So that's a next level to achieve for everyone to chill and relax and take in information that you need. So now what you need to know is that the world that we see in MS runs quietly in parallel. There are some deeper beneath the surface shapes of what we know and what is going on living with MS. So the way of thinking explained why MS can sometimes feel very confusing and people feel that there are some changes, but there's nothing on the scan. There's nothing that would suggest MS relapse. Everything seems to be stable. So it's about a world that is above and beyond the relapses or chains on the right scan. So whether you are walking, resting, driving at the moment, just taking a moment for yourself and gently explore the worlds. So let's start with the first world, the one most people are familiar with. The mess that we see, we measure, we can name it. We know what's going on. The relapses, the new MRI lesions, changes on neurology examination, maybe increasing EDSS, which is neurological disability status scale. Maybe there is a weakness. Maybe there is new balance coordination problems, numbness, sudden vision loss, optic neuritis, you name it. That enters the patients or pupils with MS life often, sometimes if they have a good control of the disease. So you can assume and see what's going on in this world following the scans, test, diagnosis, seeing the patient examining, tapping the reflexes, and doing all that nice dance in the clinical room. This world is important. It's real. It still remains. It matters. It's there. You can't ignore that. It does exist. The world that medicine historically focus on most. But we need to move away from that because there are so many things and so many layers to see. I know why it's so popular in most focus is because it fits well with how health care system work. Something happens, people call us, we issue an appointment, we see the patient, we detect, we label it, and we respond, and maybe we change the management, maybe we we prescribe new drugs, etcetera, etcetera. For many people, especially early in the disease, MS can seem to behave in this very visible event based way. Sometimes it flares up, sometimes it settles down, but life continues. But over time, many people notice that this visible picture doesn't fully explain how they feel day to day, and that's where the second world comes in. The second world represents a mass activity that runs quietly alongside the first, often without clear relapses or dramatic MRI changes. You can't see it. This world many people describe as using phrases like I'm no worse but I'm not the same. Something is going on I can't explain. Some people say I'm coping but everything takes more effort, more energy, more time, I'm a bit slower, my thinking is changing, I'm a bit more anxious about things I can't organize and multitask, etcetera, etcetera. Sometimes people say I can still do things, but not in the same way as I used to. In this world, MS may still be active, but in a slow, subtle form. Sometimes we call this a very famous word that spread across the world. It is smaller AMS. It means that there is a chronic active inflammatory process, maybe diffuse, maybe at the molecule and cell level that you can't see, but people are just getting changes in their life. There may be ongoing lower grade inflammation, expanding lesions, early spinal cord, brain cord, volume loss, atrophy, as we call, or changes that current scans don't always capture well. What's important here, and I want to say this very clearly, is that people often feel these changes before before medicine has a reliable way to measure them. And that does not mean those experiences are imagined. It's real. It's that. It's totally with you. We get you. It doesn't mean that you are being anxious or negative about the things. It means your nervous system is super complex, and our tools are still catching up, they're not quite there to identify these kind of subtle changes. The world helps to explain why someone can be told their MRI scans are not changing. They still remain stable, but people feel something is changing and is different in themselves. It's real. We accept that. So this is upside down world. And if you relate to the stranger things movie, so the world that is darker, it has got some deeper visuals, darker colors, blue tones. It's scary. It also explains why listening to lived experience is not soft extra in MS care. It's essential. It's something that we all should dive deep and and listen to that story because it's important. Okay. World number three. The dimension x, the deep drivers of the progression. This is scary world, even scarier than upside down world. The third world takes us deepest still into the biological processes that shapes long term outcomes in multiple sclerosis. There is where we talk about the gradual nerve damage, energy failure within the nerve cells, that interaction between MS and aging process. The older you are, the lessness can regenerate. The more problems, the more progression happens as you age. And the reason progression can sometimes occur without obvious relapses, these flare up of new symptoms, the progression is just going on in the background without any trigger. This world can sound frightening if it is not explained carefully, but I want to frame it differently. It's a world of better understanding. Understanding that MS is not only about the inflammatory process, it's also about how resilient the nervous system is over time. So this is where our main research is now located. We're trying to understand what drives the mechanisms of the injury, repair, regeneration, recovery, aging, longevity, wellness, holistic care, you name it. This is where concepts like brain health, movement, sleep, stress regulation, nutrition, mindfulness, meditation, and more emotional well-being matter, not as an alternative to medical treatment. As we know, disease modifying therapies are essential. The early we start disease modifying therapy, the better outcomes people do better. These are essential key elements. But then beside that, what I just mentioned about the other concerns of the lifestyle medicine is part of protecting the nervous system and improving the resilience and the capacity. When we talk about lifestyle medicine, we're not talking about blame or responsibility or this is your fault because you're obese or this is this and that. Or you feel guilty yourself that you haven't exercised this morning or you had your burger this morning. We talk about supporting their biology, nourishing the cells that would function day to day and help us to live beautiful lives and long lives and healthy lives as most important thing. This world helps explain why care continues when relapses stop, why the goal is not just quiet MS. It's to support the brain and spinal cord for long journey ahead. So the last world I would like to explain is the wormhole time connects all the worlds. Okay. What connects all of these worlds is purely time, nothing else. MS does not suddenly jump from one stage to another. You wake up with primary progressive MS or you wake up with a secondary progressive MS or you wake up with a relapsing repeating MS. The transition from one stage of the disease to another. It's very quiet, very slow, very gradual, often invisible. Small changes accumulate over years, which is why early understanding, early diagnosis, regular reviews, regular visit, regular communication, thoughtful care matters, and it matters so much. The warm hole is not a countdown. It's not a deadline. It's not something that we need to reach, like, tomorrow, if it's 05:00 or something. No. It's a reminder that what happens beneath the surface today can shape how someone feels years from now. If you are smoking, it's time to give up smoking because that will reverse all the damage that you had from the smoking tobacco. And you can feel much, much better after you stop. And you are also going to slow down the progression by five years if you give up smoking now, today. This is why monitoring continues even when the things seem calm, what when the early actions, medical, lifestyle, emotional, can make a meaningful difference. And that's why I am investing my time and energy looking at how the digital technology, how some tools, the wearables, sensors can help me to identify what's not visible, what's not seen, what people describe as there are some subtle changes. And over the time and capturing that in time, it's so important. So this is where the wormhole, the time from one stage to another, from one world to another is required to understand the processes that underlie the pathology of the MS disease. I know it's very complex, but I really gonna use a lot of visuals. And if you are listening and you would like to see the images that I'm going to use to explain these different worlds, please do watch me on YouTube or these days, Spotify video is available. So if you need to take one thing from today's episodes, let it be if your scan looks unchanged, but you feel different, that does not mean nothing is happening. If you're doing well now, it doesn't mean that care can be stopped and you don't need to see anybody and you're just gonna stay in joyful life. MS disappeared suddenly. No. It means that care needs to be still proactive. And if MS feels confusing at times, it's not a failure on your part or the health care providers. It's a reflection of how complex this condition truly is. Understanding MS existing across different worlds helps us move away from the fear towards clarity, partnership, compassion, better understanding, and maybe discovery of the new drugs, and maybe finally cure. I just wanna emphasize that your experience matters. Your observations matters. Your feelings matters. Your sensation matters. And good MS care listens to all of it and uses maybe some advanced technology to capture that. Whether it's imaging, whether it's some sense sensory captures, maybe some motion activities and recordings, anything like that, speech recognition. Now we have AI available. You can do even more. So overall, multiple sclerosis doesn't exist in just one visible layer. There is the MS we can see, relapses, scan changes, symptoms that clearly come and go. But there is also MS that runs quietly in parallel where subtle changes in balance, thinking, fatigue may appear even when tests look stable, and often leaving people feeling not worse but not the same. Beneath this lies a deeper biological world where long term processes such as nerve energy, failure, aging, gradual neurodegeneration shape future outcomes. What connects all these worlds in time? MS doesn't suddenly jump from one stage to another. It transitions slowly with small changes accumulating over years, which is why early understanding, ongoing care, and attention to both medical treatment and brain health truly matter. So thank you for being here, for listening, tuning in, trying to understand my metaphors explaining the different worlds of MS. And I've been stunned and inspired by the as I mentioned, the Netflix series, but because it's one of the most popular TV series in history. And it really got into people's minds, consciousness, subconsciously deep, and relating to that to these different worlds from this series. I think you may understand it a little bit better what is living with MS and explaining it in a simple language. So thank you for being here. Thank you for taking your time to understand MS, and we are talking about very deep marriage. In this episode, I try to do my best to bring the better day to day living experience and wrap it in the artistic scenes to explain what's going on beneath the surface in another world of what is not visible day to day. If this episode resonates with you, feel free to share, comment. The more you do this kind of activity reaches so many hearts and souls in this world, and it helps to spread across the globe. I would like to believe that, and it's going to reach many people. So if you need to revisit, come back and watch it again and listen to this episode. Until next time, don't forget to care for your brain. Be gentle. Be kind. And happy new year, twenty twenty six, to everyone. And thank you for following me online and listening. I'm so grateful for all of you, and I hope that you're gonna have a great time in 2026, if not in 2027. But be hopeful and look at things as positive as you can and reach for some help if you need it. Bye for now.

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