Study shows meditation can improve sleep for people with MS

DERBY - A recent study conducted by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and published in the July 2023 issue of BMC Neurology shows that mindfulness meditation improves sleep and the quality of life in individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The study was a collaboration between the PRC, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, and the Yale Stress Center. It compared two groups of people with MS who met standard criteria for chronic insomnia. One group underwent a single session of sleep hygiene instruction and the other group received a 10-week, sleep-targeted mindfulness medication course taught at the Yale Stress Center in New Haven.

All subjects wore identical devices to record their sleep efficiency percentage which was determined by measuring total sleep as a function of total time in bed. 

The subjects also completed regular self-reports, rating their sleep quality, quality of life and MS symptoms. Subjects who completed the sleep hygiene course had the option of taking the mindfulness course and that data was also used in the analysis.

While the measure of sleep efficiency was not different between the two groups on the sleep-tracking devices, the self-reports of insomnia severity were significantly better in the mindfulness meditation group than the sleep hygiene group at 10 weeks, but not 16 weeks. However, the mindfulness meditation group did show improvements in pre-intervention and post-intervention rating scales at both the 10-and 16-week reports in their insomnia severity ratings and sleep quality scale. Additionally, the mindfulness meditation group showed greater improvements in self-reported fatigue, mental health and cognitive function.

These results show that mindfulness meditation focused on chronic insomnia may be an effective way to improve sleep and other quality of life measures in persons diagnosed with MS.

“Our study showed that subjects who completed mindfulness training had better self-reported sleep outcomes and quality of life than those in the sleep hygiene group,” said Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, the principal investigator and lead author of the study, and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital. “It suggests that mindfulness practice is an option for some MS patients who suffer from insomnia and who wish to explore non-pharmaceutical options.”

Chronic insomnia is one of the most commonly diagnosed medical conditions in the country and can increase the risk for a number of other diseases, such as dementia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. Insomnia is particularly detrimental for persons diagnosed with MS, Guarnaccia said, because lack of sleep saps energy reserves that are needed daily functioning. Medication treatment for insomnia is unsatisfying because of a number of potentially side effects, including drug dependence, drug interactions, increased risk for dementia, daytime sedation, and falls at night.

The study was funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health Biomedical Research Trust Fund and recently published by Guarnaccia et al. BMC Neurology (2023) 23:263.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Survey finds benefits of medicinal marijuana to treat MS patients at Griffin Hospital

DERBY - According to results of a survey published this spring in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, individuals with multiple sclerosis who use medicinal marijuana to treat their symptoms reported several benefits from its use.

Despite increased interest in the role of marijuana in treating various medical conditions, questions have remained about its benefits in treating MS symptoms, and some clinicians have been reluctant to prescribe it. 

While prior surveys and clinical trials involving persons with MS have shown benefits of marijuana in treating certain symptoms, the findings have been inconsistent.  

More than 100 patients responded to the survey, developed by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital.

All patients were enrolled in the Connecticut Medical Marijuana program and treated at the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital. 

The survey respondents reported on their use of medical marijuana, its effects on their symptoms, and changes in the use of prescription medicines as a result of their use.

Participants were predominantly women and more likely to have the relapsing-remitting form of the condition. Most had experienced MS symptoms for more than 10 years. 

Among the variety of forms of medical marijuana, the most method of consumption was inhalation by smoking or vaping, followed by oral and topical applications. 

Inhalation brought most relief of symptoms, followed by oral and topical methods.

Self-reported significant improvements in symptoms associated with marijuana use included mood disorder, insomnia, pain, and muscle cramps and spasms. 

Patients reporting the most benefit tended to have a milder form of MS with less disability. A small number of respondents felt that marijuana use led to a worsening of symptoms related to cognition, mood disorders, fatigue, headaches, nausea, insomnia, vertigo, numbness, pain, bowel or bladder issues, vision, balance, or muscle function.

Among those who completed the survey, 45 percent said they had reduced or stopped using prescription medicines as a result of medical marijuana use. These included opioid and non-opioid pain medications, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxers.

“This survey helps to clarify medicinal cannabis use by a group of persons with MS. One of the goals of the study is to educate patients and physicians,” said Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, principal investigator, who directs the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital. “Physicians might be well-advised to familiarize themselves with the potential benefits and risk of medical marijuana use as part of a discussion on symptom management with their patients with multiple sclerosis.”

The study title is “Patterns of Medical Cannabis Use among Patients Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.” 

Funding was provided by the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s Biomedical Research Trust Fund and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

was established in 1998 through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

One of 26 Prevention Research Centers nationwide representing academic-community partnerships, the PRC is engaged in interdisciplinary applied prevention research designed to develop innovative approaches to health promotion and disease prevention that will directly benefit the public’s health.  

The Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital offers a comprehensive program for the evaluation and treatment of multiple sclerosis and related conditions. The Center is operated by Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, in partnership with Griffin Hospital, which is known nationally and internationally for its patient-centered health care under the Planetree Model of Care.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

MS support group to meet at Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton

SHELTON - A regional, self-led MS support group will meet from 1-2:30 p.m. March 11 at Plumb Memorial Library, 65 Wooster St.
Group members discuss topics of interest and share information; new members are welcome. The meeting will be held in the handicapped-accessible Meeting Room at the Library.

This is shared from a Facebook event page.

MS Support Group to meet at Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton

MS Support Group
Plumb Memorial Library
65 Wooster St., Shelton
1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9

SHELTON - A regional self-led group that discusses topics of interest and shares information; new members are welcome. 
The group meets in the Library's ground-floor, handicapped accessible meeting room off of the parking lot.

This is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Volunteers with MS needed for study at Griffin Hospital in Derby

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, and Yale University are teaming up to see if changing the bacteria in a person’s intestines can be an effective, safe, and tolerable strategy to slow the inflammatory process involved in multiple sclerosis.

MS is an auto-immune disease that affects the central nervous system. 

Some studies have found that an imbalance of intestinal bacteria can lead to inflammation in the immune system. 

This pilot investigational study at Griffin Hospital will involve providing oral capsules with fecal material from healthy donors in the hope that it will lead to favorable changes in the intestinal bacteria – or microbiome - of people with MS, which in turn might slow the inflammatory process involved in the progression of MS. 

The study team, led by neurologist Joseph Guarnaccia, M.D., of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, will provide 30 oral capsules with this fecal material to patients with MS, and monitor these patients before and afterward to learn what effects the capsules might have. 

The study team is recruiting people with MS who are 18 - 40 years old, can walk with or without assistance, and are not on immunotherapy except for interferon beta or glatiramer acetate. 

They must be able to visit Griffin Hospital eight times over a four-month period. The visits will include a clinical screening, one visit to swallow 30 capsules on an empty stomach, and five other visits for physical exams, blood and stool samples, and surveys. 

Those who complete the study will receive $800, payable in installments. The capsules, procedures, and tests will be provided free of charge. 

The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health is providing funding for this study. 

To learn more about this study, contact Dr. Guarnaccia at 203-732-1290 or msteatmentcenters@griffinhealth.org.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

MS Support Group to meet at Shelton Community Center

MS Support Group
2 p.m. Jan. 14

A regional, self-led support group discusses topics of interest and shares information; new members are welcome.

Due to renovations at Plumb, the meeting will be held at the Shelton Community Center Art Room #2, 41 Church St., Shelton.


This information is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Recuperation journey: Spreading awareness of 2 disorders

I decided to post the above chart that delineates between Muscular Dystrophy and Multiple Sclerosis because my husband Ralph suffers from a form of MD, Limb Girdle. 
And there are more than 30 kinds of Limb Girdle. 

Often when people meet Ralph they mistakenly think he has Multiple Sclerosis. 
I hope this chart helps to raise awareness of both of these disorders.

Griffin Hospital in Derby seeks volunteers for MS, insomnia study

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital seek volunteers for a study on Multiple Sclerosis and insomnia./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center, both at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., are seeking volunteers for a study on Multiple Sclerosis and insomnia.

This study will compare mindfulness meditation to sleep hygiene counseling in treating insomnia and improving quality of life in individuals with MS.

“Many people with MS suffer from chronic insomnia, and some of the medications used to treat insomnia can have adverse effects,” said Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center director. 
“Therefore, it is desirable to find alternative treatments for insomnia. The potential role of mindfulness - which is focusing full attention on the present moment without judgment - in affecting sleep has not yet been studied in people with MS.”

To participate, volunteers must be adults with a diagnosis of MS who suffer from chronic insomnia. 
They must be willing to come to Griffin Hospital for three assessments throughout the study, and to attend a weekly, two-hour training session for eight weeks and one eight-hour weekend session, and wear a Fitbit activity monitor (provided to volunteers) for several weeks to record their sleep data. 

Volunteers will be randomly assigned to training on either mindfulness or sleep hygiene, which will be offered at either Griffin Hospital or the Yale Stress Center.  
They will receive $200 for their role in the training and assessment, which will be provided free of charge. 
This study is funded by a grant from the state of Connecticut’s Biomedical Research Trust Fund.  

For information, call 203-732-1265, ext. 220 for Sue, or ext. 300 for Rocky.

About The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is committed to research pertaining to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic disease that is responsive to the priorities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley residents, the residents of Connecticut’s major cities, and other communities throughout the state. 
The center is dedicated to participatory research methods, to a robust research agenda inclusive of developmental/determinant, intervention, and translational research; to community involvement in public health; to the eradication of disparities in health and health care in the communities served; and to the dissemination of effective interventions in support of the national objectives of Healthy People 2010.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Insomnia is focus of study with MS patients at Griffin Hospital in Derby

Volunteers needed 
DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St. are seeking volunteers for a study on Multiple Sclerosis and insomnia.

The study will involve using mindfulness meditation to address insomnia. 

Volunteers will receive $200.

To participate, volunteers must have a diagnosis of MS and suffer from chronic insomnia, come to Griffin Hospital for three assessments throughout the study, be willing to attend a weekly, two-hour training session for eight weeks and wear a Fitbit activity monitor (provided to volunteers).

For information, call Sue at 203-732-1265 x220 or Rocky at x300.

About The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is committed to research pertaining to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic disease that is responsive to the priorities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley residents, the residents of Connecticut 's major cities, and other communities throughout the state. 

The center is dedicated to participatory research methods, to a robust research agenda inclusive of developmental/determinant, intervention, and translational research; to community involvement in public health; to the eradication of disparities in health and health care in the communities served; and to the dissemination of effective interventions in support of the national objectives of Healthy People 2010.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital. 

Griffin Hospital in Derby to receive $1.3M in research grants for MS Center, lawmakers say

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, and state Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D- Ansonia, announced today that, as a result of Connecticut’s recent budget agreement three Connecticut hospitals will share $3.9 million in state Biomedical Research Trust Fund grants in order to conduct new research into multiple sclerosis, children’s diabetes, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.

Griffin Hospital in Derby will receive $1.3 million to fund research activities at its Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center; the Yale School of Medicine will receive $1.3 million for its Children’s Diabetes Research Program; and the University of Connecticut Health Center will receive $1.3 million to fund its Clinical and Translational Breast Program and Bladder Cancer Institute.

“It gives me great pleasure to see state funds put to such good use, funding research that can help thousands of people lead better lives and eliminate so much heartache and pain for the friends and families of loved ones who have to endure these ailments,” Crisco said. 

“There is so much great research going on in Connecticut, both in the private sector and in the public sector, that I know these grants are going to make a difference in the speed and the direction that our needed, life-saving medical research will take.”

“I know that the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital is committed to improving the care and well-being of individuals living with MS and will put these funds to good use in the effort to increase understanding of the approaches that are most effective in the prevention and management of Multiple Sclerosis and its symptoms as well as to help those with M.S. live a healthier and more fulfilling life,” Gentile said.  

“Research is key to finding new ways to provide quality healthcare." 

The Griffin Hospital Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center offers a comprehensive program for the evaluation and treatment of multiple sclerosis and related conditions.  

“This grant presents a wonderful opportunity for the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center and Griffin Hospital, home of the CDC funded Yale-Griffin Prevention Center, with its considerable and impressive research capability to investigate new dimensions of care for our patients, design care effectiveness studies, and continue patient advocacy for patients suffering from this complex disease,” said Joseph Guarnaccia, MD, Director of the Center. 

Guarnaccia, who founded the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital in 2000, is a national leader in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and a strong advocate for those afflicted by MS. His Center has the largest panel of multiple sclerosis patients in Connecticut and attracts patients from across Connecticut as well as from surrounding states due to Guarnaccia’s expertise and holistic approach.

“We are grateful for the opportunity we have had  to partner with Dr. Guarnaccia in his effort to  advance the care of individuals with MS,” said Patrick Charmel, President and CEO of Griffin Hospital.  

“This grant represents a tremendous validation of his work and recognition of Griffin’s research capabilities in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and complementary therapies where a great deal of Multiple Sclerosis research is focused nationally and will enable Dr. Guarnaccia  to continue his efforts to improve the care and treatment of MS patients here in Connecticut and beyond.”

The funding for this research comes from Connecticut’s Biomedical Research Trust Fund, which was established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2002 to fund biomedical research into illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. A total of $3.9 million of the Trust Fund’s $5.9 million balance is being used to fund research at these three hospitals.

This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Crisco's advocacy for people living with MS recognized at Hartford ceremony

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, was recognized Tuesday by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for his advocacy in the state legislature for people living with MS. / Submitted photo

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. was recognized Tuesday as a "2015 Connecticut Legislative Champion" during a ceremony in the State Capitol.

“Your outstanding commitment to advocacy that provides access to medications and health care for individuals living with multiple sclerosis and other chronic illnesses is helping make a difference in the lives of many,” National Multiple Sclerosis Society Connecticut Chapter President Lisa Gerrol said. 

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to express our gratitude and recognize your outstanding advocacy and service.”

Crisco said, “I try to use my positions on the insurance and public health committees to advocate for and serve the needs of all Connecticut residents, including those with MS, who have some very specific needs and goals to maintain and improve their quality of life. 

“I have a wonderful partner in the MS Society of Connecticut, which has the policy and research expertise that helps me make good public policy decisions," he said. "I am thankful for this recognition today and look forward to working with the MS Society and other advocates for many years to come.”

The MS Society has generally advocated for funding for respite care programs, Medicaid expansion, transparency in healthcare costs, an adequate network of medical doctors, and home modification tax credits. 

This year, the MS Society is also advocating for “aging in place” programs which can assist people with MS and others in obtaining support to increase accessibility to their homes. 

This is a press release from Crisco's office.