This year we published 18 episodes of Breaking it Down - Multiple Sclerosis, the MS Trust podcast where hosts Nick and Helena chat to people living with MS and MS experts about an array of different topics. According to international podcast database FeedSpot, it's the top MS podcast worldwide. This ranking is based on expertise, credibility, content quality and relevance, consistency and audience engagement. So if you're a regular listener, thanks to you too!
These are our 5 most popular episodes from this year. If you haven't yet had a chance to listen in, why not dip into them over the holiday season?
Avoiding the brain drain in MS: how to keep your mind fit and fed
Our fifth most popular episode is all about MS and brain health. We talked about exercise, learning how diet helps and hinders your MS, and the lowdown on dietary supplements with our MS Trust Ambassador, Neurologist Agne Straukiene.
Listen to the podcast 'Avoiding the brain drain in MS: how to keep your mind fit and fed' here.
Small steps, big impact: building a healthier lifestyle with MS
Whether we have MS or not, most of us know that we should try to build a healthier lifestyle. But with so much lifestyle information around, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. And can making changes in diet, sleep and exercise, really make a different for people living with MS?
In the fourth most listened to episode, we talked to Charlie Peel, author of ‘Disease-modifying lifestyle in multiple sclerosis: evidence, challenges, and the importance of engaged, informed patients,’ to hear how to take the small steps that can make a big difference.
Listen to the podcast 'Small steps, big Impact: building a healthier lifestyle with MS' here.
In third place we have a topic that often comes up in our MS Trust Facebook Group. Many people come to the group to ask, “Do these symptoms I am experiencing mean that I have MS”? In this podcast, we discuss the early steps in the diagnosis journey and explore what you can do to find answers and calm your worries.
We also chat to Dr Daniel Matterson, another of our valued MS Trust Ambassadors. Also known as @the.ms.doctor on Instagram, Daniel talks us through his own MS diagnosis and his tips for managing the diagnosis process.
Listen to the podcast 'Worried you have MS?' here.
Tingling, burning and crawling - what are altered sensations in MS?
Our second most listened to podcast from 2023 is all about those weird burning, tingling and crawling or numb sensations that can be common in MS. Our guest is Dr Amanda Howarth, a pain specialist who explains the ins and outs of altered skin sensations. We also share some of the MS community's life hacks for managing these odd and uncomfortable symptoms.
Listen to the podcast 'Tingling, burning and crawling - what are altered sensations in MS?' here.
I am newly diagnosed with MS, what happens next for me?
The most popular episode that we produced in 2023 is all about being newly diagnosed with MS, and what should or could happen next. We spoke with Corinne from our MS Trust helpline about the questions they hear from people who have recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the importance of finding information that you can trust, so you can learn and try to take control of your MS.
We also chatted to Team GB athlete Lina Nielsen, who was diagnosed with MS as a teenager. We heard about her own diagnosis and how she manages her condition from day to day.
Listen to the podcast 'I am newly diagnosed with MS, what happens next for me?' here.
To explore any of the topics in these podcasts further, try these links to other MS Trust information pages.
If you've recently received an MS diagnosis, Newly diagnosed with MS could help you with the next steps, and you might like to order our book, Making Sense of MS.
If you've noticed some symptoms and you are not sure what they mean, our Worried you have MS or Early Symptoms of MS pages could be useful.
Brain health is all about understanding how diet and MS are linked, and how to make choices that benefit your brain.
Our lifestyle and wellbeing pages capture some of the self-help and therapeutic activities that can improve your resilience, mood and emotions.
Altered sensations can range from irritating to excruciating. Our page on what's going on with the strange tingling could help explain what's going on.
