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Fibromyalgia Newsletter # 4/1 Friday, 12/21/2001
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This week's News Summary
1) Research: Predicting chronic fatigue syndrome and mood disorders after
infection
2) Article : Insomnia
3) Article : Study Rebuts Belief That Support Groups Can Extend Life
4) Article : Dr. Teitelbaum Q & A's
5) Article : Pain, the Disease
6) Research: Magnet Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis
7) Article : Magnetic Mattress Pads for Fibromyalgia
8) Article : Mystery Malaise
9) Research: Biomedical Journals Ponder the Failures and Remedies of Peer Review
10) Research: 3 Antidepressants Equally Effective
11) Research: Prayer Is Good Medicine
12) Article : Safety Fears Over Herbal Remedy
13) Article : J. Teitelbaum - questions & answers (1)
14) Article : Diminishing Fibromyalgia Symptoms with Guaifenesin
15) Article : Coping Through the Holidays
16) Research: Call for Participants: FM Study
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Full Stories Are Available Via Web Links
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1)
Subject: Predicting chronic fatigue syndrome and mood disorders after infection
Source : Health and Age Author : Susan Aldridge, PhD URL :
http://www.healthandage.com
Researchers in London have pinpointed some risk factors for both chronic fatigue
and mood disorders following infection.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is still something of a mystery, but some of
those affected trace it to feeling 'run down' after flu or another infectious
illness. Researchers at hospitals in London have now studied
250 patients with glandular fever or ordinary upper respiratory infections like
flu to find which patients were more likely to develop CFS and why. They also
looked at which patients went on to develop mood disorders, like depression.
People who had glandular fever, as diagnosed by a positive blood test, were
twice as likely to get CFS as those whose blood test was negative.
They also found that CFS was more likely to develop in patients with low
physical fitness two months after their illness. Swelling of the lymph nodes in
the neck and initial bed-rest were also associated with CFS. By contrast, mood
disorders were predicted by a previous psychiatric history, an emotional
personality, and social adversity. Further study is needed to work out the link
between CFS and infection - but this work suggests that it's worthwhile paying
attention to physical fitness after an illness like glandular fever.
Source Lancet December 8, 2001
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2)
Subject: Insomnia Source : co-cure.org/lef.org Author : Jan van Roijen URL :
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html
The relation between cigarette smoking and sleep disturbance.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#13
Narcolepsy and cataplexy. Clinical features, treatment and cerebrospinal fluid
findings.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#14
Daily melatonin intake resets circadian rhythms of a sighted man with
non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome who lacks the nocturnal melatonin rise
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#1
A sighted man with non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome shows damped plasma melatonin
rhythm
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#2
Case study: The use of melatonin in a boy with refractory bipolar disorder
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#3
Rapid reversal of tolerance to benzodiazepine hypnotics by treatment with oral
melatonin: A case report
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#4
Improvement of sleep quality by controlled-release melatonin in
benzodiazepine-treated elderly insomniacs
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#5
Melatonin - a chronobiotic and soporific hormone
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#6
Circadian rhythms of early morning awakening insomniacs
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#7
Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of melatonin in vitro
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#8
Nocturnal melatonin secretion and sleep after doxepin administration in chronic
primary insomnia
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#9
Melatonin: From the hormone to the drug?
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#10
Vitamin B12 affects non-photic entrainment of circadian locomotor activity
rhythms in mice
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#11
The effects of nicotinamide upon sleep in humans.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#12
Neurologic disorders responsive to folic acid therapy.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#15
Folate deficiency and neurological disorders in adults.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#16
Folates: supplemental forms and therapeutic applications.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#17
[Folate and the nervous system (author's transl)]. [Article in French]
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-063.html#18
All Contents Copyright (c) 1995-2000 By The Life Extension Foundation
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3)
Subject: Study Rebuts Belief That Support Groups Can Extend Life Source :
nytimes.com Author : Gina Kolata URL :
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/13/health/13CANC.html?ex=1009083600&en=5dec976b5f201f75&ei=5040&
<quote>
Contrary to popular opinion, support groups do not extend the lives of women
with advanced breast cancer, according to a large study being published today.
The study disputes a belief that has been stated so often it is almost
considered a truism ? that the mind influences the course of advanced cancer so
powerfully that patients can hold off death by getting emotional support in a
group.
The investigators began their study because they were concerned that many
patients felt obligated to join support groups, whether they wanted to or not,
to fight their cancer. Many were convinced of their benefit by a small and
inconclusive study published more than a decade ago indicating the groups could
substantially prolong patients' lives.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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4)
Subject: Dr. Teitelbaum Q & A's Source : co-cure.org Author : Dr. Teitelbaum URL
: http://www.co-cure.org/drt.htm
Dr. Teitelbaum has written a series of Questions and Answers about CFS and
Fibromyalgia. The first three installments can be read at.
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5)
Subject: Pain, the Disease Source : nytimes.com Author : Melanie Thernstrom URL
:
http://home.flash.net/~brucepa/index.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/16/magazine/16PAIN.html?ex=1009256400&en=8e6dc95e5e2c9e20&ei=5040&
<quote>
A modern chronicler of hell might look to the lives of chronic-pain patients for
inspiration. Theirs is a special suffering, a separate chamber, the dimensions
of which materialize at the New England Medical Center pain clinic in downtown
Boston. Inside the cement tower, all sights and sounds of the neighborhood --
the swans in the Public Garden, the lanterns of Chinatown -- disappear,
collapsing into a small examining room in which there are only three things: the
doctor, the patient and pain. Of these, as the endless daily parade of
desperation and diagnoses makes evident, it is pain whose presence predominates.
''Yes, yes,'' sighs Dr. Daniel Carr, who is the clinic's medical director.
''Some of my patients are on the border of human life. Chronic pain is like
water damage to a house -- if it goes on long enough, the house collapses. By
the time most patients make their way to a pain clinic, it's very late.'' What
the majority of doctors see in a chronic-pain patient is an overwhelming,
off-putting ruin: a ruined body and a ruined life. It is Carr's job to rescue
the crushed person within, to locate the original source of pain -- the leak,
the structural instability -- and begin to rebuild: psychically,
psychologically, socially.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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6)
Subject: Magnet Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis Source : Natural Pharmacist
Author : Steven Bratman, M.D.
URL :
http://www.tnp.com/news/article/410/
<quote>
Magnet Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis By Steven Bratman, M.D.
Products containing magnets have become more and more popular, chiefly for the
treatment of pain. As yet there is no solid scientific evidence to support the
use of magnets for any medical condition. However, the rate of scientific
inquiry into magnet therapy has increased in recent years, and new (although
still preliminary) studies are coming out every few months.
One promising double-blind placebo-controlled trial evaluated magnet therapy for
the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.1 Researchers enrolled
64 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis of the knee, and compared the effects
of two different types of magnets. Participants in group 1 were treated with
strong magnetic devices of the "alternating polarity" type.
This term indicates that the magnets are placed in opposite directions, some
with the "south pole" down, others with the "north pole" down.
Participants in group 2 (the placebo group) were given identical-looking devices
containing only one magnet, which was blocked by a steel plate.
Researchers used devices containing a weak magnet for the placebo group instead
of using no magnet at all, because they were concerned that participants could
otherwise easily discover whether they were in the real or fake treatment group
(e.g., by putting a piece of metal next to the magnetic device). Such a
discovery would "break the blind" and invalidate the study results. They
believed that the weakened magnet should have little to no therapeutic effect
but still resemble the more powerful magnets, and therefore act as a suitable
placebo.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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7)
Subject: Magnetic Mattress Pads for Fibromyalgia Source : Natural Pharmacist
Author : Steven Bratman, M.D.
URL :
http://www.tnp.com/news/article/411/
<quote>
Fibromyalgia is a common chronic condition whose main symptoms are specific
tender points on various parts of the body, widespread musculoskeletal
discomfort, morning stiffness, fatigue, and disturbed sleep. The cause of the
condition is unknown, but it occurs most often in women aged 30 to 50. Other
symptoms commonly believed to be associated with fibromyalgia include irritable
bowel syndrome, urinary frequency, anxiety, headache, and numbness or tingling.
There are no well-established alternative or conventional treatments for
fibromyalgia, although there are some promising options, such as exercise,
antidepressants, SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine), and 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan).
Magnetic mattress pads have also been tried for fibromyalgia. A 6-month
double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 119 individuals with fibromyalgia
evaluated the effectiveness of two commercially available magnetic mattress
pads.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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8)
Subject: Mystery Malaise Source : NY Daily News Author : Susan Ferraro URL :
http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-12-18/New_York_Now/Health/a-135494.asp
New treatments show promise, but CFS continues to stump investigators
<quote>
In her early 30s, Pat S. a soft-spoken, cheerful woman who put an acting career
on hold to work in her husband's Manhattan business and rear two children found
herself wrestling with inexplicable aches and growing exhaustion. Then it got
worse. For 30 years.
Pat eventually found out she was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS),
a disease that often eludes diagnosis, is extraordinarily hard to treat and
afflicts as many as 800,000 Americans (or possibly several million, advocates
say).
But now, after decades of confusing studies and frantic patients, a CFS
treatment approach developed by a private researcher, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, is
encouraging both patients and doctors who are adopting his strategies.
"I had no hope at all and now there [are] so many avenues to follow,"
exults Pat, who read Teitelbaum's book, "From Fatigue to Fantastic"
(Avery/Penguin, $13.95) and consulted him in Annapolis last July.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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9)
Subject: Biomedical Journals Ponder the Failures and Remedies of Peer Review
Source : Jama Author : J. Stephenson URL :
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v286n23/ffull/jmn1219-2.html
<quote> Richard Horton, MD, editor of The Lancet, reported evidence that a
"hidden research paper" often may lurk beneath the surface of a published
report. In other words, journal articles may not be an accurate reflection of
the opinions of all of the contributors about such key elements as the study's
weaknesses and its implications omissions that may result in a biased view of
the work being presented to the medical community.
In the study, authors of several articles (which had a range of two to
11 authors) published in The Lancet in 2000 were asked questions about their
study, including the work's key findings and implications, as well as weaknesses
and an interpretation of the findings "within the totality of evidence." When
Horton analyzed the responses of the contributors of five of these articles, he
discovered that they frequently disagreed about key findings, weaknesses,
implications, and future research.
"There's a hidden diversity of opinion among contributors regarding research
findings," said Horton. "But the published paper rarely includes this range of
opinion." Most worrying, he said, was the finding that weaknesses in the
research acknowledged by co-contributors are frequently absent from the
published article.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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10)
Subject: 3 Antidepressants Equally Effective Source : WebMD Medical News Author
: Jeanie Davis URL :
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1663.51491
<quote>
But Newer Drugs May Eliminate Need for Switching
Dec. 18, 2001 -- Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac -- they're among the leading drugs
prescribed for depression. Yet many patients start on one antidepressant, then
must switch to another before they find the one that works. Doctors thus far
have been uncertain which of these drugs to prescribe first and which works the
best for each individual patient.
A large nationwide study compares the effectiveness of all three drugs, which
are in a class of drugs called selective serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs). These drugs all act in the same way --
increasing the levels of the important brain chemical serotonin. Low levels of
this chemical are associated with depression.
The results of the study, called A Randomized Trial Investigating SSRI Treatment
(ARTIST), appear in this week's issue of The Journal of the American Medical
Association.
Turns out, all three of the drugs are equally effective in treating depression.
(....)
Read the full articles on the website.
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11)
Subject: Prayer Is Good Medicine Source : yogajournal.com Author : Larry
Sokoloff URL :
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/113_1.cfm
Prayer Is Good Medicine
Two researchers find merit to the idea that spiritual influences can have a
beneficial, physiologically measurable impact.
<quote>
Inspired by a visit to a hospital in India run by Sri Sathya Sai Baba and his
followers, two Duke University researchers are investigating the effects prayer
and other nonmedical practices can have on a patient's recovery after
angioplasty.
Cardiologist Mitchell W. Krucoff and nurse practitioner Suzanne Crater were
amazed by the upbeat reaction of patients and staff at the Institute for Higher
Medical Sciences in Putta Parthi following the daily visits of Sai Baba, whose
followers worship him as an avatar, an incarnation of divinity.
In contrast to the lethargy and depression common in many hospitals, the
euphoric atmosphere at the Institute was overwhelming, Krucoff says.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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12)
Subject: Safety Fears Over Herbal Remedy Source : bbcnews.com Author :
URL :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1718000/1718164.stm
<quote>
Kava-kava is available in many health food stores
A popular herbal remedy could be removed from shelves across the UK following
fears over its safety.
The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) has written to associations representing
herbal practitioners asking them if they will agree to stop selling and
supplying Kava-kava temporarily.
It follows the withdrawal of the product in Germany and reports that it has been
linked with six cases of liver failure and one death on mainland Europe.
Kava-kava is used extensively as a treatment for anxiety and ailments affecting
the bladder and digestive tracts.
The MCA is currently considering whether the product should be banned in the UK
but has asked all those who may sell or supply Kava-kava to agree to a temporary
withdrawal while it considers its position.
According to the MCA, several UK companies have agreed to voluntarily suspend
marketing of the product as a precautionary measure.
(....)
Read the full article on the website.
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13)
Subject: J. Teitelbaum - questions & answers (1) Source : co-cure.org Author :
Jacob Teitelbaum, MD URL :
http://www.co-cure.org/drt1.htm
Update #1 from Jacob Teitelbaum, MD
CFS/Fibromyalgia**********************
Their Causes and How To Treat Them Effectively!
The following is the first of a series of questions and answers that will
discuss chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS). They will review
what these illnesses are, what causes them, what they feel like, testing, and
how to get well. By the end of the series, despite the answers being kept fairly
simple and straightforward, you'll be one of the world's experts on
understanding CFS/FMS -- and how to make it go away!
Q -- What are chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia?
A -- A syndrome is a group of symptoms that commonly occur together and
characterize a specific disease process. In CFS/fibromyalgia, these symptoms
include fatigue; diffuse achiness (if fibromyalgia is present), poor sleep,
brain fog, increased thirst, weight gain, bowel disorders, poor libido, and
frequent infections. These are but a few of the more common symptoms! There are
many more, and these will be discussed in an upcoming question. One does not
need to have all of the above symptoms to have CFS/fibromyalgia. Even three or
four of these, in the absence of another known cause, are adequate.
Q -- How can multiple different triggers cause the same syndrome?
A -- If there are number of problems that can cause a malfunction in the same
part of the body, these can all cause similar syndromes. This is a case in
CFS/fibromyalgia. As I'll discuss later, there are many things that can trigger
this process. Once the process is set in motion however, it becomes
self-sustaining. In CFS/fibromyalgia, the problems trigger a cascade effect
where, like a stack of dominoes that gets pushed over, one problems triggers the
next, which triggers the next and so on. To get well, one needs to see which
systems have been affected in any given individual, and look to see if the
initial trigger is still active. Then these all need to be treated
simultaneously. To date, we have found over 50 common problems that cause the
persistence of these syndromes. The average person with CFS/FMS has five to
seven of these processes. The good news is that almost all these processes can
be effectively treated. To get well, however, it is (as I noted above) important
to treat them all simultaneously. Determining which ones are active in any given
individual however, is a complex process. In my office, it takes an average of
four to seven hours of my undivided time and attention and an extensive series
of lab tests for a new patient visit -- and that's despite my having effectively
treated over 2000 patients with these syndromes!
Despite the many triggers that can cause these syndromes, most patients seem to
have dysfunction or suppression of a master gland in the brain called the
hypothalamus. This gland controls sleep, your hormonal system, temperature
regulation, and the autonomic nervous system (e.g.
-- blood pressure, blood flow, and movement of food through your bowel).
This is why you can't sleep, you have low temperature, you gain weight, and
(because poor sleep causes immune dysfunction) you are prone to multiple and
recurrent infections. The hypothalamic dysfunction by itself can therefore,
cause most of the symptoms we listed above! I suspect that problems with the
"energy furnaces" in your cells (called the mitochondria) often cause the
hypothalamic suppression.
The questions and answers that will follow will give you a clearer understanding
of what is causing your illness and how to make it go away.
Best Wishes, Jacob Teitelbaum, MD
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14)
Subject: Diminishing Fibromyalgia Symptoms with Guaifenesin Source :
immunesupport.com Author : Devin Starlanyl URL :
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=3233
Devin Starlanyl on Diminishing Fibromyalgia Symptoms with Guaifenesin Devin
Starlanyl is one of the world's most respected researchers for fibromyalgia. She
claims that with guaifenesin therapy, many fibromyalgia patients (including
herself) have been able to get rid of many or all of their symptoms - or at
least ease them considerably. This article is an excerpt from ?Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Myofascial Pain: A Survival Manual.?
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15)
Subject: Coping Through the Holidays Source : immunesupport.com Author : Eunice
Beck, RN URL :
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=3232
Coping Through the Holidays: Tips for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Patients
Coping Corner columnist Eunice Beck, RN, reflects on the challenges of holidays
past, and provides some great tips to make your holiday present a gift to
yourself.
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=3232
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16)
Subject: Call for Participants: FM Study Source :
http://immunesupport.com Author :
URL :
Call for Participants: FM Study at the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Division of Orofacial Pain and
TMD, is conducting a study to determine the efficacy of the hormone relaxin for
the treatment of fibromyalgia. Women with fibromyalgia between the ages of 18-65
are being recruited to participate in a randomized, 12-week clinical trial of
relaxin in reducing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The study will be conducted by
Dr. Francisco Alencar and will involve a screening evaluation and four visits.
Qualified participants will be compensated.
For screening, please call Patt Carlson at (612) 625-6976.
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Page Updated:
August 03, 2004
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