From:  fightfm.com The 9th International IACFS/ME Conference is scheduled to be held March 12 - 15 in Reno, Nevada. The first day of this three-day event has been designed specifically for patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis), FM, and their families, with the remaining days geared towards healthcare professionals and researchers searching for causes and better treatments for the condition. The conference brochure can be downloaded h... Read Full Story

The 9th International IACFS/ME Conference is scheduled to be held March 12 - 15 in Reno, Nevada. The first day of this three-day event has been designed specifically for patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis), FM, and their families, with the remaining days geared towards healthcare professionals and researchers searching for causes and better treatments for the condition. The conference brochure can be downloaded here for more details. UPDATE:... Read Full Story

The Pain/Prescription Problem What happens to patients experiencing chronic pain when treatment options are limited by the medical community’s lack of understanding regarding their condition?  How can patients best communicate regarding a symptom that cannot be objectively measured? When is pain medication the right treatment option? How much medication is too much? Who can fibromyalgia patients trust to take their medical struggle seriously, without leaving them over- or under-medicate... Read Full Story

This week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug milnacipran for treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Milnacipran is an anti-depressant in the same class as duloxetine (Cymbalta), and is believed to improve symptoms of pain and depression in fibromyalgia patients by increasing the amount of the neurotransmitters seratonin and nor-epinephrine available for brain function. Milnacipran has been approved and prescribed in Europe since 1998 under the brand name Ixel. One ben... Read Full Story

The pharmaceutical company Jazz Pharmaceuticals has announced that it expects to file a New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by 2009. The company is currently completing clinical trials using the drug sodium oxybate in treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms. Many researchers believe that lack of restful, Stage 4 (or delta-wave) sleep is to blame for the ongoing exhaustion in cases of fibromyalgia. Already sold under the names Xyrem or GHB, the drug is currently approved... Read Full Story

As the medical community slowly comes to grips with the confusing and contradictory syndrome that is fibromyalgia, patients suffering from this chronic illness often feel the need to take their treatment into their own hands. Now, the patient support website PatientsLikeMe.com can help them to do that. The site recently added “fibromyalgia” to its list of community conditions. After (free) registration, patients can use the online system to monitor their symptoms day by day by si... Read Full Story

New research from the United Kingdom supports the theory that patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (referred to outside the U.S. as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) have identifiable genetic markers for the disease. London’s Journal of Infectious Diseases reported in March of this year that seven (7) genetic sub-types could be found in the genotype of patients diagnosed with CFS/ME. The same team of researchers are now conducting a follow-up study, using “a larger number of patients ... Read Full Story

New research suggests that patients’ brain structures may be related to their fibromyalgia symptoms. Ask anyone with fibromyalgia how many times someone has said to them “It’s all in your head,” and you might be surprised to hear how often that dismissive phrase pops up in their lives. But for once, the generally misinformed public might have accidentally gotten the diagnosis correct! The Fibromyalgia Research Blog cites recent research in Brain, a peer-reviewed journ... Read Full Story

Has anyone ever told you that saying “Yes” can be hazardous to your health? If not, Dr. Edward T. Creagan, an oncologist with the famed Mayo Clinic, is telling you so now. Earlier this week the Mayo Clinic’s online Stress Blog featured an article by Dr. Creagan entitled “Learning To Say No Crucial To Survival.” That’s right, saying “no” is not just okay, it is vital to your health and wellbeing. With the bewildering pace of technology and with ... Read Full Story

From:  fightfm.com Fibromyalgia and its associated syndromes can begin any number of symptoms. Some patients report an initial experience of flu-like aching, others find their energy levels sinking lower and lower with each passing day. Personally, I knew something was wrong when I was driving home from work one night and felt a normal stress headache gradually building into something much more alarming. I had never before experienced a migraine headache, but I was about ... Read Full Story