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Fibromyalgia Community Newsletter #18
Monday, April 29, 2002
Subscription update: 1500 members and 20 new members.
Welcome!
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Co-Cure announcement: Roadmap to Chronic Illness Learn the six defining
characteristics of serious illness in "Roadmap to Chronic Illness," this week's
feature article at the CFIDS/Fibromyalgia Self-Help website:
http://CFIDSselfhelp.org
AOL users: <a href="http://CFIDSselfhelp.org">Read it here</a>
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Featured link: New poll on FMS Community site What works best to ease your FMS
symptoms? Please participate in our new poll at http://www.fmscommunity.org.
AOL users: <a href="http://www.fmscommunity.org">Read it here</a>
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This week's news:
1) Announcement - Fibromyalgia workshop in Santa Monica, CA
2) Article - A New Approach to Fibromyalgia?
3) Abstract: Dry eyes and mouth syndrome - a subgroup of patients presenting
with sicca symptoms.
4) Opinion: Wealth Versus Health
5) Article - Weather Affects Stroke Risk
6) Abstract - Subjective Sleep Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Patients with
the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
7) Resource: Weight maintenance and wellness
8) Article - Anxiety Attacks - They're For Real!
9) Gastrointestinal Problems/Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Use Linked
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1) Announcement - Fibromyalgia workshop in Santa Monica, CA
Living with Fibromyalgia, the first of a series of Fibromyalgia workshops will
be presented on May 25, 2002 at Quest, the Center for Physical and Spiritual
Fitness located at 1455 19th Street, Santa Monica, from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Parking is free and located north of building on 19th Street.
Fee: Pre-registration $15 before May 20, 2002 $20 at the door. Includes
materials.
Send checks to: IMM, 6435 Green Valley Suite 110, Culver City, CA 90230 Speaker:
Martha Singer is the publisher and managing editor of Westside Life Magazine.
She has lived with Lupus and Fibromyalgia since childhood. After her diagnosis
in 1984 she began educating herself and ended up as a support group leader,
lecturer, and facilitator for both the Lupus Foundation of America and the
Arthritis Foundation. She is proof positive that you can have a full life with a
chronic disease. She will be revealing how she got to where she is today. (She
was just awarded by the Century City Chamber as one of their bi-yearly "Women of
Achievement"). Her cognitive behavior workshop (materials included) will show
you how you can change your perspective to help yourself deal and heal with this
painful and debilitating syndrome.
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2) Article - A New Approach to Fibromyalgia?
Robert W. Griffith, M.D, responds to a Canadian study published in Arthritis
Care & Research that provides some conclusive results on the subject of exercise
for reducing tender-point pain, and the more controversial subject of its effect
on poor mood and anxiety among fibromyalgia patients.
Read it here:
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?id=3518&prod=n0110&em=042402
AOL users: <a href="http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?id=3518&prod=n0110&em=042402">Read
it here</a>
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3) Abstract: Dry eyes and mouth syndrome - a subgroup of patients presenting
with sicca symptoms.
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2002 Apr;41(4):416-22 Price EJ, Venables PJ.
Department of Rheumatology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Okus Road, Swindon SN1
4JU and. Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division, Imperial College,
1 Aspenlea Road, London W6 8LH, UK.
PMID: 11961172
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the characteristics of patients presenting with symptoms
suggestive of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) but failing to satisfy diagnostic
criteria.
METHODS: Clinical, serological and histological data were collected on 34
patients presenting with dry eyes and/or mouth who did not satisfy the Vitali
criteria for the diagnosis of SS. They were compared with 136 patients with
primary SS, 38 patients with secondary SS, and 13 patients without SS.
Questionnaires on symptoms from each group were compared with 43 healthy
controls.
RESULTS: The 34 patients who did not satisfy the diagnostic criteria for SS or
any other connective tissue disease were designated dry eyes and mouth syndrome
(DEMS). Their demography including age was similar to that of a primary SS group
and there was no more atrophy seen on their biopsies compared with SS and non-SS
controls. They scored highly on visual analogue scales of symptoms but had few
objective signs. All were negative for anti-Ro and anti-La although the
prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (19%) was increased compared with a normal
population.
There was no excess of SS-associated tissue types.
CONCLUSION: There was no evidence that age, salivary gland atrophy or
subclinical SS accounted for the symptoms in DEMS. Most of the patients fitted
into a spectrum of disease which tended more towards fibromyalgia and/or chronic
fatigue syndrome.
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4) Opinion: Wealth Versus Health
By PAUL KRUGMAN New York Times April 19, 2002
The Bush administration really, really dislikes sharing information with
Congress. Dick Cheney refuses to release the records of his energy task force;
Tom Ridge won't testify on homeland security; and last week Thomas Scully defied
a subpoena from the Small Business Committee.
Who? What? If you are an American over 65, or are considering becoming one, you
should pay more attention.
Mr. Scully, you see, is the director of Medicare and Medicaid. The specific
issue on which he refused to testify
- payments to providers of portable X-ray machines - sounds arcane. But the real
story here is the collision between tax-cut myths and fiscal reality, with
Medicare caught in the middle.
Check it out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/19/opinion/19KRUG.html?ex=1020259181&ei=1&en=0b502f919c084c35
AOL users: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/19/opinion/19KRUG.html?ex=1020259181&ei=1&en=0b502f919c084c35">Read
it here</a>
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5) Article - Weather Affects Stroke Risk
Warmer Temperatures Cause Stroke Numbers to Drop By Jennifer Warner (WebMD.com)
April 17, 2002 -- Warmer weather may do your body good and lower the risk of
stroke, according to a new study. Researchers found the number of strokes tends
to fall in the warmer months, and certain weather conditions are linked to
different types of strokes.
The study was presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy
of Neurology.
Check it out:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/3053.1237
AOL users: <a href="http://my.webmd.com/content/article/3053.1237">Read it
here</a>
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6) Abstract - Subjective Sleep Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Patients with
the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Journal: J of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vol. 10(2) 2002, pp. 19-28 Authors: A.
W. Graffelman, MD; A. Knuistingh Neven, MD, PhD; L.
Nagelkerken, PhD; H. Petri, MD, PhD; M. P. Springer, MD, PhD Affiliations: A. W.
Graffelman, A. Knuistingh Neven, H. Petri, and M. P.
Springer are affiliated with the Department of General Practice and Nursing Home
Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
L. Nagelkerken is affiliated with the TNO-Prevention and Health Division of
Immunological and Infectious Diseases, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Address correspondence to: Mrs. A. W. Graffelman, MD, Department of General
Practice and Nursing Home Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O.
Box 2088, 2301 CB Leiden, The Netherlands (E-mail: mailto:A.W.Gra-@lumc.nl )
ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate subjective quality of sleep and depressive
symptoms of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Methods: Adult patients, who met the criteria for CFS, were recruited by general
practitioners in the Leiden area, The Netherlands. Age and sex-matched controls
were recruited. Questionnaires were handed out to 59 patients and 56 controls.
Results: CFS patients had a significant higher mean score than controls on the
Groningen Sleep Quality Score (GSQS) and the Zung-index, i.e., worse sleep and
depression scores. In the multivariate logistic regression model, the GSQS had
an OR of 1.35 per unit score (CI: 1.07-1.70), and the Zung-index had an OR of
1.21 per unit score (CI: 1.10-I .33).
Conclusions: In our study, CFS patients report more subjective sleep impairment
and depressive symptoms than controls but these factors appear to be
independent. The fact that only a minority of the CFS patients have depressive
symptoms suggests it is unlikely that depression is the cause of CFS.
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7) Resource: Weight maintenance and wellness
Maintaining a healthy weight is a major accomplishment that pays good dividends.
Excess body weight is a very common problem, affecting more then 50 percent of
American adults.
Excess body fat is linked to:
High cholesterol / blood fat levels High blood pressure Increased risk for heart
disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers A shorter life expectancy
It is estimated that excess weight is responsible for some 300,000 premature
deaths each year in the United States. The good news is that if you are
overweight, even a 10 to 15 lb. weight loss can significantly lower your risk
for these health problems, plus you will feel and look better.
Check it out: http://www.wellsource.com
AOL users: <a href="http://www.wellsource.com">Read it
here</a>
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8) Article - Anxiety Attacks - They're For Real!
By Larry W. Axmaker, EdD, PhD
You are not alone. Just about everybody feels anxiety and panic. Those feelings
usually result in some sort of action. You feel anxious about that driver's
test, so you study extra hard. You practice and practice that business
presentation and you feel less anxious when you actually have to face the group.
When you feel anxious or panicky with no apparent cause, you may be having a
panic or anxiety attack. It can feel like a heart attack, like you're
suffocating, or like you're losing your mind.
Check it out:
http://owcdemo.wellsource.com/dh/Content.asp?ID=142
AOL users: <a href="http://owcdemo.wellsource.com/dh/Content.asp?ID=142">Read
it here</a>
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9) Gastrointestinal Problems/Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Use Linked
Doctors must now view with caution earlier pooled estimates of the effects of
patient and drug variables on risk of serious upper gastrointestinal
complications from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.
Contrary to earlier indications, these complications and use of nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are linked, a massive analysis has found.
Check it out:
http://www.jrheum.com/abstracts/abstracts02/804.html
AOL users: <a href="http://www.jrheum.com/abstracts/abstracts02/804.html">Read
it here</a>
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