11 msfocusmagazine.org MS Focus Activities May 17 - Atlanta She Said/He Said: Sex and MS This month, we had a full house at the Shepherd Center as Dr. Ben Thrower teamed up with Tracy Walker, a certified nurse practitioner, for a presentation about a topic that isn’t covered often enough. “MS can place some obvious challenges in the way of meaningful sexual health. Different symptoms will obviously affect when and how various people are able to have sex, but heat exhaustion is something that can affect everyone with MS, men and women. Turn your A/C down, maybe a little lower than typical, so your area stays cool, or try to have a fan positioned directly on you during sex.” Sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Genenech, and Biogen. June 18 - Gainesville, Fla. Staying Sharp: Managing Your Cognitive Systems Dr. Meredith Wicklund, a professor at the University of Florida and a board-certified neurologist, joined us for a presentation about the cognitive challenges that MS can cause. “After fatigue, cognition is the most noted reason for MS patients exiting the workforce. There is a misconception that cognitive challenges make you ‘worse’ at your job. In reality, cognition problems simply make people slower at processing information, which means they often see a drop in production at work. That slower output is typically misconstrued as ‘worse.’” Sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals and Biogen. June 21 - Atlanta Adaptive Exercise for People with MS During our June event, Ian Flannery, a physical therapist at the Shepherd Center, gave a presentation about how to incorporate exercise into your routine, no matter what your ability level. “Finding an expert who can help you get the right exercise technique makes a world of difference. It makes you stronger and resilient. If you feel pain, they can modify the exercise to still get a workout.” Sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Genenech, and Biogen. [TAKEAWAYS