Fibromyalgia Research News

Fibromyalgia Risk Greater Among Females With Poor Sleeping Habits

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Norwegian investigators have identified a link between sleep problems and an increased risk in women developing fibromyalgia (long-term body-wide pain and tenderness in the muscles, joints, tendons, and other soft tissues). more...

Symptoms Of Chronic Widespread Pain Improved By Talking Therapy Over The Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:33:00 +0000

Patients who received a short course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) over the telephone from trained therapists reported that they felt "better" or "very much better" at the end of a six-month treatment period, and also three months after it ended more...

Link Between Poor Sleep Habits And Increased Risk Of Fibromyalgia In Women

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:17:00 +0000

Researchers from Norway have uncovered an association between sleep problems and increased risk of fibromyalgia in women. The risk of fibromyalgia increased with severity of sleep problems, and the association was stronger among middle-aged and older women than among younger women. more...

Aerobic Exercise In Fibromyalgia Patients Improves Improves Memory Efficiency

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:12:00 +0000

Areas of the brain responsible for pain processing and cognitive performance changed in fibromyalgia patients who exercised following a medication holiday, say researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center. more...

IOM Report on Pain Task Force holds first quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C.

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:10:00 +0000

NFMCPA president Jan Chambers attended meetings of the Pain Care Forum’s IOM Pain Report Task Force on September 15, 2011, in Washington, D.C. Chambers, who is also co-director of the Task Force, along with Will Rowe, Executive Director of the American Pain Foundation, reports that more...

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Shows Early Promise in Fibromyalgia

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:04:00 +0000

August 26, 2011 — An open-label phase 1/2 trial of patients with treatment-resistant fibromyalgia shows that the therapy is safe and effective and may be a useful treatment addition. The aim of the uncontrolled single-center pilot study was to determine whether periodic but continuous stimulation of the left vagus nerve is a safe, tolerable, and useful adjunct treatment for patients reporting continued severe pain despite receiving current best medical management. The research was led by Gudrun Lange, PhD, from the Department of Radiology, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, and carried out at the Pain and Fatigue Study Center, Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, Beth Israel Medical Centre, New York City. The results were published online August 3 in the journal Pain Medicine. The study included 14 adult women who had physician-diagnosed fibromyalgia for at least 2 years and were refractory to conventional pharmacological treatment (ie, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, tricyclic antidepressants, and anticonvulsants). The women were surgically implanted with a vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device. After 2 weeks of recovery, they began a 2-week stimulation adjustment period during which VNS intensity was increased to deliver as high a current as could be comfortably tolerated. All study participants tolerated the implantation. Of these, 12 patients completed the initial 3-month study, and 11 participated in a longitudinal study lasting an additional 8 months. Same Adverse Effects In general, the patients had the same types of adverse effects to VNS as those reported in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy and depression, including stimulus-bound voice alteration, neck pain, nausea, and dyspnea. In addition, patients reported dry mouth and fatigue. During the study, there were 4 unanticipated/serious adverse events occurring in 4 patients. The primary efficacy outcome was minimal clinically important difference (MCID+) that includes pain, overall wellness, and physical function. At 3 months, 5 of the14 participants became MCID+, and 2 no longer fulfilled fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria for pain and tenderness. In addition, the therapeutic effect seemed to increase beyond the acute trial. At the end of 11 months, 7 patients were MCID+, and there was parallel improvement in fibromyalgia caseness, defined as widespread pain and at least 11 tender points, which was added as a secondary outcome. "[W]e realized that using loss of [fibromyalgia] caseness as an outcome variable might be useful for clinicians in judging the potential efficacy of VNS," the authors write. The researchers were "surprised" by the robustness and ubiquity of response to the VNS treatment, they note. Although improvement in tender point threshold appears to be a difficult outcome to achieve, "our results suggest that [fibromyalgia] treatment can reduce tender point threshold to the degree that the point treated is no longer tender," they write. However, they add, tender point count was not a reliable predictor for continued therapeutic success. An "obvious question" is whether the results represented a placebo effect "related to being in a treatment trial necessitating surgery, feeling a sensory stimulus throughout the day and having high hopes for a good therapeutic outcome," said the authors. The continued improvement shown by some patients and the fact that more patients attained outcome criteria over time argues against a nonspecific or placebo explanation for the therapeutic benefit, they write. The authors conclude that a controlled trial is needed to better understand the role of VNS in fibromyalgia. This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Lange reports a US patent pending in her name for the use of VNS in fibromyalgia. Pain Med. Published online August 3, 2011. Abstract

Tilting whole body vibration improves quality of life in women with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:36:00 +0000

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine says that whole-body vibration (WBV) can actually reduce pain and fatigue, and improve physical function for people with fibromyalgia. more...

Fibromyalgia App Launched for IPad

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:31:00 +0000

The Fibromyalgia app can help communicate symptoms to your doctor and makes monitoring of symptoms over time easier. more...

New study shedding light on relationship between dyscognition (fibro fog) and balance deficits

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:22:00 +0000

In recent surveys, persons with fibromyalgia reported balance problems as one of the top 10 most debilitating symptoms. Now, a new pilot study has found that ‘fibro fog” (dyscognition) may be one of the main contributing factors why non-elderly people with fibromyalgia are five times more likely to lose their balance and fall than healthy controls. more...

Yoga Reduces The Physical And Psychological Symptoms Of Chronic Pain In Women With Fibromyalgia

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:54:00 +0000

The study is the first to look at the effects of yoga on cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia. The condition, which predominantly affects women, is characterized by chronic pain and fatigue; common symptoms include muscle stiffness, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal discomfort, anxiety and depression. more...

NFMCPA, Patient Advocacy and Health Organizations Applaud Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report on Pain

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:43:00 +0000

Physician education, research and "cultural transformation" are needed to combat social stigmas associated with pain, according to the NFMCPA in their issued statement last week after joining the nation's top health professional and advocacy organizations hailing the historic Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report on pain released June 29 at a press conference and live webcast in Washington, D.C. more...

Prepared Patient, When Pain Doesn't End

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:39:00 +0000

For people with severe chronic pain like Kelly Young and Teresa Shaffer both of whom have become patient advocates coping with agony is a fact of life. Young suffers from rheumatoid arthritis while Shaffer's pain is linked primarily to another degenerative bone disease. more...

Prepared Patient, When Pain Doesn't End

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:22:00 +0000

National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association hails IOM report on pain

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Chronic pain affects an estimated one in four, or 116 million U.S. adults including approximately 10 million with fibromyalgia. Medical treatment and lost productivity due to pain also costs the nation up to $635 billion each year. more...

Positive Top-Line Results For Pfizer's Lyrica In Phase 3 Study Of Patients With Fibromyalgia In Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Pfizer Japan announced today the top-line results for Lyrica (pregabalin) Study A0081208 - Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin (CI-1008) in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia. more...

Historic Report on Pain from IOM (Institute of Medicine)

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:34:00 +0000

Chronic pain affects at least 116 million American adults—more than the total affected by heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Pain also costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatment and lost productivity. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enlist the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in examining pain as a public health problem. Acting through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), HHS asked the IOM to assess the state of the science regarding pain research, care, and education and to make recommendations to advance the field. more...

Patients With Fibromyalgia Benefit From Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis who practice yoga showed statistically significant improvements in disease activity, according to a small study presented at the EULAR 2011 Annual Congress. more...

Music Therapy Relieves Fibromyalgia Symptoms And Improves Patients' Quality Of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:12:00 +0000

University of Granada researchers have proven that music therapy combined with other relax techniques based on guided imagery reduces significantly pain, depression and anxiety, and improves sleep among patients suffering from fibromyalgia. more...

Childhood Physical Abuse Linked To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Fibromyalgia In Women

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Childhood physical abuse is associated with significantly elevated rates of functional somatic syndromes such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities among women, according to new findings by University of Toronto researchers. more...

Pico-Tesla Reports Promising Results From Pilot Study Of Magneceutical(R) Therapy For Fibromyalgia

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:01:00 +0000

Pico-Tesla, The Magneceutical® Company, announced today that a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of 13 patients who have fibromyalgia suggests promise for its Therapy designed to improve symptoms of Pain and Sleep in this patient population. more...

Vibration Reduces Pain In Chronic Sufferers, UF Researchers Find

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:03:00 +0000

Rubbing or massaging is often an instinctive response to pain. Now researchers have found that another kind of touch, vibration, can also help reduce certain types of pain by more than 40 percent. more...

Pico-Tesla Starts Pilot Study of Magneceutical® Therapy For Fibromyalgia

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Pico-Tesla, The Magneceutical ® Company, announced today that it has commenced a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of 30 patients who have fibromyalgia. The pilot study seeks to determine whether the application of magnetic fields generated by Pico-Tesla´s patented ResonatorTM system can be effective as an adjunctive therapy to oral medications in ameliorating the symptoms of fibromyalgia. more...

Fibromyalgia News: Pain Drug Recalled

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:47:00 +0000

If you're taking hydrocodone/acetaminophen (generic Vicodin), check your lot numbers now -- drug maker Qualitest has issued a voluntary recall after discovering that some labels may have been switched, identifying phenobarbital as hydrocodone and vice versa. more...

Fibromyalgia Awareness Project Launched In New Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:26:00 +0000

The American Pain Foundation (APF) announced Wednesday the launch of “Is Fibro the Cause?” in New Jersey, a project designed to raise awareness about fibromyalgia, a painful and often misdiagnosed musculoskeletal condition. more...

Daily Electronic Assessments Help Fibromyalgia Patients Cope

noreply@blogger.com (Cure4) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:24:00 +0000

Hand-held PDA devices for recording daily symptoms are helping fibromyalgia patients and their doctors better understand links between pain, emotional distress and fatigue in this complex pain disorder, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer review publications of the American Pain Society, more...