App helps people with MS manage stress

Jeri Burtchell, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patient and co-developer of Stay Calm, says the app is “like having a lucky rabbit’s foot in my pocket.”

Jeri collaborated with Matt Winslow, of Conversant Health, on a prototype of Stay Calm, which helps patients manage their stress through diet, meditation and yoga.

The first years of therapy weren’t going very well for Jeri. Then she got herself a new neurologist, who also happened to be a lead investigator in a clinical trial for the first-ever pill form of treatment for MS.
When she didn’t find anything on the Internet about the patient experience with clinical trials — everything was from the perspective of physicians and researchers — she started her own blog.
“Patients started finding me and following me to find out how the study was going,” said Burtchell.
“What I realized is my blog was serving as a recruitment tool for the clinical trial. Before I knew it, I was an MS advocate,” said Burtchell.

According to the MS Society, 2.5 million people around the globe are living with MS. Symptoms can vary from patient to patient and can include muscle weakness and spasms, fatigue, and problems with balance and vision, in addition to other challenges. Healthline says those symptoms can also vary widely for each patient, which is an ongoing source of stress. That’s what makes apps such as Burtchell’s so important to those living with MS around the world.

“I decided to include yoga and diet with the app; incorporating a “spa like” experience was also important. This app is different from something your doctor will hand to you to do. Stay Calm doesn’t say a lot about MS — that will stress you out. It’s distracting yet relaxing”, explained the co-creator.

The Stay Calm app is still a prototype. “I want to put Stay Calm in the hands of every single person with MS. Whatever it takes to get there. I can’t wait to go and install the app on my phone, so that I can use it and have a better quality of life”, Jeri said.

More info: http://www.hack-ms.com/live

Adapted from: http://www.notimpossiblenow.com/lives/stay-calm-app-can-help-people-with...