| Fibromyalgia Network |  |
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| November 2012 eNews Alert | ||
In this eNews:
Questions? Call: (800) 853-2929 Reader-Friendly Version This eNews is available for viewing and printing in a larger size. |
So many medications are disappointments with unwanted side effects, but people with fibromyalgia (FM) are open to alternative therapies. In fact, this acceptance of other forms of treatment is one reason why FM patients were chosen for a trial of pet therapy described in our Latest News section. The pain of FM is tough to treat, so approaches that complement traditional meds deserve studying. Wouldn’t you love a test that could validate your pain without you having to plead for help in the doctor’s office? It’s nearly impossible for you to sum up each regional pain into one number, but studying how the brain behaves when the body hurts may bring patients one step closer to an objective test. And chances are, you have other symptoms that nag you besides the constant pain, but you should not feel alone because there is a support network to help you. We apologize for being late with the Fall Journal, but know you will be pleased with the articles once it reaches your mailbox at the end of December (see the section below on contents). In the meantime, if you are wondering what you can do during the cold weather to stay active, research shows a therapeutic dance can tone down the pain and other fibro symptoms. Read the scoop in this eNews on how to get started. Bundle up and stay warm, Kristin Thorson & the Staff of FM Network |
| Pet Therapy for Fibro |
Pets can provide unconditional love and companionship, even when you are having a bad day. But just how much relief from fibromyalgia (FM) pain can an animal provide and do you actually have to own one to reap any benefits? The answers to these questions were explored in a study involving 106 FM patients and structured pet therapy visits. Read the complete article in the Latest News section of our website. |
| Visualizing Pain |
Physicians and other healthcare providers can’t measure your level of pain, but don’t you wish they could? This frustrating situation usually diminishes how you feel (e.g., pain, fatigue, etc.) by dwindling your symptoms into a single number. During doctor visits you are called upon to rate your pain on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is no discomfort and 10 is “worst imaginable pain”—whatever that is. Or, you might be presented a scale of happy to sad faces and be expected to pick out which best depicts your situation. Rating your pain as a 9 or 10 often elicits a look of disbelief. But if you make light of how bad you feel (e.g., a value of 3), you won’t get the care you need. People with fibromyalgia (FM) have serious difficulty summing up their whole body pain with just one number because they hurt more in some areas than others. Your pain may be a 9 in your low back and neck, but only a 3 in your arms and legs. What number rating should you give? Any attempt to explain your dilemma usually prompts the evaluator to say, “Just give me your best guess.” So your pain becomes a guessing game, and your odds of getting short-changed on treatment are huge. “Despite many years of research, there is currently no accepted technique for the physiologic assessment of pain in humans,” writes Justin E. Brown, Ph.D., of Stanford University.* In other words, there is no tool or test to measure your pain without you having to give a number that sums up your different aches. Brown tested a brain imaging method in healthy subjects randomly given painful and non-painful stimuli to see if certain areas “showed” the presence of pain. He measured blood flow changes in the brain when heat pain was applied to the forearm and compared the results to when subjects were given a warm (non-painful) stimulus. Four regions increased in blood flow (meaning they were more active) during the pain stimulus, while a fifth area showed a significant drop in flow. Brown states all five areas are “critical pain processing regions of the human brain.” But if they are involved in detecting and evaluating pain, why didn’t all five regions become more active during the noxious stimulus? One is involved in processing happy emotions, and pain doesn’t fall into this category. “We speculate that pain may have caused a state of unhappiness, leading to decreased activity in this region,” writes Brown. However, when the subjects received a non-painful stimulus, this area actually increased in activity ... perhaps the brain’s way of saying, “What a relief!” Looking at the brain’s response, Brown’s technique correctly identified painful stimuli 90% of the time, while 15% of the non-painful stimuli were mistakenly classified as painful. Not bad, given that most laboratory tests are not fail-proof either. However, it would be better if a single area could be used to detect the presence of pain without the need for an elaborate math program to assess all brain regions. The activity in one brain region, the second somatosensory cortex, was more likely to depict pain than any of the others, but led to substantially less accurate results. What does this area of the brain do? It discerns whether stimuli are painful or not, so it makes sense that this region would be important in the brain’s perception of pain. For now, analyzing the entire brain is the best approach, but it’s too expensive for clinical practice. Brown points out that many other factors might help improve detecting pain without any input from the subjects tested. For example, the extent to which an area increases (or decreases) in activity, as well as how fast the changes occur may be used in the future to increase accuracy. In the meantime, the math will be intricate, but Brown views “the goal of an accurate, valid surrogate for self-reported pain as both attainable and worthy of effort.” * Brown JE, et al. PLOS ONE 6(9):e24124, 2011. |
| Support & Inspiration |
Need a good laugh or an inspiring quote to get you through your everyday life with fibro? Overwhelmed by the holidays? Want to connect with a friend that understands? Have a new symptom and not sure if it is fibro-related? Or are you curious about treatment strategies that others use to cope? Every day, questions are asked and answered, friendships are made and people find something funny or positive to get them through the day on our Facebook community page. With almost 60,000 fans, we are proud to announce that we are one of the largest positive, ad-free, and unbiased families on Facebook. In fact, we want to share some of the most popular quotes and observations from our site in hopes that you will enjoy and relate to them just as much as we do!
We also post questions about fibro from our Facebook followers that receive tons of helpful responses from the community. Below are some examples:
Like what you see? Join our wonderful community on Facebook! The information you discover and the friends you make will be invaluable. Interested in finding a local support group as well? We have a list of current support groups in all 50 United States. Anyone can obtain support group information in their state by sending a business-sized, self-addressed, first-class stamped envelope to:
Please include a note that you would like the support group listing for your state (it will include healthcare providers too). |
| Fun Dance Relieves Symptoms |
Exercise can be boring and it’s hard to stick with any one type of workout. How many stationary bicycles, Nordic Tracks, and other fitness “promises” have you donated or stashed away in your basement or storage shed? Just keeping pace with daily living activities is a struggle, so aren’t you entitled to something that is fun, sociable, keeps you fit, and most of all, reduces your symptoms? Basic belly dance taught by a physical therapist generated substantial benefits compared to a control group of patients waiting to take the classes. Natour found that age, body shape, or initial fitness level didn’t matter. In fact, the older patients seemed to fare a little better for reasons unclear. The classes were one-hour long and given twice a week for 16 weeks. A variety of fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms and fitness measures were taken prior to the course, at the conclusion, and at a 32-week followup period (after no classes for four months). The dance and waiting list groups each consisted of 40 FM patients. Pain, fitness (measured by how far subjects could walk in six minutes), sleep, FM impact, self-esteem, and the emotional aspects of being ill were all improved by the end of the course. What’s more impressive is these benefits remained at the 32-week follow-up. Belly dance involves segmentally moving muscles in the hips, trunk, shoulders, and limbs to synchronized beats. The rhythmic movements are thought to activate specific receptors in the muscles to signal areas in the brain that help put the brakes on pain. “This may be why the dance group obtained a 40% reduction in pain and this improvement was sustained for 32 weeks,” says Natour. He adds that most patients enjoyed the dance enough to continue with it after the study classes ended. “The patients in the dance group initially reported an increase in pain and fatigue in the first four weeks, which decreased over time,” says Natour. “Throughout the study the patients reported the sensation of a decrease in tension and, at the end of the study, activities of daily living were performed with greater ease. This was confirmed by the results of the six-minute walk test.” Not sure if you want to invest time learning a new exercise program? Or maybe you question if this form of dance is right for you. Either way, check out the short YouTube video link below by Sahira of Houston, TX, showing a few basic moves to see what you might be getting into. All you need is a mirror (even if it is in the bathroom, on the back of a door, or a good reflection in a window) and a hip drape. With regards to the latter, it doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a sash tied in front and two small scarves (or little cloths) tucked into the sash on the side hips will do. The dance is done barefoot with knees bent, bottom tucked in, and shoulders over hips. There is absolutely NO impact on your joints. Your bent legs help control the movement while you maintain good spinal alignment and posture. If you think this dance is for you, check out local classes at the “Y” or other community-based centers. Be sure they are taught at a very basic level and ask to sit in on a session before signing up. At first, you may discover that a mirror alone will not give you enough feedback to control muscle movements. Place your hands on the muscles that need to move, such as your hips, sides or abdomen to receive added tactile feedback. Muscle isolation must be learned, so be patient if your muscles start out with a mind of their own. This is normal. In time, this dance will give you leg strength for better balance and stability. People will even start to comment on your terrific posture! You will also discover how amazing you are at controlling muscles you didn’t know you had. And don’t forget to socialize and have lots of fun. The enjoyment factor can keep you active in this dance for many years to come ... and fit to boot! * Baptista AS, et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol [epub ahead of print] Sept. 28, 2012. |
| Fall Journal Goes to Printers |
The Fall issue of the Fibromyalgia Network Journal will arrive at the end of December (much apologies for the delay, but we’re working to get back on track in the new year). Some of the topics in this issue include:
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