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I Hurt All Over... How to Ease Away the Pain of Fibromyalgia!
At one moment, a life of activity consumed with enjoyable activities like biking, golfing, going to the movies, out to dinner. Then one day, it's gone. Replaced with constant pain and fatigue. Here's the lowdown on fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is one of the most common forms of arthritis seen in a rheumatology practice. It is actually a soft tissue form of rheumatism. Typically, a patient will complain of feeling achy all over, being chronically tired, and feeling like they're walking around in a constant fog. Often a patient will complain of short term memory problems. The American College of Rheumatology has set criteria by which fibromyalgia symptoms can be classified. These consist of a history of widespread pain for three or more months and pain in 11 of 18 tender point sites when 4 kilograms (about 9 pounds) of pressure is applied. When accompanied by a history of chronic fatigue and non-restorative sleep (waking up and feeling as if you haven't slept), there is a strong suspicion that fibromyalgia is to blame. People affected by fibromyalgia experience two unique responses to stimuli. They perceive normal stimuli as being painful and they perceive painful stimuli as being more painful than it should be. These abnormal responses are thought to be due to an abnormality involving pain-processing pathways within the central nervous system. History and physical examination is the first step in evaluation. Unfortunately, there are no specific laboratory tests that confirm the diagnosis. However, the tests can be helpful in excluding other conditions that can mimic fibromyalgia such as hypothyroidism, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment consists of a combination of four approaches. The first is patient education. Talking with the patient about the diagnosis and presenting what he options are. The second is institute medications. These may include one or more of the following: ? Analgesics which help to control pain. An example would be a drug such as tramadol The third therapy is non-impact aerobic exercise which helps to increase endorphin production in the brain and helps to recondition muscles. Finally, the fourth is cognitive behavioral therapy which helps with goal-setting, coping and other measures which reduce the sense of victimization that people with fibromyalgia often have. Fibromyalgia can be treated effectively. It is important that a patient seek out a qualified and empathetic rheumatologist to help them. Dr. Wei (pronounced "way") is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the nationally respected Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has served as a consultant to the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. For more information on arthritis and related conditions, go to: http://www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com
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Alternative Medicine Redux Lawyer Discusses Fen-Phen Fad In the early nineties, Redux was the original miracle diet pill. A predecessor to fenphen, Redux was just the "fen", fenfluramine in the form dexfenfluramine. The drug increased the production of seratonin, which gave the brain feelings of satiety, or fullness. Overweight people felt a great responsibility lifted from their shoulders. In Redux, the drug industry promised a thin, healthy body without painful exercise or unpleasant diet restrictions! Within three months, doctors were writing 85,000 prescriptions for Redux every week. Medical Tests: What Does a Normal Range Mean? We have a marvelous array of medical tests available to us. Many of them-typically blood-tests-even come with results expressed in numbers signifying the exact quantity of something that was measured. On laboratory reports these measured quantities are often accompanied by a "normal range" for what the laboratory apparently thinks the value should have been, showing a lower number and a higher number. So if you had a laboratory test, what does it mean when your measurement falls inside or outside this range? First Responder Human Hibernation Units In the next few years paramedics, first responders and military medics will have instant hibernation devices. These devices will come in small canisters of the gas to slow the body down after replacing lost blood and/or stopping bleeding. The replacement blood will be synthetic and coagulate faster to seal the wounds and once this happens the victim of the injury will be given hibernation gas. This gas will put the person in temporary suspended animation. When multiple victims are around each person will be administered the hibernation gas as the available first responders work thru the victims in order of most injured and serious first. When Your John Doe Is Homeless The patient, known only as John Doe, was difficult to see under the hodgepodge of tubing, the quiet clicking of the ventilator the room's only sound. Strong Pain Relief - Powerful & Effective Natural Pain Management Alternative The recent removal of several high profile and popular prescription pain medications of the same pharmaceutical family, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, from the buyer's market has left many people searching for a safer alternative for powerful, fast and effective pain relief. The most recent removal was Pfizer's pulling of Bextra, citing serious skin reactions, sometimes fatal, and two others, Vioxx and Celebrex have been linked to heart related risks. The dangerous side effects of this particular family of medications is definitely cause for alarm, and has many seeking alternatives that will manage their pain effectively, without the serious risks of several pharmaceutical pain killers. Three Antioxidants (ginko biloba, grade seed extract, and selenium) for Alzheimers Treatment Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease Generating Pharmaceutical Sales before Marketing Authorization When a patient has a serious illness and there is no approved drug available, the physician may want to try one which has not been authorized for marketing by national health authorities but has shown promise in clinical trials. European Named Patient Programs, like US compassionate use programs, offer physicians access to pharmaceuticals which have not yet been licensed. However, there is one important difference: in Europe an unlicensed drug can be reimbursed. This presents drug-makers with an opportunity to generate revenues while development is still in-progress. Ephedra Product Ban Ephedra is a naturally occuring herbal dietary supplement that has been marketed as a weight loss drug. The principal active ingredient is an amphetamine-like compound. Because it has been marketed as an herbal supplement and not a drug, you may not have considered talking to your doctor about it, but if you have been using Ephedra or any dietary supplement containing ephedrine alkaloids, such as ephedra, ma huang, Sida cordifolia, and pinellia, stop immediately and consult a doctor! The FDA has advised consumers to stop using these dietary supplements and published a final ruling in 2004 to ban the sale of all supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids. Medical Collections Although you make a patient feel better, there isn't usually anything tangible to be a reminder of your service. When it comes time for the patient to pay their bills, yours is often at the bottom of the pile. You are competing with other credit grantors that supplied a tangible product, or something they really enjoy like cable or their cell phone and therefore your medical collections problem is more difficult. Lunesta Dependence Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of insomnia symptoms. Although Lunesta is a quality medicine that has already helped many people cure their insomnia symptoms and get a better night's sleep, there is something you should know before your buy Lunesta. Warning! Flu Shots Can Be Dangerous To Your Health Every year about this time doctors around the world are recommending that people go in and get their annual flu shot. What most people don't know or understand is just how dangerous this could be, especially for children under the age of 12. When people call and say "My doctor is telling the family to go in and get a flu shot. Should I do it?"?I tell them they should learn about the side effects and decide for themselves?as a chiropractor and naturopathic physician I don't' have the time or energy to argue with family practitioners or family doctors who are obviously uneducated on the possible side effects or detrimental effects flu shots or vaccinations in general can have on the body. Modern Medicine Has Extended Life - BUT 9 Out of 10 People Say Its a Miserable Extension! Sit down in a quiet place alone and take a minute to notice how you really feel inside and out? Would you consider yourself in good health or living a slow death you call life? As you sit quietly observing yourself, pay attention to the signs and symptoms of your body. Notice the things you've been ignoring such as a low-grade headache that rarely ceases, aching joints, slightly blurred vision, a bulging stomach, sagging chin, no zest for life or maybe a definite feeling of being bone tired and constantly in pain somewhere. Buy Electric Wheelchairs Online Electric wheelchairs mobility for virtually any type of disability. Watch Out for Misleading Pharmaceutical Advertising In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration relaxed the rules for drug advertising on television and radio. Since that time, the airwaves have been flooded with commercials for all sorts of drugs. Some of them are vague, with a simple "Ask your doctor if drug x is right for you"; others spell out what the drug is used for and devote the commercial to telling you how much you will appreciate your product. Most consumers will probably assume that these commercials are honest, that the drugs will do what the ads say they will do, and that there are no side effects other than those mentioned in the ad. That may not be true, and consumers should be aware that the ads may not tell the whole story, and that they may be misleading.The pharmaceutical industry spends $9 billion per year advertising their products, and the money they spend on television and radio ads is probably the most effective. Doctors may be skeptical of a product touted by a salesman, but consumers are easily swayed by television ads that show people living happy, productive lives while being treated for an ailment using the advertised product. Unfortunately, these ads may not be completely honest. In 2004, the FDA investigated thirty-six ads for drugs that the agency found to be misleading or incomplete in their descriptions of side effects. Consumers might think that the commercials must be honest, since the FDA wouldn't allow dishonest commercials to air. Unfortunately, that's not the case. The FDA does not require pharmaceutical companies to provide screening copies of their advertisements prior to airing. The FDA doesn't actually see the ads until the consumers do. Several months may pass before the FDA takes action. In the case of misleading advertising, the most the FDA can usually do is ask the companies to either stop running the ads or to change them. These requests aren't always timely, however. In the last five years, the FDA has asked the drug companies to stop running several ads that had already stopped running!What this means for consumers is that some doubt should be exercised while viewing a commercial for a new drug. If you think an advertised product may be useful to you, discuss it with your physician, but ask if they know of any problems associated with the product. Research the product on the Internet. When your health is at stake, a little caution may be a good idea. Tomorrow Well Have Rabbit Feet; Cloning I am not sure where I'm at with this subject of cloning, it sounds a bit cheesy to me; you know the old saying: something smells in Denmark. It kind of reads like this in my mind, confused mind, or maybe not so confused, maybe the world is wrong and I am right, any how it goes like this: let's kill an infant, why not, we do a million of them abortions a year that way, anyhow; now that we've legalized this, let's use some of it for fish bate. "No, no?no!" says the laboratory man (or woman), "?you've got it all wrong!" I knew that was coming. They always say that, and ten years down the road they modify. I mean, today it's absolutely right, tomorrow they say: "Well, we just did not know back then?!" In reality, we knew a million or so people knew because most likely, they were screaming it, but others were screaming louder, and no one heard. Are You Sometimes Confused by Written Medical Instructions? Now, imagine what it would be like if you were sick, scared and had only third grade reading skills. Your doctor tells you, "You've got to follow these instructions exactly, or you could die." Implant Dentistry The Convenient and Safe Alternative to Dentures If you are missing a tooth or a group of teeth, you may find that you are afraid to smile, you don't like to speak because you think you sound funny, or you may not be able to eat certain foods that you enjoy. Until recently, your only option was to replace these missing teeth with dentures. Patients often complained that dentures were uncomfortable and inconvenient. How To Medically Treat Nail Fungus Warning: This article is for information only and can not be used to supplement your doctor's advice. You should contact your doctor for nail fungus treatment. Family Notification in Seven Quick and Easy Steps The Seven Steps to Successful Notification is an easy-to-use system based on time-tested tools successfully used by hospitals nationwide. It provides your hospital staff with all of the steps necessary to: Top Ten Things You Should Know About Contact Lenses 1. Soft lenses are perceived by most patients and practitioners alike to be more immediately comfortable while adequately correcting vision. They come in all formats - even toric and bifocal. Disposable soft lenses take minimal but important care to maintain their safety and usefulness.
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