Fibromyalgia and Me

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Nov. 30, 2006 — There is now “overwhelming” scientific evidence showing that fibromyalgia and related chronic pain conditions are real, but their clinical management leaves much to be desired.

That is the conclusion of two researchers from the University of Michigan who have studied fibromyalgia for several years.

Because there has been no obvious physiological cause for the pain disorder, doctors still routinely dismiss fibromyalgia as being “in a patient’s head.”

But after reviewing the research, Richard E. Harris, PhD, and Daniel J. Clauw, MD, write that it is increasingly clear that fibromyalgia is a central nervous system disorder and that patients experience hypersensitivity to pain. There also appears to be a fairly strong genetic component to fibromyalgia and related conditions.

“It is time for us to move past the rhetoric about whether these conditions are real, and take these patients seriously as we endeavor to learn more about the causes and most effective treatments for these disorders,” Harris and Clauw write in the December issue of the journal Current Pain and Headache Reports.

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Cognitive behaviour therapy is effective in treating the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a recent systematic review carried out by Cochrane Researchers.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a potentially long-lasting illness that can cause considerable distress and disability. Some estimates suggest it may affect as many as 1 in 100 of the population globally. There is no widely accepted explanation for the disease and patients are currently offered a variety of different treatments.

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The newly formed Advisory Council on Fibromyalgia Education (ACFE) comprised of internationally recognized clinicians and researchers and developed to identify and provide solutions to educational gaps and barriers in the area of fibromyalgia syndrome issued a statement stating that several significant gaps exist in the identification, diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia patients.

“The gaps and barriers identified among healthcare providers include a substantial lack of awareness about the disorder and a lack of confidence in the ability of the physicians to diagnosis it. As a result, misdiagnosis, fragmentation of patient care, and an increased cost of care are plaguing the management of fibromyalgia syndrome,” said I. Jon Russell, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Director of the University Clinical Research Center. “Each of these barriers contributes to poor patient care and outcomes. Ideally, the management of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome should be individualized, multimodal, multidisciplinary, and should be expected to extend over weeks to months with a continuum of care during that time,” added Dr. Russell.

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Alabama

Anniston; Research Site:
A study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Xyrem® for the treatment of Fibromyalgia syndrome.

Huntsville; Research Site:
A study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Xyrem® for the treatment of Fibromyalgia syndrome.

Arizona

Chandler; Radiant Research - Phoenix
”I have fibromyalgia. The all-over pain and exhaustion is an everyday struggle.”

Peoria; UCB Clinical Trial Call Center
A Double-Blind Multicenter Proof of Concept Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Rotigotine in Subjects With Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Peoria; Pivotal Research Centers, LLC
Fibromyalgia Research Study

Phoenix; Hope Research Institute, LLC
Does your fibromyalgia make you feel like you’ve lost the “spring in your step”?

Phoenix; Research Site:
A study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Xyrem® for the treatment of Fibromyalgia syndrome.

Phoenix; Radiant Research - Phoenix
Fibromyalgia Research Study

Phoenix; Radiant Research - Phoenix
Fibromyalgia Research Study

Arkansas

Hot Springs; Research Site:
A study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Xyrem® for the treatment of Fibromyalgia syndrome.

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Normally an inhibitor of pain, norepinephrine can produce pain as well–especially in the case of fibromyalgia. Your subconscious may be able to help counteract the effects of this pain-related brain chemical.

When your brain receives a pain signal transmitted by substance P, a major amplifier of pain, it immediately ships a packet of pain-relieving chemicals to the site where substance P was first released. Included in that packet is norepinephrine.

If the pain becomes chronic, however, norepinephrine may begin to alter nerve cells so that they intensify pain signals rather than dampen them.

Norepinephrine and Fibromyalgia

The abnormal alteration of nerve cells by norepinephrine seems to play a large role in fibromyalgia pain.

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Research has described some people suffering with fibromyalgia as having decreased blood flow to certain areas of the brain which help adapt pain signals sent from the spinal cord to the brain. The theory that some people with fibromyalgia have very high intensity pain messages sent to the brain, along with a lack in pain inhibition, is supported by the research indicating abnormal levels of serotonin, and decreased brain blood flow.

So what exactly is pain serotonin?

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Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disabling disorder, characterized by persistent or relapsing fatigue. Recent studies have detected a decrease in cortical grey matter volume in patients with CFS, but it is unclear whether this cerebral atrophy constitutes a cause or a consequence of the disease. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective behavioural intervention for CFS, which combines a rehabilitative approach of a graded increase in physical activity with a psychological approach that addresses thoughts and beliefs about CFS which may impair recovery. Here, we test the hypothesis that cerebral atrophy may be a reversible state that can ameliorate with successful CBT.

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1. Increased food allergies. Proteins are supposed to be digested all the way down to their component building blocks (amino acids).

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Fibromyalgia is famously difficult to diagnose and to treat. Now data suggest that acupuncture can relieve some of fibromyalgia’s uncomfortable symptoms – very good news for everyone affected by this often-debilitating condition.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and the presence of what are called “tender points” — 18 specific sites on the body that are exceptionally sensitive to pressure. Fibromyalgia is not a type of arthritis because it doesn’t cause inflammation or damage the joints. But it is included under the broad umbrella of rheumatic disorders, health conditions that affect the joints or soft tissues and cause chronic pain.

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People with fibromyalgia suffer great pain and fatigue that is not relieved by sleep. Weight lifters have long known that regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during and after a workout gives them more energy and stamina for a harder workout.

“Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points — places on your body where slight pressure causes pain,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

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