Volunteers with MS sought for study

By: Jake Uitti
   MONTGOMERY — Volunteers are needed for a New York University therapeutic recreation doctoral study on multiple sclerosis, which will be conducted from September through December at the Princeton Center for Yoga and Health in Montgomery.
   People with multiple sclerosis who wish to participate in the study must be willing to be randomly placed into one of two groups — a script-reading workshop, or a yogic breathing workshop called pranayama. Groups will meet from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays or on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
   Participants must not have any other autoimmune disease or chronic heart or breathing problems. In addition, participants must be able to transfer to a chair independently and must not be currently enrolled in a clinical drug trial.
   Ability to get to and from the Princeton Center for Yoga and Health independently, or with the assistance of a friend or family member, is also a must.
   For more information, contact Elizabeth Harper at (732) 693-1102 or e-mail her at [email protected].
   "People interested in participating should contact me," Ms. Harper said. "When I talk to them I will see if they are eligible."
   She added that the workshops are free for the participants.
   Ms. Harper is a doctoral candidate in therapeutic recreation at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education.
   "I worked with this population for over 12 years and I’m looking for appropriate activities for the population," she said.
   As a requirement for completion of her degree, she must conduct an independent research study. Her study is designed to investigate the effects of two different recreation activities on respiratory muscle strength, fatigue and quality of life in individuals with MS.
   Ms. Harper ran "Moving through MS," an exercise-based recreation group, for eight years in Monmouth County. She has also worked privately with individuals with MS in Princeton and New York City. She is active in her community with exercise, yoga, dance, theater, meditation and gardening, she said.
   Ms. Harper said she is committed to sharing her enthusiasm for these things with others, but she is also concerned about finding the activities that are most appropriate for those with MS.
   Princeton Center for Yoga & Health is a fully accessible facility located on Route 518.