The United States is home to millions of people without health insurance. In fact, one out of every six Americans pays for doctor visits and medical tests out of his or her own pocket. What may surprise you is that the majority of uninsured Americans are from families in which at least one person works. The good news is that there are programs for people who need help paying for medicines, says Andrea Bevacqua of Pfizer.
Pfizer Press Release

But there is help available. Pfizer is one company that has patient assistance programs.  Many other drug manufacturers also have assistance programs for uninsured people.  Talk to your physician; his or her office may have information.  Your pharmacist may also have contact information they can provide you with.

One of the best resources on the Internet for prescription help is found from Teri Robert, the Migraine Guide at About.com, Inc.  I have not found any other source as comprehensive as this one – it does not apply to headache medication exclusively.  Find out who manufacturers your medications and contact them if you are uninsured – there may be help available.

Post from: Blisstree

The High Cost of Medication – Help For The Uninsured

Some chemicals found in commercial cigarettes:
• Benzene
• Formaldehyde
• Ammonia
• Acetone

That is by no means a complete list. But if you consider that chemicals trigger flares of CFS and/or FM, and that these chemicals are present in cigarettes, it might make you think twice about lighting up.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia patients often report that smoking helps alleviate their pain level. That is difficult to get past, because few things do ease the pain. But when weighed against the chemicals found in a commercial cigarette, the trade-off has a high price tag.

From The BBC: Cigarettes – A complex cocktail of cocktails

Harmful Chemicals in Cigarettes

Cigarettes Are Poisonous

Cigarettes’ Deleterious Ingredients

Post from: Blisstree

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia & Smoking

“This really is the first credible evidence of a biological basis for chronic fatigue syndrome,” Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a Thursday press conference. “It reflects the remarkable confluence of a number of scientific advances that are coming to bear on a problem of great importance to many people in the U.S. It’s an important step forward in the field of chronic fatigue syndrome research.”

When I read something like this, and it comes from the CDC, I have to blink and ask myself if I have dozed off and had a bizarre dream. It is nice to see the CDC actually considering CFS something that needs to be talked about, and more importantly researched.

I wasn’t “thrilled” by the reporter who covered this story. I think she did a bit too much of the “new journalism” technique, and translated some of her own feelings about CFS into the article. But I am a firm believer in not shooting the messenger.

It is an interesting look at what CFS may be and why it appears the way it does within families. It doesn’t explain outbreaks in geographical locations, but it is a start. I believe it will ask more questions that it answers, but isn’t that the job of all good research?

Genetics May Drive Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

and more on:

Genetics May Play Role in Chronic Fatigue

Post from: Blisstree

New Research on CFS Released

The RLS Foundation (Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation) is there for people who need information and support about this condition. It is a difficult condition to treat and information is, as always, the strongest weapon in a victim’s arsenal.

Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation

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Restless Leg Syndrome

“For years, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have suffered from painful symptoms for which there is no blood test, diagnosable physical condition or any method for doctors to measure improvement,” said James Baraniuk, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center and first author on the study.
“Our research provides initial evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome and its family of illnesses may be legitimate, neurological diseases and that at least part of the pathology involves the central nervous system.
“Although this is a small study and more research on the subject is necessary, these results indicate it might be possible to develop a simple laboratory test to diagnose these disorders in the future,” Baraniuk added.

Research Provides More Evidence That Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is A Legitimate Medical Condition

Post from: Blisstree

A Medical Test for CFS?

There are various organizations that help people who live with chronic pain. Two of them are the American Pain Foundation and the American Chronic Pain Foundation. These are both good resources for people dealing with pain and the frustrations that it brings into everyday life.

American Pain Foundation

American Chronic Pain Foundation

Post from: Blisstree

Chronic Pain

The name “chronic fatigue syndrome” is problematic, misleading and does not adequately describe the serious and complex nature of the illness or the severe impact it has on a person’s life.
CFIDS Association of America

That is an understatement if ever I heard one. Few things are more irritating to a victim of CFS than someone saying, “Yeah, I think I had a bout of that last year. I was so sleepy all the time.” A bout of it? I would like to have just a bout of this! That would mean it would go away. /rant

So moving along, it is important to participate in the awareness campaign going on, as much as realistically possible. For some people, who are so ill they can’t sit up for more than a few minutes at a time, participation is pretty limited. Others of us can write emails or maybe make phone calls. Any action at all – one letter, one email, one phone call, will help. Never think that you can’t do anything.

Changing the name of this disease to something that explains the disorder rather than naming it for its symptoms is one of the topics the CFIDS Association of America is addressing. And this is where you jump into the never-ending circle.

You can’t name a disease until you know the medical issues pertaining to that disease and you can’t know the medical issues until you have the research, and you can’t get the research when you don’t have a disease with a real name.

Everyone scream with me now. /second rant

The Name Change page at the CFIDS Association of America explains the situation. Read it and write to your representative. There is a box to your right – it is right below our names. All you have to do is put in your zip code and you will be taken to all of the information you need to contact the people in congress that have far too much control over our health.

The Name Change Page

Become a CFIDS Advocate – Free and Easy

Post from: Blisstree

Awareness & Need For a Name Change

The next few days I am going to be talking about awareness. Awareness of CFS, CFIDS, or ME is one of the most important things that needs to occur in order for research to be done about this disease.

May 12th is THE day for CFS awareness and there is going to be grassroots lobbying and many ways that each of us, here online, can get involved as well. If you have a Web site – you will have a chance to be active in helping those who go to Washington.

Awareness is our most important issue. It is the foundation that all of our other issues will be built on. Check in with me – over the next few days you will have the information you need to join in on the effort.

By the way, did you know why May 12th was chosen? It was chosen in honor of Florence Nightingale. May 12th was her birthday and it is believed that she had what we now call chronic fatigue syndrome.

Florence Nightingale and CFS

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CFIDS Awareness Day and Grassroots Action