Dear Fibromyalgia

Category: Fibromyalgia Treatments

Explore effective treatments for Fibromyalgia, including medication, therapy, lifestyle changes, and holistic approaches to manage symptoms.

  • 5 Tips to Take Control of Your Pain

    Taking control of painful symptoms is challenging under even the best of circumstances. Yet, taking affirmative steps in this regard can be empowering. These five tips can help you manage your pain both on your own and in connection with others.

    1. Become aware of your baseline pain and create a self-care plan. Gain familiarity with your symptoms. This will allow you to recognize when further intervention or changes need to be made, or if your treatment is working. Next, develop a self-care plan. Create a schedule, routine, or checklist for your treatment so that you can comply with your physician’s directions and engage family and friends where you may require assistance. 

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    2. Self-manage your pain alongside a comprehensive treatment plan. A comprehensive treatment plan can empower your health. There are many components that can go into a treatment plan such as proper diet and exercise. Another way to keep up with an active lifestyle is to make massage part of your daily routine. In fact, according to research, a significant reduction in pain levels can be achieved with therapeutic massage. In addition to relieving tension, massage can help decrease swelling and improve blood circulation to promote the healing of soft-tissue damage, bruising and muscle fatigue. It also helps improve flexibility and mobility faster while reducing overall stiffness.

    Massage can also impact the healing process by improving relaxation, sleep, emotions and overall recovery. There are many options for massage, and often at-home tools may be the most convenient for individuals who are limited by function or time. For example the Wahl Deep Tissue Massager is a useful tool to add to a pain management regimen that’s convenient, cost-effective and respectful of your busy schedule.

    3. Communicate your limitations to people close to you. By communicating clearly to your close friends and family, misunderstandings and stigma can be avoided. Clear communication can create a path toward additional support for better health outcomes. Pain is a subjective phenomenon, and until you communicate about it to your doctors, they cannot help you make a road map to reach your destination of pain relief. Communicating about your pain will help you garner support and it is the first step to alleviate the cycle of mental stress related to your painful symptoms. 

    4. Create a goal-oriented daily routine that you can achieve. Setting a reasonable framework will help you cope with your pain and stress in an effective manner. Clarifying roles and responsibilities for yourself and those within your support network can ease anxieties that could exacerbate pain. Perhaps you are taking on a function that is better delegated, oralternatively, maybe an already delegated task could be better accomplished on your own. Creating reasonable expectations for the people in your circle can help you ultimately gain traction in your health goals.

    5. Learn coping mechanisms to address your mental health wellness. Coping is key to dealing with chronic pain. There are negative emotional consequences of chronic pain that require one to think positively and practice gratitude. Meditation can give you a spiritual experience and support. The regular practice of meditation creates a relaxation reflex. It calms your mind and releases tension in your body tissues. Practice positive affirmations and continue to stay focused on your goals to better health.

    Additionally, music therapy can be a useful way to supplement a comprehensive pain treatment plan. Listening to the music of your choice can help your body calm and release the tension in your muscles. As suggested by a research study, music interventions may provide a practical complementary approach for the relief of acute, procedural and chronic pain management. These are only a few examples of coping mechanisms which you may choose to integrate into your treatment plan.

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    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • CBD Is Touted for Pain Management But Does It Work?

    Dear Chronicillness.co Fellows,

    As my mother always warned me that to get older is to feel some aches and pains. And I’m feeling them! My knees, my back, my.… And I’m finding lots of kinship among my middle-aged pals.

    I keep hearing that CBD helps relieve chronic pain. Is it really the miracle cure it claims to be? If so, I’m tempted to run out and buy some CBD.

    But I’m cautious and have a lot of questions. It seems like the claims might be too good to be true. Are they?

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    Signed,
    CBD, or Not

    Dear CBD, or Not,

    Yes, CBD is all the rage and, if you happen to live in a state where it’s legal, you might be seeing it sold on just about every street corner in many iterations. CBD lattes. CBD gummies. CBD-infused spa treatments. CBD for XYZ.

    Here’s what we know, so far.

    CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical compound derived from cannabis, a hemp plant that differs only from the marijuana plant because it contains less THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which produces marijuana’s mind-altering effects.

    CBD doesn’t produce the euphoric “high” or psychoactive effects of cannabis. Instead, it’s supposed to produce a feeling of calm or relaxation. Read more about CBD for Women: What Are Women Using CBD For?

    Instead of messing with your mind, CBD encourages the body to use its own endocannabinoids more efficiently by interacting with them to produce pharmacologic effects in the central nervous and immune systems. (Sounds like a mouthful, but basically CBD influences the activity of endocannabinoid receptors and in turn, activates other receptors that control things like pain perception and inflammation.) There are endocannabinoids and receptors throughout our bodies: in our brains, organs, connective tissues, glands and immune cells—just about all of the body’s organs. One researcher calls them the “bridge between body and mind.”

    That’s why a lot of people are interested in using CBD and hopeful that it will help ease or manage their pain.

    Still, the jury is still out. Although CBD is widely used, the only strong research and evidence of its effectiveness has been done with a specific and rare form of childhood seizure disorders called Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which do not respond to antiseizure medications.

    Experts say that more studies are needed in humans to determine the scope of what CBD can and cannot do. Some (that have been done on animals) have found CBD to be effective for nerve pain and the pain and inflammation of arthritis.

    The studies that do point to CBD’s possible effectiveness say that it may limit inflammation in the brain and nervous system; that it stops the body from absorbing a compound associated with regulating pain and therefore may reduce the amount of pain a person feels; that it may help with insomnia and chronic pain and help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by reducing spasms, one of the most common symptoms of MS.

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    The Arthritis Foundation has published advice from Daniel Chow, MD, a chronic pain expert. Here’s what it shares:

    • Use low doses, which seem to work best for pain relief.
    • Start with a CBD-only product, 5 to 10 mg twice daily, and then slowly increase, going up to dose of 50 to 100 mg per day. If that doesn’t help, try a CBD product with a low dose of THC. (But remember that THC remains illegal in many states and is only approved with a prescription for medical use in some others.)
    • Use only at night at first; slowly increase dose if needed.
    • Edibles’ effects last longer than vaping, so don’t try them until you know what CBD strain and dose work for you.
    • Use caution if you are 25 years old or younger and using CBD products that contain THC. This age group is at highest risk of addiction, dependency or even psychosis.

    If you do choose to treat your pain with CBD, it’s best to be aware of a few facts.

    • CBD doesn’t come without its side effects, which include nausea, fatigue and irritability. And like grapefruit juice, CBD can raise the level of certain medications in your bloodstream (if you take the blood thinner warfarin, beware). Always check with your health care professional before taking CBD or other over-the-counter supplements or medications.
    • Many products do not contain the amount of CBD they claim.
    • The amount of CBD in products varies widely. Some contain very small concentrations of CBD, while others contain very large amounts. For instance, manufacturer Bluebird Botanical’s CBD lotions contain 700-plus mg of cannabinoids per 100 mL, while other currently available topical products contain just 50 mg of cannabinoids per 100 mL.
    • Because it’s not sold as a supplement, rather than a medication, CBD’s safety and purity are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
    • If you take sedatives or other sleep-inducing medications, use CBD with caution, because it may enhance their effects.
    • Taking a high daily dose (20 mg per kg of body weight or hundreds of milligrams) may result in decreased appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, fever or extreme fatigue.
    • Products should be labeled with information on exact dosing and the type of CBD they contain. Terms for real CBD include full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, isolate or nano.
    • Because there are not enough studies on humans, it’s tough to know what an effective dose of CBD would be.

    Brandon Beatty, CEO of Bluebird Botanicals, a leading manufacturer and distributor of hemp extracts and CBD oils, offers this advice: “Look for the concentration of cannabinoids per milligram. Check the ingredients to make sure they indicate the use of a full-plant extract as opposed to hemp seed oil, because only a full-plant extract will actually contain any amount of CBD. Hemp seed oil does not contain CBD, but it is often used as an emulsifier in many beauty products.

    “Also be sure to look on the company’s website for third-party lab testing to make sure there are no harmful contaminants in your product, such as pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and residual solvents. We also recommend looking for products with ‘clean,’ natural ingredients, which is what we like to call ‘wellness the way Mother Earth intended.’”

    Also, check the laws where you live. Even in areas where medical or recreational marijuana is legal, some federal agencies and state laws still restrict CBD. It’s all very confusing.

    The bottom line? If you do choose to try CBD, proceed with caution and remember that there has been little medical research done on CBD. Check with your health care professional, if for no other reason than to make sure it won’t interact with any medications you currently are taking.

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • CBD Here, There, Everywhere! CBD and Women’s Health

    CBD Here, There, Everywhere! CBD and Women’s Health

    As you may have noticed, products with CBD are now touted for all sorts of conditions, including pain relief (for fibromyalgia, for example), anxiety, depression, insomnia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer. But how effective is CBD, what risks are associated with using CBD and why are we suddenly seeing it advertised and sold everywhere? (For example, this flag has appeared outside a small pharmacy across the street from where I live.) Many important questions do not yet have answers.

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    The proliferation of CBD products is an important women’s health issue for several reasons. First, chronic pain is a concern for many women – it’s the focus of Chronicillness.co first scientific summit, Chronic Pain in Women, on July 17 and 18. Second, as a fat-soluble compound, CBD (like THC), crosses the placenta, and is present in breast milk. And third, it is possible that CBD products could cause a woman to fail a drug test. (If a CBD product contains THC (the chemical in marijuana that causes a “high”) above the 0.3% threshold allowed under the new federal law, or a drug test is sensitive enough to detect low levels of THC, an individual could test positive. Likewise, if an individual has used a lot CBD products containing low levels of THC, or if a test is specifically looking for CBD, a positive drug test is possible.)

    What is CBD?

    CBD is cannabidiol, one of many compounds found in the cannabis family of plants, which includes marijuana and hemp. Products containing CBD can be “pure” (if it is the single compound), or it can be “full spectrum” when they contain all the compounds extracted from the plant material, (i.e., hemp), and some products many indicate “active hemp extract” without mentioning CBD.

    Why All the CBD Products Now?

    The manufacturing and sale of CBD products have exploded since a December 2018 federal law removed CBD from the list of controlled substances and allowed hemp production, as long as the hemp doesn’t contain more than 0.3% THC.

    What Might CBD Be Good For?

    So, what might CBD good for? The FDA has approved a medicine with CBD (Epidoliex®) for two very rare forms of childhood epilepsy. Some of the advertised CBD products tout benefits for neurological conditions, which may be based on research showing CBD interacts with certain types of neuroreceptors, and some limited clinical data. This information was summarized in a 2017 report from the National Academy of Medicine: “The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids.” However, CBD (like its psychoactive cousin THC) has not been rigorously studied outside of the clinical trials for the FDA-approved medicine, and most of the claims about CBD are based upon anecdotes or poorly conducted investigations. What this means for women’s health is that there are significant unknowns and many questions still to be researched.

    The FDA is moving forward with developing rules about CBD. A hearing was held in late May, but it is unclear how long it will take FDA to develop and implement new regulations. (See the FDA’s Q&A page about CBD, related products and its regulatory activities here.) In this regulatory void, some states have enacted rules about how CBD products can be sold, marketed, or labeled.

    Until the FDA acts, CBD products (with the exception of Epidoliex®) are not being regulated as prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins or as foods, (including dietary supplements). Therefore, adding CBD to any of those products is in violation of federal rules. Because of potential risks to consumers, the FDA has sent warning letters to some companies selling CBD products, particularly when claims are made about the CBD product as if it were a medicine, such as a treatment for cancer or other medical conditions.

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    Using CBD products rather than FDA-approved or physician-prescribed treatments is another risk associated with the proliferation of CBD products. As the FDA Commissioner wrote about CBD products in April 2019, “We also don’t want patients to forgo appropriate medical treatment by substituting unapproved products for approved medicines used to prevent, treat, mitigate or cure a particular disease or condition.”

    Safety and Quality Concerns

    The major safety and quality concerns about CBD products can be divided into a few categories:

    1. The good news is that there doesn’t seem to be many direct side-effects of CBD for most people – although the clinical trials for Epidoliex® found some patients developed liver problems. However, outside of the studies on children with rare forms of epilepsy, large well conducted trials are limited, which especially raises concerns about health effects from long-term use. For women with chronic conditions and taking prescription medicines (including birth control pills), the unknown side effects and drug-drug interactions could be particularly important.
    2. Quality, dosing and contamination issues are also serious concerns. How CBD is manufactured or purified is important because different extraction and purification methods produce different mixtures of compounds. Also, extraction from cannabis plant material has traditionally been done using butane or propane, which can leave petroleum residues in the final product. There are potentially other quality and safety problems that can arise in manufacturing – particularly when there is so little oversight or regulations. Specifically, researchers have found CBD products can contain THC, pesticides, lead or other heavy metals. The lack of data also means there is great uncertainty about what appropriate dosage levels might be for particular people or for different uses. And, of course, accurate dosing is a problem when quality control is inconsistent, i.e., how do you know how much CBD you are receiving, if the manufacturer may not be certain about the concentration of CBD in their products.
    3. And why is CBD being added to foods (both for humans and pets) despite this violating FDA regulations because CBD is an active ingredient in an approved medicine? Maybe it is trendy and sounds like a great new thing? Or maybe it is a revenue-driven marketing strategy that is leveraging off state laws allowing the legalization (and taxation) of medical and recreational marijuana – despite marijuana still being illegal under Federal law.

    Conclusions about CBD for Women’s Health: Buyer Beware

    The bottom line is that you likely can get CBD oil, capsules or foods where you live, but are there possible harms? Yes. But what these harms may be is still largely unknown. Therefore, until there are clear rules about the types of CBD products that can be sold and quality manufacturing requirements, including the information that manufacturers and sellers must make available (perhaps similar to the labels on foods or for OTC medicines), what is appropriate dosing, and of course, what CBD might actually be good for, it is “buyer beware.”

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Do Over-the-Counter Painkillers Alter Emotions, Reasoning?

    Sure, an over-the-counter painkiller like Tylenol or Advil can help ease aches and pains, but could it mess with your thoughts and emotions, too?

    That’s the finding from a new review of recently published studies. The studies focused on how nonprescription painkillers might temporarily alter emotions such as empathy or even a person’s reasoning skills.

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    “In many ways, the reviewed findings are alarming,” said a team led by Kyle Ratner, a psychology and brain science researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

    “Consumers assume that when they take an over-the-counter pain medication, it will relieve their physical symptoms, but they do not anticipate broader psychological effects,” the study group said.

    One clinical psychiatrist who reviewed the findings said they aren’t far-fetched.

    “Intuitively, this makes sense, as physical and emotional senses can overlap in the brain,” said Dr. Alan Manevitz of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

    “While physical pain can be locally ‘felt’ at the site of a physical injury, the main source and registration of physical pain is in the brain,” he explained. “The same is true of hurtful, emotional and painful feelings. We say our ‘heart is breaking,’ but emotions are felt in the brain.”

    The new study reviewed findings from studies focused on common over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).

    The experiments suggest that a regular dose of the pills might affect a person’s sensitivity to painful emotional experiences. For example, in one study, women who took ibuprofen reported less hurt feelings from emotionally painful experiences, such as being excluded by others or writing about being betrayed.

    However, men had the opposite pattern—they became more sensitive to these types of scenarios if they had just taken the painkiller.

    Ratner’s team suggested that these medicines might also reduce a person’s ability to empathize with the pain of others. For example, one experiment found that people who took acetaminophen were less emotionally distressed while reading about a person suffering physical or emotional pain and felt less regard for the person, compared with people who did not take acetaminophen.

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    People also seemed more willing to part with possessions after taking an over-the-counter painkiller in one study: Their asking price for a possession was lower if they had recently taken such a drug.

    Nonprescription painkillers might even impair “information processing,” the researchers said. In one study, people who took acetaminophen made more errors of omission during a task than those who did not take the drug, for example.

    Dr. Michael Ketteringham, a psychiatrist at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, reviewed the findings. He stressed that—given an ongoing epidemic of opioid abuse—people shouldn’t be too concerned about the new report.

    “Over-the-counter pain medications play an important role as alternative medication to opioids in the treatment of pain,” Ketteringham said.

    But the study team wondered if, sometime in the future, it might be possible that the medicines could be used to help people deal with hurt feelings.

    Still, both Ratner’s team and Manevitz stressed that it’s far too early to turn over-the-counter painkillers into psychological treatments.

    “Clinically, we are a far cry away from the doctor saying, ‘Heartbreak? Take two Tylenol and call me in the morning,’” Manevitz said.

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Electrical Pulses May Ease Lower Back Pain

    A new treatment that aims electrical pulses at irritated nerves around the spinal cord appears effective at relieving chronic lower back pain and sciatica, a preliminary study suggests.

    The minimally invasive procedure, called image-guided pulsed radiofrequency, eased lingering pain in 80 percent of 10 patients after a single 10-minute treatment. Ninety percent were able to avoid surgery.

    “Given the very low risk profile of this technique, patients suffering herniated disc and nerve root compression symptoms may undergo a safe and fast recovery, going back to normal activities within days,” said study author Dr. Alessandro Napoli, an interventional radiologist at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy.

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    “In fact,” he added, “one of the dramatic advantages of this technology is that we can perform it in a day-surgery setting, without anesthesia, and [patients] go home the same day.”

    Napoli’s study was scheduled for presentation Wednesday at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago. Studies presented at scientific conferences typically haven’t been peer-reviewed or published, and results are considered preliminary.

    About 8 in 10 people suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives, according to study documents. This pain can be due to a herniated disc in the lower spine. Sciatica is radiating leg pain caused by a pinched nerve in the lower spine, which also may be due to a herniated disc.

    Also called a slipped or ruptured disc, a herniated disc occurs when the spongy material inside a spinal disc squeezes through its tough outer shell because of aging or injury. This material can press on surrounding nerves, causing pain and numbness or tingling in the legs, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

    Conservative, nonsurgical approaches typically ease symptoms of a herniated disc over time, according to the AAOS. These treatments include rest, gentle exercise, pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, cold or hot compresses, physical therapy and massage therapy.

    Learn More: Self-Care for Lower Back Pain

    However, about 20 percent of those with acute low back pain don’t find relief through these measures. That leads some to decide on surgery to remove disc material pressing on their spinal nerves. For these people, Napoli said, image-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment may become a viable option if larger studies reinforce his findings.

    Napoli’s research included 80 people who had experienced at least three months of low back pain from a herniated disc that hadn’t responded to conservative treatments.

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    Image-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment uses computed tomography—a CT scan—to help physicians insert a needle to the location of the herniated disc and surrounding nerves. A probe that’s inserted through the needle tip delivers pulsed radiofrequency energy to the area over a 10-minute period, resolving the herniation without touching the disc, Napoli explained.

    More than 80 percent of the 80 study participants were pain-free a year after a single treatment. Six people required a second treatment session.

    Pulsed radiofrequency has been widely used in pain medicine for other types of chronic pain, Napoli noted.

    He said the treatment works by “eliminating the inflammation process” in nerves surrounding the herniated disc, hindering painful muscle contractions. “The aim was to interrupt this cycle and give the body the chance to restore a natural healing,” he added.

    Dr. Scott Roberts, a physiatrist with Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., said the new findings showed “an impressive drop in pain and improvement in function.” However, he noted that the research didn’t include a control group for comparison with people not given the treatment.

    “With no control group, we don’t know how much of the improvement we’re seeing would have happened anyway,” Roberts said. “I was very encouraged by [the study] because its results are significant, but it’s far from conclusive without a control group.”

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Managing Fibromyalgia

    Managing Fibromyalgia

    Q:

    In addition to medication, how can I manage my fibromyalgia?

    A:

    Medications may be necessary to manage your fibromyalgia, but there also are a number of day-to-day strategies for coping with the disease. Your psychological outlook is important, with studies finding benefits from cognitive therapy for women with fibromyalgia. Specifically, studies find, negative thinking increases stress and affects your perception of pain, so learning to minimize and control these thoughts can improve your symptoms.

    The key is not so much to “think positively,” but to “think non-negatively.” So when negative thoughts occur, ask yourself: “Does this thought benefit me in any way—does it improve the way I feel, advance my goals or improve a relationship?” There are many strategies for dealing with negative thoughts, and you may want to see a psychiatrist experienced in treating fibromyalgia patients to help you learn some techniques. A fibromyalgia support group also can help provide insight, advice and support.

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    If you’re having trouble sleeping, try avoiding naps and caffeine and go to bed at a consistent time.

    When pain is bothering you, adjust your activities accordingly. There are also a variety of alternative and lifestyle approaches that may help you deal with symptoms of pain. However, be aware that there is limited scientific evidence to support these approaches at this time.

    • Massage therapy can be very effective short-term. For the best results, look for a licensed massage therapist who has worked with fibromyalgia patients before.
    • Moist heat supplied by warm towels, hot packs, a hot bath or a shower can be used at home for 15 to 20 minutes three times a day to relieve symptoms.
    • Cold supplied by a bag of ice or frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel helps reduce pain when used for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Don’t do this, however, if you have Raynaud’s phenomenon.
    • Hydrotherapy (water therapy) can reduce pain during exercise and help you improve endurance and conditioning. Exercising in a large pool may be easier because water has a buoying effect. Some people also find relief from the heat and movement provided by a whirlpool.
    • Relaxation techniques help reduce pain and anxiety. These include meditation and guided imagery. Check with local recreation centers and hospitals for courses.
    • Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment that is often used for pain relief. A qualified acupuncturist places very thin needles in certain parts of your body. Some researchers believe that the needles may stimulate deep sensory nerves that tell the brain to release natural painkillers (endorphins). However, the well-controlled studies examining acupuncture as a treatment for fibromyalgia symptoms did not find acupuncture to be more effective than a placebo treatment for fibromyalgia, so it is difficult to know for sure if the practice produces any specific benefits. Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but pressure is applied to the sites instead of needles.
    • Biofeedback is a form of therapy used to train your mind to understand and, to a degree, control your own physiological responses. An electronic device provides information about a body function (such as heart rate) so you learn to consciously control that function. For instance, it can help you learn to relax your muscles.

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Fibromyalgia: 3 Strategies for Workplace Success

    Juggling a career—and social life, family, and the demands of fibromyalgia–can be challenging. Find the help you need from Jenni Prokopy—a woman living with the chronic, widespread pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. Watch the video below as she shares some of her favorite tips for working smart and healthy. A transcript of the video is also available.

    Read the transcript of the video, “Fibromyalgia: 3 Strategies for Workplace Success,” below:

    Hi, and welcome to Fibromyalgia: 3 Strategies for Workplace Success. My name is Jenni Prokopy and I’m just like you—a woman living with the chronic, widespread pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. Juggling a career – and social life, family, and the demands of our illness – can be challenging. Today, I’m here to share some of my favorite tips for working smart and healthy.

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    Tip 1: Evaluate Your Skills and Abilities
    Tip one: Evaluate your skills and abilities. Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed or you’ve been living with fibromyalgia for years, it has likely impacted your work style and abilities. Now is the time to evaluate your skills: What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? How do you measure workplace success; is it financial stability? Positive reinforcement from peers or a supervisor? Climbing another rung on the career ladder?

    Take some time to get clear about what you can and like to do, and see if it matches your current employment situation. Maybe you can’t do everything you did before you developed fibromyalgia, but you can probably still do some things. Maybe there’s a way to adapt your work, or maybe it’s time to consider a different kind of job.

    The answers to these questions will help you shape your working future. If you’re struggling with the process, there are some talented career coaches out there who can help you find your path, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

    Tip 2: Managing Your Work Day
    Tip two: Manage your work day. So much of living well with fibromyalgia is energy management, so take a close look at how you spend your day at work. Acknowledge your limitations; maybe you need help with some tasks, or you need to delegate them…or maybe you just need to take short breaks throughout the day. Work with your supervisor to create a schedule that suits your needs.

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    You may even want to ask for the option to work remotely. Not all companies offer this option, but if you think you’ll be more productive in the comfort of your own home, it’s worth the effort to ask. I know I’ve done some of my best work in my PJs. And when you’re not feeling your best, working from home—on your schedule—is a great alternative to using up all your sick days.

    And speaking of sick days, it’s inevitable that you will have to take some, so drop any guilt you’re feeling about taking time off. Fibromyalgia can be unpredictable—some days are just going to be worse than others—so it’s understandable not to have a perfect attendance record.

    If you’re concerned about handling your workload (or what your supervisor might think about your absence) create a backup system so someone can step in when you’re gone, or build extra time into your deadlines so a sick day here or there won’t throw off an entire project. Most important: Your health must come first. Honor your body and take time off when you need it. You may experience overall greater health and productivity.

    Tip 3: Focus on Self-Worth
    Tip three: Focus on self-worth. Besides the obvious financial benefits of working, most of us derive a great sense of self-worth from being part of the workforce. When our illness limits our ability to work—or even forces us to stop working altogether—it can be a huge blow to our self-esteem.

    Whatever career path you follow, keep asking yourself if you’re deriving pleasure and value from the work you do. If you’re forcing yourself to continue working in a way that’s not healthy, what good is that? Instead, you may want to find a different kind of job, one that’s physically easier, or more enjoyable.

    And even if you can’t work at all right now, you may want to find some way to volunteer or otherwise participate in your community. The friendships we build at work can nurture us; you can also build valuable personal connections outside the workplace, connections that keep you feeling positive. No matter your situation, reach out and become part of something bigger than yourself—it’s just one small way you can feel better.

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Fibromyalgia Takes Different Tolls on Different People

    Fibromyalgia patients, who suffer pain in the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons, are not all the same and can be classified into three distinct subgroups, a new study suggests.

    Researchers from the University of Michigan and other institutions are hopeful the discovery, published in October’s issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, will help to better tailor treatment for the chronic disorder.

    “Fibromyalgia patients are such a diverse group of patients, they cannot all be the same,” says study co-author Dr. Thorsten Giesecke, a University of Michigan research fellow.

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    For reasons unknown, people with fibromyalgia have increased sensitivity to pain that occurs in areas called their “tender points.” Common ones are the front of the knees, the elbows, the hip joints, the neck and spine. People may also experience sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and other symptoms.

    Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 3 million to 6 million Americans, primarily women of childbearing age, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

    Giesecke and his fellow researchers evaluated 97 fibromyalgia patients, including 85 women and 12 men. The patients underwent a two-day series of tests, answering questions about their coping strategies and personality traits — particularly their emotional well-being. They were also tested for sensitivity to pressure and pain.

    After the evaluations, the researchers found the patients fell into three subgroups that refute conventional wisdom.

    “It’s generally been thought that fibromyalgia patients who have higher distress have higher pain sensitivities,” Giesecke says.

    In other words, it was believed that those with fibromyalgia who were prone to emotional difficulties such as depression and anxiety were more likely to experience greater physical pain.

    But in his study, that didn’t bear out.

    The first subgroup, with 50 patients, included those who had moderate levels of anxiety and depression. They also felt they had moderate control over their pain, and they experienced moderate to low levels of pain.

    The second group, with 31 patients, had high levels of anxiety and depression. They felt they had the least control over their pain, and they suffered high levels of tenderness.

    But the third group, with 16 patients, reported the lowest levels of anxiety and depression and the highest control over their pain. Yet the testing showed they experienced the highest levels of physical pain.

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    Some patients have extreme pain but no psychological problems, Giesecke says, while others have moderate pain tenderness but fairly positive moods. Giesecke says a more positive frame of mind may help reduce the levels of pain that sufferers experience.

    “Just because they do well in cognitive and psychological tests doesn’t mean they don’t have increased pain sensitivity,” he says.

    The findings, he says, may persuade some skeptics that fibromyalgia is a real disease and not “all in one’s head.” The findings may also help tailor treatments, he says.

    For instance, antidepressants might not work well on group three, whose members were not depressed. They might benefit from exercise therapy instead, Giesecke says.

    About 4 percent of the U.S. population has the condition, Giesecke says.

    Bruce Naliboff, a professor of medical psychology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and on staff at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, calls the new research “a very good study.”

    “To better understand fibromyalgia and to have better treatment, it’s important to find out, is it a homogeneous group?” he says.

    Clearly, Giesecke found it is not, Naliboff adds. Some patients who have extreme tenderness don’t have many emotional issues, which was not expected.

    “It’s easy to say it’s all in their head,” says Naliboff, who works with patients who have other conditions with psychological components, such as inflammatory bowel disease. The study will help prove that’s not so, he adds.

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Needling Away at Lower Back Pain

    Needling Away at Lower Back Pain

    New research shows that the Chinese treatment known as acupuncture may help control lower back pain without the added side effects of many pain control medications.

    An ancient Eastern science that has been steadily gaining popularity in the West, acupuncture uses the relatively painless placement of tiny needles into various nerve pathways on the body to help stimulate the production of natural pain relievers called endorphins.

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    “Essentially, the acupuncture works somewhat like a pain-relieving drug in the sense that it provides temporary relief,” says study author Dr. Charis Meng, a licensed acupuncturist and rheumatologist at the Integrated and Complementary Care Center of Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

    Unlike traditional painkillers, which often require increasing amounts to get the same relief, acupuncture has somewhat of a cumulative effect, Meng says. “After a period of time, the number of treatments can be dramatically reduced while still maintaining the same levels of pain control,” she says.

    According to rehabilitation medicine expert and licensed acupuncturist Dr. James Dillard, for those who can’t or don’t want to use traditional pain medicines, acupuncture is becoming an accepted way to control chronic pain.

    “The study is small but well done and is another entry in the growing body of evidence that shows acupuncture can be an accepted and very effective form of therapy for some people,” says Dillard, clinical advisor to Columbia University’s Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and assistant clinical professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

    In particular, he says, the benefits for the elderly can be extremely important.

    “Most elderly people are already taking a number of medications for various health problems, so anytime you can cut down on the number of pills they have to take and still offer pain relief, that’s a good thing,” says Dillard.

    Indeed, the six-week study did concentrate on elderly patients, with 40 participants all over the age of 60. Each complained of chronic low back pain for at least 12 weeks, and all had undergone various types of medical imaging to rule out spinal tumor, infection, fracture, as well as certain neurological symptoms. Patients who had previously undergone either acupuncture or lumbar surgery were also excluded.

    “The study did include patients who suffered with sciatica or disk problems,” says Meng.

    At the start of the study, patients answered questions and took a test that measured the degree of their pain.

    The patients were then divided into two groups. One group of 21 patients continued taking standard pain therapy prescribed by their doctors, including non-steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and acetaminophen (Tylenol), as well as back exercises.

    The second group of 19 patients also continued taking their traditional therapy, but added twice-weekly acupuncture treatments for five weeks.

    Pain scores were repeated two weeks into treatment, again one week later, and three weeks after the treatments ended.

    The result, says Meng, was that “patients who underwent acupuncture had significantly less pain and disability in their lower back than patients who took standard traditional therapies alone.”

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    In addition, she says, results were so impressive that 17 of the 21 patients in the group that were allowed only standard therapy elected to begin a six-week acupuncture regimen when the study ended. They, too, experienced similar pain reduction.

    The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, which met earlier this month in San Francisco.

    In addition to the lower back pain study, research also presented at the conference found acupuncture provided relief for patients with fibromyalgia, a chronic and painful muscle-related disorder affecting mostly women.

    During this 16-week study, conducted by a group of Brazilian researchers, 60 patients received nightly doses of 25 milligrams of amitryptiline, an antidepressant found to offer some pain relief. Additionally, 20 of the 60 patients received a once-weekly acupuncture treatment, while 20 more received a weekly sham acupuncture treatment.

    Using various pain diagnostic methods before and after the study began, the doctors concluded that, over the study period, only those patients who completed the acupuncture treatments had a measurable decrease in their pain.

    “Fibromyalgia is a devastating problem that is frustrating for both doctor and patient because there are so few treatments that offer significant improvement in symptoms,” says Dillard.

    “As with chronic back pain, anything that you can do to help these patients, particularly if it doesn’t require the use of more drugs, becomes an important contribution to their treatment and care,” says Dillard. This study, he says, is an important step in expanding the boundaries of treatment for patients with fibromyalgia.

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    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • New Awareness For Fibromyalgia

    It’s an unfortunate fact that Fibromyalgia doesn’t always get as much media attention as it deserves – leaving many of us feeling isolated in our pain. The good news is, things might be starting to change. This past Novemeber, The British Medical Journal published a Clinical Review of Fibromyalgia – validating the condition, the underlying causes as well as the tested therapies used to treat it.

    The review had some incredibly interesting statistics, explaining that fibromyalgia could be present in 10% of the population. This figure is substantially more than the 2-4% that was previously estimated. While the article focuses mainly on more well established treatments, The Fibro Clinic is able to pick up where they leave off with the newest, most cutting edge treatments spanning from around the world.

    Keep an eye out for future blog posts with the latest and best fibromyalgia treatment news!

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    Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….

    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store