Summary: About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN). Unlike fibromyalgia, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured.
About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN).
Unlike fibromyalgia, which has had no known causes and few effective treatments, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured. The study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers will appear in the journal PAIN and has been released online.
“This provides some of the first objective evidence of a mechanism behind some cases of fibromyalgia, and identifying an underlying cause is the first step towards finding better treatments,” says Anne Louise Oaklander, MD, Ph.D., director of the Nerve Injury Unit in the MGH Department of Neurology and corresponding author of the Pain paper.
The term fibromyalgia describes a set of symptoms — including chronic widespread pain, increased sensitivity to pressure, and fatigue — that is believed to affect 1 to 5 percent of individuals in Western countries, more frequently women.
Designed to investigate possible connections between the two conditions, the current study enrolled 27 adult patients with fibromyalgia diagnoses and 30 healthy volunteers. Participants went through a battery of tests used to diagnose SFPN, including assessments of neuropathy based on a physical examination and responses to a questionnaire, skin biopsies to evaluate the number of nerve fibers in their lower legs, and tests of autonomic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating.
The questionnaires, exam assessments, and skin biopsies all found significant levels of neuropathy in the fibromyalgia patients but not in the control group. Of the 27 fibromyalgia patients, 13 had a marked reduction in nerve fiber density, abnormal autonomic function tests, or both, indicating the presence of SFPN.
Participants who met criteria for SFPN also underwent blood tests for known causes of the disorder, and while none of them had results suggestive of diabetes, a common cause of SFPN, two were found to have hepatitis C virus infection, which can be successfully treated, and more than half had evidence of some type of immune system dysfunction.
“Until now, there has been no good idea about what causes fibromyalgia, but now we have evidence for some but not all patients. Fibromyalgia is too complex for a ‘one size fits all’ explanation,” says Oaklander, an associate professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
“The next step of independent confirmation of our findings from other laboratories is already happening, and we also need to follow those patients who didn’t meet SFPN criteria to see if we can find other causes. Helping any of these people receive definitive diagnoses and better treatment would be a great accomplishment.”
Maca comes from the brassica (mustard) family, similar to turnip, cabbage, and watercress. This superfood was first used by the Incans who grew this hearty plant high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Incans valued maca, which they commonly called Peruvian ginseng, for its incredible sources of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, tannins, and amino acids, as well as a number of complex alkaloids and up to 20 essential fatty acids, along with numerous other phytochemicals.
I really think that you’ll be amazed when we tell you that the Incan imperial warriors regularly ate maca prior to battle to help increase their “fighting spirit,” strength, stamina, and libido. Although relatively small, this vegetable was so potent that its use was restricted mainly to royalty and their court. Incans respected the value of this plant so much they even used it as a form of payment.
Even today, many athletes and even bodybuilders still use maca to help build their strength, stamina, and overall performance. But, ladies and gentlemen, you should know that maca has another, a lesser-known benefit that researchers are only beginning to understand. This potent vegetable has the ability to balance hormones, which makes it invaluable for both men and women in various stages of life. According to the experts, maca is especially good for women during menopause. Take a look at the article below and find out more about this.
First of all, you should know that maca is considered to be an endocrine adaptogen. Maca doesn’t contain any hormones, but it does contain the necessary nutrients to support normal hormone production within your body. One of these nutrients is DIM (Diindolylmethane), a phytochemical that is found in many cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
DIM has been found in numerous studies to greatly improve hormone balance (both estrogen and testosterone) in both men and women. Maca is also effective against some forms of cancer. A recent study has revealed that maca can help to normalize hormone levels by working with your endocrine system.
For women, maca can be a lifesaver, especially when most conventional options typically involve synthetic forms of hormones that are proven to be dangerous, even causing such things as ovarian cancer, stroke, and asthma, among other things.
Bottom line – maca provides the nutrients your body needs to naturally produce its own hormones to effectively restore balance. The conventional hormone treatments introduce synthetically made chemicals that can wreak havoc on your endocrine system. Hormone regulation is vital as these substances are responsible for virtually every process in your body.
As we said, maca can help you balance your hormones, which means that it’s extremely helpful for women to reduce the typical symptoms associated with menopause. A recent study has discovered that maca can help to alleviate the negative physiological and psychological symptoms experienced by women in perimenopause, such as the frequency of hot flashes, the incidence of night sweats, interrupted sleep, nervousness, depression, and heart palpitations.
“It appears that Maca-GO may act as a toner of hormonal processes, leading to alleviation of discomfort felt by perimenopausal women, hence, its potential use as a non–hormonal alternative to HRT program.”
Another study revealed that for women, maca is able to successfully restore hormone balance. The researchers have concluded that the changes in hormone levels were accompanied by a substantially-reduced feeling of discomfort associated with menopause.
Unfortunately, many women complain of “brain fog” during menopause, which has been linked to fluctuating hormones levels. Maca can improve this type of memory loss and it’s a potent neuroprotective agent, which makes it a potential treatment to help prevent or slow disease, and possibly, even in the case of injury, halt or at least slow, the loss of neurons.
You should know that maca is loaded with plant sterols, including sitosterol, campesterol, ergosterol, brassicasterol, and ergostadienol. According to the experts, these chemicals are essentially the equivalent of the cholesterol found in your body.
These sterols help to form the cell membranes in plants. YES, there are different types of plant sterols, but they all have a similar chemical structure and have been shown by researchers to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol in humans as well as combat three of the most common types of cancer.
The study has revealed that after just two weeks, subjects who took maca experienced significantly improved glucose tolerance, and lowered levels of glucose in their blood.
As we said, this super healthy powder is very beneficial for men as well. Study – a specific type of maca (red maca) can suppress prostatic growth and even reduce prostate size, which makes it a valuable tool for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a problem older men often face. A group of experts has revealed that maca may be as potent as finasteride (a popular drug used to treat BPH) in reducing prostate size.
Maca can also be a potential treatment for male infertility, especially if it is a result of lead exposure. Maca can effectively improve sperm production and motility.
Unfortunately, numerous people nowadays face sleeping difficulties, and irregular sleeping patterns affect their entire living and overall health.
If you suffer from sleeping issues as well, if you fail to get at least 7 hours of sound sleep at night, and toss and turn the entire night, you should know that you are one of many, but these problems cause various others as well.
The most common causes of sleep deprivation include stress, depression, stress, and anxiety. The more you think about the reasons for your stress, the less sleep you will get at night.
Moreover, sleeplessness can also be a result of the use of blood pressure drugs, painkillers, and antihistamines, and they may lead to drowsiness, anxiety, disturbed sleep, and frequent bathroom trips.
On the other hand, sleeping pills are far from a good solution to your problems, as they do not provide permanent effects. On the other hand, they may even worsen the situation, and lead to poor sleep and insomnia.
These pills belong to the group of sedative–hypnotics, together with barbiturates and benzodiazepines, and are created to maintain sleep. Yet, Valium and Xanax, which are benzodiazepine types, are used to cure anxiety and increase drowsiness.
Furthermore, barbiturates are used as sedatives and anesthetics and depress the central nervous system. Yet, their major flaw is the fact that they cause addiction and are highly habit-forming.
Also, they decelerate the breathing rhythm and may be dangerous and even fatal in the case of lung diseases, like asthma, or COPD.
Yet, the body suffers a lot if the person gets less than 8 hours of sleep, as this deprivation causes long-term and short-term memory issues. The lack of sleep raises the risk of numerous health problems and diseases, like cancer, diabetes, obesity, and it impedes cognitive performance.
However, regardless of the cause of your sleeping issues, you should definitely do something to treat the irregular sleep pattern. We will reveal an extremely effective natural cure that will provide results quickly-banana tea!
This tea is prepared easily and has a delicious taste. It consists of natural, easily accessible ingredients, that you may already have at home. This tea will do miracles for your sleep!
Bananas, together with their peels, are high in magnesium and potassium, which are especially enhanced when combined with potassium. Magnesium is extremely beneficial in the case of sleep disturbances and provides relaxation.
Since you will also need the peel as well, make sure you use 100% organic bananas, which are free of chemicals and pesticides.
This tea is simple to prepare, you need only 10 minutes, and you should consume it before going to sleep.
You should first cut off the ends of the banana, peel it, and place it in a pot with boiling water, together with the peel. Leave it to boil for 10 minutes, and then strain the tea through a colander, and pour it into a mug. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and drink it before going to sleep.
You should not throw the fruit away, of course, as you can use it to prepare another delicious dessert. Just sprinkle some more cinnamon over it, and enjoy its health benefits.
The banana tea is an extremely pleasant way to treat your sleeping issues, it is completely natural, safe, and helpful.
Scientists, doctors, and other medical experts claim that regular consumption of honey in combination with cinnamon is a powerful remedy that can be used against many diseases.
For more than 4000 years, honey has been used as a traditional remedy for almost every disease. The Egyptians used it to treat wounds, the Greeks for long life, and the Indians to maintain balance in the body. Modern medicine shows us that these beliefs were true.
They all knew about cinnamon healing purposes as they did for the honey. Cinnamon was considered a great gift for the Monarchs cause of its usefulness in treating many diseases.
Here are some combinations of these powerful natural ingredients which can be used in the treatment of certain diseases, including chronic health conditions such as arthritis.
Add two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon in a large cup. Regular consumption of this mixture will reduce cholesterol levels by 10 % within two hours.
In the morning, instead of marmalade or jam, put a little honey and cinnamon on a slice of bread. If you regularly consume this combination, it will help you reduce your blood cholesterol levels and prevent the risk of having a heart attack.
In a cup filled with boiled water, mix two tablespoons of honey and a tablespoon of cinnamon. Drink this drink in the morning and evening. With regular use, this drink will help in the treatment of chronic arthritis.
If you have any infection of the gallbladder, you can consume the above-mentioned mixture, but this time change the amount of honey and cinnamon. In the cup of boiling water, put two teaspoons of cinnamon and a large spoonful of honey.
If you have a problem with frequent colds, make a mixture of a large tablespoon of honey and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon. This habit will help with your cold treatment, chronic cough, and sinus congestion.
If someone could give you a vaccine that would cure your fibromyalgia, would you do it? That may sound like a dream, but it’s closer to reality than you might think. Los Angeles-based biomedical firm EpicGenetics and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers are seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a clinical trial next year to test the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine as a potential treatment for fibromyalgia.
“BCG is a generic tuberculosis vaccine that is almost 100 years old and has been safely administered millions of times,” explained Dr. Denise Faustman, head of the Faustman Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. “For over 10 years, our research group at Massachusetts General Hospital has been actively investigating the role that the BCG vaccine could play in treating various forms of autoimmunity. Our current focus is type 1 diabetes, but globally BCG is being tested in a number of autoimmune diseases. Over the next two years, we will begin clinical testing of BCG in fibromyalgia.”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 100 million children are given the BCG vaccine each year. It’s mainly used in developing countries where tuberculosis is still active. The BCG vaccine is not available in the United States because of the low risk of infection. In the U.S., BCG is used in a small number of patients to treat bladder cancer.
So, the obvious question is why would a vaccine for an infectious lung condition be used for fibromyalgia? The answer lies within the immune system.
Vaccines are typically given to healthy people to prevent infection. In this case, however, the BCG vaccine would be administered to fibromyalgia patients in an effort to quell their symptoms.
When EpicGenetics was tasked with creating a diagnostic test for fibromyalgia several years ago, researchers ran all sorts of lab tests on fibromyalgia patients to figure out how they differed from healthy control subjects and what might be causing their symptoms. Researchers discovered several white blood cell abnormalities in fibromyalgia patients, leading them to conclude symptoms are associated with a suppressed immune system.
“We believe [the term] fibromyalgia is a misnomer,” said Dr. Bruce Gillis, EpicGenetics’ CEO. “These people aren’t suffering from anything that’s affecting the muscles, per se. What they are suffering from is their immune system cannot produce normal quantities of protective proteins. …There are cells in the immune system called peripheral blood mononuclear cells. They are not producing normal quantities of the protective proteins called chemokines and cytokines.”
The finding led to the development of the FM/a blood test for fibromyalgia. (Yes, despite what your doctors may have told you, there IS a blood test for fibromyalgia! It’s just not widely accepted in the medical community.) The test analyzes the levels of four chemokines and cytokines found at reduced levels in fibromyalgia patients. These four chemokines and cytokines just happen to be the same ones that are boosted by the BCG vaccine.
Gillis and Faustman are seeking FDA approval to administer the first BCGvaccines to fibromyalgia patients early next year.
“This is the first time ever that a direct treatment of fibromyalgia will be done,” Gillis said. “As you know, the medications [currently on the market] for fibromyalgia only treat symptoms. They have no immune system benefits. [The pharmaceutical companies] concede they’re only treating symptoms but you need to treat the disease, and that’s why we’re moving ahead with the vaccine application [to the FDA].”
If Gillis’ theory holds true, then “the chemokines and cytokines that are deficient in patients with fibromyalgia will no longer be deficient [once the BCG vaccine is administered],” Gillis said. “Production levels will normalize, and you have to assume then that their symptoms will disappear. … We think we are on the cusp of something major.”
Because the vaccine has such a long history, it’s not expected to cause any major side effects in patients.
The BCG vaccine is anticipated to cost $20-$25 per dose – a nominal amount when compared to the ongoing expense of taking pharmaceuticals every day.
“We think a fibromyalgia patient would need one or two doses maximum so you can understand why I’m not getting much support from drug companies,” Gillis said.
In addition to the vaccine trial, EpicGenetics is partnering with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago to sequence the genomes of up to 250,000 fibromyalgia patients.
“We’re looking for any type of genetic patterns or anomalies or mutations,” Gillis said.
Patients who test positive for fibromyalgia using the FM/a test will be able to participate in the genomic study.
The FM/a test currently costs $936 but is covered by some insurance companies and Medicare. EpicGenetics’ support team helps patients determine if their insurance company will cover the test. A no-interest payment plan is available for people who are uninsured or whose insurance won’t cover the test.
It’s significant that a significant number of the estimated 27 million people with hypothyroidism end up also being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Both conditions share many similar symptoms, including fatigue, exhaustion, depression, brain fog, and varying degrees of muscle and joint pain.
Some experts theorize that that like most cases of hypothyroidism in the United States, fibromyalgia is also an autoimmune disease.
Others theorize that the group of fibromyalgia symptoms are actually symptoms of hypothyroidism itself. But there is no question that there is a great deal of cross-over between the two conditions.
Fibromyalgia affects as many as 8 million people in the U.S., occurring mainly in women of childbearing age. In general, fibromyalgia strikes women seven times more often than men. Symptoms usually arise between the ages of 20 to 55, but the condition also may be diagnosed in childhood. Among the entire population, it’s estimated that as many as 3 to 6 percent of the general population, including children, meet the formal criteria for an official diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
A formal diagnosis is confirmed using the official American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia:
Widespread pain for at least 3 months. Pain should be on both the left side of the body and the right side, and pain both above and below the waist. Cervical spine, anterior chest, thoracic spine, or low back pain must also be present.
____ The area where the neck muscles attach to the base of the skull, left and right sides (Occiput) ____ Midway between neck and shoulder left and right sides (Trapezius) ____ Muscles over left and right upper inner shoulder blade left and right sides (Supraspinatus) ____ 2 centimeters below side bone at the elbow of left and right arms (Lateral epicondyle) ____ Left and right upper outer buttocks (Gluteal) ____ Left and right hip bones (Greater trochanter) ____ Just above left and right knees on the inside ____ Lower neck in front left and right sides (Low cervical) ____ Edge of the upper breast bone left and right sides (Second rib)
This gland controls sleep, your hormonal system, temperature regulation, and the autonomic nervous system (e.g. — blood pressure, blood flow, and movement of food through your bowel). This is why you can’t sleep, you have low temperature, you gain weight, and (because poor sleep causes immune dysfunction) you are prone to multiple and recurrent infections. The hypothalamic dysfunction by itself can therefore, cause most of the symptoms! I suspect that problems with the “energy furnaces” in your cells (called the mitochondria) often cause the hypothalamic suppression.
If you are a thyroid patient who has signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia, you should consider being evaluated by a practitioner with expertise in the condition, whether it’s a holistic or complementary MD, an internist, or a rheumatologist.
And, if you are a fibromyalgia patient, it’s also worth digging somewhat deeper to determine if you have an underlying thyroid problem that may be contributing to–or even causing–your fibromyalgia symptoms.
People typically have a thyroid TSH test to determine if they have a thyroid imbalance, but the late expert Dr. John Lowe, who headed the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation and wrote The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, questioned what he calls the four “conventional endocrinology mandates:”
The only cause of thyroid hormone deficiency symptoms is hypothyroidism
Dr. Lowe had to challenge these preconceptions as part of his long-standing effort to learn more about treatment-resistant fibromyalgia. The result was a treatment protocol based on his findings that the unresolved symptoms associated with treated hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia are actually evidence of untreated or undertreated hypothyroidism or partial cellular resistance to thyroidhormone.
A unique aspect of Dr. Lowe’s theories was his recognition that a patient with cellular resistance may have perfectly normal circulating thyroid hormone levels yet have the symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism. He found, however, from his discussions with other fibromyalgia/CFS researchers, that most are unaware of such potential mechanisms. He has said:
To them, if a patient has a normal TSH level, and especially if the patient’s symptoms don’t improve with replacement dosages of T4 (levothyroxine), her condition cannot possibly be related in any way to thyroid hormone. Recent scientific research, however, has shown this belief to be false.
If you have autoimmune hypothyroidism, it’s fairly common to develop some classic fibromyalgia symptoms such as muscle/joint pain, aches, and sleep disturbances. According to Dr. Lowe, conventional physicians are likely to consider any new or worsened symptoms as evidence that there’s yet another condition such as fibromyalgia in addition to the autoimmune thyroid problem. Dr. Lowe, however, interpreted that as evidence that the patient was showing evidence of undertreated hypothyroidism:
As thyroid hormone deficiency worsens, the number of tissues involved and the severity of the resulting symptoms increase. The patient typically experiences the worsening deficiency as an increased number of symptoms of greater severity. In most cases, such patients simply need a more appropriate dosage or form of thyroid hormone to recover from all their symptoms.
Dr. Lowe believed that rigid adherence to the so-called “normal range” does not show whether a patient has enough circulating T3 (the active thyroid hormone at the cellular level, which is produced in part by the thyroid, and in part by conversion of T4 hormone to T3) to maintain normal metabolism in cells. His research showed that safe but suppressive doses were often more effective at eliminating the associated health problems that are of greatest concern. T4 to T3 conversion can be impaired, so the fact that a patient has a normal TSH level does not mean that her tissue metabolism is normal.
According to Dr. Lowe, one study showed that replacement dosages of thyroid hormone, dosages that keep the TSH within the normal range, mildly lowered patients’ high cholesterol levels, but TSH-suppressive dosages lowered the levels significantly further.
Many published reports and our studies show that the TSH level does not correlate with various tests of tissue metabolism. Dr. Lowe feels this isimportant because making tissue metabolism normal should be the goal of all treatment with hypothyroid patients. When the hypothyroid patient is restricted to a dosage of T4 that keeps the TSH within the normal range, testing will produce evidence of abnormal metabolism in multiple tissues.
Some researchers dismiss thyroid hormone replacement as a possible treatment for fibromyalgia symptoms or CFS. According to Dr. Lowe, however, “replacement” as defined by these researchers typically doesn’t work because replacement means the use of only T4 to keep the TSH within normal range. He felt that was not enough to free most hypothyroid patients from their symptoms.
He also believed that assuming that replacement dosages of T4 are the only acceptable treatment prevents other researchers from seeing the cause of most patients’ fibromyalgia was inadequate thyroid hormone regulation of tissues. Dr. Lowed believes that the combination of T4 and T3 generally works better than T4 alone with hypothyroid patients, and in some cases, T3 alone worked best. Dr. Lowe found that when hypothyroid patients were treated with T4 first, gradually increasing the dosage, if it didn’t provide much benefit or any at all, patients were switched to T3.
T4 alone is a poor option for many hypothyroid fibromyalgia patients, and it is useless for fibromyalgia patients with cellular resistance to thyroid hormone. Most of these patients, who make up about 44 percent of the fibromyalgia patient population according to our studies, benefit only from very large dosages of T3. Only a minority of hypothyroid fibromyalgia patients satisfactorily improved with the use of T4 alone.
We know that fibromyalgia seems to be closely linked to autoimmune disease, which is a condition when the body’s immune system begins attacking healthy tissue. An autoimmune disease can sometimes be deadly due to a condition called glomerulonephritis. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the possibility of developing autoimmune conditions when you have fibromyalgia and be aware of how to manage them.
Glomerulonephritis is a complication of autoimmune disease that can lead to a loss of kidney function. Essentially, your body’s immune system begins sending antibodies to attack your healthy tissue instead of the bacteria and viruses it usually targets. As a result, the tissue becomes inflamed and damaged. This is the root of conditions like lupus. And when in cases of glomerulonephritis, this inflammation occurs in the kidneys.
Over time, the inflammation begins to damage your kidneys and leads to the build of scar tissue. This makes it difficult for the kidneys to perform their usual function of filtering out toxins in the blood. And eventually, it can be fatal.
The first signs of this damage typically show up in urine. Your urine may be pink or dark due to the build of red blood cells in the kidneys. Or it may be frothy due to an excess of protein. In addition, you may notice swelling in the face or limbs as your body begins to retain water that can’t be passed through the kidneys.
It’s important to see a doctor immediately if you show any of these signs. Early detection is vital in preventing further damage. And if you have fibromyalgia, you should be aware that you have a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases that can damage the kidneys.
We know that people with fibromyalgia tend to develop autoimmune conditions at a higher rate than other people. Many people have speculated that this means that fibromyalgia itself may be an autoimmune condition. But there are a few reasons to think that this might not be the case.
First, people with fibromyalgia don’t have the elevated levels of antibodies in the blood that usually comes with autoimmune conditions. This suggests that the condition isn’t related to the immune system.
We don’t know for sure why this is the case, but it might have something to do with the mental stress that people with fibromyalgia are under. Fibromyalgia leads to chronic stress and depression. And we know that this kind of mental anguish increases your risk of developing autoimmune conditions. So, finding ways to cope with the depression of fibromyalgia can help prevent the development of autoimmune disease.
The first step in treating this condition is to limit inflammation that can lead to further damage. There are a few different medications that doctors usually use to do this.
The first is a type of drug called non-steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. This type of drug includes things like aspirin and ibuprofen. They work by blocking the production of enzymes that cause inflammation. And they can also help limit pain.
The second type is corticosteroids. Corticosteroid is a hormone that the body produces naturally in response to inflammation. But your doctor can also prescribe synthetic corticosteroids to help if the natural production isn’t enough.
Finally, you might be prescribed a type of drug called an immunosuppressant. These drugs work by limiting the production of antibodies that attack your tissue.
But if the damage to your kidneys is too advanced, you may have to go on dialysis. A dialysis machine works by filtering your blood and putting it back in your body, thus performing the same function as the kidneys. But you will likely have to be on dialysis for the rest of your life unless you receive a kidney transplant. This procedure involves having a compatible donor kidney being transplanted to replace your damaged kidney and is obviously a last resort treatment.
So, do you suffer from an autoimmune disease? Do you think it’s related to your fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
Results released from a national survey of U.S. women with fibromyalgia, illustrate the private and prolonged physical and emotional struggles patients with this condition face, underscored by delays in diagnosis, which a majority of respondents report as being one year or longer.
As a result of fibromyalgia, two thirds (67%) of respondents say they are unable to keep up with household chores, nearly half (47%) report that their work-life or career has been negatively affected, and two in five (42%) spend less quality time with their friends. Nearly one-third (31%) say fibromyalgia has negatively affected their ability to experience intimacy.
Fibromyalgia is a condition marked by chronic, widespread pain and tenderness, and decreased physical function. It affects six to 12 million Americans, mostly women, three-quarters of whom are estimated to be undiagnosed. Results of the 48-state, 508-person survey were released by sources the nation’s leading independent source of health information for women. The survey was sponsored by Forest Laboratories, Inc.
“Fibromyalgia is a common medical condition affecting women,” said Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, Executive Director of HealthyWomen.org and a registered nurse. “It is estimated that there could be as many American women living with fibromyalgia as there are living with diabetes. And while increased awareness has dramatically improved care for patients with this condition, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure patients have the support they need to live their lives fully.”
Remarkably, one in four (23%) respondents report having suffered for at least five years before receiving a diagnosis for their condition. Most respondents (71%) say they waited until they could no longer tolerate their symptoms before seeking a diagnosis. Examples of perceived barriers to a proper diagnosis include patients’ own lack of knowledge about the condition and physicians not recognizing symptoms.
Although fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder, a majority of respondents say they fear skepticism about their condition, with 64% expressing concern about being taken seriously, and 79% indicating the top quality they seek in a healthcare professional is assurance that their condition is being taken seriously.
“This survey quantifies what patients and their supporters have known and experienced that stigma, skepticism, lack of knowledge about fibromyalgia, and delays in diagnosis contribute negatively to patient outcomes,” added Battaglino Cahill. “However, with more knowledge, patients are overcoming these barriers to improving their lives, and that is an important lesson we can take away from this survey.”
Respondents whose diagnosis was delayed were more likely to report severe symptoms (68%) at the time of diagnosis, compared to those who were diagnosed within a year (42%). Patients diagnosed within a year are also significantly less likely to experience daily challenges in the management of their households, relationships, and careers.
“An earlier diagnosis is important,” said David Edelberg, M.D., founder of WholeHealth Chicago and a physician specializing in fibromyalgia treatment. “The sooner patients are diagnosed, the sooner they can begin an effective management plan and get back to their daily activities. This is why it’s critical for both doctors and patients to communicate effectively and for patients to not wait until they can no longer bear their symptoms before seeking help.”
Since being treated, 51% of patients believe that their overall day-to-day life has improved. In addition, a greater number of patients who received more support from their spouse report that their day-to-day life has improved due to treatment (56%), compared to those who received the same amount of or less support (47%) since being treated.
Unfortunately, many patients do not receive the support from friends and loved ones that they need:
— Of the 43% of respondents who say they rely most often on their spouse or significant other for support, only about a quarter (27%) say this person fully understands how fibromyalgia affects them — After learning about their diagnosis, less than half of respondents say their friends (28%), children (33%), and spouses (43%) offered more support
“Arriving at an earlier and accurate diagnosis is only the first step for patients with fibromyalgia,” said Battaglino Cahill. “Women need to work closely with their physicians to find an effective treatment plan, and friends and loved ones must do their part to provide the ongoing encouragement that is critical to a patient’s improvement.”
Research for WE FEEL was conducted by Edelman StrategyOne, using the field services of Harris Interactive Service Bureau. The 20-minute survey was fielded between May 5 and May 11, 2010. The findings are nationally representative of diagnosed, female fibromyalgia sufferers in the US.
The total sample of 508 yields a margin of error of ±4.4% at the 95% confidence level, which means that 95 out of 100 times that a sample of this size is drawn, the results will not vary by more than 4.4 percentage points in either direction. The statistical significance is reported at the 95% level.
“I have a problem—unexplained excessive sweating, like just stepping out of the shower, hair dripping wet, clothes soaked! … It has put a big damper on my lifestyle.”
“My limbs get so cold and painful … and yet my face will be sweating from the heat inside.”
“What exactly causes the excessive sweating? … I don’t bother to wear makeup in the summer because there is no point—it just melts off.”
Excessive sweating is one of those bizarre symptoms that rarely make it onto symptoms lists or grab the attention of researchers.
That’s understandable since we have much bigger problems. Still, it can have a major impact on your life.
While doctors and researchers have noted that excessive sweating can be a symptom of these conditions, you may want to talk to your doctor about complex regional pain syndrome. It has similar symptoms and some research suggests excessive sweating may be more common in that condition.
The only cause that’s “curable” is the medication side effect, and that may not be an attractive option to you if the drug is doing more good than harm. Your doctor may have ideas about medications that help control sweating.
If you do have to live with this symptom, you may want to keep some items on hand to keep it from being obvious and embarrassing.
Loose powders: Powder on your face may help absorb sweat before you even know it’s there. You can also apply it after drying sweat off of your skin to keep from being shiny.
Oil-absorbing face wipes can keep you from having greasy-looking skin as well. They’re generally better than napkins or tissues, which work in a pinch but may be worse for your skin as well as less effective.
If your sweating isn’t tied to any particular stimulus, you might not be able to keep it from happening. However, if it’s tied to heat—and especially our tendency to become overheated—you may find that some of these things reduce the problem.
Extra antiperspirant, re-applied a few times during the day, and applied to non-typical places where you tend to sweat a lot may help.
Taking cooler baths or showers, or running cooler water over your body before you get out, may keep you from getting overheated and sweating more.
Especially if you tend to be cold a lot, you may frequently find yourself dressed too warmly for the environment. Dressing in layers gives you more temperature-control options.
Choosing cold drinks over hot ones and avoiding hot foods can help.
Once sweating starts, it may be difficult to stop. You’re better off trying to prevent it in the first place.
One important thing about excessive sweating is making sure you stay hydrated. It’s important to replace both the water and the electrolytes you sweat out.
People with fibromyalgia complain of chronic pain throughout their body as well as increased sensitivity to pain. Doctors often have trouble treating this pain because it’s unclear what causes it, the study authors noted.
In the new study, injecting lidocaine into peripheral tissues — such as the muscles in the shoulders or buttocks — effectively reduced pain sensitivity, the researchers found.
“We hypothesized that if the pain comes from the peripheral tissues, and we can take this pain away by injecting local anesthetics, then this would be indirect proof of the importance of peripheral tissues for the clinical pain of these individuals,” study lead author Dr. Roland Staud, a professor of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine, said in a university news release.
“Over-the-counter medications and [narcotic] prescriptions such as opiates aren’t really effective for controlling chronic pain conditions,” he added. But with the new therapy, “we are able to explain the pain of chronic patients better and manage it better,” Staud said. “We are making progress but it will take time.”
The study involved 62 women with fibromyalgia. Each woman received four injections: two in certain muscles in their shoulders and two more in their buttocks. Some of the women received lidocaine injections, while a “control group” received saline injections.
Right before the injections were given and 30 minutes afterward, the women received mild pain stimulations delivered through mechanical means or through heat.
Compared to “dummy” saline injections, lidocaine significantly eased the women’s sensitivity to pain, according to the study published recently in the European Journal of Pain.
The researchers noted, however, that both lidocaine and the placebo resulted in a 38 percent reduction in pain at or near the point of injury.
But chronic pain affects the body differently than a specific injury, like a broken leg, the study authors pointed out. Chronic pain, they explained, actually alters nerve function along the spinal cord.
“The best way to treat chronic pain conditions is . . . [by] looking at emotional, sensory and tissue damage,” Michael Robinson, director of the University of Florida Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health, said in a university news release. “We know there are central and peripheral and social and behavioral components to someone saying, ‘Ow, it hurts.’”
“That sensation may well feel more painful than if they just thought it was a tweaked muscle,” Robinson explained.
Two experts in fibromyalgia were unsure about the significance of the findings, however.
“There was no significant difference between the pain reduction in the placebo versus the treatment group — this signifies that it does not matter what the injection product is, but the act of injection itself might be the cause of pain reduction,” said Dr. Waseem Mir, a rheumatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
“One can then argue that the pain reduction was placebo,” he said. “To examine the placebo point, another arm in the experiment might need to be introduced where patients are not getting injected but taking a placebo pill.”
Dr. Houman Danesh is the director of integrative pain management at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He said that “fibromyalgia is a complex disorder where patients are more sensitive to pain. It is mainly diagnosed by a rheumatologist by touching 18 diagnostic pressure points, and if 11 of them are sensitive, then the diagnosis is made,” he explained.
