Six months ago, Josie was bedridden with a flare-up of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) she's been battling for the past decade, alongside her husband, Joe, and some help from their much loved custom tandem bike. Over that same period, Josie and Joe have logged over 10,000 miles and raised $100,000 for research into MS, a disorder where the immune system attacks the nervous system.  But would her latest flare-up permanently sideline this avid cycling couple?

“When this happened, I could not move a muscle,” recalls Josie. “And when you were flat on your back and said you wanted to bike again,” recalls Joe, “I was skeptical… but hopeful.”

Six months later, we cycled next to their tandem bike and heard about that uphill journey back from her flare-up, along with the ups and downs since our first interview at the National MS Society Bike Maine Getaway in 2019. 

Expert commentary is provided from Dr. Mary A. O’Neal, Director of the Women’s Neurology Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Boston), and Dr. Jacob Meyer of Iowa State, both suggesting we broaden our understanding of the benefits of physical activity to include improved mood and motivation.  Listen in for an informative, inspiring story of perseverance and teamwork against the steep challenge of MS. 

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

What's your body odyssey? Let us know: https://fluentknowledge.com/contact

SHOW NOTESExpert Guests:

Mary A. O’Neal, MD: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Director of Women’s Neurology Program 

Notable Publications: 

A Review of Women's Neurology

Neurologic diseases in women: Five new things

Jacob Meyer, PhD: Wellbeing and Exercise Lab, Twitter

Principal Investigator of the WellEx lab at Iowa State University

Expert on the neurobiological effects of exercise on depression

Notable Publications:

Changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior in response to COVID-19 and their associations with mental health in 3052 US adults

Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials

Resources

What is Multiple Sclerosis? 

National MS Society

Da Vinci Tandem Bikes

Bike MS: Bike Maine Getaway 2022

The prevalence of MS in the United States

What Causes MS?

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