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

I received in my email today a “medical alert.”  I was feeling a bit on the edgy side already but having this come in as an “alert” was more than a little irritating.  The medical alert, which is supposed to be about news and research, was titled, “What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?”  Slow news day I guess.

The only thing I took from this was a good solid list about what needs to be ruled out before a diagnosis of CFS can be made.

• alcohol or substance abuse
  
• autoimmune disease
  
• bipolar affective disorders
  
• cancer
  
• chronic mononucleosis
  
• eating disorders
  
• hormonal disorders
  
• hypothyroidism
  
• major depressive disorders
  
• multiple chemical sensitivities
  
• myalgic encephalomyelitis
  
• neurasthenia
  
• obesity
  
• reactions to prescription drugs
  
• schizophrenia
  
• sleep apnea and narcolepsy
  
• subacute infections
  
• fibromyalgia syndrome

I have noted in red two of the “rule-out” conditions.  One is the British and European name for CFS – myalgic encephalomyelitis IS the name for CFS everywhere but the United States.  I also noted fibromyalgia, as there is great debate on the legitimacy of considering FM to be a distinct entity from CFS.

Two steps forward and one and one-half steps back.  That is just the way it is for CFS and FM patients.  A little research is good.  A lot of clarification would almost be better. 

It would be a tough choice.

Post from: Blisstree

A Medical Alert? Please!

“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

Post from: Blisstree

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?

I can’t vouch for intravenous miconutrient therapy (IVMT). I can only point you to the articles that can inform you and say that if you are interested, talk to your physician.

News Report on IVMT

Post from: Blisstree

A New Therapy for CFS and/or FM

This article, printed by the “New York Times,” discusses how sleeping pills are overused in the United States. It further goes on to say that physicians should be looking for the underlying problems that cause sleep disorders, rather than cover them up with a sleeping aid. That sounds all fine and hunky-dory.

But there is an amazing hole in this whole theory. It is the part where physicians listen. Because that is what they don’t do. They haven’t the foggiest clue what to do about their CFS/FM patients. It is a double edged sword and it is one that almost always pierces the patient.

Patients with CFS/FM are encouraged, though the media, the nurses, the clinic, and occasionally by the doctor, to be sure and explain all of the symptoms. “Just the facts, ma’am,” as Joe Friday would have said. But when the patients do relay this information, it is blown off as another part of the syndrome and “that’s just the way it is,” or the infamous (and incredibility aggravating) response of, “It’s all in your head.” (There are many ways to say that, by the way. Just because you haven’t heard that exact quote, doesn’t mean it hasn’t been said to you. Is this familiar? You are under too much stress, you work too hard, you are depressed… regardless of how it is phrased, it means the same thing: It’s all in your head.)

I do think there is some validity in the issue of overprescribing sleep aids. It is an issue for many other medications as well. But this isn’t the patient’s fault. This is the fault of a medical profession that is too busy, or too bewildered by chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Let’s put the responsibility where it belongs. Patients with CFS and FM have been overlooked, brushed aside, and not taken seriously. We would love to take fewer medications. Give us the respect we deserve as patients, and we will be more inclined to come to you with the medical problems you are sworn to treat.

What’s Holding Up the Sandman?

Post from: Blisstree

Sleep Problems in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia

Support is a necessary element when you have what is known as an invisible disability. It is invisible because no one can see it and unfortunately, you can’t prove it. Why anyone would play sick to avoid life is beyond me and I think it is a really big-time unfair rap to the victims of CFS and FM.

If you can’t find support in “real” life, find it online. There are many options. One that I found recently, and think is a good source of support and friendship, is the Fibrotalk Web site. I am impressed with their support and how they have their site arranged.

Fibrotalk has a support library that is full of a lot of information. They also have articles and news – it is kept up-to-date and keeps you informed without wearing you out looking for information. They have chat rooms and a forum – I particularly like the forums. Join their forum. I think you will be pleased at what you find.

They have a way for you to create your own CFS/FM diary. With the disability information that they will be providing soon, plus other information found on the Internet, you can chart your own condition, if it appears a disability is in your future. The diary, whether it is at Fibrotalk or in a spiral notebook by your bed, is critical to your success in obtaining a disability for this condition.

Fibrotalk also has a nifty area of their site called Inspirations. Whoever thought this up and put it within the site is a genius. I have found nothing like it on the Internet – something that is geared toward the right brain and is made for, and by, PWCs (People With CFS/FM). Visit it – I really can’t say enough about it. You can post your poems, photographs, art, stories, play games, talk with others…

The only request I make is that when you discover Fibrotalk, you don’t abandon me. This site is one of the best, but don’t forget – I still need you!

Fibrotalk – A Community of Support for PWC

Fibrotalk Forums

Fibrotalk’s Inspirations

Post from: Blisstree

Online Support for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia

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