 |
|
Fibromyalgia increases pain and fatigue for pregnant women
July 06, 2006Pregnant women with fibromyalgia (FM) experience significant pain, fatigue and psychological stress, symptoms that are often misdiagnosed or undertreated as a normal part of pregnancy, according to a pilot study by Karen M. Schaefer, D.N.Sc., R.N., assistant professor of nursing at Temple University's College of Health Professions. Her research, the first to look at the impact of pregnancy on women with FM, was recently presented at the 2006 Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses' convention in Baltimore.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition commonly found in women that causes pain in the muscles and soft tissues of the body. Many sufferers feel weak from fatigue, and the condition, at its worst, can lead to disability.
"Until now, there was only anecdotal evidence suggesting that women with FM had a rougher time during pregnancy," said Schaefer. "This data is the first step toward gathering hard evidence of FM effects on this group and will hopefully help us identify ways to reduce the impact of fibromyalgia during pregnancy."
For this study, Schaefer recruited pregnant women with and without FM through an Internet announcement on a fibromyalgia Web site. Study subjects were between the ages of 29 and 31, in their third trimester, with no history of stillbirth and free of chronic illnesses other than FM.
The women were then mailed a questionnaire about fatigue, depression, pain and ability to function. A demographic form was also used to assess the number of painful areas in the body as well as age, marital status, education, hours slept and use of medication.
Schaefer's results revealed that the pregnant women with fibromyalgia had a hard time functioning, felt more stiff and tired, and experienced pain in more body areas than women without FM.
"Most women with FM have trouble getting this condition properly diagnosed, let alone knowing where to turn for help once their condition is identified. We need to start looking at how FM affects all areas of these women's lives and come up with ways to provide as much comfort and support as possible," she said.
Schaefer, whose research focuses on women with chronic illness (fibromyalgia, lupus, ovarian cancer) is currently expanding her study to include a larger group of subjects.
Temple University
For this study, Schaefer recruited pregnant women with and without FM through an Internet announcement on a fibromyalgia Web site. Study subjects were between the ages of 29 and 31, in their third trimester, with no history of stillbirth and free of chronic illnesses other than FM.
The women were then mailed a questionnaire about fatigue, depression, pain and ability to function. A demographic form was also used to assess the number of painful areas in the body as well as age, marital status, education, hours slept and use of medication.
Schaefer's results revealed that the pregnant women with fibromyalgia had a hard time functioning, felt more stiff and tired, and experienced pain in more body areas than women without FM.
"Most women with FM have trouble getting this condition properly diagnosed, let alone knowing where to turn for help once their condition is identified. We need to start looking at how FM affects all areas of these women's lives and come up with ways to provide as much comfort and support as possible," she said.
Schaefer, whose research focuses on women with chronic illness (fibromyalgia, lupus, ovarian cancer) is currently expanding her study to include a larger group of subjects.
Temple University
Fibromyalgia Current Events and Fibromyalgia News RSSCognitive dysfunction reversed in mouse model of Down syndrome
A study by neuroscientist William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues at Stanford University Medical School has demonstrated a possible new approach to slowing the inevitable progression of cognitive decline found in Down's syndrome.
Chinese acupuncture affects brain's ability to regulate pain, UM study shows
Acupuncture has been used in East-Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat pain, possibly by activating the body's natural painkillers. But how it works at the cellular level is largely unknown.
Is cherry juice a new 'sports drink?'
Drinking cherry juice could help ease the pain for people who run, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Seattle, Wash.
Inexpensive drug appears to relieve fibromyalgia pain in Stanford pilot study
For Tara Campbell, the onset of her fibromyalgia began slowly with repeated sore throats, fevers and fatigue. By the time she was diagnosed, a year later, she had become so debilitated by flulike symptoms and exhaustion that she often couldn't get off the couch all day.
Mayo Clinic study suggests those who have chronic pain may need to assess vitamin D status
Mayo Clinic research shows a correlation between inadequate vitamin D levels and the amount of narcotic medication taken by patients who have chronic pain.
New guidelines for prescribing opioid pain drugs published
A prestigious panel of pain-management experts representing the American Pain Society (APS) www.ampainsoc.org and the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) has published the first comprehensive clinical practice guideline to assist clinicians in prescribing potent opioid pain medications for patients with chronic non-cancer pain.
New guideline for prescribing opioid pain drugs published
A national panel of pain management experts representing the American Pain Society (APS) and the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) has published the first comprehensive, evidence-based clinical practice guideline to assist clinicians in prescribing potent opioid pain medications for patients with chronic non-cancer pain.
Fibromyalgia can no longer be called the 'invisible' syndrome
Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in France were able to detect functional abnormalities in certain regions in the brains of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, reinforcing the idea that symptoms of the disorder are related to a dysfunction in those parts of the brain where pain is processed.
Sinusitis patients have pain similar to the elderly and people with arthritis
A new analysis led by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center suggests many patients with sinusitis have aches and pains similar in severity to people in their 80s and those with arthritis or depression.
What a Sleep Study Can Reveal About Fibromyalgia
Research engineers and sleep medicine specialists from two Michigan universities have joined technical and clinical hands to put innovative quantitative analysis, signal-processing technology and computer algorithms to work in the sleep lab.
More Fibromyalgia Current Events and Fibromyalgia News Articles
 |
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia: The Revolutionary Treatment That Can Reverse the Disease by R. Paul St. Amand (Author), Claudia Craig Marek (Author) - "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia (Warner, 1999), also by Dr. St. Amand and Claudia Craig Marek, has netted over 120,000 copies and has a monthly reorder rate of 3,000 copies. This book will serve as a companion to the hundreds of thousands of readers currently following the protocol outlined in that book.- Other titles on this subject frequently appear on Ingram's "A-list" for health books, including "Fibromyalgia (Walker & Co., 1996), which has over 350,000 copies in print, and "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome (New Harbinger Publications, 1996), which has over one million copies in print.- Dr. St. Amand discovered guaifenesin's use as a treatment for fibromyalgia, and his work is often cited. he is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine and... |
 |
Food that Helps Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia: Ease Everyday Pain and Fight Fatigue by Deirdre Rawlings (Author) Easy recipes with wholesome foods bring fibromyalgia sufferers relief with food - an easy concept to grasp and embrace Six million in the United States have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a debilitating, languishing, and painful disease characterized by chronic muscular and joint pain, headaches, and mental and physical fatigue. Food that Help Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia will provide the tools and guidelines necessary to generate positive health, increase energy, and reduce symptoms. The book offers an overview of the disease and its symptoms and teaches readers how a carefully balanced diet specific in particular nutrients can substantially alleviate the illness. The carefully selected ingredients in the 100 healing recipes both relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia and infuse... |
 |
Fibromyalgia: The Complete Guide From Medical Experts and Patients by Sharon Ostalecki (Author) Fibromyalgia is a severe musculoskeletal pain and fatigue syndrome that afflicts approximately 3 to 6 million Americans. Fibromyalgia: The Complete Guide from Medical Experts and Patients is a compilation of a diverse group of health care practitioners and a comprehensive guide for patients and families. The book provides authoritative, practical advice and answers to common questions about this condition to help patients and families achieve a greater understanding of all aspects of dealing with fibromyalgia. Physicians incorporate newest research on fibromyalgia. This resource offers material never presented in any other fibromyalgia book. |
 |
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain: A Survival Manual (2nd Edition) by Devin J. Starlanyl (Author), Mary Ellen Copeland (Author) The original edition of this classic survival manual offered the first comprehensive patient guide for managing these conditions. Its extensive set of healing tools included targeted bodywork for painful trigger points and strategies to helpccope with chronic pain and sleep problems and the numbing effects of fibrofog. More than 75 percent of the second edition is new or updated material, including coverage of promising new research on the causes of fibromyalgia, evaluation of new treatments, complete discussions of special issues for women and men, and the latest information on medication. An update of the first edition's popular provider index helps sufferers select those practitioners who will take their complaints seriously and offer knowledgeable treatment advice. |
 |
Fibromyalgia For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness)) by Roland Staud (Author), Christine Adamec (Author) The pain you suffer from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is not in your imagination. FMS is a real medical problem that can be as debilitating and demoralizing as it is mysterious. Fibromyalgia For Dummies, Second Edition, brings you the latest scientific findings on the symptoms and causes of this disease and guides you toward proven, practical steps you can take reduce or eliminate FMS-related pain. This plain-English guide is fully updated with the latest fibromyalgia treatment options, and evaluations of new medications that have shown great promise in reducing pain. You'll discover how to spot an array of symptoms and their possible causes, work with your physician to develop a treatment plan, and manage your pain at home and in the office. You'll learn how to: ... |
 |
Source Naturals Fibro-Response, Malic Acid & MSM, Tablets, 180 tablets by Source Naturals Dietary supplement. Bio align. Soothes muscles & joints. Source Naturals Fibro-Response is a comprehensive formula that soothes muscles and joints by supporting oxygen supply and energy production. Without adequate energy and oxygen, muscles become fatigued, achy, and painful. Fibro-Response also provides powerful antioxidants for healthy joints and connective tissue, and supports liver function and circulation. (These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease). |
 |
The First Year: Fibromyalgia: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Claudia Craig Marek (Author) Fibromyalgia affects between three and six million Americans—80 percent of whom are women—yet remains one of the most difficult conditions to identify and diagnose. In the tradition of the other titles in the First Year series, The First Year—Fibromyalgia uses a unique approach—guiding readers through their first seven days following diagnosis, then the next three weeks of their first month, and finally the next eleven months of their first year—to provide answers and advice that will help everyone newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia come to terms with their condition and the lifestyle changes that accompany it. Starting with the day of diagnosis, patient-expert Marek provides vital information about the nature of fibromyalgia, choosing the right doctors, treatment... |
 |
Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Fibromyalgia Starring: Dr. Brent A. Bauer Mayo Clinic, Rodney Yee, Dr. Jeffrey M. Thompson Mayo Clinic Directed By: Cathe Neukum TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH Mayo Clinic, one of the top medical centers in the country, and GAIAM, the health and wellness experts, team up to bring you this groundbreaking, integrated health action plan designed specifically to manage the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Changing the way you live can change the way you feel. PART 1: UNDERSTANDING YOUR CONDITION A 30-minute conversation with Mayo Clinic specialists. Dr. Brent Bauer introduces you to the integrative treatment approach, and Mayo Clinic doctors share everything you need to know about fibromyalgia and an array of conventional and alternative therapy options. PART 2: EAT WELL TO FEEL WELL Change your diet to feel better. Dr. Donald Hensrud, Chair, Preventive Medicine, Mayo Clinic, takes you grocery shopping and... |
 |
The Fibromyalgia Cookbook: More Than 120 Easy and Delicious Recipes by Shelley Ann Smith (Author), Alison Bested (Foreword), Alan C. Logan (Foreword) Roughly 6 to 8 million people in the United States alone are afflicted with fibromyalgia. A widespread muscular-skeletal syndrome, fibromyalgia touches people of all ages, male and female, as an unrelieved aching and burning pain, often accompanied by fatigue, that leaves its victims feeling exhausted. Fibromyalgia inflects terrible wounds that leave no scars, and it is very difficult to treat. While drugs and pain suppressants are available, healthy food alternatives, including herbs and other natural foods, also help in combating the pain and exhaustion associated with the syndrome. The Fibromyalgia Cookbook is designed to help those who suffer from this affliction to find relief from their discomfort. Focusing on natural foods and herbs, the authors emphasize pure foods with no... |
 |
Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Step-by-step Program Proven to Help You Get Well! (Cgronic Fatigue Syndrome) by Rodger H., Dr. Murphree (Author) I understand. For most of the world, it's a common little phrase. But for people who have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome (or both), it's amazingly powerful, not to mention rare. Because you have an illness that's hard to "prove," loved ones may secretly accuse you of hypochondria or laziness. You may be told "it's all in your head." Phusicians can be even worse. If they believe that conditions exist at all - and some don't - their first impulse is to mask the symptoms with prescription drugs. Patients often end up on a medical merry-go-round, seeing doctor after doctor after doctor. They end up more confused and disoriented than ever, often concluding, "Maybe I am crazy, after all." |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |