Today Show

Janice Dean was on the Today Show this morning talking about her MS diagnosis a few years back and mostly talked about the support she's gotten from her husband.  Since being dx'ed she has gotten married and had two kids, and cotinues her job as a meteorolist for the Fox network.    

Dr. Nancy Sniderman was on as well.  I didn't find her input very useful.  She was asked about treatments for MS and she talked quickly in one big run-on sentence, about the importance of diagnosis since symptoms are so non specific, then said treatments are there to 'boost the immune system' and sometimes courses of steroids are given.  She said one of the biggest misconceptions is that length of life is shortened.  She explained MS is an autoimmune, neurological disorder.  That's it.  She didn't explain at all what MS actually is, didn't talk about myelin, didn't describe any symptoms of the disease.  Her comment about drugs to 'boost' the immune system is inaccurate.  She didn't mention the recent approval of oral DMD's nor what's coming down the pipeline for new treatments.  She didn't say why courses of steroids are given.  And I would disagree that one of the biggest mosconceptions is that length of life is shortened.  I personally am not concerned about that, and it's a topic that rarely is brought up on this forum.  I think one of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that we'll all end up in wheelchairs.  Janice Dean had mentioned this was her initial reaction, and when she was first dx'ed all she wanted to do was to find other MS patients who were doing okay.  I felt the same way when I was dx'ed.

Good to see MS in the spotlight but again disappointed with the inadequate/inaccurate comments from the resident medical expert.  It would be much more helpful if they had a MS expert for segments like these.  Dr. Howard Weiner, Dr. Stephen Hauser, Dr. Paul O'Connor, etc. and many other esteemed experts would do a much better job in increasing an accurate understanding of MS.  I think this can be done succinctly when one really knows what they're talking about.

[iambus]

Thanks for sharing this with us!

yeah I agree with you about the misconception of MS.  Pretty much every person I've talked to about MS (that doesn't know much about it) thinks that every person with MS is in a wheel chair!

[Lulu54]

I caught that segment too and was also disappointed in Dr. Nancy's fluff.  There was little substance in what she had to say and I felt she added no value to the interview.  Janice Dean could have used the extra time to talk more about her personal experiences.

That said, I'm still glad they got the interview on -every bit of publicity helps to generate interest and awareness.

be well,
L

[drsdonthelp]

My mother in law saw this and called me up to ask me if I had the tv on, She was crying when she called me so I didn't know what I was going to be watching.
I was very in tuned to what was being said, but like everyone here, I get more info on this forum.
Soon after that segment was done, they talked about thyroid disease. >>>
Thank God I had my psychology appt. today.. LOL

[kel1lost]

thats wat I am wondering about.  Just dx last month.  Will most of end up in a wheelchair?  I have no idea.  Read diff.  comments on this everywhere.  

[Lulu54]

Kel1lost - the odds are very good tht you WON'T be in a wheelchair .  Over 80% of us on a DMD will remain ambulatory through our lifetime.  I hope that helps.

DDH - there wasn't a whole lot of content to the story .  Was  that what made your MIL cry?  I sure hope not.

[essdipity]

I have found Dr. Nancy's segments to be disappointing in general. It's as if she looks up whatever it is on Wikipedia, does a quick read, and then gets several facts wrong. We do a much better job here.

ess

[drsdonthelp]

My mother in law is very emotional especially when it comes to my health. She constantly is worried about me and she has seen me at my very worst (when I almost lost my battle right before my wedding). She cries to me all the time because I haven't had any doc's that could help and she is just as frustrated as I am with all of this.

She was crying more when she heard the woman talk about how her husband is so wonderful to her and very supportive. I love my mommy in law, she is good to me and very helpful.

And....... she gets it!!!!!
Pam

[doublevision1]

Check out this doctor's FB page, btw I spelled it wrong, it's Snyderman, not Sniderman.

On her FB page are numerous comments about a Today Show segment she apparently  did the other day on CFS.  The comments are about how she was perceived to gloss over and trivialize that condition, and skeptism that the patient who was profiled even has CFS as she was portrayed as very active and doing well.  The feeling seems to be that she showed a best case scenario which is not the reality for most CFS patients who often struggle just to get out of bed.  While some were glad that it got any attention at all, others felt her comments did more harm than good by downplaying the seriousness of the condition.

Seems to be a pattern here.  Like Ess I have also noticed on other topics as well that this dr is less than thorough not to mention outright wrong in some of her comments.  I wonder if she reads her FB page and if she understands this feedback she is receiving.  

Funny, we were talking about this very topic 2+ years ago:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Multiple-Sclerosis/MS-Awareness-Week---where-have-you-seen-it/show/775479


Not that it excuses inadequate 'reporting,' but in fairness we know that other media docs get it wrong too: Dr. Oz, Dr. Gupta, Dr. Drew have all  given misinformation about MS.  The only one like them who I've seen get it right is Dr. Phil.  He is a big supporter of the Nancy Davis Foundation, I think maybe even on the board, and it seems like he's taken the time to understand the complexities of this disease; understands the diff between DMDs vs symptom management, understands the unpredictability and individuality of disease courses, knows what is looked for in MRIs, etc.  I wish the others did their homework like he does.

[MissLauraI]

"Hi I'm not really a doctor but I play one on TV".

Ok that sounded kind of funny in my head...but seriously...the general public probably has no interest in the details and accuracies of any disease...until it hits home.

Journalism on the whole has suffered in a huge way as far as accuracy for even simple things like spelling errors in articles.

The shows are more concerned with ratings and serving up Mac-Knowledge. It is sad but true I'm afraid.

Pam- I love your relationship with your mother-in-law...so wonderful!!!

DV- thanks for sharing this!

[jujuminx]

I always half listened to Dr Nancy when I have the tv on in the mornings. Wondered just how good she was since I rarely knew anything about what she was talking about.  

Now I know, what a shame.

Julie

[meg321]

dang, and i always disliked Dr. Phil,,I may start paying mor attention to him

meg

[Wobbly]

I didn't know Dr Phil was even a Dr... and I usually don't like him either.  thanks for the info
wobbly

[doublevision1]

He has a PhD in clinical psychology.

[Ojibajo]

Be fore we all beat up Dr. Snyderman, let's remember that she is a GYNECOLOGIST and not a neurologist. Let's also remember that on these segments they only give a few minutes per segment so she couldn't possible cover even half of the things that you mentioned.

[doublevision1]

I don't think we're beating up on her by pointing out examples of how she's gotten her facts wrong.  

You're right Ojibajo that these docs don't get enough time to cover the topic throughly. Even more reason to get the basic facts right.  If she's not qualified to speak on a topic she should not do them.

I thought she was in pediatrics - head and neck surgeon or something?

[twopack]

It seems most TV advice people are a perfect fit for the old saying about being a Jack of all Trades and Master of None.  Pair that with how often doctors in general are willing to admit they don't have answers and you end up with a very special application of that old skill category when referencing TV doctors.

I think I stopped turning on much morning show TV about the same time I started avoiding news in any format.  They have a honed skill for drawing people in and then giving just enough information to send listeners away worried or angry.  Human interest angles turn into sensationalism and it's a toss up if anyone is better informed afterwards.

I understand the frustration with media 'experts' but doubt we can do much to change the presentation style.  We have to take the good we can and remember the strongest motivator in such programming is to use well disguised tools (education in this instance) to look benevolent while manipulating market dollars.

I think you are right DV about most people thinking MS lands all it's victims in wheelchairs.  That's probably why people are so surprised and give us the "But you look so good!" response if we share our diagnosis while still walking and working.  

I wish people knew enough about MS to keep telling me I look good regardless of what walking aide I may or may not use.

I wish people knew enough about MS to understand a little something about the struggle and determination it takes a MSer to keep up with average levels of daily activity.

I wish people knew enough about MS to realize what they see on the outside is different than what I live from the inside and both views will vary from day to day regardless of what either one of us desires or attempts to control.

I wish people knew enough about MS to appreciate the uncertain balance between hope and fear that is my daily companion.

I guess it's up to those of us who know more than we ever wanted to educate those who are lucky enough to be clueless.
Mary

[Lulu54]

her specialty, according to the records online is surgery for cancer of the head and neck.

Twopack, thanks for the excellent perspective you offer up here - I wish I had thought of some of these lines you use.  best, L

[sllowe]

Wow! Just watched!

Did the doc actually say meds to "BOOST" the immune system, and in her next breath she said cortosteroids. Surely I need to re-listen to it to be certain, but I could of sworn she did!

Shameful to not be factual.

-Shelly

[doublevision1]

Yep, you heard her correctly.  Très disappointing.

[doublevision1]

Here's a different clip with Janice Dean from 2008.  Longer than the Today Show clip and better in terms of providing a more accurate explanation of the disease.   More emphasis on the patient's perspective (incl. not just Dean's experience but also Teri Garr and Richard Cohen) and better input from an actual MS specialist vs a generic media doc like Snyderman.  

The only thing I don't care for is the female colleague going "awww" and "wow" in that softspoken, "I feel so sorry for you" tone.  Kind of annoying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c89SXYWfpZM&feature=related

[maestro1959]

I think in these cases it is wise to write an email to the show in order to exress disapproval of these segments.  If it handled politely and with intelligent reasons many times it will be read and addressed.

I did the same with a segment on headaches on another network, and it was well received.  I was even contacted by them.

It is something to be considered

Beth