give for those acute symptoms and usually, we give steroids. There also is another medicine that we can use and sometimes procedures, but the most common treatment in that first layer is steroids that help the acute symptom but don’t help the immune system attacks.
So that’s where we come to the second layer. The second layer is what we call disease-modifying therapy. And that’s the medicine that really affects the immune system and helps decrease the immune system attacking the brain and the spinal cord, which causes those symptoms. The third layer of the cake is symptom management and that’s where we can really affect someone’s day to day life. So if someone has numbness and tingling, there are treatments for that.
If someone has difficulty with their bladder, we can treat that. There are some symptoms that we can treat very well and there are others that we don’t have very good treatments for, but that’s really where we can affect day to day life. And we have to make sure that we strike a balance because some of the symptom medications can worse than some of the actual symptoms of MS.
So we have to make sure that we’re checking in regularly and adjusting those medications to make sure that we’re ensuring a good quality of life.
And then the fourth layer of the cake is rehabilitation. So if someone has a severe relapse, they may need physical therapy or occupational therapy, speech therapy, and we use all of those other, ancillary areas of medicine to help improve quality of life.
Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams is a top neurologist and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Specialist in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Williams completed her internship and residency in neurology as well as a Clinical Fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA. Dr. Williams has a strong interest in understanding and furthering research in MS in ethnic minority populations. She is a sought-after speaker and presenter and has discussed her research both nationally and internationally at various scientific meetings. She has spearheaded and participated in multiple Steering Committees and Work Groups to further research in underserved populations with MS. She also has recently increased involvement in efforts to increase diversity in clinical research and educate the community about the importance of research participation. Dr. Williams is the author of MS Made Simple: The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis. Because of her passion for teaching and advocacy.