Hot Topics
Medication
Must Have" Books
How You Can Help
Home
Main
Archive Index
Next
Newsletter |
|
Main
Archive Index
Next
Newsletter
Editor of the Week: Mary McKennell
*FM has been interfering with my life the last few weeks. Thus, a delay
in getting this newsletter out.
__________________________________________________________________
Self-Help Course Sign-up
Registration for the Summer session of the CFIDS/Fibromyalgia Self-Help
Course ends June 9; the course begins June 16. The class is an 8-week
email discussion group that focuses on practical strategies for managing
common problems of CFIDS and fibromyalgia. In this solution-oriented
course, you exchange ideas with fellow patients to learn how to manage
symptoms, pace yourself, set realistic short-term goals, reduce stress,
manage emotions, improve relationships, and minimize relapses.
Visit our website to learn more and to register:
http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org
AOL: <a href="http://www.CFIDSselfhelp.org">
CFIDS Self-help </a>
What are the most important things to remember in coping with chronic
illness? Read some answers from fellow patients in this week's article
at the CFIDS/Fibromyalgia Self-Help program.
http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org
*******************************************************
EDITOR'S CORNER
I had an experience recently that caused me to stop and think about how
I approach my illness. Two facts to lay out first. I am 5 feet tall. I
gave up heels a long time ago for the sake of comfortable feet. My feet
are often hurting so I try to be as kind to them as possible.
I recently found a pair of boots that were comfortable and also had a
slight heel to them so I feel like a tall person when I am wearing them.
Shortly after I purchased these new shoes, I was talking with a friend
while sitting in my car. I suddenly remembered that I had these boots on
and wanted to show them to her to demonstrate how "tall" I was that day.
When we walk together we look like Mutt and Jeff (for those who are old
enough to remember who there are.) I got out of the car so she could see
them. She looked at them and said, "Those are very nice. But you have
them on the wrong feet." I told her she was crazy. I am 47 years old and
know how to put my shoes on by now. Just to prove that she was wrong I
stood there in the parking lot and changed them around. Lo and behold
she was right! I had them on the wrong feet. There was a reason that my
feet hurt and I was not just having a bad foot day. Suddenly my feet
felt a lot better.
I have reflected on that event a good deal and shared it in my support
groups. It is a good example of how we sometimes assume that we are
supposed to have pain, or that we are supposed to have this or that
symptom. There may be another reason for what is going on. So don't
always blame everything on FM, CFS or whatever else you have in your
private collection of maladies. Take a look at it from a different
perspective and see if there is a reason for what is going on. It may be
something that can be corrected and not just something to endure.
Go forth with your shoes on the correct feet and conquer!
TOPICS IN THIS EDITION:
1. Choose Good Health
2. Left Ventricular Function May Be At The Heart Of The Matter - In
Some Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
3. Genetic Link May Tie Together Pesticides, ADHD, Gulf War Syndrome
And Other Disorders
4. Same enemy, same desert -- same Gulf War Illness?
5. The Nature of Things: A Look At Pain
6. Fibromyalgia - An Interactive Tool
7. Fibromyalgia: The Muscle Pain Epidemic - Is it Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome by Another Name?
8. Drugs@FDA: A Catalog of FDA Approved Drug Products
9. Selecting a Fatigue Rating Scale
10. Requip significantly improves symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome
(RLS)
11. Functional Genomics: The Way Inside Our Brains?
12. Migraine Linked to Celiac Disease
13. Endorphin Gene Transfer Could Offer Local Analgesia
14. The Breath of Life: Craniosacral Therapy
15. Hormone therapy
16. Drink Tea to Stay Germ-Free
17. Central Nociceptive Hyperexcitability Important in Fibromyalgia
18 NEWSWEEK and Chronic Pain
19. National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003
20. Social Security Administration Is Considering Updates and Revisions
To Its
Rules For Evaluating Immune System Disorders
***********************************************************
Choose Good Health
Branda Polk
We make choices everyday. "What's for dinner?" "What will I wear?"
"Where will I go?" Some choices you make without even thinking about it.
Your habits are developed so you don't consider other options because
you have found a way that accomplishes your goal. Think about it. Do you
drive the same way to work every day? If so, you probably make your
turns without considering that there may be a different way to go. But,
even when you choose to turn left, the option to turn right was still
there. It just may not have accomplished your goal of getting to work in
a timely manner. You made the best choice. In every decision and
circumstance there are choices and options and every choice has a
consequence; some good and some bad.
Research on a wide range of health issues has proven that if we make
good lifestyle choices, we have the ability to limit our risk for
diseases including heart disease, many types of cancer, strokes,
diabetes and osteoporosis. Yet, many choose to ignore these
recommendations for what is comfortable and familiar and pay the price
with poor health.
Given the option of living a fulfilling, healthy life or facing serious
health problems and even death, here are a few choices we have that can
either help or harm your health.
1. Choose to move. Exercise has many benefits: stress reduction,
reducing blood pressure, weight control, and building strong muscles and
bones, to name a few. Beginning an exercise program, three to five days
a week for 30-40 minutes and maintaining an active lifestyle will
greatly decrease your risk for disease and increase your energy for
living.
2. Choose to eat more fruits and vegetables. Five servings or more a day
of a variety of fruits and vegetables are low in fat and calories and
provide disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. Choose from a wide
variety of colors, tastes and textures.
3. Choose to eat less fat and more fiber. Fat and fiber in your diet
both give you a full, satisfying feeling after eating. But, fat has a
lot of calories - 9 calories per gram - and fiber has little to no
calories. Excess fat clogs arteries. Fiber removes fat from the blood.
Fat increases your risk of disease. Fiber reduces your risk of disease.
Consider eating less of fat laden red meat and more high fiber pinto,
kidney or black beans. Reduce fat intake by limiting fried foods.
Increase fiber intake by eating fruit and vegetables.
4. Choose to be informed. Learn about your health from your physician, a
nutritionist, or an exercise specialist. What are your cholesterol,
blood sugar and body composition numbers? Learn health and nutrition
information from reputable books, magazines, and websites. Avoid fad
diets or quick-fix plans. These do not work for long-term health.
Try these sources of information for starters: The American Heart
Association at www.americanheart.org; The American Dietetic Website at
www.eatright.org; Health & Wellness at www.lifeway.com;
http://www.fitday.com/
Now you have some choices. Will you choose good health or continue with
what is familiar? Your future depends on your answer.
http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%253D153059%252
6M%253D50015%2C00.html
*******************************************************
Left Ventricular Function May Be At The Heart Of The Matter - In Some
Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a baffling disorder. Some 20 years
ago, it was dubbed "the yuppie flu," because the complaints of a similar
constellation of problems were reported primarily by women in their 30s
and 40s who were well educated and in upper-income brackets. Since the
1980s, CFS has become better understood, which is good news for the
estimated 500,000 Americans of all ages, genders, ethnic origins, and
earning capacities who are believed to suffer from a CFS-like condition.
Even today, however, the causes of this illness remain a mystery.
Background
CFS is today a clinically defined illness of still unknown origin. The
minimum criteria for a CFS diagnosis are unremitting, disabling fatigue,
accompanied by several other neuropsychological, rheumatological, and
influenza-like symptoms. Patients frequently report an infection as an
antecedent event. Unfortunately, efforts to find infectious or
immunological causes have not been successful.
Growing evidence, however, points to a possible problem with
circulation. Previously reported findings include autonomic dysfunction,
lower plasma volume and/or red call mass, as well as abnormalities in
neurohormonal systems of circulatory control. Other studies have found
that CFS patients may have reduced blood flow in exercising muscles.
A New Study
The main symptom of the CFS patient (i.e., chronic fatigue that is
greatly exacerbated by even minor effort) is similar to that of a
patient with left ventricular dysfunction. A team of researchers thus
hypothesized that some patients with left ventricular dysfunction who do
not show overt signs of cardiac insufficiency may nevertheless develop
persistent, disabling fatigue and become diagnosed with CFS. To explore
this possibility, they conducted special tests on CFS patients and
healthy controls.
The article continues at:
http://www.the-aps.org/press%5Froom/eb03/13.htm
AOL: <ahref="http://www.the-aps.org/press%5Froom/eb03/13.htm">
Read it here </a>
***************************************************
Genetic Link May Tie Together Pesticides, ADHD, Gulf War Syndrome And
Other Disorders
La Jolla, Calif.
Research at the Salk Institute has identified a gene that may link
certain pesticides and chemical weaponry to a number of neurological
disorders, including the elusive Gulf War syndrome and attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The finding, published in the
March 17 online version of Nature Genetics, is the first to demonstrate
a clear genetic link between neurological disorders and exposure to
organophosphate chemicals; the gene is one that scientists had not
studied in previous efforts to find connections between these chemicals
and disease. Organophosphates include household pesticides as well as
deadly nerve gases like sarin.
Dr. Carrolee Barlow, who led the work at the Salk Institute and is now
at Merck and Co., Inc., and her team, headed by Christopher Winrow,
found in mice that organophosphate exposure inhibited the activity of a
gene called neuropathy target esterase, or NTE. This inhibition either
killed the mice before birth, or over time led to a range of behaviors
very similar to ADHD. Some of the neurological problems also echoed many
of the symptoms seen in Gulf War syndrome.
"There have been anecdotal links made between rises in ADHD, Parkinson's
disease and other disorders and exposure to pesticides," said Barlow, an
adjunct faculty member at the Salk. "There also has been suspicion of a
link to Gulf War syndrome. But scientists have been focusing on enzymes
that act on acetylcholine neurotransmitters. This study shows that there
may indeed be a genetic connection that explains how organophosphates
can cause these reactions; it's just not what we assumed it would be."
Barlow's group had originally been looking at how environmental factors
immediately affect the nervous system. They found that mice bred to lack
the NTE gene died before birth. But the group also found that mice with
only one copy of the NTE gene, when exposed to experimental
organophosphates and examined over a prolonged period, exhibited
behavior similar to ADHD.
The mice with only one NTE copy had a 40 percent decrease in the NTE
enzyme produced by the NTE gene. The mice with normal NTE genes also
showed ADHD-like behavior, though to a lesser degree, when exposed to
organophosphates. The gene is active in parts of the brain controlling
movement, including the hippocampus, the cerebellum and the spinal cord.
"NTE is a large gene," said Barlow. "It's possible that we all have
slightly different forms of the NTE enzyme, which may explain why some
may get ADHD when they're exposed at young ages, and why some may get
Gulf War syndrome at a later age, or why some of us have no symptoms at
all. It appears to be a case of delayed toxicity, inhibiting the
function of NTE."
At the Salk, researcher Matthew Hemming in Professor Stephen Heinemann's
laboratory is continuing to work on unlocking the secrets of NTE's
activity. The Salk team is working to detail how losing NTE function
results in behavioral and neurological changes, as well as focusing on
what happens when the gene for NTE is turned off in one part of the
brain, but working in other areas.
The Gulf War syndrome is a loosely defined collection of symptoms,
ranging from headache and fever to severe forgetfulness and movement
disorders. It was first noted after Operations Desert Storm and Desert
Shield in 1991, when U.S., Canadian and British military veterans
reported more symptoms than soldiers who were not deployed. Its cause is
unknown.
The researchers are supported by a $1.5 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Defense. Barlow's colleagues on the project include
Christopher Winrow, Duane Allen, and, Gary Quistad and John Casida of
the University of California, Berkeley.
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, located in La Jolla, Calif.,
is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fundamental
discoveries in the life sciences, the improvement of human health and
conditions, and the training of future generations of researchers. The
institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, M.D., with a gift of land
from the City of San Diego and the financial support of the March of
Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030318072141.htm
***********************************************************************
Same enemy, same desert -- same Gulf War Illness?
Military experts say better technology will help treat new veterans
Benjamin Natelson, the physician who directs the War Related Illness and
Injury Center at the Veterans Affairs medical facility in East Orange,
said that he wanted to study recruits headed for the Gulf -- and then
study them upon their return -- but could not get funding. "I have been
very frustrated," he said.
Natelson, an expert in chronic fatigue syndrome, said 2.3 percent of
Gulf veterans have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a
prevalence that is six times higher than among civilians. A study by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, found that
veterans stationed in the Gulf were far more likely to report symptoms
such as fatigue and joint pain than veterans not stationed in the Gulf.
A study in the April American Journal of Public Health, by Rutgers
University researchers William K. Hallman and Howard M. Kipen, tried to
group ill Gulf War service members by their symptoms -- all those with
headaches, for instance, or joint pains.
Instead, the researchers found that many of the veterans reported a
multitude of symptoms and "hurt all over," not just in specific places.
Many reported feeling tired and unable to concentrate. Some 100,000 --
or one in seven -- signed up with a Gulf War health registry to notify
the government about their health concerns.
Are Gulf veterans sicker than those returning from other wars? After the
Civil War, doctors diagnosed veterans with palpitations as suffering
from "irritable heart." Traumatized veterans of World War I were called
"shellshocked." "Combat fatigue" plagued World War II veterans who
couldn't sleep.
Natelson said comparisons are impossible, since no generation of
returning veterans has been studied as closely as those coming back from
the Gulf. He said there is not enough data to know whether toxic
exposures worsened the after-effects for Gulf War veterans, but he said
he has no doubt that the trauma of battle and deployment is a powerful
cause of medical illnesses following war.
Robinson said he does not believe that stress is a primary cause of Gulf
War Illness.
"This is not a mystery. We were exposed to investigational new drugs and
vaccines, chemical weapons, oil well fires, endemic diseases and
depleted uranium," he said firmly. Uranium coating was used to make
shells more powerful.
Doctors at the East Orange center said their goal is not to solve the
puzzle of Gulf War illness, but to help the sickest Gulf veterans.
"We say, 'Let's make you better even if we don't know what's causing
your problems,'" said Drew Helmer, the physician who is the center's
clinical director.
(c) 2003 The Star-Ledger
***********************************************************
The Nature of Things: A Look At Pain
Beginning with the quote, "Pain is not a sensation, but an experience,
an utterably lonely experience," this interactive exhibit from the
Canadian Broadcasting Company offers an introspective look into how we
understand, experience, and define the notion of pain. Designed in
tandem with the upcoming documentary "A Disease Called Pain" (produced
and directed by Vishnu Mathur), the exhibit begins with a brief
introduction to the history, research, and treatment of chronic pain.
The section About Pain is divided into smaller subtopics such as What is
pain? and Why do we feel pain? Along with creative graphics and original
music, each subtopic exploration is complemented by a brief essay on the
selected theme. The most engrossing section is Living with Pain, which
features three brief interviews with Catherine Seton, a former teacher,
who recounts her chronic pain (diagnosed as fibromyalgia) and her
insights into coping with this condition.
http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/pain/pain_flash.html
AOL: <ahref="http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/pain/pain_flash.html">
Read it here </a>
********************************************
Fibromyalgia - An Interactive Tool
This Interactive Tool is a tutorial provided by Patient Education
Institute - requires Flash plug-in
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common, chronically painful, frequently
disabling disorder of unknown origin.
Begin the tutorial here:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/fibromyalgia.html
AOL:
<ahref="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/fibromyalgia.html">
Read it here </a>
***********************************************************
Fibromyalgia: The Muscle Pain Epidemic - Is it Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome by Another Name?
In marked contrast to the time it has taken for research into ME and CFS
to emerge, there has over the past few years been an explosion in the
medical literature featuring Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS).
The more the condition has been researched (FMS) the more obvious it has
become that there is a vast overlap between it and ME/CFS.
Read this article by Leon Chaitow N.D., D.O., M.R.O.,
Senior Lecturer, University of Westminster at
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm?ID=4534
AOL: <a
href="http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm?ID=4534">
Read it here</a>
Drugs@FDA: A Catalog of FDA Approved Drug Products
CDER announces Drugs@FDA: A Catalog of FDA Approved Drug Products, a
pilot project that provides one place where you can search for official,
up-to-date information about FDA approved brand name and generic drugs,
including approval letters, labels, and scientific reviews.
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugcat/
AOL: <a href="http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugcat/">
read it here</a>
*********************************************
Selecting a Fatigue Rating Scale
By Fred Friedberg, PhD and Leonard A. Jason, PhD
Measuring changes in patient fatigue levels is essential to the proper
treatment and research of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, the
term "fatigue" continues to elude precise definition or objective
measurement in the research literature. Because of this, the patient's
reported perception of his or her fatigue has become the focus of
fatigue measures.
There remains no "gold standard" of fatigue severity available to
validate fatigue scales, nor can these measures distinguish fatigue
related to physical exertion, emotional stress, pain, sleep disturbance,
depression or the poorly understood causal mechanisms of CFS.
Fortunately, recently developed measures of subjectively experienced
fatigue, modeled after the measurement of other subjective states (e.g.,
pain, anxiety), have multiple applications in clinical and research
settings. Based on a previous review of fatigue instruments1 as well as
more recent data, this article describes selected fatigue measures for
two categories of fatigue scales (fatigue intensity and
fatigue/function), and concludes with recommendations about the use of
fatigue scales by clinicians and researchers.
Read the complete article at
http://cfids.org/archives/2002rr/2002-rr4-article02.asp
AOL: <a
href="http://cfids.org/archives/2002rr/2002-rr4-article02.asp">Read
it
here</a>
***********************************************************
Requip significantly improves symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Requip significantly improves symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome(RLS)
and is a generally well-tolerated treatment, according to the results of
a study presented at the 55th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual
meeting in Honolulu. Since RLS affects over half of fibromyalgia
patients and some Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients as well, this study
is promising for those seeking treatment.
Read the full article at
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=4472
AOL:
<ahref="http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=4472
">
Read it here </a>
*************************************************************
Functional Genomics: The Way Inside Our Brains?
Highlights From Keystone Meeting on Functional Genomics: Global Analysis
of Complex Biological Systems; February 20-25, 2003; Santa Fe, New
Mexico
from Medscape Molecular Medicine
Posted 03/19/2003
Sara M. Mariani, MD, PhD
Introduction
Memory, cognition, and anxiety are among the functions/activities that
we map and ascribe to our brain, to certain cellular circuits, and
perhaps to some neurotransmitters, but, notwithstanding many successes
achieved in the past few years, far more needs to be investigated before
we can claim to know how it all works.
Articlefound at:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/450637?mpid=11435&WebLogicSession=Pq
tYYYfY9O9VHzMWjcWu0d0aLWG9jhKQGo2vScol08JpyocyDKLs|-8546619349325009363/
184161393/6/7001/7001/7002/7002/7001/-1
AOL: <a
href="http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/450637?mpid=11435&WebLogicSess
ion=PqtYYYfY9O9VHzMWjcWu0d0aLWG9jhKQGo2vScol08JpyocyDKLs|-85466193493250
09363/184161393/6/7001/7001/7002/7002/7001/-1">
Read it here <a/>
**********************************************************************
Migraine Linked to Celiac Disease
Laurie Barclay, MD
March 25, 2003 - About 4% of migraine sufferers may have celiac disease
and symptom control may be improved with a gluten-free diet, according
to the results of a study published in the March issue of the American
Journal of Gastroenterology.
"If larger, randomized, controlled trials confirm these preliminary
findings, serological screening for celiac disease could be proposed as
part of management of migraine, and the gluten-free diet as the
first-line therapy in the subgroup of patients with evidence of celiac
disease," write Maurizio Gabrielli, MD, from Gemelli Hospital in Rome,
Italy, and colleagues.
Of 90 patients diagnosed with idiopathic migraine, four (4.4%; 95%
confidence interval [CI], 1.2 - 11.0%) had celiac disease, compared with
0.4% of 23 blood donors used as controls (95% CI, 0.01 - 2.3; P < .05).
These four patients were treated with a gluten-free diet for six months.
During that time, one had no migraine attacks, and migraine frequency,
duration, and severity improved in the other three. All four patients
had resolution of baseline regional reduction in brain tracer uptake on
single-photon emission computed tomography scan.
"The improvement observed in both symptoms and cerebral blood flow after
a gluten-free diet is intriguing," the authors write, noting that in
this uncontrolled study, placebo effect could not be ruled out. "It
needs to be clarified, however, whether celiac disease itself is
associated with cerebral blood flow abnormalities, or whether these flow
alterations are present only in those patients with both celiac disease
and migraine. Also, one might argue that migraine has different
underlying mechanisms in individuals who are affected by celiac disease
versus those who are not."
Am J Gastroenterol. 2003;98:625-629
Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451164?mpid=11734&WebLogicSession=Pq
tdU1P3iZncWl3Myni5jTp0YLw4lK2D08RyCOFd2Dsi9Hq4X2t1|-8546619349325009363/
184161393/6/7001/7001/7002/7002/7001/-1
AOL: <a href=
"http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451164?mpid=11734&WebLogicSession=P
qtdU1P3iZncWl3Myni5jTp0YLw4lK2D08RyCOFd2Dsi9Hq4X2t1|-8546619349325009363
/184161393/6/7001/7001/7002/7002/7001/-1">
Read it here </a>
************************************************************************
Endorphin Gene Transfer Could Offer Local Analgesia
By Hannah Cleaver
BERLIN (Reuters Health) Apr 09 - Scientists working on gene therapy for
pain relief say they could be as little as two years away from first
human trials with an elegant idea to induce chronically inflamed tissue
to produce its own analgesic.
Professor Christoph Stein, anaesthetist at Berlin's Benjamin Franklin
University Hospital, outlined his work at the German Anaesthesiology
Congress in Munich.
"This therapy would be aimed at certain patients with, for example, pain
from chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis," he told Reuters
Health.
Currently he and his team are experimenting with a rat model of
rheumatoid arthritis. They have succeeded in using a patented molecule
as a vector for the gene encoding pro-opiomelanocortin. The gene product
is a protein precursor, post-translational processing of which yields
several peptides including beta-endorphin.
"We are trying to use vectors going into immune cells," Dr. Stein
explained. "This is because we know that in inflamed tissue, immune
cells produce endorphin and this works on peripheral opiate receptors to
produce an analgesic effect."
The proprietary vector is injected directly into the inflamed tissue and
targets local immune cells. Dr. Stein added that the specific immune
cells involved have not been pinned down, and could include
granulocytes, lymphocytes and macrophages. Then, the endorphin gene
"should be inserted into the cell's own genome, it is supposed to enter
the cell directly," he explained, and this results in extra endorphin
synthesis.
Professor Stein said his group was one of four or five research groups
worldwide working on similar experimental approaches. Some other groups
are trying to deliver the gene into the spinal cord or other areas, he
said, but he believes that the more systemic approaches run the danger
of causing central side effects such as addiction or nausea.
Other researchers are also using virus vectors which, he said, present
other dangers too, particularly as the most commonly used virus in such
work is herpes which can cause nerve damage.
Professor Stein said rheumatoid arthritis would be an early candidate
for treatment in this way. "I can see it being used for a certain
spectrum of diseases, not for all kinds of chronic pain but for a
certain range of painful inflammatory diseases."
He said the most likely way of delivering the treatment would be by a
couple of injections a year. "I think we should be looking at human
trials in at least two, perhaps three years from now."
************************************************************************
***
The Breath of Life: Craniosacral Therapy
by Diana Karol Nagy
Craniosacral work is about normalizing the body and bringing it back
into balance. It is working to empower the body to do its own healing.
"CST works because of what's called the CS [craniosacral] wave, or CS
rhythm," Marshall explains.
The CS rhythm is a primary body function. It is more primary than
breath, more primary than heartbeat. It is the first function to come
into the body at conception, and the last to leave the body, about 20
minutes after clinical death.
"It's really our main source of being," Marshall says. "Because so many
people aren't even aware of that respiration, I like to at least tell
them about that."
The CS wave, or circulation of cerebral-spinal fluid, has its own
rhythm, about nine to 11 times per minute. You can feel it at many
points in the body - on the toes, the legs, and the shoulder - even
though it originates in the cranium and moves through the spinal cord
into the sacrum (tailbone.) A skilled craniosacral practitioner uses
perception and a touch generally no heavier than the weight of a nickel
and can monitor the CS rhythm at key body points to locate the source of
an obstruction or stress.
To read more about this approach go to:
http://chronicfatigue.about.com/library/weekly/aa081802a.htm
AOL: <a href=
"http://chronicfatigue.about.com/library/weekly/aa081802a.htm">
read it
here <a/>
Hormone therapy--
It seemed the perfect match for us "women of a certain age": an
easy-to-swallow pill that could soothe our menopausal symptoms, keep our
bones strong, protect us from heart disease, and lower our risk of colon
cancer. But alas, our love affair with menopausal hormone therapy (HT),
which used to be called hormone replacement therapy, came to an abrupt
end in the summer of 2002 when researchers leading the Women's Health
Initiative (WHI) published their startling findings about the therapy.
The government-funded study found that Prempro, a combination of
estrogen and progestin--and the most commonly prescribed hormone therapy
for postmenopausal women who haven't had a hysterectomy--didn't prevent
heart disease after all in predominantly healthy postmenopausal women.
In fact, women who took the pill had a small increase in heart attacks,
strokes, and blood clots compared with women who took a placebo. In
addition, Prempro slightly increased the risk of breast cancer, which
was a major reason the study was stopped early. (Another part of the
WHI, which is looking at the effects of estrogen alone in women who have
had a hysterectomy, is still underway.)
In the end, the good news that HT really did appear to protect women
against bone fractures and colon cancer wasn't enough to tip the scales.
(Other known benefits of HT, such as relief from hot flashes and other
menopausal symptoms, were not studied.) The WHI researchers concluded
that the risks associated with this particular therapy outweighed the
benefits.
Since then, doctors have scrambled to make sense of the WHI findings for
their patients, many of whom feel betrayed by the scientific about-face.
Article continues at:
http://www.prevention.com/cda/feature2002/0,4780,5323_P,00.html
AOL: <a href=
"http://www.prevention.com/cda/feature2002/0,4780,5323_P,00.html">
Read
it here </a>
**********************************************************
Drink Tea to Stay Germ-Free: Report
By Alison McCook
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking tea appears to boost the immune
system, perhaps helping people fight off or blunt the effect of
infections, researchers said Monday.
Non-tea drinkers who downed five to six small cups of black tea per day
for two weeks appeared to be better able to fight off bacterial
infections, according to the report.
As an explanation for tea's benefits, experiments in the lab revealed
that an ingredient found in black, green, oolong and pekoe teas boosted
the ability of immune system cells to attack a bacterial invader.
The experiments used ethylamine, which is produced when the tea
ingredient L-theanine is broken down in the liver.
Previous research suggests that ethylamine, which is also found in
vegetables and wine, may target other pathogens as well, including
parasites, viruses, and perhaps tumors.
Based on these findings, people looking to ward off diseases might want
to add certain teas to their menu, study author Dr. Jack F. Bukowski of
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston,
Massachusetts, told Reuters Health.
"I think the elderly would benefit a lot from drinking tea," he said. "I
think there's no downside to it."
However, he added that regular tea drinkers still get sick, so people
should not throw out their medicine cabinet or tell off their doctors
just yet.
"Drinking tea isn't a treatment or a cure for anything," Bukowski
cautioned.
"Probably most (tea drinkers) will still get sick. But people who do get
sick will probably get a milder case," he said.
The study findings appear in the online early edition of the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences.
During the study, Bukowski and his colleagues measured the activity of
immune system cells called gamma delta T cells in people who normally
did not drink tea.
Gamma delta T cells are an arm of the immune system charged with
preventing and cushioning the blow of diseases. Previous experiments
have shown that exposing these cells to ethylamine boosted the abilities
of the cells to fight infections.
During the study, Bukowski and colleagues extracted gamma delta T cells
from people and exposed them to ethylamine. After the cells were mixed
with bacteria, the researchers saw that those that had not been exposed
to ethylamine mounted no attack against the bacteria. However, cells
that had been previously exposed to the tea component multiplied by
10-fold, and therefore produced larger amounts of a chemical that fights
bacteria.
And in experiments with people, the researchers found that after
drinking about 20 ounces of tea a day for two weeks, people's gamma
delta T cells produced a wealth of anti-bacterial chemicals when exposed
to bacteria. In contrast, people who drank coffee instead of tea during
the study produced no disease-fighting proteins in response to bacteria.
Despite the supposed power of tea to fight infection, Bukowski urged
people to maintain a healthy perspective on the findings.
"If people are sick, they shouldn't start drinking tea to get better,"
he said. "They should go to the doctor."
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2003;
10.1073/pnas.1035603100.
http://message.realage.com/HB/HBArticle.aspx?cid=14261&pid=1323
****************************************************************
Central Nociceptive Hyperexcitability Important in Fibromyalgia
ImmuneSupport.com
05-16-2003
By Laurie Barclay, M.D.
Central nociceptive hyperexcitability may be important in fibromyalgia
(FM), according to the results of a study published in the May issue of
Arthritis & Rheumatism. The nociceptive flexion reflex may be helpful in
discriminating which patients would benefit from central analgesia.
"Our results strongly, although indirectly, point to a state of central
hyperexcitability of the body's central pain system in patients with
FM," lead author J. A. Desmeules, M.D., from Geneva University Hospital
in Switzerland, says in a news release.
Of 85 outpatients with FM attending a self-management program, 89% were
women, all were middle-aged, and mean disease duration was eight years.
Compared with 40 healthy controls matched for age and sex, peripheral
quantitative sensory testing in FM patients showed significantly altered
cold and heat pain thresholds, with tolerance to cold pain 66% lower.
Threshold for the spinal nociceptive flexion reflex was 50% lower than
in controls.
Using a cutoff value of less than 27.6 mA for nociceptive flexion
reflex, sensitivity was 73% and specificity was 80% for detecting
central allodynia.
According to Dr. Desmeules, these findings suggest the benefits of
treating FM with analgesics acting on the central nervous system.
Antidepressants have been shown to reduce the pain sensitivity reflex of
healthy volunteers after a single dose.
"The nociceptive flexion reflex can be used to assess central allodynia
in patients with FM," the authors write, while recommending additional
research. "It may also help discriminate patients who may benefit from
use of centrally acting analgesics."
Study Reference: Arthritis Rheum. 2003;48:1420-1429
Reviewed for WebMD by Gary D. Vogin, M.D.
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/id/4600
************************************************
NEWSWEEK AND PAIN
Newsweek features a discussion on chronic pain that includes a realistic
look at fibromyalgia. The following link takes you directly to the
section on FM. More of the article can be found at the site.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?/news/912034.asp
AOL:
<ahref="http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?/news/912034.a
sp"> Read it here</a>
********************************************************
National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003
On Tuesday, April 29, Congressman Mike Rogers (R-MI) introduced H.R.
1863, the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003 in the House of
Representatives. The bill is an exceptional step toward gaining
federal recognition of the importance of pain as a critical and
unanswered health care problem in our nation. However, we still have
plenty to do before this bill becomes law, not the least of which is
getting similar legislation introduced in the Senate.
HR 1863 is the first comprehensive legislation with a
multidisciplinary approach. It was introduced in response to the
Congressionally declared Decade of Pain Research, which started in
January 2001.
The fact that this bill addresses research, professional education
and training, public awareness, treatment in specific federal heath
care plans, and seeks White House support for pain care lays a strong
foundation for confronting this crisis that costs our economy between
$80 and $100 billion each year.
Over the past eighteen months, APF has been working collaboratively
with the Pain Care Coalition (PCC) to develop a comprehensive pain
care bill. Representative Rogers says the bill incorporates many of
our positions, although is not as comprehensive as our combined
legislative ideas.
For more information on how to take action go to:
http://www.painfoundation.org/
AOL: <a href= "http://www.painfoundation.org/">
Read it here <a/>
**************************************************************
Social Security Administration Is Considering Updates and Revisions To
Its
Rules For Evaluating Immune System Disorders
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is considering updates and
revisions to the rules they use to evaluate immune system disorders in
both
adults and children who apply for Social Security disability benefits or
Supplemental Security Income payments based on disability. SSA has
published
an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal
Register on
May 09, 2003 the citation is 68 FR 24896, inviting comments and
suggestions
from the public for revising its rules, before any revisions are
drafted.
SSA will contact over 40 entities, including interested individuals,
professional associations, and advocacy organizations, to make sure they
are
aware of the ANPRM. SSA will also announce the ANPRM on its Internet
site,
Social Security Online: http://www.ssa.gov/disability/
SSA has asked the President's Domestic Policy Council to help in its
outreach effort to the disability community. We will be expanding SSA's
outreach by announcing the ANPRM on the President's comprehensive
Federal
website of disability-related government resources:
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/
Below is a brief announcement of the ANPRM drafted by SSA.
******
Social Security Administration Is Considering Updates and Revisions To
Its
Rules For Evaluating Immune System Disorders
SSA is considering updates and revisions to the rules it uses to
evaluate
immune system disorders in both adults and children who apply for Social
Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income payments
based
on disability.
However, before drafting any revisions, SSA is asking interested people
and
organizations to send them comments and suggestions for revising the
rules
they use to evaluate immune system disorders.
In addition to your comments about its rules, SSA is also interested in
any
ideas you have about how to improve their programs for people who have
immune system disorders, especially those who would like to work
full-time
or part-time with supports.
SSA is publishing its invitation to send comments and suggestions in an
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register on
May
09, 2003, in the Federal Register. 20 CFR Parts 404 and 416 (Regulations
Nos. 4 and 16).
The electronic version of this ANPRM is available in the Federal
Register
at:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
It is also available on SSA's Internet site, Social Security Online:
http://www.ssa.gov/regulations/
Forwarded from www.Co-Cure.com
Main
Archive Index
Next
Newsletter |