October 2011, Issue 95
Description
Patients Share Treatment Strategies and Tips
Muscle tension, pain, brain fog, disrupted sleep, and constipation are all hard to treat. Learn what other fibro patients do, and read about studies to support their use.
Can Relieving Pain Restore Your Brain?
Study offers hope that aggressive treatment of your fibro pain can reverse the brain abnormalities related to your mental clarity and other symptoms.
Novel Fibro Treatments
Research looks at low-dose combinations of different analgesics for providing pain relief. Studies show low brain dopamine will likely make your fibro worse during the fall and winter months, but there are treatments to counter this seasonal effect.
Does Your Body Feel Out of Rhythm?
Certain hormones are not produced at the right time in fibro, making you feel more tired, achy, and unable to sleep. Learn what you can do to regain better control.
Arthritis & Fibro: Is the High Overlap a Coincidence?
Did you know that osteoarthritis (OA) alters the way you move and contributes to muscle weakness? Find out what fibro and arthritis have in common.
OA Treatments and Promising New Drug
Learn the best way to protect your joints and find out what 2,300 fibro patients use to treat their OA pain. Plus, read about a promising new drug to treat arthritis that may benefit fibro too.
Ken's Corner: Getting Your Back & Neck to Relax
Fully illustrated examples of tension-reliving stretches that you can do while sitting at a table or desk.
Simple Release for Muscular Knots
An inexpensive trick to relive painful, knotted muscles, especially in hard-to-reach locations in the back.
A Tough Pill to Swallow
The TV ads endorsing Lyrica for fibro imply that a mere pill can transform your life, and you know that is hogwash. So why should you trust the drug industry or any patient advocacy group that aligns with them to validate the serious nature of your symptoms?
Pain, the Brain and the Energy Drain
One pain-promoting chemical in the brain is increased, another needed for sleep is decreased. These are just a few of the latest findings that help explain your symptoms.