91outcomes.com: chronic pain

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Friday, September 24, 2010

New Initiative Seeks to Educate Consumers, Providers about Safe Use of Pain Therapies

Written by the American Pain Foundation

(APF.org) - The American Pain Foundation (APF) is proud to launch PainSAFE™ (Pain Safety & Access For Everyone), a new initiative that educates people with pain and health care professionals about the appropriate and safe use of pain management therapies in an effort to reduce risk and improve access to quality pain care.

What is PainSAFE?

PainSAFE is a web-based initiative that offers up-to-date information, practical resources and tools to inform consumers about pain treatment options and their safe use. It also includes a central hub of evidence-based information and practice-based tools for health care providers. PainSAFE was created with input from expert advisors, people living with pain and allied organizations to address safety related to all pain management therapies. The content of PainSAFE will continue to evolve and adapt as scientific and policy research uncovers new findings about pain treatment and safety and the real-world effects of recommended approaches.

How can PainSAFE help you?

Patient safety is a pressing health care challenge that affects millions of people. Pain management therapies provide significant benefits to people with pain but no treatment option – including the decision not to treat pain – is without risk.

PainSAFE can empower and educate both consumers and health care providers about the safe use of pain management therapies, thereby helping to reduce risk and improve access to quality pain care.

Learn more about PainSAFE

Visit PainSAFE at www.painsafe.org to explore the information and resources available to you. Spread the word. Share this with your family members, friends and your pain management team members.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Pain Monitor – Monthly Update

The Pain Monitor is a monthly electronic publication of the American Pain Foundation. We want to keep you abreast of recent media attention given to topics that are related to pain care or living with pain. This information is provided for educational and information purposes only. Readers may wish to print the information and discuss it with their doctor. Always consult with health care providers before starting or changing any treatment. Below are links to news articles, feature stories and timely information that have come to our attention. Please pass them along to others who might benefit. We encourage you to send any comments you may have to the authors or publishers directly. Every voice counts when working towards improving pain care in our nation.

NEWS

Pain Community News - Now Available
The Summer 2010 edition of APF's quarterly newsletter is now available. Articles include Spotlight on Back Pain; Ouch, My Aching Back; Top 10 Tips: Preventing and Finding Relief from Back Pain; Back Pain at a Glance; Pain & Sleep; Healing with H2O; Q&A: Ask an Integrative Medicine Expert; International Focus on Pain Care, Part 2: A Conversation with Judith Paice, PhD, RN; Volunteer Corner; 2010 Advocacy Summit: A Resounding Success - Inspiring and Prompting Action; and Book Reivew: Managing Pain Before It Manages You. This online issue has been reformatted to make it easier to print.

The traditional PDF version is available in our Pain Community News archive. This issue is also available as an e-publication, allowing readers to virtually flip through its pages. Take a read and be sure to click the icon for “full screen” at the bottom left side of the screen. You can also zoom in and out as needed.

Why Does Feeling Low Hurt? Depressed Mood Increases the Perception of Pain
When it comes to pain, the two competing schools of thought are that it's either "all in your head" or "all in your body." A new study indicates that, instead, pain is an amalgam of the two.

Chronic Pain and Illness Have Negative Psychological Effects, Not Just Physical
Chronic pain and chronic illnesses both can be extremely detrimental to an individual's mental health. The experience of feeling constant pain and/or experiencing fatigue, exhaustion, and lifestyle limitations can be demoralizing and isolating to the individual suffering.

FDA Approves Opioid Patch for Chronic Pain
The Food and Drug Administration approved Butran Transdermal System CIII for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in individuals requiring a continuous, around-the-clock opioid analgesic for an extended period of time. Butrans is an analgesic patch that delivers continuous release of medication for seven days.

When Pain Becomes Chronic
Millions of Americans suffer from a hurting that doesn't go away. The consequences can be devastating.

All About Gout: Are You at Risk?
Gout can be painful, frustrating, and debilitating. Find out the causes, symptoms, and treatments of gout.

Gout Survey Offers Peek at the Pain
Most gout patients believe the disease isn't taken seriously and that their complaints of pain are often dismissed as overreaction, survey finds.

Botox Offers a Shot of Pain Relief
Toxin being used for more than cosmetic procedures.

Evaluation of Treatments for Muscle Cramps
A new American Academy of Neurology guideline that evaluates treatments for muscle cramps advises against the use of the drug quinine, an anti-malarial drug that has both analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Pediatric Team Targets Kids' Pain
North Carolina pain management approach gains popularity.

More Time with the Computer and TV Could Mean More Back Pain and Headaches for Teens
Teens and screens are often inseparable, but there could be a price to pay for all that time spent in front of the television and computer. A new study finds that, for adolescents, there may be an association between screen time and back pain and headaches.

Clearing the Air on Cluster Headaches
They've been called more painful than broken bones, burns, or intense back pain from childbirth. They've been compared to having a red-hot poker stuck through your eye. We're not talking about commonplace stress headaches, or the spinal headaches some people get as a result of spinal anesthesia, or even severe, chronic migraines. These “worst of the worst” headaches are called cluster headaches.

Exercise is Beneficial for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
Aerobic cardio exercise is safe for patients coping with rheumatoid arthritis, a new French review of prior research suggests. The study, published in the July issue of Arthritis Care & Research, also found that regular exercise can lead to less joint pain, higher functioning and an improved quality of life overall for these patients.

Studies Confirm Vitamin D Impact on Rheumatism
Several studies recently presented at the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy confirmed that vitamin D deficiency is a common feature in patients with a range of painful rheumatic and related autoimmune disorders. What is less clear, however, is the amount of vitamin D supplementation that would provide a benefit.

Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Rise in Women
One of the most common forms of arthritis is on the rise among women in the U.S., according to a study. Researchers found cases of rheumatoid arthritis in women increased by 2.5% per year from 1995 to 2007, while it fell in men by 0.5%.

New National Survey Reveals Significant Decline in the Misuse of Prescription Drugs
The misuse of prescription drugs decreased significantly between 2007 and 2008 among those aged 12 and older, including among adolescents, according to 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. However, the national survey showed that the overall level of current illicit drug use has remained level at about 8 percent.

How Susceptible are Young U.S. Consumers to Purchasing Drugs From Rogue Internet Pharmacies?
Websites of many rogue sellers of medications are accessible through links in email spam messages or via web search engines. This study examined how well students enrolled in a U.S. higher education institution could identify clearly unsafe pharmacies. At least a quarter of participants could not see multiple signs of danger displayed by rogue Internet pharmacies; many more are likely to be misled by online sellers that use professional design, veil untrustworthy features, and mimic reputable websites. (Please read our Q&A: Keeping the Internet Safe for Pain Medication Access.)

Virtual Autopsies in Utah Shed Light on Pain
There has been a multi-year campaign in Utah to educate health care providers and patients about the safe use of pain medication. As part of the project, interviews were conducted with surviving friends and relatives of people with chronic pain who had died of an overdose of their prescribed pain medication. It is hoped that these finding will provide insights to reduce treatment-related mortality in patients who require opioids for chronic pain management.

NEWS

When Pain Becomes Chronic
Millions of Americans suffer from a hurting that doesn't go away. The consequences can be devastating.

All About Gout: Are You at Risk?
Gout can be painful, frustrating, and debilitating. Find out the causes, symptoms, and treatments of gout.

Gout Survey Offers Peek at the Pain
Most gout patients believe the disease isn't taken seriously and that their complaints of pain are often dismissed as overreaction, survey finds.

Botox Offers a Shot of Pain Relief
Toxin being used for more than cosmetic procedures.

Pediatric Team Targets Kids' Pain
North Carolina pain management approach gains popularity.

Fibromyalgia

Is Fibro the Cause? A Toolkit for People Living with Fibromyalgia
Do you or a loved one have pain all over? Do you feel overly tired or have difficulties concentrating? If so, fibromyalgia may be the cause. The American Pain Foundation (APF) developed this toolkit to help you learn more about fibromyalgia, how to recognize signs and symptoms and seek treatment. This guide is full of helpful articles, tips and resources. Use our new worksheet, Is Fibro the Cause?, to help track your symptoms and talk with your health care provider. Don't forget to use APF's Targeting Chronic Pain Notebook to keep track of your pain and how it affects you each day.

Let's Talk Pain

Communication Skills Aid in Expressing Pain
Some individuals with special needs may lack the necessary communication skills to express their wants, needs, or feelings. They may not be able to alert others to the fact that they are experiencing a physical problem.

Military/Veterans

Chronic Pain Often Follows U.S. Soldiers Home
Many vets may believe they should have to live in pain doing just that. About nine in 10 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who registered for care with the Department of Veterans Affairs are experiencing pain. APF Action Network Leader Darisse Smith, a former Army captain, helicopter pilot and triathlete, was one of them.

Yoga

Yoga For Pain Relief
While we are advancing literally every single day in this field, there are some things that we delve into the past to re-evaluate, like yoga for pain relief.

SCIENCE & MEDICINE

Evidence-based Review of Radiofrequency Ablation Techniques for Chronic Sacroiliac Joint Pain
SI joint pain is a common cause of axial low back pain, affecting between 15% and 25% of people. In patients who obtain significant but short-term benefit from diagnostic blocks, RF denervation may provide a reasonable treatment alternative.

Integrative Approaches to Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome whose diagnosis and treatment are complex and challenging to many clinicians A comprehensive, integrative care program for the person with fibromyalgia that recognizes body, mind, and spirit can encourage favorable outcomes.

The Face of a Mouse in Pain
Have you ever wanted to know whether a mouse is in pain? It turns out that mice, just like people, display a distinctive "Ouch!" facial expression when they're suffering acute pain. It consists of narrowing of the eyes, bulging nose and cheeks, ears pulled back, and whiskers either pulled back or forwards.

Topical NSAIDs Provide Effective Local Pain Relief
A new systematic review conducted by Cochrane Researchers shows that topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are more effective than placebos for treating short-term pain and have few side effects.

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Movement Therapies May Reduce Chronic Pain
Yoga, tai chi, qigong and other exercises appear to help people suffering from cancer, arthritis, fybromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and other problems.

Chiropractic Care and Alternative Treatments Provide Immense Relief for Back Pain
A new study conducted discovered that a vast mass of persons who are treated with CAM therapies for back pain state receive immense advantages from the treatments.

Reiki Draws on Body's Own Energy to Promote Healing
The hands-on alternative healing practice called Reiki is based on the idea that people have an energy source that supports the body's ability to heal itself. Reiki practitioners help guide people to their energy source by placing their hands lightly on or just above the body in a series of 12 to 15 positions until they feel the flow of energy.

Meditation Reduces the Emotional Impact of Pain
Massage therapy is one of many holistic health-care practices that address pain. New research shows people who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less.

EVENTS

Public

August 28-29, 2010
Facial Pain Association National Conference
Rochester, MN

October 21-23, 2010
Alliance of State Pain Initiatives 21st Annual Meeting: A Decade of Change
Atlanta, GA

Professional

July 30, 2010
Southern California Cancer Pain Initiative
5th Annual Promoting Excellence in Pain Management & Palliative Care for Social Workers
Duarte, CA

August 21 - 26, 2010
Intensive Review of the Specialty of Pain Medicine
Chicago, IL

August 27 - 29, 2010
2nd International Course on Pain Medicine
Montreal, Canada

August 29 - September 2, 2010
International Association for the Study of Pain
Montreal, Canada

September 8 - 11, 2010
PAIN Week 2010
Las Vegas, NV

September 21-24
American Academy of Pain Management
Las Vegas, NV

September 22-25
American Society for Pain Management Nursing
Minneapolis, MN

September 22 - 24, 2010
American Association of Integrative Medicine
2010 National Conference
Orlando, FL

September 24, 2010
5th Annual Florida Pain Summit
Orlando, FL

September 24, 2010
2nd Annual Pain and Palliative Care Conference: Challenges of Caring for the Chronically Ill
Grand Rapids, MI

October 5-8, 2010
18th International Congress on Palliative Care
Montréal, Canada

November 2-3, 2010
Capital Hospice 12th Annual Josefina Magno Conference
Breathing In, Breathing Out: Inspiration for Holistic Care
Springfield, VA

November 11-14, 2010
International Multidisciplinary Forum on Palliative Care
Budapest, Hungary

Friday, July 9, 2010

"Mind-body" therapy shows promise for fibromyalgia, a Presumptive Condition for VA Service-Connection for Gulf War Veterans

By Reuters

NEW YORK - A form of 'mind-body' therapy may offer some relief to people with fibromyalgia, a small clinical trial suggests.

The study, of 45 women with fibromyalgia, found that those who learned a technique called "affective self-awareness" were more likely to show a significant reduction in their pain over six months.

Overall, 46 percent of the women had a 30-percent or greater reduction in their pain severity, as measured by a standard pain-rating scale. In contrast, of study participants who were assigned to a wait-list for therapy, none showed a similar decline in pain.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome marked by widespread pain -- including at specific "tender points" in the body -- along with symptoms such as fatigue, irritable bowel and sleep problems. It is estimated to affect up to 5 million U.S. adults.

The precise cause of fibromyalgia is unknown -- there are no physical signs, such as inflammation and tissue damage in the painful area -- but some researchers believe the disorder involves problems in how the brain processes pain signals.

Standard treatments include painkillers, antidepressants, cognitive- behavioral therapy and exercise therapy. However, many people with fibromyalgia find that their symptoms -- pain, in particular -- persist despite treatment.

Part of that, according to the researchers on the new study, may be because standard treatments do not specifically address the role psychological stress and emotions can play in triggering people's pain.

That is not to say that the pain people with fibromyalgia feel is "all in their head," stressed Dr. Howard Schubiner, of St. John Health/ Providence Hospital and Medical Centers in Southfield, Michigan.

"The pain is very real," Schubiner said in an interview. But, he explained, pain and emotions are "connected in the brain," and emotional factors may act to trigger "learned nerve pathways" that give rise to pain.

Past studies have found that compared with people without fibromyalgia, those with the disorder have higher rates of stressful life events, such as childhood abuse, marital problems and high levels of job stress. There is also evidence that they are relatively less aware of their own emotions and more reluctant to express their feelings, particularly anger.

For the new study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Schubiner and his colleagues tested the effects of affective self-awareness -- a technique Schubiner developed and uses in treating certain chronic-pain conditions -- on fibromyalgia.

They randomly assigned 45 women with the condition to either undergo the therapy or go on a wait-list for treatment, serving as a control group. Women in the treatment group each had a one-on-one consultation, then attended three group meetings to learn the affective self-awareness techniques so that they could carry them out on their own.

The therapy involves an educational component where patients learn about the emotion-pain connection. They learn specific techniques -- including mindfulness meditation and "expressive" writing -- for recognizing and dealing with the emotions that may be contributing to their pain. Patients are also encouraged to get back to any exercise or other activities that they have been avoiding due to pain.

Schubiner's team found that six months later, 46 percent of the treatment group had at least a 30-percent reduction in their pain ratings compared with scores at the outset. And 21 percent had a 50-percent or greater reduction.

None of the women in the control group had a comparable improvement.

The study is only the first clinical trial to test affective self-awareness for fibromyalgia, and it had a number of limitations, including its small size. In addition, the control group received no active therapy to serve as a comparison.

That is important because it is possible for patients to benefit from simply receiving attention from a healthcare provider, or being part of small-group sessions with other people suffering from the same condition, for example.

Schubiner also acknowledged that this general "model" for understanding and addressing fibromyalgia pain is controversial.

He said that he and his colleagues have applied for funding to conduct a larger clinical trial comparing affective self-awareness with standard cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Affective self-awareness and cognitive-behavioral therapy have similarities, according to Schubiner. Both, for example, try to show patients that they have the power to improve their own health.

A key difference, Schubiner said, is that affective self-awareness asks people to "directly engage" the emotions that may be helping to drive their symptoms.

Another difference is that, right now, only a small number of healthcare providers practice affective self-awareness, according to Schubiner.

Some components of the technique, such as teachings in mindfulness meditation, are more widely available. But whether those practices in isolation would help fibromyalgia patients' pain is not clear.

SOURCE: Journal of General Internal Medicine, online June 8, 2010.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Fibromyalgia Treatment Trial of Droxidopa/Carbidopa Shows Favorable Progress

Independent Data Monitoring Committee Sees Meaningful Efficacy in Multiple Treatment Arms -- Trial Focusing on Novel Droxidopa/Carbidopa Combination Therapy -- No Significant Adverse Events or Safety Concerns Observed in Any Treatment Arm

Fibromyalgia, a chronic multi-symptom disease with chronic widespread pain, is a presumptive condition for VA service-connection for Gulf War veterans

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHTP) announced the completion and favorable outcome of an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) review of the safety and efficacy data from approximately half the target enrollment in Chelsea's Phase II trial of droxidopa in fibromyalgia.

The purpose of this scheduled DMC meeting was to review the efficacy of each dose group and determine if the efficacy data supported dropping underperforming arms in order to increase the power in those arms most likely to demonstrate a clinically relevant therapeutic benefit. Following their assessment of each of the 12 arms using the study's primary endpoint, a reduction in pain as measured by the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, the DMC recommended that 7 of the 12 arms of the trial be continued to completion. This recommendation was based solely on their efficacy analysis, as there were no observed safety concerns associated with any arm of the study. As a result of this recommendation, the study will now focus primarily on multiple doses of droxidopa in combination with 50mg carbidopa.

"The DMC's recommendation aligns with our assumption going into the trial that by pairing droxidopa with carbidopa to limit peripheral metabolism of droxidopa, we should be able to drive efficacy of droxidopa in the treatment of fibromyalgia," commented Dr. Simon Pedder, president and CEO of Chelsea Therapeutics. "Following the interim analysis conducted by the DMC and subsequent recommendations, we can now, as hoped, allocate our full study resources to those treatment groups most likely to demonstrate therapeutic benefit and their associated control and placebo arms."

The Phase II trial, is a multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose response, factorial study that initially included 12 parallel groups evaluating droxidopa monotherapy, carbidopa monotherapy, droxidopa/carbidopa combination therapy or placebo. Accordingly, patients were randomized into each of 12 groups to receive: 200mg, 400mg or 600 mg of droxidopa TID; 25mg or 50mg carbidopa TID; 200/25mg, 400/25mg or 600/25mg droxidopa/carbidopa TID; 200/50mg, 400/50mg or 600/50mg droxidopa/carbidopa TID; or placebo over a 9-week treatment period.

Based on the DMC recommendation, the trial will be optimized to continue enrollment in the following seven arms: placebo; 50mg carbidopa TID, 600mg droxidopa TID; 400/25mg, 200/50mg, 400/50mg or 600/50mg droxidopa/carbidopa TID. The primary endpoint is the average reduction in pain as measured by the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes of the study include Fibromyalgia Index Questionnaire (FIQ), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGI-C), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), and Hamilton Anxiety Depression survey (HAM-A).

Chelsea currently estimates top-line data from the study to be reported by year-end 2011.

About Droxidopa and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic and debilitating condition that is characterized by widespread pain and stiffness throughout the body, accompanied by severe fatigue, insomnia and mood symptoms. While the precise etiology of fibromyalgia remains unknown, current research has focused on the role of norepinephrine (NE) reuptake and availability in the central nervous system. NE, a widely used neurotransmitter in the central and peripheral nervous systems has long been linked to both chronic pain and depression. Droxidopa, a synthetic amino acid, is converted by the body into norepinephrine and, as a prodrug of NE, provides replacement therapy for NE deficiency. While NE, as a catecholamine does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier, droxidopa, as a neutral amino acid, is able to do so thus providing both a peripheral and central affect on circulating NE levels.

About Chelsea Therapeutics

Chelsea Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical development company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. Chelsea's most advanced drug candidate, Northera(TM) (droxidopa), is an orally active synthetic precursor of norepinephrine initially being developed for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. In addition to Northera, Chelsea is also developing a portfolio of metabolically inert oral antifolate molecules engineered to have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity to treat a range of immunological disorders, including two clinical stage product candidates: CH-1504 and CH-4051. Preclinical and clinical data suggest superior safety and tolerability, as well as increased potency versus methotrexate (MTX).

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events. These statements are just predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include risks and costs of drug development, risk of regulatory approvals, our reliance on our lead drug candidates droxidopa and CH-4051, reliance on collaborations and licenses, intellectual property risks, our need to raise additional operating capital in the future, our history of losses, competition, market acceptance for our products if any are approved for marketing, and reliance on key personnel including specifically Dr. Pedder.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

People With Fibromyalgia Prone to Falls

Chronic pain, fatigue condition is a presumptive condition for Gulf War veterans

Written by Charlene Laino and reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

(Baltimore - WebMD Health News) -- People with fibromyalgia may be prone to falls due to balance problems, a small study suggests.

The findings suggest that people with fibromyalgia can benefit from exercises to improve balance, says Kim Dupree Jones, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

"Balance is what we can try to manipulate to reduce falls, just like we try to manipulate cholesterol levels to reduce heart disease," she tells WebMD.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Scientists Discover Substance That Causes Pain

Finding could lead to development of non-addictive painkillers, study suggests

(HealthDay News) - The human body produces a substance similar to capsaicin -- which makes chili peppers hot -- at sites of pain, and blocking production of this substance can ease pain, a new study shows.

The findings may lead to the development of non-addictive painkillers, according to the researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

In work with mice, the scientists found that a family of fatty acids called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs) play an important role in the biology of pain.

"This is a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms of pain and how to more effectively treat it," senior investigator Kenneth Hargreaves, chair of the Department of Endodontics in the Dental School at the UT Health Sciences Center, said in an UT news release.

"These data demonstrate, for the first time, that OLAMs constitute a new family of naturally occurring capsaicin-like agents, and may explain the role of these substances in many pain conditions. This hypothesis suggests that agents blocking either the production or action of these substances could lead to new therapies and pharmacological interventions for various inflammatory diseases and pain disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and others, including pain associated with cancer."

The researchers developed two new classes of analgesic drugs that target OLAMs.

"Nearly everyone will experience persistent pain at some point in their lifetime," Dr. Hargreaves said. "Our findings are truly exciting because they will offer physicians, dentists and patients more options in prescription pain medications. In addition, they may help circumvent the problem of addiction and dependency to pain medications, and will have the potential to benefit millions of people who suffer from chronic pain every day."

The research was published April 26 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about pain.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

JOLIET HERALD NEWS: Treating cause of the pain

Written by DAWN AULET For The (Joliet, Ill.) Herald News, June 24, 2009

Dr. Mark Huntsman has firsthand knowledge of the devastating effects that fibromyalgia can have on a patient and his or her family members. And that knowledge is part of what drove him to try to help his patients find relief.

"My mother had fibromyalgia and, fortunately, through the care as a (chiropractor), she has been able to get off the medication," he said.

The Mayo Clinic defines fibromyalgia as a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points -- places on the body where slight pressure causes pain. It occurs, the clinic notes, in about 2 percent of the U.S. population, and women are much more likely to develop the disorder than are men.

Huntsman has been a chiropractor since 2005 and has been treating fibromyalgia patients for a number of years. Recently, his chiropractic office, Midwest Center of Chiropractic, was certified by the Fibromyalgia Centers of America.

"We had been seeing several fibromyalgia patients in the clinic already," he said. "We wanted to go ahead and specialize in order to meet those needs."

Huntsman noticed that many of his fibromyalgia patients were finding relief through chiropractic adjustments.

"Chiropractors have great results with fibromyalgia patients because we are trying to get to the cause of the pain," Huntsman said. "With fibromyalgia, there is widespread pain across the body; with chiropractic, we are looking to find the source of that pain."

Many fibromyalgia patients use medications in attempts to control the pain associated with the chronic condition. Although many chiropractic patients come into the office in pain, Huntsman said he notices that with fibromyalgia patients there is another piece to the puzzle: chronic fatigue.

"I have seen patients after one treatment who have seen their energy return," Huntsman said.

In Huntsman's experience, the fibromyalgia symptoms usually begin after a major trauma.

"When they do have this trauma, it causes a lot of stress on the body -- bones misalign and muscles strain," Huntsman said. "A lot of the symptoms that people have with fibromyalgia, that widespread pain, that's something chiropractors have been treating for hundreds of years."

For more information on the Midwest Center of Chiropractic, call the office at 815-741-3939 or visit www.midwest-clinic.com.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

NEWSWISE ARTICLE: Fibromyalgia Patients Show Decreases in Gray Matter Intensity

Newswise — Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers from Louisiana State University, writing in The Journal of Pain, found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.

For the study, magnetic imaging resonance data from 30 female fibromyalgia patients were compared with 20 healthy women of the same age. The primary objective of the study was to confirm original findings about reduced gray matter density in a larger sample of fibromyalgia patients. They explored whether there is a correlation between dopamine metabolic activity and variations in the density of gray matter in specific brain regions.

Results showed there were significant gray matter reductions in the fibromyalgia patients, which supports previous research. In addition, the fibromyalgia patients showed a strong correlation of dopamine metabolism levels and gray matter density in parts of the brain in which dopamine controls neurological activity. The authors concluded that the connection between dopamine levels and gray matter density provide novel insights to a possible mechanism that explains some of the abnormal brain morphology associated with fibromyalgia.

Monday, June 15, 2009

REUTERS ARTICLE: Jazz Pharma's pain drug significantly reduces symptoms

Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:30am EDT

June 15 (Reuters) - Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc (JAZZ.O) said its experimental treatment for fibromyalgia significantly reduced pain compared to the dummy drug in a late-stage trial, sending shares of the company up as much as 37 percent.

The company said sodium oxybate, or JZP-6, showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in pain and the core symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition and majority of patients are also affected by other symptoms like fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction and impaired physical function.

On June 10, shares of Jazz Pharma soared more than 200 percent, in anticipation of the drug's late-stage data, which was scheduled to be presented at the 2009 Associated Professional Sleep Societies meeting.

In November, Jazz Pharma said the drug met the main goal of reducing pain and fatigue in the first of two late-stage trials.

Sodium oxybate is already being marketed under the brand name Xyrem in the United States as an oral solution for the treatment of narcolepsy, a condition marked by excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired vision and muscle weakness.

Shares of the company rose as much as 37 percent to $3.62 Monday in premarket trading. They closed at $2.64 Friday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Anuradha Ramanathan in Bangalore; Editing by Aradhana Aravindan)

Monday, June 8, 2009

SUNDAY TIMES: Scientists discover way of measuring pain

Studies of brain imaging technique, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), shows changes in brain of sufferers

by Jonathan Leake, Sunday Times.

Now we really can feel your pain. Scientists have for the first time discovered a way of using brain scans to measure the true depth of a person’s suffering.

Until now, the main way of assessing pain is to ask people what they are feeling, as there has never been a way of peering inside the brain to see what nerves are being activated.

However, a series of studies involving brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has shown distinct differences between the brains of people in pain and others who are not.

“Pain seems to increase the blood flow to certain parts of the brain, roughly in proportion to the amount of pain felt, and we can measure that activation in a brain scan,” said Irene Tracey, professor of anaesthetic science at Oxford University and director of its centre for fMRI and the brain.

Such findings suggest that pain could one day be measured objectively, a change that would have widespread legal and social implications.

In accident compensation cases, for example, lawyers might be able to order reports on just how much pain a victim was suffering. Doctors might also be able to monitor the exact benefits of drug regimes and treatments.

What Tracey and others have found is that the brain possesses what they call a “pain matrix”, with such feelings typically activating more than a dozen parts of the brain.

This is in contrast to other senses such as vision or hearing, where stimuli are generally fed to just one part of the brain for interpretation.

Tracey, who described her research at the Cheltenham science festival yesterday, said the aim was to build a generalised model of how pain activated the brain, collated from scans of many different people. Then individuals suffering chronic pain could be compared with the model to give a measure of the type and level of pain they were in.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Research Shows Elevated Disease Rates in Gulf War Veterans

Written by Anthony Hardie, 91outcomes

(91outcomes.blogspot.com) -- Recent news stories highlighted a 2005 study by Dr. Han Kang that showed significantly increased rates of unexplained multi-symptom illness among deployed veterans of the 1991 Gulf War.

However, several other studies by Dr. Kang and other researchers have also had significant findings for 1991 Gulf War veterans, including the following (follow the links for the cited study):

Elevated rates of testicular cancer
Increased deaths due to Brain cancer;
Increased rates of Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI);
Increased rates of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease);
Experiencing Clusters of neurological symptoms;
Increased rates of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS);
6 subgroups among those with Fatigue Syndrome (FS): fatigue, pain, infectious, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and neurologic/mood/fatigue
Increased rates of post-war hospitalization;
Increased rates of depression and anxiety;
Increased rates of death by motor vehicle accident.

Additionally, another important 2005 study by Dr. Kang and her research team had findings that "contradict the prevailing notion that perceived exposure to chemical warfare agents should be considered an important cause of morbidity [illness and disease] among Gulf War veterans."

Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War have been too ill, and for too long already. Effective treatments for the underlying illness have yet to be found or implemented.

Change is needed -- desperately.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Eastern Medicine Helps Chronic Pain for Gulf War Veteran, Others

Written by Anthony Hardie, 91outcomes

(91outcomes.blogspot.com) -- A Seattle Post-Intelligencer article today describes the Seattle VA's efforts to incorporate Eastern medicine treatments in the management of chronic widespread pain, a common unexplained symptom among veterans of the 1991 Gulf War left ill by their military service.

Veterans of the current Iraq and Afghanistan Wars with pain, PTSD, and anxiety are also helped by the treatment, which incorporate Buddhist meditation, deep breathing exercises, and a technique called "mindfulness."

While the treatments don't eliminate the source of pain or anxiety, they help to lessen the effects and have been shown to improve the quality of life in those who use them regularly.

Urban Dharma has published a free eBook on Mindfulness that provides a step-by-step guide to Insight meditation, practiced in Asia for centuries.

Until there are effective treatments to eliminate the source of chronic widespread pain in ill Gulf War veterans, experiments with Eastern medicine are showing promise in making it a little easier to live with the lasting effects of the 1991 Gulf War's toxic soup.