Fibromyalgia Tip -- 5/10/08

Fibromyalgia Tips

Temperature discomfort

Fibro patients can be abnormally sensitive to cold or hot weather. They are often cold when others are hot, or hot when most people are comfortable – and can also have chills while sweating. Dressing in layers seems to be the best way to deal with this, as you can always take something off or put something on until you reach relative comfort.

HOT CHOC DETOX

There's sweet news about hot cocoa: the popular winter drink contains more antioxidants per cup than a similar serving of red wine or tea and may even be a healthier choice.

Researchers at Cornell University, located in Geneva New York, have shown this through recent study which adds to growing evidence of the health benefits of cocoa and points to a tasty alternative. Yummy hot cocoa in the quest to maintain a diet rich in healthy antioxidants, chemicals that have been shown to fight cancer, heart disease and aging, the researchers say.

Although the researchers say antioxidants are important for good health, nobody knows the exact daily amount required per person—this stated by Chang Yong Lee, Ph.D., head of the study and a professor of food chemistry in Cornell's Department of Food Science and Technology. They do agree however a cup or two of hot cocoa every once in a while can provide a delicious, warm and healthy way to obtain more antioxidants!

Are FM patients more sensitive to sound?

Are Fibromyalgia Patients More Sensitive to Sound?

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread tenderness, including.... click title to read more.

Winter Skin Care Winter is hard on skin. Dry air and harsh wind can sap moisture from the skin, causing cracking, chapping, and irritation. And even though it's not blazing hot, your skin is still vulnerable to damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Luckily, you can take action to minimize winter skin problems. Here are some tips to help you keep your skin as youthful-looking and healthy as possible throughout the winter months: Continue to protect your skin from sun damage. Since you're usually bundled up when outside in the wintertime, you don't need to slather sunscreen all over yourself, but try to wear a makeup or moisturizer with SPF 15 on your face throughout the winter. Do wear a high-SPF sunscreen if you'll be skiing; some of the most severe sunburns may occur on the slopes, since the snow reflects the sunlight. If you'll be on a cruise, be sure to wear a good sunscreen just as you would during the summertime. Don't forget your lips--wear lip balm or lipstick with sunscreen. Examine your skin-care regimen. If you are using a product with tretinoin, such as Retin-A or Renova, be especially vigilant about wearing sunscreen; you are more liable to sustain a sunburn. If you have sensitive skin, you may need to cut back on using sloughing products such as alpha-hydroxy acids, as they may exacerbate dry, irritated skin. Don't take long, hot showers. They may sound appealing, but they strip skin of its natural moisturizing lipids. Instead, take a short, warm shower; pat your skin almost dry, then put on a good moisturizer while skin is still damp. You will need a super-emollient lotion for hands, heels, or anywhere else you experience especially dry, cracked skin. Humidify indoor air. If you don't have a humidifying system within your heating ducts, consider buying a humidifier. These devices will help keep skin and nasal passages from drying out. (If you do experience dryness or minor bleeding in your nose, you can use Vaseline to soothe and moisturize the area.) If you develop severely dry skin, eczema, or "winter itch," see your dermatologist. He or she can prescribe a mild steroid cream or other treatment to restore your skin to good health. About This Article Published: 01/10/2007 Updated: 01/10/2007 URL: http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/HealthArticles/winter_skin_care

Complementary and alternative medicine

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Original Article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079/DSECTION=11

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Fibromyalgia

Complementary and alternative medicine

Complementary and alternative therapies for pain and stress management aren't new. Some, such as meditation and yoga, have been practiced for thousands of years. But their use has become more popular in recent years, especially with people who have chronic illnesses, such as fibromyalgia.

Several of these treatments do appear to safely relieve stress and reduce pain, and some are gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine. But many practices remain unproved because they haven't been adequately studied. Some of the more common complementary and alternative treatments promoted for pain management include:

• Acupuncture. Acupuncture is a Chinese medical system based on restoring normal balance of life forces by inserting very fine needles through the skin to various depths. According to Western theories of acupuncture, the needles cause changes in blood flow and levels of neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord. In a 2006 Mayo Clinic study, acupuncture significantly improved symptoms of fibromyalgia. Research on the benefits of acupressure — a similar practice that uses finger pressure on the skin rather than needles — is inconclusive.
• Chiropractic care. This treatment is based on the philosophy that restricted movement in the spine may lead to pain and reduced function. Spinal adjustment (manipulation) is one form of therapy chiropractors use to treat restricted spinal mobility. The goal is to restore spinal movement and, as a result, improve function and decrease pain. Chiropractors manipulate the spine from different positions using varying degrees of force. Manipulation doesn't need to be forceful to be effective. Chiropractors may also use massage and stretching to relax muscles that are shortened or in spasm. Because manipulation has risks, always go to properly trained and licensed practitioners.
• Massage therapy. This is one of the oldest methods of health care still in practice. It involves use of different manipulative techniques to move your body's muscles and soft tissues. The therapy aims to improve blood circulation in the muscle, increasing the flow of nutrients and eliminating waste products. Massage can reduce your heart rate, relax your muscles, improve range of motion in your joints and increase production of your body's natural painkillers. It often helps relieve stress and anxiety. Although massage is almost always safe, avoid it if you have open sores, acute inflammation or circulatory problems.
• Osteopathy. Doctors of osteopathy go through rigorous and lengthy training in academic and clinical settings, equivalent to medical doctors. They're licensed to perform many of the same therapies and procedures as conventional doctors. One area where osteopathy differs from conventional medicine — but is similar to chiropractic medicine — is in the use of manipulation to address joint and spinal problems.

By Mayo Clinic Staff
June 25, 2007
© 1998-2008 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

DS00079

Being an Esther

Being an Esther: Having fibromyalgia has taught me to see what's really important in life.

by Bridget Gazlay

I have been a Christian pretty much my entire life. But like many other people, I didn't think I needed God. What I didn't realize was that God loved ME and that He had a plan for my life.

Read full story here...

End of the year Tips

Fibromyalgia Attitude Adjustments & Every Day Coping Strategies Tips

The invisible disease
Fibromyalgia is sometimes known as the invisible disease. We don't look sick. People find it difficult to understand that we really are sick and not just making excuses. You need to anticipate this, and the reactions that people will give you when you say no to things you don´t feel able to do. Your true friends will understand; the others don't matter. And you must learn to say no or you will run the risk of causing a flare-up of your symptoms.

Learning acceptance
Accepting fibromyalgia is similar to coping with the death of a loved one. It starts with denial. As happy as we were to get a diagnosis at last, we start thinking that maybe it´s wrong. This can´t be the way it's going to be from now on! We all go through it -- although not everyone's experience is identical. But we need to move forward, accept what is there and then take positive actions to make it better.

Pace yourself
Fibro victims tend to be over-achievers. We have had unrealistic expectations of ourselves all of our lives. It´s time to get real. Set some new goals. They don't need to be large- just realistic. Instead of cleaning the garden, weed one flower bed. You don´t have to be perfect. Ignore anyone who tries to make you feel guilty. You can only do what you can do.

Don´t be a perfectionist
Accept the fact that you can't do it all to some standard of perfection. Learn to set priorities about what really must be done and what you can either let slide or get help with.

Fibro and guilt
Most people who get fibromyalgia tend to be overachievers -- usually with Type-A personalities. This means we have set impossibly high standards for ourselves -- standards that are difficult to achieve when you are fatigued and in pain. This often leads us to feel guilty when things that we were accustomed to doing aren't getting done. Remember -- you can only be guilty of things done deliberately. You cannot feel guilty about getting fibro and thus acquiring new limitations. That is not your fault.

Educate yourself and others
Knowledge is power. If you and those close to you understand your problems, you can deal with them in positive ways. You may need to be quite blunt before others really grasp what you are dealing with. So get blunt.

Food For Thought

Head Coach: Food For Thought

Food for Thought
This super-nutrient promises to keep you sharp, focused, and mentally agile

By Thomas H. Crook III, PhD, A frequent expert commentator on popular daily news shows and author of "The Head Coach" monthly column in Prevention, Thomas H. Crook III, PhD, is widely regarded as the leading international expert on cognitive development and both the diagnosis and treatment of memory disorders.

Click here to read more!

Learning acceptance

Accepting fibromyalgia is similar to coping with the death of a loved one. It starts with denial. As happy as we were to get a diagnosis at last, we start thinking that maybe it´s wrong. This can´t be the way it´s going to be from now on! We all go through it – although not everyone's experience is identical. But we need to move forward, accept what is there and then take positive actions to make it better.

Brought to you by Fibromyalgia Tips

Coping

Use humor to cope

There is humor in fibrofog, so learn to enjoy it. Example: "Fibrofog is great. You can buy one book and read it repeatedly and still keep being surprised." Being able to laugh at yourself will help others to deal with your lapses as well. Brushing your teeth with a tube of polysporin will seem funny in a few days. Honest.

Fibromyalgia Tip -- 10/29/2007

Here in the Northern Hemisphere where it's Autumn leading into Winter and the temperatures are getting colder we find ourselves having a harder time functioning and slipping into flare-ups. Here's a tip to help you.

Coping with flare-ups

A flare is what we call it when all of our symptoms seem to intensify, so that we find ourselves in more pain, and functioning at a much lower level that usual. Flares can be brought on by stress, either physical or emotional, changes in weather, over-exertion, etc. Try to pace yourself and avoid intense periods of activity. When a flare hits, don't push yourself. Your body is telling you that it needs a time-out.

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Fibromyalgia tips at Lifetips.com

Strategies with Food and Activity -- September 20, 2007

Strategies with Food and Activity
Brought to you by Bally Total Fitness
http://www.ballynutrition.com

Don't sit in the backseat. Often family, work or just everyday life takes priority over your needs. Keep your needs at the top of your list and don't let them take the backseat. The key to getting in the front seat is planning. Write down all of your responsibilities. Look for spaces to add exercise; a trip to the grocery store or an extra half hour for lunch. Pencil those events in and stick to it in order to keep your needs in the forefront.

Tip ~ Get dressed - every day!

Don't let yourself go just because you're not getting out as much as you used to. Get dressed -- every single day -- in something nice - shoes and jewelry, and even make-up if you wear it. Not only does it give you a psychological boost, but being dressed makes it harder to just crawl back into bed. It's too easy to lapse into slobbery when you're not feeling well. And slopping around leads to a loss of self-respect and of self-esteem.

Fibromyalgia Education Campaign Launches

National Fibromyalgia Association launched a new national educational campaign aimed at increasing understanding of fibromyalgia among patients, healthcare providers and the public. Click here to read more...

The Painful Truth About Fibromyalgia

AUDIO from Medialink and Pfizer: The Painful Truth About Fibromyalgia

Lyrica (Pregabalin) News Video

New Treatment Emerges For Pain Of Fibromyalgia

NBC 5's Meredith Land from Dallas/Fort Worth TX Reports

A drug used to treat shingles and diabetes is now being used to treat the debilitating pain of fibromyalgia. See video here

There is hope, help for fibromyalgia syndrome

By Dr. Nikolas R. Hedberg

August 14, 2007

Have you been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and are not feeling better, or were not informed of the cause of your condition? Were you just put on antidepressants or anti-inflammatory drugs?

Fibromyalgia did not emerge in the medical literature until the late 20th century and still does not have clear diagnostic criteria. Those of us practicing alternative medicine offer a clearer picture of the causes and treatment options for fibromyalgia.

In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology published its criteria for fibromyalgia syndrome, which consists of two parts: chronic, widespread pain that has been present for three months; and pain elicited by palpation of specific tender points, specifically 11 of 18 sites.

Authors began to report more symptoms by the early 1990s, including fatigue, irritable bowel, headache, cold sensitivity, atypical patterns of sensation, exercise intolerance, anxiety, depression, irritable bladder, dysmenorrhea and symptoms associated with increased nervous system activity.

Muscle biopsies of FMS patients revealed no changes in muscle tissue, which exploded the theory of fibromyalgia being an inflammatory disorder of soft tissues. It was also found that antidepressants did help to reduce patient symptoms by lowering nervous system hyperactivity. No underlying cause of fibromyalgia was ever found, and thus the cluster of symptoms became fibromyalgia syndrome.

To clump all these symptoms together into one is fatally flawed and has left many patients with no help and more medications. Michael J. Schneider and David M. Brady, in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, July/August 2006, classified fibromyalgia into "Classic FMS" and "Pseudo FMS." Classic FMS consists of sleep disorders, anxiety syndrome, depression, alterations of brain and central nervous system chemistry, and brain injury/trauma.

Classic FMS patients have low serotonin levels, which is our "feel-good" neurotransmitter. Serotonin is the target of many antidepressant medications, but it can be boosted without drugs. 5-HTP and vitamin B6 can support serotonin levels as well as meditation and psychotherapy. Serotonin can become depleted after a major traumatic event or chronic stress.

Pseudo FMS is broken down into three categories:

1. Organic diseases: anemia, Lyme disease, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and multiple sclerosis

2. Functional disorders: im-proper diets, functional nutritional deficiencies, intestinal dysbiosis, dysfunction of liver detoxification.

3. Musculoskeletal disorders: Multiple trigger points, joint dysfunction, muscle imbalances, postural distortion, undiagnosed disk/facet lesions.

Have you had a thorough examination and the necessary testing to rule out any of these possible causes? Were you tested for dysbiosis (abnormal ratios of bacterial flora in the intestines)? What about your liver's ability to detoxify or a thorough thyroid evaluation? I routinely test for these types of metabolic disorders and find the underlying cause of FMS patients. You don't have to live with fatigue, depression, chronic pain and anxiety. There are answers for you.

Originally posted at: citizens-times.com

Mood elevators

Laughter really is good medicine. Call someone who makes you laugh. Rent a comedy film or watch a TV sitcom you enjoy. It´s hard to feel bad when you´re laughing.

Living with Fibromyalgia

Living with Fibromyalgia, First Drug Approved

Getty Images Symptoms of fibromyalgia include fatigue, pain in muscles and joints, difficulty sleeping, and morning stiffness.

After meeting on the Internet in 1997, Lynne Matallana and Karen Lee Richards discovered they had a lot in common. They both had seen numerous doctors before being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by fatigue and widespread pain in muscles and joints. They both had trouble finding medical information and support for coping with the illness. Seven months after meeting, they started gathering with five other people with fibromyalgia who also wanted to bring awareness to the issue.

"We called ourselves 'the pillow posse' because we would meet and have our pillows to support our aching bodies," Matallana says. Those gatherings grew into the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA), an organization that now provides support, research information, medical education, and messages of hope to millions.

Fibromyalgia affects 2 to 4 percent of the population, according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). It mostly affects women, and tends to develop in early to middle adulthood. But men and children also can have it.

Read more by clicking here

Sensitive to Pain?

Study: Fibromyalgia Patients Are More Sensitive to Pain

Fibromyalgia patients are more sensitive to pain than people who do not have the condition. After reviewing 111 fibromyalgia studies published between 1970 and 2006, researchers concluded that fibromyalgia patients may process pain differently and seem to have lower pain thresholds than the general population. According to the review published in the May 15, 2007 Annals of Internal Medicine, the increased sensitivity to pain is derived from problems with how pain is processed in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

Fibromyalgia affects approximately two percent of the United States population (3.4 percent of women and 0.5 percent of men), according to researchers. Based on what is already known and supposed about fibromyalgia, researchers also felt that emotional or psychiatric disturbance or both may alter pain processing to produce fibromyalgia in many patients.

~ By Carol & Richard Eustice, About.com Guides to Arthritis

_{Photo by Pauline Vos (iStockphoto)}

Thursday May 17, 2007