Hope for Fibromyalgia

The media has depicted CFS patients as being affluent, well-educated, white females in industrialized countries, who may simply be over-stressed or just don’t know how to juggle job and family commitments. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The health care system and the gatekeepers are a major part of the problem for generating this “mythical” CFS patient, claims Leonard Jason Ph.D., a psychologist at DePaul University, Chicago, IL. One can’t look at the people being diagnosed with a given illness and assume that they represent the illness as a whole. According to Jason, fatigue is a problem that occurs in roughly 25% of ... Read Full Story

Would living in a different climate help reduce your FMS/CFS symptoms?  This is a very common question by newly diagnosed patients with fibromyalgia, since most individuals would seriously consider relocating if they knew it would make them feel better.  To avert serious flare-ups, you need to know what time of the year you need to take precautions.  Can Cimate Impact your Pain? The most comprehensive study to date was performed in the city of Cordoba in Argentina.1  This city has four distinct seasons and significant weather changes throughout the year.  Using such a location is important because previous studies which did not find correlations ... Read Full Story

We all grieve in many different ways.  Some people withdraw and “lick their wounds”, or others have a good cry.  Some seek comfort in the safe and familiar.  Learn the skill of self-development by taking care of yourself and seeking guidance from others.  These are necessities in the healing process and will help you get beyond your grief/sadness and onto repairing the damages of your life. Cultural traditions, such as religion, have a lot to offer us at a time of grief.  For example, Judaism has a highly-structured, time-oriented approach to handling the grief of survivors after the death of a family member.  The ... Read Full Story

The next time your doctor asks you if there has been a change in your medications, supplements or dietary patterns since your last office visit, don’t blow this question off.  It might be the most important question that your primary care physician asks you! You need to understand how drugs and/or other agents can lead to unusual side effects, you need to reassess those medications that left you feeling miserable.  Did they fail because of something else you were ingesting along with them?  Perhaps it would be a good idea to make a list of meds tried (including those that didn’t work as well ... Read Full Story

Usually the term “grief” is often used to describe the emotions one experiences after the death of a loved one; other losses can cause grief as well.  Some lossess are instantaneous, as in having to give up a job or a promotion, or the ending of a relationship.  Yet, for most patients with FMS or CFS, losses happen gradually over time.  For example, the eroding away of job skills, friendships, or having to give up ones favorite daily activities.  The sadness that results from these types of changes can become confused with exhaustion, or might even be seen as depression related to the syndrome.  ... Read Full Story