Shortages of Mental Health Professionals in Rural Areas Make Mental Illness Worse

Written By: Clifton
John

Living with mental illness challenges people who have the strongest support systems and easy access to mental health professionals. Consider then the effects of living where there’s little to no professional mental health care. Rural areas throughout the nation lack psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists. Even though about a third of Americans suffer from psychological disorders, there’s still a considerable stigma about it, and that stigma is much greater in rural America. Rural areas are accustomed to making due with what they have. It’s a set of social mores built on independence, yet independence in the face of crippling psychological problems morphs into isolation, which in turn cuts sufferers off from the very few social resources they might otherwise call on.

Yet depression and other psychological disorders remain at an all-time high. Suicide rates are high in the USA, especially when compared to other industrialized nations. Stigma about mental illness continues to be problematic in rural areas, even though the need for help keeps rising. A study from 2014 found that there is fractionally more mental illness in rural areas than urban locations. The study had been instigated to see whether or not there was more mental illness in urban areas, which was the expected outcome. Instead, it found a small but significant increase in mental illness in rural areas.  People in rural areas are more vulnerable to the ravages of mental illness for a couple of significant reasons: a culture of independence internalized to the point where people feel they should be able to handle their problems completely on their own, and lack of resources to help. Rural Americans labor under a powerful local social injunction against discussing one’s personal troubles with a stranger. There’s also a mistrust of therapists and psychiatrists.  As a result, people end up isolated with their problems, which makes mental illness far worse. Even if the societal taboo over opening up one’s personal affairs wasn’t there, around 65% of rural counties in the entire USA lack a psychiatrist.

Older Americans tend to suffer more from mental illness in non-urban areas. The self-imposed injunction against sharing very personal feelings with strangers is more powerful. Far fewer mental healthcare professionals are trained in the particulars of geriatric mental health. Fewer people coming to healthcare professionals ends up with fewer professionals moving into the area. The problems compound and are passed along.

Fixing these problems won’t be easy. Government cutbacks in public services have gutted community mental healthcare facilities across the country, and while more medical students are specializing in geriatric medicine, there’s been no appreciable rise in geropsychology practitioners.

 

 

CBD Oil: Effectiveness and Legality

Written By: Clifton
John

CBD oil (cannabidiol) is regularly touted as a panacea for all sorts of maladies, illness and disorders, but does it work and is it legal? The short answers are: for some disorders, it works to treat symptoms, and it’s legal—mostly. First, note that CBD oil isn’t part of medical marijuana. Medical marijuana relies on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being present in medication. Put simply, THC isn’t CBD. CBD also isn’t cannabis oil. The names are similar and can lend to confusion, but the chemicals are different.

CBD oil is entirely non-intoxicating. Derived from parts of the hemp plant which contain no THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, cannabidiol works to relieve inflammation and calm nerves that are over-reactive to pain signals. Within the brain and spine, CBD helps regulate complex chemical messengers that regulate the body’s pain-control system. THC, on the other hand, stimulates the release of the body’s own natural pain relievers. CBD oil has also been linked to lowered levels of anxiety.

Is It Legal?

The legality of CBD is a bit murky. It’s on Schedule I of the FDA’s Controlled Substance Act, but there have been few cases of prosecution of CBD oil use, although there have been a few (very few) raids on stores selling CBD oil in the past. However, just this month, the FDA approved Epidiolex, an anti-seizure medication, for the treatment of Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, rare and devastating forms of childhood epilepsy. CBD makes up the bulk of Epidiolex, in a highly refined and measured form, so the FDA will have no choice but to re-schedule CBD. Which tier of schedules CBD ends up on will determine its general legality. At the moment, CBD derived from hemp is legal in 50 states. There is, however, a caveat in 33 states: CBD oil must be derived from sources with less than .03 percent THC.

This month, the Senate passed its version of a farm bill through that legalizes products from hemp. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has championed the project, and although the emphasis has been on a multiplicity of products, the most likely outcome is the full legalization of CBD oil. Kentucky, home state of McConnell, is the second largest US producer of hemp, so the future of CBD availability looks bright.

Over a few more years, we can expect to see the best uses for CBD oil emerge from more studies. It’s likely that those areas already identified will top out the lists.

Health

How To Get Rid Of A Stye

Written By: William
John

The eyes are some of the most delicate parts of the human body and are also considered an essential part of a healthy functioning life. Without optimal vision, it can be challenging to go about your daily activities, since we continuously depend on our vision to help us do our job, take care of our families, watch the road while driving and even for many entertaining activities, such as watching a movie.

Many conditions can affect the eyes and cause vision problems and other potential complications, especially when treatment is not administered quickly. In this post, we want to take a look at a stye, a particularly irritating condition that affects the edge of your eyelid. We will take a look at what causes a stye to develop, what symptoms may accompany a stye, and also provide a complete overview of how you can get rid of a stye quickly.

Is It A Stye Or Chalazion?

When a bump develops on the eyelids or another area surrounding the eyes, it is important first to determine what condition you have developed before proceeding with a treatment protocol. When a bump forms on the eyelid, then it may be either a stye or a chalazion. Knowing the difference between these two conditions is essential – even though the treatment protocol for these two conditions is similar, they do not heal at an equal rate. A stye is usually accompanied by pain, while a chalazion will not cause pain in the majority of cases. This is the primary difference between these two conditions. If you do find that you have a chalazion, then similar treatments can be used as when treating a stye, but the healing time for a chalazion is somewhat longer.

How A Stye Develops

Small oil glands are found on the eyelids, with the majority of these oil glands situated in the area where the eyelashes are found. These oil glands are exposed to a buildup of oils, as well as dirt and dead skin cells. When excessive amounts of these materials accumulate in the area, then it may cause these small oil glands to become clogged. When an oil gland found on the eyelid is blocked, then it creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. The growth of bacteria then causes swelling and the development of a stye.

Symptoms That A Stye May Cause

The most obvious symptom associated with a stye is a bump that develops on the eyelid. A stye usually develops on the outside of the eyelid and most often on edge. In addition to the bump that forms when a stye is present, it should be noted that other symptoms may also become present. Inflammation around the area where the bump presents itself is relatively common, and localized pain in the area may also accompany the bump.

Other symptoms that a stye may cause include:

  • Tear production may be increased
  • Some people may find that a crust develops around the affected eyelid
  • The eyelid that is affected by the stye may become itchy
  • Tenderness may also develop in the area that is affected

How To Get Rid Of A Stye

A stye can be genuinely uncomfortable and even become very painful in some cases. Even though a stye can usually clear up on its own within a couple of days, most people desire faster relief of the symptoms they are experiencing – and obviously, want the bump that has developed to go away faster. Luckily, many home remedies can be used to help speed up the recovery from a stye, reduce the inflammation and pain caused by the bump, and help to destroy the bacteria that has manifested within the blocked oil glands.

Let’s take a look at some of the most effective home remedies you can use to help you get rid of your stye quickly and easily.

Warm Compresses

One of the most useful home remedies and also the most cost-effective approach is to apply a warm compress to the stye. Use warm water to wet a cloth – make sure the cloth is clean. The water should not be boiling or too hot as this may cause you to burn the area where you will be applying the warm compress. You should apply the damp cloth to the area that is affected by the stye for up to 10 minutes. Be gentle and avoid pressing the cloth too hard on the area. The warm cloth will help the oil that is clogging the oil gland to dissolve and drain more easily. This method can be repeated up to four times per day and should ideally be utilized until the stye goes away.

It should be noted that, while a cloth is often considered an effective way to apply a warm compress to a stye, a warm teabag can also be used. You should add a teabag to boiling water and allow the tea to steep in the water for approximately one minute. Remove the teabag from the water and let it cool down a little – you do not want to burn the skin around your eyes. If both eyes are affected by the condition, you should not use the same teabag on both eyes.

Over-The-Counter Ointments

If a warm compress does not seem to work, then you should pay a visit to your local pharmacy. Different types of stye ointments can be purchased without a prescription – these ointments usually contain antibiotic properties that help to destroy the bacteria that is present in the stye. Only a small amount of these ointments should be applied to the affected area at a time, and you should try to avoid getting the ointment directly into your eyes.

Wash Your Eyelids

Washing your eyelids can also be an excellent way to help promote the drainage of the stye and to help flush out the bacteria that is causing the stye. You can either mix warm water with baby shampoo (choose a “tear-free” option) or choose to opt for a saline solution. Both of these can help to reduce irritation and discomfort, while also promoting the drainage of the stye.

Precautions

When treating a stye yourself at home, it is essential to take some precautions to ensure you do not make the condition become worse. No matter what you do, never try to squeeze or pop the stye. If you decide to pop the stye, it may cause the infection to spread and cause complications. This can make the healing time much longer and may even lead to complications that require medical treatment. If you prefer to have the stye drained, then you should consider making an appointment as doctors are able to drain a stye without causing the infection to spread.

Another necessary precaution that you need to take into account is to avoid wearing any type of makeup while the stye is present. Makeup can cause the eye and the stye to become irritated, which may not only cause the healing time to become delayed but may also lead to possible complications. If you wear contact lenses, then you should also consider switching to glasses until the stye goes away.

Preventing A Stye

Since a stye can be very discomforting, the good idea is to learn how you can prevent this condition from developing in the first place. We looked at the cause of a stye earlier in this post – it is the buildup of oils, dirt, dead skin cells, and other materials that cause oil glands in the eyelids to become blocked, leading to the growth of bacteria. By keeping your eyes clean, you can help to prevent these oil glands from becoming blocked. Washing your eyes out each day is one of the best ways to prevent a stye from developing – this will help to flush out any buildup of material and help to reduce the risk of your oil glands becoming clogged and bacteria growing inside of these glands.

When To See A Doctor

In some cases, it may be a better idea to see a doctor than to try home remedies when a stye seems to be persistent and more problematic than they commonly are. In particular, when pain is excessively severe, then it might be a good idea to rather make an appointment with a doctor to have a professional take a look at the stye. If a stye interferes with your vision, then it also calls for expert opinion by a doctor. Furthermore, if you treat the stye and it fails to go away after a few days, then you should also consult with your doctor.

Conclusion

A stye is a condition that can affect anyone. This condition can cause pain, inflammation and can quickly become a nuisance. Preventing a stye is the more effective approach as this will avoid the symptoms associated with the conditions in the first place. When a stye develops, knowing how to get rid of the stye quickly can help to provide fast and effective relief of symptoms such as inflammation and pain, and reduce the discomfort caused by the bump.

Fibromyalgia

How to Treat Hypertension

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
hypertension

Image: Shutterstock/ Photographee.eu

Hypertension is a condition where the pressure inside your circulatory system rises to a dangerous level. As your heart pumps blood through your body, it works a lot like any other pump. It has to maintain a certain level of pressure within the system in order to move the blood around. But when you have hypertension, the force of the blood against the arteries is too high.

And that extra pressure can lead to a lot of health problems. Luckily, there are things you can do to treat hypertension. So what causes hypertension? And what can you do to treat it?

What Causes Hypertension?

Hypertension is a very common condition and it’s one that will eventually affect nearly everyone. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood being pumped through the veins and how narrow the veins are. As we get older, plaque builds up in the arteries, which makes them narrower and thus leads to high blood pressure.

This type of hypertension, which develops on its own over years is called “primary hypertension.” It’s the most common type of high blood pressure in adults. The other type of high blood pressure is “secondary hypertension,” which is caused as a complication of other diseases. There are a lot of different conditions that can lead to high blood pressure like sleep apnea, kidney disease, and drug addiction.

Hypertension leads to a number of health risks. The strain that high blood pressure puts on your arteries make them harder and less elastic, which elevates your risk of heart attacks and strokes. As your arteries become damaged, the normally smooth surface of the veins begins to catch additional plaque from the blood stream which can lead to blood clots. Blood clots cut off the flow of blood around the body, and if blood can’t get to or from your heart, then your cells can’t get the oxygen they need. And once your brain can’t get oxygen, you quickly lose consciousness and the cells in the brain begin to die, which leads to death.

In addition, the damage to the arteries can restrict blood flow through that section of the body. This causes the artery to bulge, which leads to an aneurysm. An aneurysm can eventually rupture, causing dangerous internal bleeding. And aneurysms in the brain are often fatal.

The real risk of hypertension is that many people who suffer from it have no idea that they have it. You can have high blood pressure for years, with it doing constant damage to your body, and still show no symptoms. So the best thing you can do is to get regular blood pressure screenings and take the necessary steps to treat and prevent hypertension.

What Can You Do To Treat It?

Prevention is by far the best way to handle hypertension. Making some basic changes can significantly reduce your risk. Some of the biggest contributing factors to hypertension are things related to lifestyle. Diet plays a major role, for instance. High levels of sodium have been shown to increase your risk of high blood pressure. Your kidneys filter out water from your diet and use the water your cells need and send the rest to your bladder to be passed as urine. But to do this, it requires a delicate balance of sodium in the blood stream.

Too much sodium triggers your kidneys to hold onto water, which causes pressure on your kidneys and other organs and raises your blood pressure.

Being overweight is also a serious risk when it comes to hypertension. The extra weight leads to higher levels of cholesterol which narrow your arteries and lead to higher blood pressure. And smoking is another risk. Smoking raises your blood pressure and can damage the lining of your arteries, which is part of what makes smoking so deadly. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to lower your risk of hypertension.

There are a few medications available to help treat hypertension if you already have the condition. Diuretics are often prescribed to help purge the body of extra water caused by high sodium levels, which can help reduce blood pressure. ACE inhibitors are another class of drug that works by reducing the amount of a specific protein that causes your arteries to harden. And calcium channel blockers help reduce the strength of your heart’s contractions, which helps reduce blood pressure.

Make sure to work closely with your doctor if you’re suffering from high blood pressure to make sure you’re getting the best treatment possible and to carefully monitor your blood pressure. That’s the best way to manage hypertension.

Fibromyalgia

What is Anaplasmosis?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
anaplasmosis

Image: Shutterstock/ Tacio Philip Sansonovski

Anaplasmosis is a disease spread by the bite of a tick that can be fatal if left untreated. But in addition to being dangerous, it can also mimic some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. And because the bite of a tick carrying anaplasmosis is often painless, you may not even remember being bitten. All of that can sometimes make it difficult to tell if you’re suffering from fibromyalgia or from anaplasmosis.

So what exactly is anaplasmosis? How is it treated? And how can you tell the difference between it and fibromyalgia?

What is Anaplasmosis?

Anaplasmosis is caused by a bacteria that is frequently found in a particular species of tick, the blacklegged tick. Infected ticks then bite people, spreading the bacteria into their bloodstream. The bacteria then multiply inside the infected person’s body until it begins to cause a series of symptoms.

What’s interesting about this condition is that the symptoms are often very different from person to person. And if you haveit, you might display only some of these symptoms. But these are the most common signs of anaplasmosis:

  • Headaches
  • Fever
  • Confusion
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle Pain
  • Joint Pain

Usually, these symptoms appear within a week or two of being bitten by a tick. The severity of the symptoms often depends on the immune system of the person infected. And people with compromised immune systems are at particular risk of serious illness.

How is it Treated?

In most cases, anaplasmosis is very treatable. Only about 1% of cases lead to death. If treated early and effectively, the vast majority of people make a full recovery within a week or two. But in more severe cases, the disease might require hospitalization.

The first line of treatment for anaplasmosis, like many tick-borne diseases, is Doxycycline. Doxycycline is one of the only antibiotics that is known to be effective for fighting the kind of bacteria that is spread by ticks. And using other antibiotics in cases of anaplasmosis is usually associated with negative treatment outcomes.

Other treatments focus on handling the symptoms and are similar to the kind of treatments you’d use for the flu. Rest, adequate hydration, and basic over-the-counter painkillers can all help with the general symptoms in early cases of anaplasmosis.

But by far, the best way to handle all tick-borne illnesses is to prevent infection in the first place. And the best way to do that is to avoid getting bitten. Ticks tend to live in wooded areas where they can breed and find food. So avoiding areas where ticks are likely to be is a good way to avoid bites.

And ticks can’t jump, so they latch onto a host by climbing up long stalks of grass where they can reach your legs. Avoid long, thick grass and wear long pants rather than shorts. Tucking your pants into your socks can also keep ticks from getting under your clothes. This won’t stop ticks from climbing onto you, but it will make the easier to spot before they can bite.

Finally, if you’re going outside during the summer, it’s a good idea to use a high-quality insect repellent to keep ticks away from you.

Anaplasmosis Vs. Fibromyalgia

Some of the symptoms of this condition are similar to fibromyalgia. There are the chronic muscle pain and fatigue, which is similar to that caused by fibromyalgia. And anaplasmosis can also lead to aching joints, which can mimic the tender points of fibromyalgia in some ways. Finally, it can also cause the sort of mental confusion that could be confused with the “fibro fog” caused by fibromyalgia.

And without treatment, the symptoms of anaplasmosis can get more severe to the point where someone suffering from it might confuse their condition with the debilitating effects of fibromyalgia.

But there are few things that make the two conditions easy to tell apart. First, anaplasmosis causes vomiting which is not typically the case with fibromyalgia. And the high fever that comes with this kind of tick-borne disease is a dead give away. There are also tests that doctors can run to determine if you’re suffering from anaplasmosis.

The test consists of evaluating your blood for the presence of the bacteria that causes anaplasmosis. The difficulty comes in realizing that you have the condition in the first place, especially if you weren’t aware of the tick bit that caused it. But if you’re suffering from flu-like symptoms and high fever that lasts for days you should see a doctor for tests. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

So, what do you think? Do you have anaplasmosis? What was it like? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
type 2 diabetes

Image: Shutterstock/ natalia bulatova

Type 2 diabetes is the kind of condition that changes your life. It requires huge changes to everything from what you eat to the most basic elements of your daily routine. And the number of people who suffer from it is growing in much of the world. But in spite of that, many people don’t know that much about what causes diabetes, or how to manage it, or even how to reduce their risk of developing the condition.

So what is type 2 diabetes? How is it treated? And how can you prevent it?

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes is caused by the inability of your body to process insulin properly. The food you eat is processed into glucose by your digestive system, which is then sent to your cells to provide energy. But to do that, your body needs insulin.

Insulin is produced in the pancreas, which secretes it into the bloodstream where it helps to process glucose. But some people can become insulin resistant, which means that their body stops being able to use insulin effectively. As a result, that glucose builds up in the bloodstream which leads to a variety of health effects like an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve pain.

There are a number of different factors that influence how likely you are to become diabetes resistant. Genetics play a big role, for instance. Having a relative with type 2 diabetes makes you more likely to develop the condition yourself. But just as important are things like diet and lifestyle.

Being overweight is a significant diabetes risk, which explains why the rates of type 2 diabetes are on the rise as obesity becomes a more significant problem in much of the developed world. Lack of exercise and poor nutrition play a significant role in raising your risk of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes differs from type 1 diabetes in that where type 2 diabetes occurs when your pancreas is still producing insulin but your body isn’t able to use it effectively, type 1 diabetes is caused when your body stops producing insulin altogether. But both conditions are treated in a similar way.

How is it Treated?

Diabetes is usually treated by regular injections of insulin to counteract the body’s inability to produce and use insulin naturally. This treatment requires the patient to carefully monitor their blood sugar levels and inject insulin when they get to high. Usually, patients monitor their blood sugar with a portable reader that pricks a finger in order to determine the blood glucose levels.

In addition, people with diabetes have to be careful about what they eat. Maintaining a healthy diet will not only help with weight loss but can also keep blood sugar levels constant, preventing dangerous spikes in blood sugar. Finally, exercise is important to maintaining a healthy blood sugar level and helps prevent other symptoms of diabetes as well.

The good news is that, unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is usually reversible. A recent study showed that patients who restricted their diet to around 800 calories a day saw their diabetes go into remission. And by maintaining a balanced diet, these patients were able to keep their diabetes from coming back in the long term.

But it’s important to remember that even if your diabetes goes into remission, gaining weight will usually cause your diabetes to return, which shows why maintaining a healthy weight is vital to treating type 2 diabetes.

How can you Prevent it?

And maintaining a healthy weight is also vital to preventing diabetes as well. An unhealthy lifestyle is a huge risk when it comes to developing diabetes, but it’s also something you can control, unlike genetics. Avoid foods that are high in fat and look for healthy whole grains and vegetables.

Exercise is also important. But you also don’t have to take up marathon running to prevent diabetes. Look for easy ways to get a bit more active during the day. Take a few minutes every hour or so to get up and walk around at work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. And consider using technology to help you manage your weight.

There are a number of apps and fitness trackers you can get that will help you log your food and activity. Keeping close track of your calories burned versus calories eaten makes it much easier to manage your weight. And studies have shown that people who keep track of their calories and log their meals lose more weight and keep it off than those who don’t.

Just remember that when it comes to diabetes, it helps to be proactive and that a little bit of prevention is worth a lot of cure.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is a Common Autoimmune Disease

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
John

In case it looks a little confusing, let’s start by breaking down the pronunciation. It sounds like this: ha-shee-moe-toes thigh-royd-I-tis. It was named after a Japanese physician who first described it in 1912. Before you roll your eyes about some other condition to worry about, just know this: 14 million Americans alone have this autoimmune disease. That also makes Hashimoto’s the most common thyroid disorder in the U.S. And here’s the kicker: one of the main risk factors for developing it is having a pre-existing autoimmune condition, like rheumatoid arthritis or possibly even fibromyalgia. It doesn’t stop there, either. If you happen to start out with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, you’re at a much greater risk for developing other autoimmune diseases too. So, basically, if you have one of these conditions, there’s a good chance you’ll develop others like them.

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists says that Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is about seven times more common in women than men. There could be many reasons for this, ranging from hormonal differences to cultural expectations when it comes to visiting healthcare practitioners. Regardless, it’s obviously something that women need to pay attention to. But what exactly is this condition? How do you know if you have it? And what can be done about it?

Just What Is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?

Let’s just make this easy and say that Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease. Hopefully you remember from middle school science that the body’s immune system is in place to protect your body from infections, disease, and the like. But in the case of an autoimmune disease, rather than defending your body, your immune system turns against the healthy cells. With many autoimmune conditions, the targeted healthy cells are rather specific. For example, with rheumatoid arthritis, the joints become the target. While Celiac’s disease, on the other hand, causes serious damage to the gastrointestinal region.

Of course, autoimmune diseases tend to leave a wake of destruction beyond the immediate targets. And Hashimoto’s is no exception. In this case, the target under direct attack by the immune system is the thyroid. Since the thyroid is responsible for key body functions like metabolism, heart rate, and temperature, an under- or overactive thyroid can cause serious side effects.

Hashimoto’s Symptoms

You’ll find two very interesting things when you start digging around for Hashimoto’s symptoms. First, it looks very similar to other known or suspected autoimmune conditions, such as fibromyalgia. Second, you may find different symptoms depending on what website you’re looking at. That’s because Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is typically a slowly developing condition. As Dr. Isabella Wentz, a Hashimoto’s thyroiditis expert and sufferer herself explains, “It takes an average of 10 years to be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s between the start of the autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland and when the person is diagnosed” [emphasis added].

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers some initial symptoms to look for:

  • Hot flashes, sweating
  • Trembling
  • Weight loss
  • Diarrhea
  • Hair loss
  • Nervousness, hyperactivity
  • Emotional instability and irritability or fatigue
  • Insomnia and restlessness
  • Potency problems
  • Racing heart

Recognizing the slow development process of the disease, they offer other possible symptoms that may come up over time:

  • General loss of energy and power
  • Slowed metabolism
  • Being overweight
  • Tiredness
  • Difficulties concentrating or mental slowness
  • Constipation
  • Sensitivity to cold
  • Slow pulse
  • Waxy skin thickening and swelling (myxedema)
  • Dry skin
  • Deep, hoarse voice
  • Brittle, dry hair
  • Loss of sexual desire or potency problems
  • Sometimes even depression

Can Hashimoto’s be Cured?

There are currently no actual cures for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. That’s the case with all autoimmune diseases so far. Or at least…that’s what we’re told. Depending on the severity of your condition, you could be looking at something as simple as a dietary change. Others further on down the road may require a regular prescription of hormones. And other still who have reached some of the final stages of progression will need to have their thyroid removed completely.

However, there are some alternative options. I’m definitely a fan of Chinese medicine because it looks at all systems in the body, rather than simply addressing specific symptoms. So, when I came across two different resources which seek to treat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis by cleaning up the liver, adrenals, and gut, it definitely got my attention. Earlier I referenced Dr. Wentz. She authored “Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back.” You can view a lot of the book on Amazon for free. She has some articles available on this topic as well, including one that lays out the five stages of Hashimoto’s. One of the things I really appreciate about her approach is referring to “remission” as an easier to attain goal than a “cure.”

The other promising resource I found is “The Thyroid Cure – The Functional Mind-Body Approach to Reversing Your Autoimmune Condition and Reclaiming Your Health!” Both resources end up addressing the underlying causes of autoimmune diseases. They also both provide lists of foods to cut out and introduce. Do you have any experience with these approaches to either Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or autoimmune conditions in general? Please share your stories here.

 

Fibromyalgia

Wellness Maintenance: Staying Physically and Emotionally Well with Fibro

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
wellness

Image: Shutterstock/ Polarpx

It’s easy to confuse wellness with good health, but while they are similar concepts, they aren’t quite the same thing. You can have good health without maintaining wellness. And, especially important for people with fibromyalgia, you can have wellness even if you don’t have good health.

After all, having fibromyalgia means that you aren’t exactly in good health. You’re dealing with a horrible, chronic illness. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do a few things to improve your mental wellbeing. So what exactly do we mean by “wellness?” And what can you do to maintain wellness when you have fibromyalgia?

What is Wellness?

Wellness describes a general state of wellbeing. It’s a state of being in control of the way you think and being comfortable with who you are. It means that you take charge of those negative thoughts and emotions and learn to overcome them so that they don’t have a significant impact on your quality of life.

There are a lot of different ways to maintain wellness. And it’s not all about “the power of positive thinking can overcome anything,” pie-in-the-sky ideology that promises to completely fix everything in your life. Part of wellness is understanding the physical limitations that you experience and learning to cope with them. We don’t have a cure for fibromyalgia. And even the means we have of treating it aren’t always effective. But you can learn to manage it and maintain a sense of wellness in spite of it.

How do you Maintain Wellness with Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia limits a lot of the things that you can do. There’s no way to get around that. No matter how well you manage your symptoms, there are always going to be days when you just can’t get out of bed. And that’s ok.

Part of maintaining mental wellness with such a devastating disease is accepting that there are going to be days where you just can’t do everything that’s expected of you because you’re wracked with pain and fatigue that most people couldn’t comprehend if they tried. And the best way you can handle that is learning not to blame yourself. And as strange as it might seem to someone who doesn’t have a chronic illness that someone who does would feel guilty about how their pain keeps them from living a normal life, a lot of people who do suffer know that feeling well. But it is not your fault that your illness is holding you back.

You didn’t do anything to deserve fibromyalgia. No one deserves fibromyalgia. It’s a horrible disease that would break the will of almost anyone. But when you have fibromyalgia and you get up every day anyway and do the best you are capable of, then you should feel proud of what you can accomplish, not guilty for the things you can’t. You wouldn’t expect other people to accomplish things they aren’t physically capable of, don’t demand it of yourself.

But at the same time, know that people will make unfair demands of you. And people generally, sometimes won’t know how to deal with you generally. Nearly everyone with fibromyalgia has lost friends who just couldn’t handle the way their illness affected them. It’s an emotional dagger in your heart when you’re already in the middle of a terrifying chronic illness. And it’s not fair to you.

Yet, if you can learn to forgive those people, and understand why they did it, you’ll find a strength and a capacity for empathy that is incredibly rare among people who don’t have a chronic illness. But because of what they’ve been through, that quality is very common among people who do. Realize that the people who disappeared from your life are the ones who missed out, not you.

After all, living with fibromyalgia is a daily struggle that most people can’t begin to understand or even imagine. And those who do it emerge from every day a stronger, more caring person every day. But just getting up in the morning requires someone with fibromyalgia to find that strength every single day.

If you can learn to accept and appreciate that you become a better person every day because of the way you have to fight your disease, finding that strength to get up in the morning will get easier.

But even if you can embrace all these aspects of mental wellness, remember also that there will always come days when it all seems like a total sham. Even the strongest person has days when they’re filled with self-doubt and the misery of living with fibromyalgia seems like all there really is.

Yet, how many people could get up in the morning in spite of feeling that way? Not many, and if you can then you owe yourself a pat on the back for finding the strength that most people never could.

So what do you think? How do you maintain mental wellness in spite of your illness? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is a Normal Ejection Fraction and why is it Important?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
normal ejection fraction

Image: Shutterstock/ tinydevil

“Normal ejection fraction” is a phrase you might have come across before if you spend a lot of time in hospitals or just studying medicine. But you might not have stopped to ask what exactly it means. And more importantly, you may not know why it matters.

Yet, it turns out that your ejection fraction is an extremely important thing to know for someone who suffers from heart trouble, as millions of people around the world do. So what exactly is a normal ejection fraction? And why does it matter?

What is a Normal Ejection Fraction?

Your heart functions like a pump, moving the blood in your body through your circulatory system. And the overall health of the system can be measured based on how much blood your heart is able to pump. That’s where the ejection fraction comes in.

An ejection fraction is, simply put, a measurement of the amount of blood your heart can move. Your heart is a muscle that expands and contracts. Each contraction sends blood from the main chambers of the heart, the ventricles, up through the other chambers, the atriums, and from there to the rest of your body through the arteries. But while every chamber of the heart is important, the left ventricle is the main pumping chamber.

So to measure your ejection fraction, your doctor will look at how much blood passes out of your left ventricle with each contraction. A normal ejection fraction is considered to be around 50%, meaning that about half the blood in your ventricle is pushed out in every contraction.

There are a few different ways to measure each contraction to make sure you’re maintaining a normal ejection fraction but the main method is with something called an echocardiogram. Basically, this consists of using a machine that sends sound waves through your heart and then uses those sound waves to produce an image of the heart. This lets the doctor determine the amount of blood being moved with each contraction.

Why is it Important?

Whether or not you have a normal ejection fraction is the best way for a doctor to tell how healthy your heart is. And an abnormal ejection fraction is a sign that something is wrong. There are a number of conditions that can lead to this result.

Dilated cardiomyopathy, for example, is a condition where the walls of the heart become harder and less flexible. As a result, the muscles in the heart grow weaker and it becomes more difficult for your heart to pump blood. That results in a lower ejection fraction, which your doctor can pick up on.

In addition, chronic high blood pressure can weaken the arteries, resulting in less blood moving into the heart and gradually damaging the muscles of the heart as well. Finally, if you have a weakened heart valve that isn’t opening and closing properly it can mean less blood is getting pumped out and thus a lower ejection fraction.

The fact that your doctor can measure your ejection fraction and immediately know something is wrong is very important because all of these conditions can continue for years without showing any outward symptoms. But while you may not be aware that you have them, they can do serious damage to your heart, weakening it and making you susceptible to heart attacks and strokes that can be deadly.

And once your heart has become damaged enough, there is little that can be done to fix it. As the heart breaks down, it loses its ability to transmit oxygen through your body. Blood is the key to getting oxygen from your lungs to your brain. And without your heart, moving it around the body is impossible, which leads to fatal results.

Most of the time the only answer to a severely damaged heart is either an artificial implant that performs the job of the heart or a transplant. Neither is a particularly good option compared to maintaining a healthy heart since both surgeries carry major risks. By far, the best option is to keep a close eye on the health of your heart so that it continues beating normally for many years.

And knowing your ejection fraction and keeping a normal ejection fraction is an important part of taking good care of one of the most important organs in your body. So remember to look for the early warning signs of heart failure like fatigue, fainting spells, shortness of breath, or an irregular heartbeat. and if you suffer any of these symptoms make sure to see a doctor right away.

 

Fibromyalgia

Tick Bites are Getting More Dangerous

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
tick bite

Image: Shutterstock/ Steven Ellingson

A tick bite usually isn’t very painful. And people who spend a lot of time outside often learn to just remove the tick and forget about them. But it might be time to change that because the evidence shows that tick bites are becoming more dangerous.

The rates of tick-borne illnesses are increasing. And so are the number of ticks. So, let’s take a look at the issue and ask why are tick bites getting more dangerous? What should you do if you get bitten? And how can you prevent it?

Why are Tick Bites Dangerous?

Tick bites are not usually dangerous by themselves. Ticks are far too small to do any real physical damage to your body. And unlike spiders, they don’t carry any dangerous venom. The real danger from tick bites comes from the fact that many ticks carry dangerous diseases that they can spread through their bites.

And it seems like these diseases are becoming more common. Rates of infection are on the rise, and that’s primarily because of the weather. The past few winters in much of the world where ticks are endemic have been unusually warm, which means that ticks are active for more of the year than they usually are. And more active ticks means more frequent tick bites.

The most famous disease spread by the bite of a tick is probably Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a condition that causes headaches, muscle aches, and chronic fatigue. Most cases can be cured if treated early. But if left unchecked, the disease can enter the chronic stage, which can’t be cured and can be so debilitating that it changes your life.

But there are a number of different- and often dangerous- diseases that can be spread through tick bites like babesiosis and anaplasmosis.

What Should You Do If You Are Bitten?

If you are bitten by a tick, the first step is to monitor your health carefully. Obviously, it’s not necessary to head to the doctor every time you get a tick bite. But there are a few signs to watch out for that suggest you might be infected by a dangerous disease. When it comes to Lyme disease, the most important thing to look for is a distinctive rash around the site of the bite. Many people refer to this rash as a “bullseye” because it consists of a single red spot at the site of the tick bite and then a ring around it.

But if any tick bite results in a significant and visible rash, you should probably head to the doctor and tell them you were bitten by a tick.

However, many tick-borne illnesses don’t show any visible symptoms in the early stages. And even people with Lyme disease don’t always develop a rash. That’s why it’s important that you watch out for the development of any symptoms for a few weeks after any bite and make sure to see a doctor immediately if you experience fever, headaches, or muscle pains.

Getting treatment early is the most important factor when it comes to dealing with Lyme disease or any tick-borne illness.

How can you Prevent Bites?

But the best way to protect yourself from these kinds of diseases is to avoid getting bitten in the first place. And while you’ll never totally avoid all tick bites if you spend significant amounts of time outside, there are a few things you can do to minimize your risk.

First, watch out for the kinds of places ticks live. Ticks feed by catching onto passing animals from long stalks of grass or the limbs of a bush. Anytime you pass through some dense undergrowth, there’s a good chance you might pick up a tick or two. Avoiding heavy patches of long grass or making sure to check your legs after passing through is a good way to avoid any unwanted passengers.

Second, if you know you’re going to be going outside for a while, it’s a good idea to wear long pants and tuck the legs of your pants into your socks. This keeps ticks from getting under your clothes where they can crawl up your body unnoticed.

Finally, consider a good bug repellant and spray it anywhere a tick might be likely to latch onto your body. And make sure to check yourself all over after coming indoors for any ticks.

By practicing a little bit of prevention, you can avoid any of the dangerous diseases spread by tick bites. And that means you’ll be able to enjoy your summer worry-free.

Fibromyalgia

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Fibromyalgia and Other Musculoskeletal Disorders

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Musculoskeletal disorders

Image : Shutterstock/ Agenturfotografin

If you have fibromyalgia, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the phrase “musculoskeletal disorder.” After all, that’s what fibromyalgia is: a musculoskeletal disorder. But unless you’re a doctor the term is probably a little opaque.  So, what is a musculoskeletal disorder? What causes it? And how can they be treated?

So, what exactly is a musculoskeletal disorder? And how can they be treated?

What Is A Musculoskeletal Disorder?

Put simply, a musculoskeletal disorder is any condition that affects the musculoskeletal system. And to simplify it a bit more, the musculoskeletal system is basically just the system of connections between your bones, tendons, nerves, and muscles. It’s how we are able to move.The bones support our bodies and provide an

The bones support our bodies and provide an anchor for the muscles, which allow us to move our skeletons by expanding and contracting. The tendons tie the muscles and joints together, and the nerves allow our brains to tell our bodies what to do. It’s sort of the core of how our bodies work physically, which is why a disorder affecting it, like fibromyalgia, can be so devastating.

Usually, a musculoskeletal disorder is caused by repetitive stress to the body. This is evident in something like carpal tunnel syndrome, where repetitive use and compression of the nerve leads to chronic pain. But this definition of a musculoskeletal disorder as an injury caused by damage to the muscles and nerves is a bit misleading.

That’s because the term is actually broader than that, encompassing any condition that seriously affects the relation between nerves, skeleton, and muscles, like fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia isn’t a repetitive-stress injury like carpal tunnel, and it isn’t entirely clear that it’s related to nerve damage, but it absolutely affects the musculoskeletal system. That’s what separates a musculoskeletal disorder from a simple injury like a bone fracture.

How Are Musculoskeletal Disorders Treated?

The treatment for any given musculoskeletal disorder depends largely on what exactly the disorder is. Obviously, a condition like carpal tunnel syndrome requires very different treatment than something like fibromyalgia.

For some of the more basic disorders that are repetitive stress injuries, resting the affected area and stabilizing it with some sort of brace is usually enough. And in more severe cases, there is usually a surgical option.

But for things like fibromyalgia, that are caused by a generalized disorder that we don’t fully understand, treatment gets more complicated. Fibromyalgia is usually treated with medications designed to help manage pain since there is currently no effective cure. What’s interesting about the way fibromyalgia is treated is that it reveals how musculoskeletal disorders can be created by something outside the musculoskeletal system itself.

Fibromyalgia And Musculoskeletal Disorders

No one knows what causes fibromyalgia, but there must be at least some relation to chemicals in the brain. And the most common treatment for fibromyalgia demonstrates this fact clearly.

Savella is the first drug created and approved specifically to treat fibromyalgia. And it works in the same way as antidepressants, increasing the amount of free serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is a chemical called a neurotransmitter and its role is to keep nerve signals running smoothly from the brain to the body. And low levels of serotonin increase the severity of fibromyalgia pain in people with the condition, which is why Savella is effective for some fibromyalgia sufferers.

And the fact that fibromyalgia is, on some level, caused by the chemical functions of the brain shows how complicated musculoskeletal disorders can be. You would expect most conditions affecting the muscles and skeleton to be injuries. After all, it’s hard to imagine how a chemical imbalance in your brain would leave you in actual, physical pain. Yet, that chemical imbalance is clearly contributing to the physical pain of people with fibromyalgia.

It just goes to show how, in spite of all our medical advances, we really are a long way from completely understanding the complicated organic machine that is our body. And that means that for now at least, people with fibromyalgia and other musculoskeletal disorders will continue to suffer.

But the good news is that the more we focus on researching how to cure one musculoskeletal disorder, the more we understand about how to cure others. And it’s quite possible that one day research into the musculoskeletal system may yield a breakthrough in how we treat fibromyalgia.

But let us know, do you have a musculoskeletal disorder? How do you manage it? What advice do you have for others suffering from similar conditions? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

How to Deal with Fibromyalgia Pain

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
fibromyalgia pain

Image: Shutterstock/ charnsitr

The pain of fibromyalgia can ruin your life completely. More than the fatigue or the wide variety of unusual symptoms like tingling limbs and Raynaud’s syndrome, the pain of fibromyalgia is what makes it such a devastating condition to live with. And the worst part is the way that no one really seems to understand what you’re going through.

But is there really any way to manage or even just lessen the horrible pain of fibromyalgia? What can we do to deal with it? And what causes fibromyalgia pain in the first place?

What Causes Fibromyalgia Pain?

No one is really sure where fibromyalgia comes from, but there are a number of different theories. Some people have speculated that the source is tiny micro tears in the muscles that accumulate over time. This would explain why vigorous exercise tends to make fibromyalgia worse. But it doesn’t account for all the fatigue and mental fog symptoms.

Others think that low levels of neurotransmitter chemicals like serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These chemicals control movement and low levels can lead to muscle pain and stiffness. And people with fibromyalgia often have lower levels of these chemicals than the general population.

And another theory is that fibromyalgia is actually an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system begins attacking and destroying your cells.

But while we don’t know for sure what the basic cause of the pain is, we do know that there are definitely certain things that make it worse. Stress is a known factor in elevating how much pain you feel. A lack of sleep also contributes, which is an unfortunate catch-22 for people with a condition that causes insomnia. And finally, over-exertion is a major trigger for fibromyalgia.

All of these things can lead to episodes where the symptoms of fibromyalgia get more intense, generally called flare-ups. And these flare ups along with the increased fibromyalgia pain are when you need treatment the most.

What Drugs Are Available To Treat It?

The most commonly prescribed drug for treating fibromyalgia pain is probably Savella. Savella is a drug derived from anti-depressants that can help some people with their pain. It works by increasing the amount of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is a type of chemical called a neurotransmitter that affects everything from your mood to how well your muscles can move. And low levels of it clearly play some role in fibromyalgia as well.

But Savella isn’t effective for some people, which is why other drugs are commonly prescribed for the condition. These drugs include anticonvulsant drugs like Gabapentin, which can sort of sooth the over-active nervous systems of fibromyalgia patients, and opioid pain killers. Opioids work by blocking the interaction between pain signals and the brain, which makes them very effective for relieving short-term pain.

Alternative Methods To Fight Fibromyalgia Pain

If you either find drugs ineffective for treating your symptoms or simply don’t want to be on a bunch of different drugs, there are a number of alternative treatments that may people find quite effective. A lot of them are simple things like adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Some people think that cutting gluten from their diet helps with the pain for instance, but science shows that a healthy, balanced diet is best for people with fibromyalgia. And in one of the many little ironies that come with living with fibromyalgia, exercise is one of the best ways to treat fibromyalgia. People with fibromyalgia who exercise regularly experience much less severe symptoms than those who don’t. But of course, fibromyalgia is a condition that makes it very difficult to exercise. Even if you somehow manage to fight through the pain and crippling fatigue, you run the risk of your exercise setting off a painful

But of course, fibromyalgia is a condition that makes it very difficult to exercise. Even if you somehow manage to fight through the pain and crippling fatigue, you run the risk of your exercise setting off a painful fibro flare up. So the best thing to do is to exercise when and if you are able and not to push yourself too hard.

Finally, a lot of people with fibromyalgia swear by yoga as a surefire way to relieve fibromyalgia pain. The benefits of yoga are well known for all kinds of different conditions and the advantage is that it’s a good form of exercise without being too demanding on your body. Here are some simple poses to get you started.

But you tell us, how do you deal with your fibromyalgia pain? Let us know in the comments section.

 

Health

Is Home DNA Testing Worthwhile?

Written By: Clifton
John

Home DNA testing has really hit the big time, with tests from companies like 23andme.com and ancestry.com flying off the virtual shelves. Many other brands are out there, each offering outcomes tailored to specific needs. People buy home DNA tests for two major reasons: genetic indicators of possible diseases that might strike later on in life, and genealogy, finding new relatives and geographical and national points of origin for those family connections. Genetic health is the more confusing of the two, as people often over-interpret the results and end up scared out of their wits.

What Home DNA Testing Can Tell Us

As recently as the last decade, gene sequencing was time-consuming, expensive (around $1000), and required a lab. Now, all it takes is a sample of the undifferentiated epithelial cells found in saliva and a few weeks. The need for several weeks is solely due to the time each sample has to wait in a processing queue. The tests come in kits that contain vials of reagents. People spit into the vials, then mail them to the manufacturer. After the gene tests are done, the recipient receives reports that focus on health indicators and genealogy. Some kits target health issues, while other home DNA tests are part of the trend called personal genomics. Personal genomics involves people learning as much as they can about their health as it’s “written” in their genetic codes. The goal is to identify possible disorders that might manifest themselves. Some kinds of predispositions to cancers are readily apparent in a person’s genes. A few kinds of dementia likewise can be found by gene testing. More and more disorders are discovered all the time, as over the last several decades, medical geneticists have learned a lot about what diseases are linked to genetic issues.

There’s some practical uses for DNA testing. Some disorders can be slowed down with early detection. There are several forms of dementia that respond to treatment in the early stages. Although there’s no cure, getting help early in the disease’s life cycle can give a person a better quality of life. However, a home DNA test is absolutely no substitute for a doctor’s consultation. Home DNA testing that reveals potential health issues should be taken with a grain of salt and some caution. After getting a scary result, that’s the time to contact a doctor and begin exploring the issue. The home test isn’t the end of your investigations, it’s the beginning.

DNA tests really shine when it comes to researching one’s ancestry. Everything from the origin of your ancestors to the races that have gone into making you who you are. In fact, most tests can show how much archaic DNA you have; that is, how many, if any, Neanderthal ancestors you have lurking in the distant past. Establishing kinship lines is absolutely crucial to genealogists, and the typical home DNA test kit really shines here.

Fibromyalgia

What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
pain reprocessing therapy

Image: Pixabay

Often people struggling with chronic pain find themselves bouncing from doctor to doctor. They’re given different treatments like opioids, surgery, or steroid injections. It sometimes seems like everyone has a different diagnosis for what’s wrong with them. Yet nothing ever really helps. It’s like there’s no cure for their pain.

That’s a scenario that people with fibromyalgia know well. But part of the problem might be the way we think about chronic pain. There’s growing evidence that trying to treat chronic pain as a purely physical problem may not be the most effective method.

Instead, doctors may need to look at the psychological basis for chronic pain. And some have suggested that pain reprocessing therapy may be an effective method of treating chronic pain. So what is pain reprocessing therapy? And can it be an effective way to treat fibromyalgia?

What Is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?

Pain serves as a warning sign of damage to the body. When you’re injured, the nerves send signals to the brain that it processes as pain. This gives you a chance to get away from whatever is causing the damage. In that sense, pain plays a very important role in keeping us alive. That’s why humans have evolved to feel pain in the first place.

The problem comes when the body begins sending pain signals without any actual source of damage. These chronic pain signals don’t help you survive, but they’re a source of constant misery.

The idea behind pain reprocessing therapy is to train your body to ignore these signals that don’t serve a useful purpose. Working with a therapist, a patient learns to recognize when they’re experiencing these signals and ask themselves if the signals are actually dangerous.

In the case of fibromyalgia, a patient would take a moment when they’re feeling pain and remind themselves that “this is just fibromyalgia pain, and while it hurts, it won’t kill me.”

Pain reprocessing therapy proponents suggest that, over time, this can train the body to ignore those signals. This would decrease the total amount of pain they experience.

Can It Treat Fibromyalgia?

As to how this therapy actually works out in practice, the truth is that no one is really sure. There’s some anecdotal evidence that suggests it may be helpful. And there are a few reasons to believe that this sort of approach to pain might work.

There’s little scientific evidence to support pain reprocessing therapy. But that may simply be because the therapy is relatively new and hasn’t been subjected to much testing.

A study is being planned by researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder to test the effectiveness of these kinds of therapies for people with chronic back pain. The study will give a third of the subjects psychiatric talk therapy, a third no therapy, and the last third a placebo saline injection.

The results may show just effective these kinds of non-surgical or pharmaceutical therapies can be. At the moment, the study seems to be waiting for test subjects. So if you live in the Boulder, Colorado area and suffer from chronic back pain, you may consider joining the study.

There is evidence that chronic pain can have a psychological basis. We know that chronic stress or traumatic events in the past can contribute to chronic pain conditions.

But as far as fibromyalgia goes, the truth is probably a bit more complex. We don’t know for sure whether psychological distress causes the chronic pain of fibromyalgia or if the stress makes people more likely to develop whatever physical condition leads to fibromyalgia.

It might be that the psychological trauma contributes to the physical pain of fibromyalgia. And if this is the case, then it makes sense that talk therapy treatments could help reduce the amount of pain someone with fibromyalgia experiences.

There’s also evidence that taking efforts to increase your overall mental wellbeing can reduce the severity of your symptoms. Taken together with the fact that people with fibromyalgia frequently suffer from higher levels of depression and are at a higher risk of suicide, some form of mental health counseling is actually an important part of managing the condition in the long term.

There’s really no reason not to pursue some kind of therapy, and the good news is that it may actually improve the amount of pain you experience. So while there’s little solid evidence to support pain reprocessing therapy, it might be worth trying as part of a broader counseling plan.

What do you think? Have you tried pain reprocessing therapy? Did it help? Would you like to try it? Let us know in the comments?

What is Inflammatory Arthritis?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
John
inflammatory arthritis

Image: Shutterstock/ ESB Professional

You’ve no doubt heard of arthritis. It’s a common condition that affects a lot of people as they get older. In fact, around 350 million people around the world have arthritis. But not all arthritis is the same. There are hundreds of different kinds of arthritis. Some or more common than others, but all can be extremely painful and can cripple your ability to live a normal life.

But making sense of all the different kinds of arthritis is still difficult. That’s why it can be helpful to think of the condition as consisting of two basic categories: inflammatory arthritis and non-inflammatory arthritis. So what’s the difference? What leads to inflammatory arthritis? And what can you do to treat it?

Inflammatory Arthritis Vs. Non-inflammatory Arthritis

Arthritis is essentially a condition where the protective lining of the joints, the synovium, gets worn down. Usually, this tissue protects your joints as you move. But when you have arthritis, your joints lose that protection, which makes movement very painful. There are a lot of reasons this happens.

But the big difference between inflammatory arthritis and non-inflammatory arthritis is that inflammatory arthritis leads to swelling all over your joints. And inflammatory arthritis sometimes causes more widespread symptoms like fever, muscle aches, and chronic fatigue.

Non-inflammatory arthritis is typically caused by the mechanical degrading of the lining between the joints. The most common reason is simply age. As you get older, your joints begin to suffer from the years of stress that daily life causes. That’s why conditions like osteoarthritis become more common as you age. There are a few things that can raise your risk, however, like obesity and a genetic predisposition to arthritis.

Inflammatory arthritis, on the other hand, is usually caused by a more serious illness.

What Causes Inflammatory Arthritis?

In cases of inflammatory arthritis, it is usually the result of a wider autoimmune disease. That means that the arthritis is caused by your immune system attacking your tissue. In a healthy immune system, your white blood cells produce something called antibodies that attack and destroy dangerous bacteria and viruses. But when you have an autoimmune disease, these antibodies begin to attack your own cells instead.

And in cases of inflammatory arthritis, the antibodies begin to attack the synovium in your joints. As a result, it becomes inflamed and causes the painful joint swelling that makes this disease so terrible.

The most widely known form of inflammatory arthritis is probably rheumatoid arthritis. And the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can be very severe. The inflammation in the joints can gradually destroy them, leading to potentially serious deformities of the fingers or other joints.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to treat it.

What Can You Do To Treat It?

The first step in treating inflammatory arthritis is to protect your joints from further damage. Getting treatment early can prevent the kinds of serious deformity that sometimes comes with rheumatoid arthritis. And early treatment largely consists of two things: 1) limiting pain and 2) reducing the dangerous inflammation.

When it comes to the first point, the most common form of medication is analgesics. Analgesics work by blocking the pain receptors in the brain. Most of the time, basic over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen are enough to take the edge of arthritis pain. But in cases of severe arthritis, doctors sometimes prescribe opiates.

Opiates are powerful painkillers that can sometimes be the only effective way to relieve the pain of severe arthritis, but they carry certain risks of physical dependency and overdose. That makes prescribing painkillers something that doctors are often reluctant to do.

But while aspirin and ibuprofen might not be the most effective forms of pain relief for arthritis, they do have another aspect that makes them good for treating the condition. These kinds of drugs are called NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And as you might guess from the name, they help reduce inflammation, protecting your joints from further damage. Not to mention that reducing inflammation can also help with pain because it leads to less pressure on the joints.

But if NSAIDs aren’t enough to handle the inflammation, your doctor might prescribe immunosuppressant drugs. This class of drugs works by reducing the activity of the immune system, causing your white blood cells to produce fewer antibodies. That means less inflammation and thus less pain and potential damage to the joints.

But immunosuppressants carry the risk of lowering your immune system to the point that you’re vulnerable to dangerous infections. That’s why, like with any drug, it’s important to weigh the potential benefits and risks with your doctor.

So, tell us what you think. Do you have inflammatory arthritis? What works for you? What doesn’t? Let us know in the comments.

 

 

Common Symptoms of Arthritis

Written By: Wyatt Redd
John
symptoms of arthritis

Shutterstock/ Image Point FR

Arthritis is a common disease. It’s estimated that around the world over 350 million people have arthritis. And it becomes even more common the older you get. But even though arthritis is not an unusual disease to develop, it’s also not a simple disease to diagnose. There are hundreds of different kinds of arthritis.

And the causes of arthritis can range from the simple breaking down of joint tissue with age to severe autoimmune diseases. But even with all of these different types of arthritis, they all seem to have some symptoms in common. So what are the most common symptoms of arthritis? And what can you do to treat them?

Common Symptoms Of Arthritis

Joint Pain

The most important of all the different symptoms of arthritis is joint pain. It can take the form of acute, stabbing pain, or simply a dull, aching throb.This is the symptom that doctors look for when diagnosing arthritis. But the type of joint pain you experience can vary widely among different kinds of arthritis. In most cases, the pain is most severe in the morning or after any period of rest when you aren’t using your joints.

Joint stiffness

In most cases, it’s accompanied by stiffness of the joints that makes them hard to move. This pain is the most obvious of the symptoms of arthritis and the surest sign that you’re suffering from the disease.

Joint Swelling

Though not every case of arthritis leads to swelling of the joints, many do. The inflammation of the tissue between the joints causes them to produce fluid that is visible underneath the skin and can cause intense pain in the affected joints. It can affect joints all over the body but is commonly seen in the fingers or the knees.

Joint deformity

But one of the worst symptoms of arthritis has to be the joint deformity that sometimes comes with the disease. It’s most common in cases of rheumatoid arthritis when the tissue between the joints begins to harden and quickly destroys the tissue of the joints. As a result, the joints begin to lose their shape and your fingers or toes can end up becoming deformed. They stick out at unnatural angles and lose their strength, making someone with severe joint deformation unable to use their hands or feet normally.

Other symptoms

In cases of arthritis caused by autoimmune disease, you might experience fevers, chronic fatigue, and muscle weakness.

Luckily, with proper treatment, many of these severe symptoms of arthritis can be avoided or at least managed.

How Are They Treated?

The first step in treating the symptoms of arthritis is finding a way to reduce inflammation. The inflammation caused by arthritis is the most frequent cause of permanent damage to the joints and so doctors treat it as the biggest priority when it comes to treatment. Luckily, there are a number of medications you can use for treating inflammation.

First, your doctor might prescribe standard over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin or ibuprofen. These drugs dull pain by blocking the receptors in your brain that interpret painkillers. But they also have the added benefit of belonging to a class of drugs called NSAIDs. NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, target and reduce the inflammation caused by arthritis. This leads to less swelling in the joints and thus less permanent damage.

But if NSAIDs aren’t enough, you can also try corticosteroids. Corticosteroids use a type of hormone found naturally in the body to fight inflammation. These hormones suppress the activity of the immune system and help regulate the fluid in your body, which prevents it from swelling up in the joints. Typically, they are produced in your adrenal glands but you can also get higher doses of synthetic corticosteroids to help treat the type of autoimmune disease that sometimes leads to the symptoms of arthritis.

Finally, if these drugs aren’t able to help with your symptoms or if your arthritis goes untreated long enough, you may have to turn to joint replacement surgery. Essentially, joint replacement surgery consists of fashioning a plastic replacement joint which can take the place of the eroded tissue. This smooth plastic allows your joints to move against it without pain in the same way the tissue in a healthy joint does. Obviously, this kind of invasive surgery is not ideal, but it can become necessary if the symptoms of arthritis progress too far to respond to normal treatment.

But tell us, do you suffer from arthritis? What are your symptoms? What works for you in terms of treatment? Let us know in the comments section below.

Fibromyalgia

How Does TENS Therapy Work?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
TENS therapy

Image: Shutterstock/ microgen

TENS therapy is a pretty common treatment for any condition that causes muscle pain, like fibromyalgia. And if you spend any time reading about these kinds of conditions, or in a physical therapist’s office for therapy, you’ll probably end up considering it at one point or another. So if you’re curious about a TENS machine, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s talk about what TENS therapy is, how it works, and if it’s really as effective as a lot of people claim it is.

What Is TENS Therapy?

TENS stands for “transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation.” And essentially, TENS therapy uses a small machine, usually battery powered and portable, that sends a small electric current through the skin and into the underlying muscle.

It’s a fairly common method of treating muscle pain and is frequently used by sports therapists to help athletes recover from injuries faster. And people with arthritis sometimes use it to deal with the joint pain of the condition.

Usually, a TENS unit has an adjustable knob that allows patients to slowly turn up the voltage. TENS machines typically aren’t powerful enough to be dangerous and are designed to simply offer mild stimulation of the nerves. This fact, along with the fact that it is portable, means that you can actually purchase your own TENS unit and carry it with you throughout the day, and use it only when you feel pain.

That’s good news because the relief that TENS offers tends to be short lived. So, someone using it for chronic pain would have to turn the machine on several times a day to get the best results.

How Does It Work?

The idea behind TENS therapy is that the electric signals disrupt the neural pathways what cause our brains to register pain. The nerves in your muscles transmit electrical signals to your brain when they are damaged, which in turn is interpreted by the brain. The brain then sends its own signals back to the muscle, which we then perceive as pain in that muscle.


People using TENS machines hope that by sending an external electric current into that nerve connection, it will overwhelm the pain signals, which disrupts your bodies ability to process pain. In addition, many proponents of the therapy argue that the electric current stimulates the body’s natural healing process, leading to faster recovery times.

And finally, some theorize that TENS therapy triggers the endorphin system. Endorphins are a chemical released in the body that stimulates pleasure centers in the brain and dulls the sensation of pain. The idea is that it releases these endorphins and thus leaves you feeling better.

But the scientific basis behind the therapy is actually a little bit spotty.

Is It Effective?

There’s no question that some people who use TENS therapy report a decrease in their pain symptoms. There are numerous studies that back up the idea that TENS seems to work for some people.

But in many of these studies, the effectiveness of the therapy seems to vary widely. Some people report positive results while people with the same condition, at the same voltage, don’t see any improvement at all. It could be that some people are simply more likely to respond positively to it based on genetic makeup or body composition or any number of other factors. That could explain why results seem so variable.

But some have argued that these mixed results are better explained by something called the sensation-enhanced placebo effect. You see, the placebo effect is a well-understood principle in medical research where people who have been given an ineffective treatment seem to feel better anyway. They believe that the treatment was effective and so they report an improvement in symptoms.

The sensation-enhanced placebo effect is essentially the same thing but with a tool like a TENS unit that causes a physical sensation in the subject. So not only does someone using it believe they are receiving an effective treatment, but they feel like the machine is clearly doing something because they can feel the electric pulse.

This would explain why some people report success with TENS but others don’t. Some people are more susceptible to the placebo effect than others. But with that being said, anything that leaves you feeling better is a valid form of treatment. What matters when it comes to treating chronic pain are results that make it easier for you to live a normal life. So if you think a TENS unit may help you, there’s little harm in trying. Just don’t expect wonders from it.

So let us know, do you use TENS therapy for pain? Does it work for you? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Common Sjogren’s Symptoms

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
sjogren's syndrome

Image: Shutterstock/ maroke

Sjogren’s syndrome is a painful condition that causes a wide range of symptoms. Many Sjogren’s symptoms can even mimic the symptoms of fibromyalgia. And many are hard to distinguish from the symptoms of other autoimmune diseases. That can make getting an accurate diagnosis difficult. So, understanding when your symptoms point to Sjogren’s syndrome is important when it comes to getting effective treatment.

But what exactly is Sjogren’s syndrome? What are the most common Sjogren’s symptoms? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Sjogren’s Syndrome?

Put simply, Sjogren’s syndrome is an autoimmune condition. That means it’s caused by the immune system attacking the body. In a healthy immune system, the white blood cells produce cells called antibodies. These antibodies attack foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. It’s what keeps us healthy in a world filled with dangerous diseases.

But when you develop an autoimmune disease like Sjogren’s syndrome, the antibodies begin to attack your own body’s cells instead. Over time, they begin to destroy the tissue all over your body. Often this damage is most visible in the skin, which is what causes the unsightly rash that we associate with lupus. But autoimmune diseases can be deadly when they attack vital organs like the lungs, heart or kidneys.

There are a lot of different autoimmune conditions. They all seem to follow the same basic mechanism, but the sorts of tissue that they attack seem to set them apart. That’s what differentiates Sjogren’s syndrome from other autoimmune diseases.

Common Sjogren’s Symptoms

The most obvious Sjogren’s symptoms relate to the fact that the tissue that Sjogren’s attacks are the moisture producing cells in the body. The antibodies begin destroying the tear ducts and salivary glands. This damage is what produces some of the most common Sjogren’s symptoms.

The most obvious sign that someone has Sjogren’s syndrome are chronically dry eyes. While everyone’s eyes get irritated from time to time, the natural moisture that your eyes produce is usually enough to prevent any serious damage. But for someone with Sjogren’s, their eyes can’t produce the fluid they need. This leads to painfully dry eyes that can feel like there is sand or dirt in them.

The second most distinctive of the common Sjogren’s symptoms is a dry mouth. Again, it’s common for people to get dry mouths, but if your mouth is uncomfortably dry for weeks or months, then you may have Sjogren’s syndrome. In addition, the salivary glands in your mouth might become swollen and inflamed leading to painful lumps in your mouth or throat.

Finally, if you’re a woman, you might suffer from vaginal dryness as well.

There are also a few less obvious Sjogren’s symptoms. Sjogren’s can cause muscle weakness, joint pain, and chronic fatigue. These are commons symptoms among autoimmune diseases. So it can be tough to diagnose Sjogren’s syndrome if you don’t recognize the symptoms involving the mouth or eyes. Luckily, there are a few ways to test for Sjogren’s.

Your doctor can test your blood for the presence of high antibody levels. This is called an ANA test and is a good way to determine if you have an autoimmune disease. Your doctor can combine this test with a test of the moisture production of your tear ducts to give you an accurate Sjogren’s diagnosis.

How Can You Treat Sjogren’s?

Sjogren’s syndrome is treated like most other autoimmune diseases. The first step in treating Sjogren’s is dealing with the inflammation that can damage your vital organs. And one of the most commonly used drugs to do that are NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. NSAIDs are typically simple over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin. They help control the pain of Sjogren’s while fighting the inflammation.

And you can often manage the dryness caused by Sjogren’s with over-the-counter eye drops. Secondly, make sure that you’re drinking enough water. Staying hydrated is key when it comes to managing Sjogren’s.

Finally, doctors often prescribe immunosuppressive drugs to treat Sjogren’s syndrome. Immunosuppressive drugs work by reducing the number of antibodies that your cells produce. Fewer antibodies mean less damage to your tissue and less inflammation. That makes immunosuppressants effective for treating Sjogren’s symptoms. The downside is that these drugs can leave you vulnerable to infections since they weaken your immune system.

What’s important is that you recognize the symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome early. The longer the disease goes untreated, the more damage it can do.

So if you have any questions about Sjogren’s, or if you want to share your experiences with the condition, let us know in the comments.

 

Prescription Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Written By: Clifton
John

Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, holds promise for treating depression and other psychological maladies. Ketamine is also used as an illicit drug in the rave scene, known for producing euphoric, out of body experiences. Called “Special K,” it’s among the most commonly abused drugs. But it looks like it has a legitimate use as a depression-fighting medication. Ketamine works by blocking the action of the NMDA receptors, affecting the availability of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate is the most prevalent neurotransmitter in the human nervous system. Its actions affect 90% of all the connections in the brain.

SSRIs, the class of drug that includes Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft, and Celexa. The work well for about one-third of depression sufferers, moderately well for another third, and not at all for the final third of those diagnosed with depression. However, even when an SSRI works, it takes weeks for them to take effect. Two weeks at least, but four to six weeks is usually the time span needed for maximum benefit. That’s far, far too long for people with overwhelming suicidal thinking. For those at imminent risk of suicide, sometimes hospitalization in a behavioral health facility with round the clock supervision is the only way to stay alive. Costs for this kind of care can easily run around 1000 dollars a day, with insurance typically covering around 50% to 80% of the costs–but only up to the limit of the patient’s policy. It’s entirely possible for patients to leave a behavioral health hospital owing tens of thousands of dollars for stays over a couple of weeks. Even after such a lengthy hospitalization, there’s no guarantee that the anti-depressants won’t suddenly and catastrophically stop working.

Enter Ketamine

Johnson & Johnson is currently testing esketamine, a drug that’s highly similar to ketamine. Esketamine is in Phase III research trials, which will lead to approval or denial by the FDA. If approved, esketamine will be used to treat treatment-resistant depression. About one-third of depression suffers have hard to treat depression, depression that doesn’t respond well to medication. Allergan Pharmaceuticals is testing rapastinel, a related derivative of ketamine. Unlike SSRIs and other classes of antidepressants, ketamine starts working within hours or less. The effects of a single treatment can last up to a week, and daily dosing with lozenges and nasal spray is also in the works. Due to its swift action, ketamine would be a godsend for people at imminent risk of self-harm or suicide. It works rapidly and relieves depression so well that ideas of suicide subside and vanish for up to a week. Daily dosing ensures that the treated individual stays free of suicidal thinking.

Ketamine isn’t a miracle drug, and it’s no cure for depression. It will not eliminate suicide universally. However, it looks like it will be a lifesaver for thousands of people who every year find themselves in the deepest, darkest pits of depression. For those for whom suicide seems like a reasonable choice, prescription ketamine and its derivatives could be the difference between life and death.

Fibromyalgia

Dyshidrotic Eczema and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
dyshidrotic eczema

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever noticed that you sometimes develop small, red blisters on the bottom of your feet or on your hands? Often, these blisters will itch, and the skin surrounding them can grow tender and painful.

If those symptoms sound familiar, you might suffer from dyshidrotic eczema. And if you’re already suffering from fibromyalgia, you may be at a higher risk of developing the condition.

So what is dyshidrotic eczema exactly? How is it linked to fibromyalgia? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Dyshidrotic Eczema?

As with all forms of eczema, no one is really sure what causes dyshidrotic eczema. But there seems to be an interaction between the skin and the immune system. Basically, the skin gets irritated by dehydration or external irritants like pollen or dust.

The immune system then overreacts to these irritants and triggers an inflammation response in the skin. When it comes to dyshidrotic eczema, this response creates the blisters that are closely identified with the disease. Usually, they develop on the soles of the feet, the toes, the palms of the hands, and the fingers.

It’s often possible to tell when the blisters are developing as the skin begins to grow tender and may sweat around the area that the blisters will eventually form.

Typically, they come in small groups. And the individual blisters themselves are usually small and might even be hard to notice. But the blisters can also eventually grow large enough to make walking difficult. In most cases, the blisters are intensely itchy and occasionally they can be quite painful.

It’s more common in women than men. And there seems to be a link between allergies and the condition. People who suffer from hay fever are more likely to develop dyshidrotic eczema.

And like many skin conditions, there’s a possibility that it could be linked to fibromyalgia.

How Is It Linked To Fibromyalgia?

We know that many people with fibromyalgia suffer from different skin conditions. There’s little evidence of a direct link between fibromyalgia and dyshidrotic eczema beyond the anecdotal.

And it doesn’t seem as though fibromyalgia itself causes skin conditions. Instead, the most likely explanation is that these conditions are linked to some of the complications of fibromyalgia. There seems to be a link between the stress of living with fibromyalgia and many different immune system disorders.

It’s possible that the resulting changes to the immune system make people more likely to develop skin conditions like eczema. But we’re not sure just what sort of role the immune system plays in conditions like eczema, or in fibromyalgia for that matter.

All we can say for certain is that there does seem to be a link between fibromyalgia and these sorts of conditions. There are a number of different theories about what it might be, but there’s no convincing evidence that supports any conclusively.

Until more research is done on the subject, it’s hard to say for sure what the connection is.

Of course, the fact remains that if you have developed eczema, you want to treat it. And there are a few ways to do that.

How Can You Treat It?

Unfortunately, there’s no way to cure dyshidrotic eczema. That means that managing the condition comes down to simply treating the symptoms as they appear and trying to prevent them from recurring in the future.

The blisters and skin irritation will usually come and go every few weeks or months. In some cases, the condition might spontaneously disappear after a few years.

In most cases, doctors usually prescribe topical corticosteroids to treat the outbreaks. These are creams that contain artificial hormones that help block the immune response that triggers the blisters. If those prove ineffective, you may also be prescribed corticosteroid shots or pills.

Other treatment options include UV light treatments or medications that can suppress the immune system. In some cases, doctors may suggest botulism shots to prevent your hands or feet from sweating.

Sweat seems to contribute to triggering the blisters, so keeping your hands and feet dry might help prevent outbreaks. In terms of over-the-counter options, there are a number of moisturizers that block water from escaping the skin. These can help you avoid blisters and have the added benefit of keeping the skin healthy.

Antihistamines can help with the itching and are available in pills and topical creams. It’s important not to scratch at the blisters, as this can damage the skin and make the condition worse.

As with any chronic condition, the most important thing to do is to take the necessary steps to manage the condition proactively and take charge of your health.

So what do you think? Have you suffered from eczema? What do you think the link is with fibromyalgia? How do you treat the condition? Let us know in the comments.

US Suicide Rates Rocketing Up

Written By: Clifton
John

The recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain shocked the nation, but suicide is nothing new, and it’s becoming far more frequent. In the USA, suicide rates have been rising since 1999. At first, the uptick appeared to be a statistical anomaly. Now, it’s apparent that the increase is real and it’s large. The suicide rate overall has increased about one-third in the last 18 years. A 33% jump in less than 20 years is unprecedented and frightening. Suicide is up in 49 states, with the exception of Nevada, where rates have dropped 1% since 1999. Picking out a common thread in the search for relative causation isn’t easy, but some trends in demographics are clear: most suicides are white men. Around 84% of suicides are white; 77% are men. What’s particularly troublesome is that only half of all suicides come from people with known mental health issues. Half of the instances originate out of seemingly nowhere. Note also that suicide rates are underreported. Two factors drive the underreporting of suicide: the stigma of suicide, and the potential for financial loss. Suicide is the third largest killer of young people under 30, but white, middle-class males make up a large proportion of the climb in suicides. The reason for the increase is unclear.

Many Factors, Not Many Answers

Some problems recur in looking at the causes of suicide. People with severe, chronic pain have higher suicide rates, and chronic pain is on the rise. So is substance abuse, which also correlates to suicide rates above the national average. The opioid epidemic has led to a wave of suicide in people with addiction issues.  Chronic stress is a major psychological precursor to suicide. American life in the 21st century is synonymous with stress. Consider, too, military veterans. Suicide among vets has been rising for a decade, as the US has been mired in the Middle East since 2001. Suicide in veterans has outpaced even the national increase, reaching 35% over the prior high mark. In part, this is due to deaths by suicide of veterans who served post 9/11. Not all of those deaths are attributable to diagnosed PTSD. Many vets don’t carry that diagnosis, but still kill themselves.

There may be a particularly American factor that adds to suicidality: the pursuit of happiness.  Americans focus on high levels of happiness as a measure of personal worth, as strange as that may sound. Constantly judging whether or not we’re deliriously happy may lead to a sense of relentless disappointment, verging on hopelessness. There’s the idea that if we are not happy all the time, we are somehow doing something wrong, or are even failures at life. For people who are already living under a burden of high stress, feelings of worthlessness amplify misery.

 

Fibromyalgia

Adult ADHD and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
adult ADHD

Image: Practical Cures/ Flickr

ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, has been on the rise in the past few years. And typically, it’s seen as a condition that affects children. That’s understandable.  Since 1991, diagnosis rates for kids in America have gone up 42%.

But ADHD doesn’t just affect kids. Adult ADHD is also on the rise. It’s estimated that about 4% of U.S. adults have ADHD. And for some reason, that number is much higher in people who also have fibromyalgia. So just what is adult ADHD? What’s the connection between ADHD and Fibromyalgia? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Adult ADHD?

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition marked by a few symptoms. People who suffer from the condition tend to have trouble paying attention to tasks for long periods of time, thus the “attention-deficit.” In addition, they tend to have an abundance of energy, or “hyperactivity,’ often at inappropriate times.

As a result, people with the condition sometimes have trouble navigating social interactions, school, or, in the case of adults, work.

Adult ADHD is simply ADHD that affects adults or is diagnosed when the patient is an adult. Typically, it’s common for children who are diagnosed with ADHD to carry the condition into adulthood.

We don’t know what causes ADHD, but it seems to have a genetic component. There also seems to be an issue with the way the brain forms connections which may contribute to the disorder. Research has demonstrated that the brains of people with ADHD are fundamentally different than those of other people. There seem to be changes in the pathways between nerves and chemical balances in the brain.

Future research may help us understand how the condition works exactly. But we do know that the same chemical and neural pathway changes do seem to have a link to fibromyalgia.

ADHD And Fibromyalgia

A recent study tested 123 people with fibromyalgia for ADHD.  The testing found that 44.72% of the patients tested positive. This is a significantly higher proportion than in the general population, which implies that there may be a link between the conditions.

But what exactly is that link? Well, that’s where things get a little tricky. All the study demonstrates for sure is that there is a high percentage of “co-occurrence” between the two conditions. And there are a number of possible explanations for this.

It could be that there’s something about living with fibromyalgia, stress perhaps or chronic pain, that makes people more likely to develop ADHD. Or people whose brains are naturally predisposed to developing ADHD may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia.

This scenario may be more likely. There’s evidence that fibromyalgia is rooted in the central nervous system. It seems to have something to do with the chemical balances in the brain itself, just as ADHD does.

In addition, the study concluded that having ADHD may make the symptoms of fibromyalgia worse. And of course, that means that you need to find a way to manage it.

How Can You Manage It?

If you have fibromyalgia, it’s a good idea to get screened for adult ADHD. The most obvious symptoms of ADHD like trouble focusing are also symptoms of fibromyalgia. That may make it difficult to tell if you have the condition on your own. Meet with a qualified doctor who can test you to be sure.

It’s particularly important to be sure because treating your ADHD may actually help with the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms. There’s evidence that the common medications used to treat ADHD can actually improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

According to another study, people with fibromyalgia and ADHD who were treated with ADHD medications- typically stimulants like Adderall, reported a number of benefits. First, the medications helped control the symptoms of ADHD like an inability to focus and impulsivity. That’s to be expected, of course, since the medications were designed to treat these symptoms.

What was more surprising is that these patients reported that they experienced less pain and fatigue as well. These medications may work for the same reason that anti-depressants work. They help balance the chemical balances in the brain that contribute to the condition. And the stimulants used to treat ADHD may help balance out the fatigue of fibromyalgia.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about fibromyalgia, including what the link to ADHD might be. But the evidence that people with the condition should at least get screened is fairly compelling.

So what do you think? Have you been screened for adult ADHD? Do the treatments help your fibromyalgia symptoms? Let us know in the comments.

 

An Ebola Vaccination is On the Way

Written By: Clifton
admin

The Ebola vaccination seems like a dream come true for those who live and work in areas endemic to Ebola. Ebola and all its relatives are horrific diseases that compose the stuff of nightmares. With a lethality rate around 50%, it’s a killer, and here’s the kicker: twenty to fifty percent of Ebola patients die even if they get top-notch care in high-level hospitals, like those found in the USA and Europe. Anything other than round the clock care in a hospital yields a mortality rate of 90%. Ebola is a blood-borne disease, but given that extensive hemorrhaging is a common symptom, the Ebola virus is transmitted readily from human host to host. Considering the interconnectedness of the modern world, it’s possible for the virus to travel from nation to nation, continent to continent, in asymptomatic carriers; that is, people who’ve contracted the disease and are contagious, but don’t know they’re sick yet.

Should Americans Worry?

Really, we shouldn’t, although Ebola, one of the Marburg viruses, isn’t simply “an African disease,” and over the last several years, it’s moved out of the remote jungles to some of the larger cities in Africa. That’s the kind of situation no one wants, as the more people the virus infects, the more likely exponential infection can occur. In fact, in the late 1980s, a variant of Ebola was discovered in monkeys at a research facility in Reston, Virginia. Luckily, that variant of Ebola virus isn’t know to infect humans, although it killed many of the monkeys that carried it.

Back to the idea of worrying over Ebola: Ebola isn’t likely to cause a pandemic in the First World, but elsewhere, it has caused great loss of life. In the outbreak of 2014 to 2016 in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, 11,310 people died. It’s a real threat.

A New Vaccine in Action

Ebola vaccines have been studied since the early 21st century. The first viable vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, was developed in 2016, with a protection gradient around 70 to 80 percent effectiveness.  It’s being used currently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during the worst outbreak of Ebola since 2016. Prevention specialists there are using the ring technique of vaccination, in which only those people most likely to contract the disease are vaccinated.

The effectiveness of rVSV-ZEBOV will be thoroughly analyzed in the months following the end of the Congo outbreak. From there, researchers are hoping to develop a highly reliable vaccine for people who are at the highest risk of contracting Ebola.

Osteoarthritis is the Most Common Form of Arthritis

Written By: Wyatt Redd
John
Osteo Arthritis

Image: Shutterstock.com/ Chaowalit Seeneha

Arthritis is one of the worst chronic pain conditions out there. And it’s pretty common, especially as you get older. But you might not have heard of the most common kind of arthritis, osteoarthritis.  And odds are pretty good that you will find yourself dealing with it at some point. Around 13% of women and 10% of men will deal with it at some point in their life.

But what exactly is osteoarthritis? And how can you manage it?

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is a kind of spongy tissue that forms a cushion between your bones, allowing them to move smoothly against each other. It’s what makes it possible for us to move without damaging our bones.

But with osteoarthritis, this cartilage begins to break down over time and erode. As a result, your bones begin to push against each other, which leads to the development of bone spurs in the joints. The result is an extremely painful condition that leads to stiff joints and difficulty moving. Over time, as the cartilage between the joints continues to erode, it gradually become worse and worse.

There are a number of things that make your risk of osteoarthritis worse. To begin with, there’s obesity. People who are overweight are significantly more likely to develop the condition. That’s because the extra weight puts even more pressure on the cartilage, which makes it more likely to erode.

Second, there’s simply old age. The longer you live and walk around, the more wear you place on your joints. This means that older people are much more likely to have osteoarthritis. But just because you get older doesn’t make osteoarthritis inevitable. There are plenty of people who live well into old age and never develop the condition.

Finally, other joint conditions like regular arthritis can destroy the cartilage in your joints and thus lead to osteoarthritis.

It usually occurs in a few places. The most common form is in the knee but it can also strike the joints in your hands or your hip, but nearly anywhere can be affected.

The most obvious sign that you’re suffering from osteoarthritis is swollen joints that result from inflammation of the damaged tissue. The joints also tend to get stiff and painful. This is especially true after not using them for a while. So if you wake up in the morning with achy, stiff joints, then there’s a good chance that’s you’re dealing with.

What Can You Do To Treat It?

There’s no cure. And there’s no pill you can take that will regrow the lost cartilage between your bones. The most effective way to deal with osteoarthritis is to do what you can to prevent it from getting worse.

To begin with, if you’re overweight, it will be helpful to lose some of those extra pounds. Fewer pounds on your body means less pressure on your joints, which will help keep protect your cartilage. Secondly, if you, like a lot of people, work in a job that requires frequent use of your hands, like typing at a computer, make sure that you take a break regularly. The stress on your joints can make your arthritis worse.

But there are still ways to treat the condition. For instance, there are basic, over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen. The advantage of these treatments is that not only are they easy to get and largely safe, but they also reduce the inflammation in the joints that makes it so painful.

In addition, you can get regular injections of corticosteroids to help control the inflammation. Corticosteroids are a kind of hormone the body produces naturally to reduce inflammation, but it can also be injected for therapeutic benefits.

Finally, if your osteoarthritis becomes very severe, doctors sometimes turn to surgery. This is most common in situations where the joints of the hips or knees are affected since severe damage to those joints makes walking very difficult. So the surgeon will essentially swap out the joint for an artificial one in a procedure commonly called a “joint replacement.”

This replacement joint is usually made of metal, plastic or ceramic and is grafted onto the bone so that it will grow into it, which lets it make up for the damaged joint.

So, have you dealt with this condition? What helps you? What doesn’t? Do you have any advice or questions for fellow sufferers? Let us know in the comments section below.

 

How Do You Get Gout

Written By: William
John

Surprisingly, 8.3 million Americans were reported to be affected by gout between 2007 and 2008 according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC)! Well, this figure is huge right? The number must have gone higher by now.

So what exactly is gout?

This is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting mainly the joints to cause painful experiences. In worse cases when gout attacks the same joint repeatedly, it leads to gouty arthritis which is a severe form of arthritis. In most cases, gout comes and goes, with worse symptoms referred to as flares while mild or no signs referred to as remissions. No known cure has been found for gout to date. However, with effective treatment and maintenance, you can efficiently manage the condition using medication and other self-management remedies.

What are the typical symptoms of gout?

This form of arthritis starts suddenly with the flares lasting for days or even weeks. Once the symptoms disappear, it may take extended periods, like months or even years, before experiencing another flare. This condition usually attacks one joint at a time especially the big toe. Other joints that may be affected include the ankle, knee and lesser toe joints.

Flares usually come with the following symptoms;

  • Intense pain around the affected joints
  • Swelling of the joints
  • Redness
  • Heat and tenderness

Sometimes gout may develop into more severe complications like kidney stones in case uric acid crystals accumulate in the urinary tract and recurrent gout with regular recurrences that cause more and more damage to the specific joints and tissues surrounding them.

What are the causes of gout?

Gout is caused by renal under-excretion of uric acid; a condition called hyperuricemia. The breakdown of purines found in the body and foods you take is what results in uric acid, and excessive accumulation of this acid in the body may build up in the joints, tissues and body fluids over time. The signs of this condition are as a result of the body’s response to uric acid crystals formed in the joints. The build-up of uric acid in the body, however, does not always cause gout and in such cases, no treatment may be needed.

There are five different stages of gout as its severity progresses. The various stages are classified as different types of gout.

Asymptomatic hyperuricemia

This stage involves elevated levels of uric acid in the body without showing any outward symptoms. No treatment may be required at this stage but, continued accumulation of the acid may result in minor damages to specific joints. It is only advisable for people with this type of gout to avoid possible risk factors that may aggravate the condition due to the build-up of uric acid.

Acute Gout

During this stage, accumulated uric acid crystals in the joints suddenly start causing intense pain, and inflammation. However, the flares don’t last for long as they usually diminish within three to ten days. Stress, excessive alcohol consumption, cold weather and specific drugs can trigger the flares during this stage.

Intercritical/ interval gout

This stage occurs in between two flare attacks. The next flares may take months or even years before occurring. However, if not treated and managed well, they may occur more frequently and take longer to diminish. There is more accumulation of uric acid crystals during this stage.

Chronic tophaceous gout

This is a severe type of gout probably resulting in permanent damages to the kidneys and joints. This may further result in chronic arthritis and development of big lumps, urate crystals and tophi around the colder parts of the body especially the finger joints.

Usually, it takes long periods of no treatment to get to this stage- roughly ten years. With proper treatment, it is not likely for a patient to progress to this stage

Pseudogout

This condition exhibits same symptoms as gout but, not indeed gout. In this condition, joints get irritated by the accumulation of calcium crystals instead of uric acid. The condition thus requires a different type of treatment.

Which are the risk factors for gout?

As earlier mentioned, accumulation of uric acid does not necessarily cause gout. However, the risk factors below increase your chances of developing hyperuricemia causing gout.

  • Obesity– in a research study conducted to determine the association and prevalence of gout among obese people in the US, it was concluded that overweight and obese adults (both men and women) were more prevalent to suffer from gout. The prevalence of gout among participants with normal BMI was about 2% and slightly higher by 1% among overweight participants.
  • Specific health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, kidney failure, cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance
  • Tumor lysis syndrome– this is a rapid release of intracellular content into the bloodstream and possibility of multiple organ damages leading to renal failure, pulmonary edema and eventual death as a result of certain cancers and chemotherapy treatments. Studies have revealed a close relationship between tumor lysis syndrome and elevated uric acid levels responsible for gout development.
  • Psoriasis– this is a condition that causes scales, dry and itchy patches on the skin. A study reveals that high levels of serum uric acid are often detected in psoriasis patients. This indicates that the condition is directly associated with gout.
  • Food and drinks with high fructose volumes– the modern society is full of sugar-sweetened and higher fructose-quantity beverages. The effects of such additives have been studied to determine their relation with gout. Earlier studies indicated an elevated plasma uric acid and lactate levels driven by purine nucleotide or de novo purine synthesis.
  • Purine-rich foods-sea food, meat, animal protein and some vegetables are known to be highly rich in purines and thus associated with gout development. In a study to evaluate the relationship between specific diets and serum uric acid levels, it was observed that serum uric acid levels increased with increase in meat and seafood intake. This is to say, more intake of meat and seafood is associated with higher serum levels of uric acid causing gout.
  • Excessive alcohol consumption– for a long time, excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with gout. Research carried out back in the 1960s indicated a reduced uric acid excretion as a result of alcohol consumption. Further studies were carried out to determine the effects of ethanol on the development of gout, and accurate to the research, a comparison of consuming an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic beer indicated a rise in plasma uric acid levels at 5% and 4.4% respectively. This is a clear indication that purine load in alcoholic drinks has a significant effect on uric acid.
  • Gender– a research study reveals that males under the age of 65 have a higher prevalence of gout than females. However, above this age, the ratio of male to female developing gout reduces to 3:1. This only means that regardless of the age, men still have the most burden of gout condition with younger men having four times higher prevalence than women.
  • Age –this has always been associated with increased the chance of getting gout. Data analysis from the NHANES demonstrated rising prevalence of gout with age increase. This is the same case with the prevalence of other diseases associated with gout including diabetes, hypertension, and use of diuretics
  • Genetics– studies have been carried out to define the role of genetics in gout and all point out explicitly that genetic polymorphisms are associated with uric acid and gout. This is based on findings indicating a significant correlation in between parents and siblings.
  • Too much exposure to lead-chronic exposure to lead has been closely linked to gout cases. A cross-sectional analysis of subjects in a lead-polluted area in China indicated that blood lead level increased with increase in serum uric acid in males and females thus associated with higher prevalence of gout.

Treatment of Gout

To effectively treat gout, diagnosis by a medical doctor is necessary. The doctor will assess all the symptoms and results of physical examination, lab tests and x-rays to determine presence or absence of uric acid crystals in the joints affected. With no cure for gout, your medical doctor will recommend some strategies to help manage the flares and pain as well as prevent future occurrences of the flares. Among some of these treatment and management strategies include;

  • Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids, colchicines, and ibuprofen
  • Diet and lifestyle changes including taking less purine-rich foods, stop smoking and minimizing alcohol consumption
  • Take enough water to hydrate the body
  • Take low-fat dairy products
  • Getting physically active at least 3 hours a week by walking, swimming, jogging or bike riding. This will also help prevent other severe health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, both of which are major risk factors of gout.
  • Attend physical activity programs to help ease the pain and complications associated with gouty arthritis.
  • Attend self-management education programs to learn how to manage your gout
  • Using corticosteroids like prednisone to reduce inflammation and ease the pain
  • Taking medicines that help reduce production of uric acid by the body, such as allopurinol
  • Taking medications that help to promote excretion of uric acid, like probenecid
  • Weight loss

Conclusion

Gout is a severe joint condition that may cause excruciating pain and discomfort. Although the condition has no cure, various treatment and maintenance options available will help a lot. Don’t get stressed up; wake up and take control of the situation and you can lead a healthy, painless life.

Health

Is Vaping Dangerous? Certain Flavors Can Increase Risk

Written By: Clifton
admin

Some vape juices may break down into harmful chemicals when heated, and recent reports indicate it’s possible to identify dangerous vape juice by flavor.  A recent article presented in May 2018 at the American Thoracic Society’s annual meeting in San Diego indicated that cinnamon vape juices may be particularly dangerous to vapers’ lungs. An article published back in January 2018 in Frontiers added vanilla and buttery flavors to the list of potentially harmful ejuices, although although “popcorn lung” is not under discussion or investigation. The article also indicated these specific flavors of vape juice cause damage to monocytes (white blood cells) and increase oxidative stress beyond the average wear-and-tear one would normally expect to see.

It’s important to note that it’s the flavorings themselves that are called into question The issue isn’t nicotine at all. The health risk from these flavorings is present whether or not the vape juice has any level of nicotine, or none. The flavors researchers examined are considered food-safe. They’re harmless when ingested. However, inhaling them is a completely different ballgame. Consider that cinnamon flavoring produces cinnamaldehyde when heated. Aldehydes that are inhaled contribute to the tiny hairlike fibers of the lungs, know as cilia, slowing down. These little hairs have to move in order to keep dirt, dust and particles out of our lungs. and becoming inert. Vanilla flavoring yields o-vanillin, and buttery or creamy flavorings produce pentanedione when vaporized or treated with high heat, including heat levels consistent with common vape use. Essentially, these flavors of vape juice decompose into dangerous aldehydes that are then inhaled. They cause cell death in the lining of the lungs. Note that formaldehyde isn’t part of the story, here. Cinnamaldehyde comes directly from flavorings that mimic cinnamon.

No one is saying that these flavorings are causing cancer, or that they present an imminent risk to a person’s health. However, the evidence is mounting that these three popular flavor families of vape juice break down into chemicals that actively harm the body in subtle, but cumulative ways. When the flavors are combined, the level of risk goes up. Without doubt, vaping is far, far less dangerous than smoking. However, it’s interesting that the flavors associated with cinnamon, vanilla, and creamy or buttery tastes are themselves more dangerous than other ejuice flavors. At the least, it can’t hurt to be aware of potential risk factors involved in such a fairly new activity.

Fibromyalgia

Peripheral Neuropathy and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
neuropathy

Image: Shutterstock/ESB Professional

Have you ever heard of peripheral neuropathy? If you don’t deal with chronic pain conditions, odds are good that you haven’t encountered this particular piece of medical jargon. But if you have a condition like fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy might actually play a significant role in your disease and it’s symptoms.

In fact, some people have even suggested that it might be at the root of fibromyalgia. But what exactly is peripheral neuropathy? And how does it relate to fibromyalgia?

What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?

Neuropathy is, to break the word down,  a disorder (pathy) related to the nerves (neuro). And peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the nerves that extends throughout the peripheries of the body (so beyond the brain, basically).  And since the nerves connect the body and the brain and are responsible for physical sensations like pain, a breakdown in this connection can lead to serious problems.

The nerves transmit signals from the skin to the brain, which the brain then interprets and sends back down the nerves. This is why you feel pain in your hand when you touch a hot stove. You’re not actually feeling pain in your hand, the sensation of pain is coming from your brain. But your brain relies on the signals from your hand to know that you are being injured and it signals that your hand is hurting as you pull it away. This system helps us avoid serious injuries.

But when it comes to people dealing with nerve pain conditions, those signals get crossed, and your brain starts triggering pain signals without any actual injury.

And there are many different kinds of this condition depending on where in the body they occur and how severe they are but there are two main categories: mononeuropathy and polyneuropathy.

Mononeuropathy means that only a single nerve connection is damaged. Injuries are the most common cause of mononeuropathy. A good example is carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused when a repetitive stress injury in the hands and wrist damages the nerves in the hand. Polyneuropathy occurs when several nerve connections are damaged. Diabetes is a good example.

And in all forms of neuropathy. The damaged nerves cause pain, numbness, and tingling. And the symptoms can range from a minor annoyance to very severe.

Neuropathy and Fibromyalgia

The idea of pain with no obvious cause probably sounds familiar to people who suffer from fibromyalgia. And nerve damage might play a much larger role in the condition than you suspect. A study conducted by a Harvard-affiliated hospital in Massachusetts found that almost half of the fibromyalgia patients in the study had evidence of something called small nerve fiber neuropathy.

Small nerve fiber neuropathy is basically nerve pain caused by damage to some of the small nerves that carry pain and touch signals from the skin to the brain.  As that study demonstrated, half of all fibromyalgia patients have the condition. And many also have less of these small nerve fibers than they should.

This implies that the root of fibromyalgia pain might actually be neuropathy in some patients. Their brains are sending pain signals even though there’s no actual damage. This would explain the mystery pain, but there are a few problems with presenting neuropathy as a comprehensive explanation of fibromyalgia.

To begin with, not all patients with fibromyalgia have small nerve fiber neuropathy. So, this theory doesn’t explain what’s going on in those patients. And it doesn’t explain why these patients are developing neuropathy in the first place

But the fact that half of all fibromyalgia patients have small nerve fiber neuropathy implies that something is going on. Some people have suggested that what is actually going on is that a significant portion of people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia are actually suffering from small nerve fiber neuropathy, but because the symptoms are so similar, it’s difficult to tell them apart.

It’s an interesting theory, and because small fiber neuropathy is treatable, it could shift the way we treat fibromyalgia. And it is especially interesting because, if true, it might mean that fibromyalgia is actually not a single condition but a wide spectrum of neuropathic conditions all presenting similar symptoms. Luckily, there is a simple test that you can get to determine if you have small fiber neuropathy called a “punch biopsy.”

So if you have fibromyalgia, it may be worth looking into getting this test, because it might mean having access to new treatment options. And this new way of looking at fibromyalgia may even help us steer research to a breakthrough. At the moment, this remains a theory, but it is an interesting one.

So tell us what you think? Is fibromyalgia actually a few different conditions rather than one? Have you been tested for small fiber neuropathy? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Rheumatology and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Rheumatology

Image: Shutterstock/ Image Point Fr

If you’ve had fibromyalgia for a while, you’ve no doubt come across the phrase “rheumatology” at some point. But as with so many things in the world of fibromyalgia, you might not have learned much about it before your diagnosis. But visiting a doctor who specializes in rheumatology is pretty common for people who are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. And many of the doctors who specialize in fibromyalgia are also rheumatologists.

Getting a referral from your doctor to a rheumatologist might lead to more effective treatment for your condition. But before you do, there are a few things you should consider. So what is rheumatology? How does it relate to your fibromyalgia? And can visiting a rheumatologist help with your treatment?

What Is Rheumatology?

Rheumatology is a field of medicine that focuses on diseases that affect the joints and muscles. Rheumatologists commonly focus on conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. But nearly any condition that causes chronic pain to the joint and muscles falls within the umbrella of Rheumatology.

Rheumatologists are licensed doctors who attend a four-year medical school and then specialize in rheumatology through a period of residency at a hospital. They typically practice in outpatient clinics and most often treat patients who are referred to them by a general practitioner.

Rheumatologists are experienced in dealing with these sorts of conditions. So generally speaking, they’re more capable of handling long term pain conditions involving the joints and muscles. They may know of new medications and be more up to date on which are most effective.

How Are Rheumatology And Fibromyalgia Related?

As you might have guessed from the description, fibromyalgia is a condition that interests rheumatologists. It causes the kind of chronic muscle pain that rheumatologists specialize in treating. And if you’re diagnosed with fibromyalgia, odds are pretty good that you’ll find yourself being referred to a rheumatologist at some point.

Rheumatologists aren’t usually the first line of treatment for people with fibromyalgia, however. Generally, people with fibromyalgia should consult with their general practitioner first.

But while fibromyalgia patients aren’t usually immediately referred to rheumatologists, many rheumatologists see enough fibromyalgia patients to acquire experience in the subject. The combination of experience treating chronic pain conditions and treating fibromyalgia patients specifically often means that rheumatologists can offer some valuable expertise when it comes to treating your fibromyalgia.

And rheumatologists also specialize in treating diseases of the immune system. That makes rheumatology a relevant field when it comes to treating fibromyalgia. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that fibromyalgia involves the immune system. Many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia, like chronic fatigue and joint pain, are the same as that of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. So rheumatologists will likely know how to treat some of these symptoms.

Should You See A Rheumatologist?

Figuring out if a rheumatologist is best for you is a decision that should be worked out with your primary care physician. If you feel like the treatments your doctor is offering you just aren’t effective, then asking for a referral to a rheumatologist may be a good move.

And it’s possible that a rheumatologist may be more qualified for treating your condition. But remember that not every rheumatologist is going to be completely familiar with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is still a poorly-understood condition. So many rheumatologists may not be able to offer anything that your general practitioner isn’t.

But rheumatology is still a specialized field that handles conditions like fibromyalgia. So seeing a rheumatologist might be helpful in finding a treatment that works for you. The trick is to find a doctor who specializes in rheumatology who also has experience treating with fibromyalgia.

Ask around in the fibromyalgia community for recommendations. Many people who suffer from fibromyalgia have a rheumatology doctor who has really helped them with their treatment. Most would be happy to give you a tip about where to find a good doctor in your area. And when you’re getting a referral from your doctor, make sure to ask if the rheumatology specialist they want to refer you to has experience with fibromyalgia.

If not, Fibromyalgia Centers of America’s website offers a directory that you can search to find a doctor in your area who specialize in treating fibromyalgia. Many are also rheumatologists. Though if not, they can likely refer you to a local rheumatologist who does specialize in it.

So, do you visit a rheumatologist for your fibromyalgia? Were they able to offer you better treatment than your general practitioner? Is there a rheumatology doctor in your area that you would recommend to others who live nearby? Let us know in the comments.

 

Fibromyalgia

IBS Medication: What Works, What Doesn’t

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
admin
ibs treatment

Image: CHAjAMP / Shutterstock

If you’re here, then you probably already know what irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is. In fact, you’re probably dealing with it yourself. You may be one of those people that is always conscious of where all the bathrooms are in every restaurant because you never know when your sudden and chronic diarrhea will hit. Or maybe you get nervous about going to someone’s home or traveling for work because you could have a flare up that causes you to make an embarrassing sprint to the bathroom. Alternatively, maybe your brand of IBS might keep you cramping all the time due to constipation. You might even deal with that very perplexing version that alternates between diarrhea and constipation. Is there a good IBS medication?

In case you have never been diagnosed or are unsure of the symptoms, the Mayo Clinic explains that IBS is a chronic condition. Its “signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome can vary widely from person to person and often resemble those of other diseases. Among the most common are:

  • Abdominal pain or cramping
  • A bloated feeling
  • Gas
  • Diarrhea or constipation — sometimes alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea
  • Mucus in the stool

If you are experiencing additional symptoms, it is important to see your physician as a precaution. Because additional symptoms could be an indication of  a more serious condition, such as colon cancer. These include:

  • Rectal bleeding
  • Abdominal pain that progresses or occurs at night
  • Weight loss

There are several treatment options on the market, as well as self-care options such as diet changes. For now, however, let us examine two prescription medications to treat IBS symptoms.

IBS Medication

Eluxadoline

If diarrhea is your problem, Eluxadoline may be heflpful for you. It’s a relatively new IBS medication that works with the central nervous system to lessen bowel contractions. You see, with diarrhea, contents are pushed through the bowels so rapidly and violently that your intestines do not have time to absorb the water from them. Thus, lessening bowel contractions will help minimize the threat of a diarrhea attack. It also gives your body the time it needs to absorb water and nutrients your body is supposed to derive from food.

Approved by the FDA in 2015, Eluxadoline has been “shown to reduce abdominal pain and improve stool consistency.” The New England Journal of Medicine explains it another way: “…Eluxadoline reduces visceral hypersensitivity without completely disrupting intestinal motility.” What does that mean? In plain English, that means it works pretty well. It has been approved for both men and women, which is noteworthy because as you will see below, some IBS medications are exclusive to one gender. If asking your physician about Eluxadoline, you may reference brand names, including Viberzi and Allergan.

Alosetron

Also known by its brand name Lotronex, Alosetron is an IBS drug that has only been approved for women. And not just every woman, but a pretty exclusive list. Like many medications, Alosetron has been linked to some rare but serious side effects. So, it is actually only administered as a last resort for women with severe cases of “diarrhea-prominent IBS” who have not had success with other treatments. It has not yet been approved for use by men and was even taken off the market by the FDA for a while.

It works by relaxing the colon which facilitates the slow movement of waste through the lower intestines. The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders explains in more detail: “Alosetron (Lotronex) blocks serotonin signals that transmit sensory information (painful and nonpainful) from the gut to the brain and helps to reduce diarrhea and abdominal pain…. It is prescribed under a Risk Management Program requiring careful monitoring and education due to rare but potentially serious side effects.” Learn more about the severe effects of Alosetron before talking with your doctor.

There are other prescription IBS medications such as Lubiprostone (Amitiza). Of course, there are plenty of over-the-counter options as well. For example, the treatment of diarrhea through Loperamide can be found under the brand names of Imodium, Fad, and Select. Other IBS symptoms can be treated with Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, and Soothe. Depending on your symptoms, you may want to ask our physician about gut antispasmodics, laxatives, nerve pain medications, dietary supplements like fiber, and certain kinds of therapies. The Mayo Clinic provides an extensive list of treatment options while addressing each of these listed above. Begin by seeking out your Primary Care Provider and know that you may get sent to a specialist, such as a gastroenterologist. Have you found a particular medication, therapy, or treatment option that has been effective in treating your IBS symptoms? Please share it with us!

Health

Baking Soda as a Treatment for Autoimmune Disorders

Written By: Clifton
admin

Humble baking soda may turn out to be a great treatment for autoimmune disorders. It’s not a cure, but a recent study in the Journal of Immunology demonstrated a moderate drop in inflammation in the joints and soft tissues most affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Inflamed tissues inside and around the joints result in the intense pain from arthritis and and rheumatoid diseases, as well as lupus and a host of other maladies. Even a slight reduction in swelling can mean a big drop in pain. But does plain sodium bicarbonate really come to the rescue?  It seems too good to be true, but recent research is bearing out the truth: baking soda helps. The process by which it relieves inflammation and swelling isn’t immediately easy to grasp, but scientists think they have a good understanding of what happens.

Baking soda in the bloodstream reduces the activity of one type of cell, the M1 macrophage, that causes an inflammatory immune response, while increasing the number of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Macrophages are cells that patrol the tissues and bloodstream, actively attacking and destroying threats to the body. Immune disorders are often the result of the immune system turning on the tissues of the body they’re supposed to protect. These cells originate in the mesothelial cells of the stomach and spleen. It’s the mesothelial cells in the spleen that react most significantly to baking soda. They send out the M2 cells, that send chemical signals to the rest of the immune system, essentially telling that very complex system to stay calm.

Baking soda is nothing more than sodium bicarbonate, a naturally occuring compound that’s alkaline. The body’s natural alkalinity is balanced around a pH of 7. If our body’s pH slides down into the acidic range, cellular waste products build up. The M1 cells tend to become overactive in a situation where the body’s tissues become too acidic, and a lot of detritus is accumulating in the tissues.

Thus, increasingly alkalinity with sodium bicarbonate lowers the activity of inflammation causing cells, while activating anti-inflammatory tissues. We know that alkalinity offsets the effects of acids in the stomach. However, as the increased alkalinity also seems to relax the tendency of the human immune system to overreact. . Indeed, baking soda helps a number of ailments. People are familiar with it as a cure for an upset stomach, but its usefulness goes beyond soothing a furious stomach. A teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate may help reduce the signs and symptoms of lupus, another painful autoimmune disorder.

There’s considerable medical evidence that the body is at its fittest when the overall tissue and fluid pH is slightly alkaline. The dosage required to get this balance is 2 teaspoonfuls a day, every day, in eight ounces of water.

Fibromyalgia

Mental Health and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Mental Health

Image: Pxhere

Life can be a struggle for anyone. But when you have a chronic illness like fibromyalgia, it can sometimes seem unbearable. And often, managing the mental health aspect of a chronic illness can be just as important as the physical aspect.

After all, the mental health struggles that people with fibromyalgia endure can have tragic consequences. And while fibromyalgia itself can’t kill you, the mental toll it takes can. Suicide rates for people with fibromyalgia are far higher than average.

So clearly, taking charge of your mental well-being is important if you’re suffering from fibromyalgia. But how do you manage your mental health when you’re suffering from such a terrible disease?

Managing Mental Health When You Have Fibromyalgia

First, let’s admit that it’s totally understandable that people with fibro would feel depressed. Usually, we think of depression as something that people suffer from with no obvious cause. And that is often the case. Depression can be caused by many things, including an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that leads to long-term depression even when events in your life are generally going well.

And many people with fibromyalgia may have this kind of depression. But there’s also another form of depression that is likely common in people with fibromyalgia. The most familiar term for it is “situational depression.” Put simply, it’s a form of depression caused by a reaction to events in your life.

And when you consider what someone with fibromyalgia goes through on a daily basis, it would be surprising if they didn’t experience this kind of depression sometimes. They have a reason to be depressed when they’re in chronic pain.

The truth is, of course, that while there are ways to manage the symptoms of fibromyalgia, there’s no way to get rid of them completely. Instead, people with fibromyalgia have to find ways to maintain their mental health in spite of them.

It’s not an easy answer. And in an age where there seems to be a pill for just about anything, the idea that the medical community can’t cure you can be a hard thing to accept. But it’s something that everyone with fibromyalgia comes to understand early on.

However, one of the hardest parts of living with fibromyalgia is that sometimes people around you expect you to “get over it,” or they offer up some advice about how you can cure yourself with some bogus remedy. It sometimes seems like the one thing no one wants to accept is that the people in their lives with fibromyalgia are really suffering and that they can’t do much about it.

The first step to improving your mental health is to realize that it is ok to be depressed. It isn’t your fault, and you don’t have to hide how much you’re suffering from others to make their lives easier. If you’re in chronic pain, you’re going to be depressed about it sometimes. It’s a natural reaction to the situation you’re in. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about it, including yourself.

After all, people who don’t have fibromyalgia can’t truly understand what you’re going through. And if they were in your position, they would be going through the same emotions. They have no right to make you feel bad about the fact that you’re suffering.

At the same time, the people who manage fibromyalgia best are those who realize that, at a certain point, they need to take charge of their own health. There simply isn’t another way to do it. And the good news is that there are a number of things you can do to improve your mental health when you have fibromyalgia.

Tips For Improving Mental Health

There’s no cure for fibromyalgia yet. So you won’t be able to completely fix the things in your life that are making you depressed. But you can do some things to make them better. And if that sounds daunting, remember that you don’t have to do it alone.

For example, one of the most common issues that people with fibromyalgia suffer from is that they don’t feel like their medications are working. And the fact is that sometimes, they don’t. There are few drugs designed specifically to treat fibromyalgia, which means that doctors often prescribe drugs for other conditions like depression to treat the condition. And these work differently for different people.

If the drugs you’re taking aren’t working, tell your doctor. It may be as simple as trying new medications until you find one that works for you.

But it might also be a good idea to try another doctor. Treating fibromyalgia sometimes requires a doctor who specializes in the condition, so consider researching doctors in your area who have experience treating fibromyalgia. Or you might try a chronic pain clinic, where the healthcare professionals on staff may have more experience treating chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia.

Of course, there are times when the physical symptoms of fibromyalgia aren’t the only problems you’re facing. Fibromyalgia can take a toll on your relationships with friends or loved ones, and it can make it hard to work, which leads to a host of financial stresses.

Luckily, there are professionals who specialize in dealing with these problems as well. If you are worried that your relationship with a spouse is suffering, consider seeing a marriage counselor. They can help you work through some of the issues that you might be facing.

If managing your responsibilities at work or trying to find a job is getting you down, consider seeing an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists work with people who have chronic health conditions to find jobs that will work around their health issues and provide therapies that can help them rejoin the workforce.

Often, one of the best ways to manage depression caused by fibromyalgia is exercise. Of course, if you’ve had fibromyalgia for a while, you’re probably tired of hearing this advice. After all, it’s hard to exercise when you’re constantly tired and in pain and the effort can make your symptoms worse.

That’s completely understandable. But there’s a lot of evidence that even light exercise can significantly improve fibromyalgia symptoms and mental health. Start slow, with a short walk. Build up to more advanced forms of exercise. Or try another, low impact alternative like yoga.

Again, consider working with a professional therapist who has experience helping people with chronic conditions exercise and develop a healthy diet. They’ll be able to give you advice on your situation.

A large part of managing your mental health when you have fibromyalgia is seeking out the people who can help you and learn to deal with the people who just make your life worse.

Most of all, you’re struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, talk to a mental health professional. It’s not a situation you should try to manage on your own.

Start with small steps and do the best you can. By taking charge of your mental health, you can improve your overall quality of life.

Fibromyalgia

7 Ways HighTechCBD Helps With Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Written By: Fibromyalgia Treating BrandStudio [SPONSORED]
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SPONSORED CONTENT

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 100 cannabinoids found in Cannabis, which is also known as marijuana. Along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is one of two main cannabinoids that are present in the hemp plant, and between the two, CBD is the one that will not get you high (THC is what causes the psychoactive effects when using cannabis, whether it’s smoked or ingested).

CBD has many medicinal benefits, including fighting inflammation, muscle spasms, anxiety, depression, cancer, and oxidation. It’s also completely legal in many formulas, even in states that have no legal cannabis. And edible forms of CBD are preferable to many who can’t or don’t like inhaling smoke.

We’ve partnered with HighTechCBD to bring you their High Spectrum CBD 300mg Gummies. HighTech CBD is committed to providing the highest-quality cannabidiol products on the market. Their supplements are 100% SAFE AND LEGAL TO USE IN ALL 50 STATES. They take pride in our products being grown in America, processed in America, and NON-GMO.

Here are 7 ways that HighTechCBD can help with your fibromyalgia symptoms.

1. HighTechCBD Soothes Chronic Pain

Fibromyalgia comes with too many symptoms to count, but the main criteria for diagnosis is chronic pain (occurring for at least 3 months) in the 18 Tender Points. CBD is known to have pain fighting properties, and HighTechCBD’s non-GMO, organic formula is the perfect delivery system. And Because CBD won’t get you high, you don’t have to worry about unpleasant side-effects.

2. HighTechCBD Reduces Muscle Spasms

Fibromyalgia has been known to produce muscle spasms in patients suffering from the condition. HighTechCBD is proven to reduce muscle spasms.

3. HighTechCBD Helps Combat Anxiety

One of the well-known healing properties of CBD is its effect on mood, including anxiety and depression. The HighTechCBD gummy bears are formulated to help you relax and reduce the stress that can cause anxiety, all without feeling high.

hightechcbd

 

4.HighTechCB Soothes Upset Stomach and Nausea

CBD is excellent for treating conditions like Crohn’s and IBS (which a lot of people with fibro also suffer from) and is excellent for combatting nausea and upset stomach.

5. HighTechCBD Relieves Inflammation

Inflammation is painful and debilitating. CBD reduces inflammation at the source, relieving pain in your joints.

6. HighTechCBD Naturally Boosts Energy

Are you feeling fatigued all the time? Chronic fatigue is one of the core symptoms of fibromyalgia and HighTechCBD fights it. You’ll have more energy and feel better without the jitters of caffeine or other stimulants.

7. You don’t need a prescription

That’s right, there’s no prescription needed to enjoy the benefits of HighTechCBD gummies. Just order and they’ll ship it right to your door.

8. It’s completely legal

The status of Cannabis in the United States is currently confusing. Some states have full legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana, while other states allow its use with a prescription. and many states still criminalize the possession and sale of the drug. Meanwhile, the federal government still considers cannabis a Schedule 1  Drug, on par with heroin and methamphetamine. CBD products, however, are 100% legal. They won’t get you high. But they will give you relief.


Try HighTechCBD today, and let us know how it works.

This post contains affiliate links and/or sponsored content. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, FibromyalgiaTreating.com may earn a commission. This commission supports the work of the Fibromyalgia Treating team; your support is appreciated.
Fibromyalgia

Epstein-Barr Virus and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Epstein Barr Virus

Image: Wikimedia Commons

It’s estimated that 9 in 10 adults have been infected with Epstein-Barr virus at some point in their lives. For most people, the virus doesn’t cause any serious symptoms. Odds are good that if you were infected with it at some point, you actually had no idea at the time.

But for some, the virus can be much more serious and lead to recurrent symptoms for years. People with fibromyalgia seem to be especially vulnerable to the virus, and it may actually explain some of those strange symptoms that people with the condition often report.

So, just what is Epstein-Barr Virus? What is the connection to fibromyalgia? And what can you do to treat it?

Epstein-Barr Virus

Epstein-Barr virus is part of the family of herpes viruses, which includes other infections like chickenpox and cold sores. Like many of these viruses, Epstein-Barr is very infectious and can spread easily through saliva or other bodily fluids.

The most common symptoms of Epstein-Barr include:

  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Sore throat
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Rashes

The most widely-known complication of Epstein-Barr virus is probably mononucleosis, or mono, as it’s better known. The virus is the most common cause of mono, an infection that leaves you suffering from extreme fatigue and flu-like symptoms for weeks.

But most Epstein-Barr infections don’t lead to mono. In fact, it’s often difficult to tell if you’ve been infected, as the symptoms are usually very mild. This is especially true in childhood, the time when most people are first infected with Epstein-Barr. In children, the symptoms are often so mild that they’re mistaken for colds or other minor illnesses.

Like chickenpox, Epstein-Barr is usually more serious when you’re exposed to it as an adult. But in most cases, infected people recover completely within a few weeks.

Once the virus infects someone, it remains in the body for years. And sometimes, the virus is reactivated, causing another bout of symptoms. This is called chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Most infected people never experience this, because they develop immunity to the virus. But if you have a weakened immune system, you’re more likely to develop chronic infection. And that fact might explain a lot when it comes to fibromyalgia.

Epstein-Barr Virus And Fibromyalgia

Most adults have inactive Epstein-Barr infections. But people with fibromyalgia often have weaker immune systems, which means that they’re more likely to suffer symptoms.

This could explain why many people with fibromyalgia report symptoms that are similar to those of Epstein-Barr virus, but not really associated with fibromyalgia. In one study looking at a group of patients with fibro, 54% reported frequent sore throats, 47% reported rashes, 40% reported frequent coughs, and 28% reported low-grade fevers.

It’s possible that these people are suffering from chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection, and that’s the root of these symptoms.

If you’re worried that you might be infected, it’s possible to get a test to confirm it. Talk to you doctor about getting a test done.

Obviously, no one wants to suffer these symptoms on top of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Luckily, there are things you can do manage them.

How Is Epstein-Barr Virus Treated?

There’s no vaccine to prevent infection. And because the virus is so common, there’s little you can do to actually prevent yourself from getting infected. Avoiding contact with people who are currently infected can help, but since it’s hard to know who has the virus, that can prove difficult.

There’s also no way to prevent an infection from becoming a chronic infection. Unfortunately, there’s also no way to cure an infection. So if you’re already suffering from a chronic infection, all you can really do is try to manage the symptoms as they appear.

The best way to manage Epstein-Barr virus symptoms is to treat it as you would a common cold. Make sure to get plenty of rest so that your body has a chance to recover. Pushing yourself too hard can not only make your symptoms worse, it can trigger flare-ups of your fibromyalgia symptoms.

You can manage fevers and sore throats by taking basic medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. These will help reduce the pain and bring your fever down. You should also try to manage your internal body temperature by taking cool baths or placing cold compresses on your neck.

Be sure to stay hydrated and eat a healthy diet as well. When you’re suffering from both fibro symptoms and Epstein-Barr symptoms, it’s tempting to stop taking the effort to take proper care of yourself. But making sure that you do can help you get over the symptoms faster.

So, what do you think? Is there a connection between Epstein-Barr virus and fibromyalgia? Have you been tested for the infection? What do you do to manage the symptoms? Let us know in the comments.

 

Do Dogs Get Arthritis?

Written By: William
John

Owning a dog may not be as fun and interesting as you may think. The euphoria that surrounds the whole “getting a dog” part is excellent, and it will last for as long as you have him, however, pretty soon you will find out that taking care of a dog is no different to taking care of a baby. There are some “hairy” differences but it is all the same when you look at it from that perspective.

You see, your dog has to eat just as much as you do. Your dog has to drink water just as much as you do. Of course, your dog needs to take a walk because he can’t just stay in one place, just as much as you can’t!

Oh, and your dog can get sick, just like you can! You see, before getting a dog you have to really be prepared for all of these things, because at the end of the day, it is actually a chore you must do! Yes, your dog will be your best friend, but you have to make him happy! So, in order to get better prepared you have to think of everything listed – especially about “dog” diseases.

With that being said, if you own a dog, this article will be of great use to you!

What is exactly arthritis?

Arthritis can easily be explained as pain and inflammation in joint and tissue area. So, anywhere where your bones meat each other (like in knees, fingers, hips, toes – which are all joints) the pain may occur. Unfortunately, this disease is very common nowadays.

As we can see from this medical research, arthritis can (if not dealt with in time) cause many horrifying diseases and problems, such as immobility.

To make arthritis look even more like a real “bad guy” here, another research shows that over 50 million people have some form of arthritis. So yes, there are many types and none of them are better than the other.

What is important here is that you notice the early signs of arthritis because you will be able to act fast and avoid getting diagnosed with it in the first place.

The early signs are: joint pain, joint warmth, joint tenderness, joint stiffness, limited range of motion in some areas.

So, arthritis is pretty common in humans, but the real question here, and the topic of this article – can it affect dogs?

Can dogs have arthritis?

Since arthritis is such a common problem as it is, there was many research conducted by many different scientists related to the disease. Backed up by this research, arthritis is a disease also very common in animals; dogs in particular!

Even when it comes to dogs there are many types of arthritis. Since they are more or less all the same, this article will address only the most common one – arthritis related to age.

How to see if your dog has arthritis?

Just like with humans, it is important to notice the signs of arthritis in dogs as well. Sometimes all you will be able to do is ease the pain, but sometimes you might just eliminate disease before it even begins.

Here is what you should look out for when it comes to arthritis in dogs:

Limping

If you notice your dog limping or favoring one leg over the other without you knowing of his injury, that just might be the sign of arthritis.

The best time to spot this is when your dog stands up after a long time of laying down as that will be the time when his muscles will be “cold” and his body will feel everything when it comes to movement, just like humans do.

Difficulty moving

If your dog suddenly doesn’t seem energetic when you take him out for a walk, or if he chooses to sit all the time rather than walk and run, it may be time to check the vet. This will be quite easy to spot. Also, if your dog is in pain while he is moving, you will definitely easily “read” that from him.

Issues regarding the spine

Arthritis can not only be located in your dog’s legs. It also very often targets your pet’s spine. The sign of spinal issues is a hunch in the back.

Tired all the time

If your dog suffers from arthritis it may seem that he is tired all the time. That’s because he actually is! The way to notice this is by simply watching your dog’s behavior. If he spends more time lying on the ground doing nothing than usual, it might be the time for concern.

Muscle atrophy

Dogs that suffer from arthritis also suffer from muscle atrophy. Dying of your dog’s muscle tissue is a strong sign that there is something wrong – most likely the problem is arthritis.

Why does this happen to dogs?

Well, if you want to look at it that way, it happens for the same reason it happens to humans.

As your dog gets older and older, the surface of his joints becomes thinner. That’s the time when his cartilage cells die as well. After a cartilage cell dies it releases an enzyme that causes inflammation of the joint capsule. Joint fluid is released in the process.

As the surface of his joints gets thinner, the space where the joints are normally stored gets smaller. This makes the bones deteriorate.

So, that’s the science behind arthritis in dogs, which was also essential for you to understand in order to help your dog better. Also keep in mind that genetics plays an important role.

Since we have started talking about helping your dog, the following part of the article will show you some solutions you may try that are found quite beneficial.

How to help your dog if arthritis occurs?

1. Take care of the surfaces of your house

Your dog will spend most of his time around your house, if you are not keeping him inside of it. Well, since that will be his “habitat” for the time being, you should at least make sure that it is comfortable. You wouldn’t want to sleep on a bed that makes your back hurt in the morning, would you?

With that being said, try and provide your dog with a padded bedding that will keep him away from cold drafts.

So, instead of steps you may want to put ramps. Inside the house or (or outside, if possible), you should put surfaces that are not that hard to the feet and not that slippery as well. You can also put padded steps near the bed so that your dog can easily get on and off of it.

2. Take care of your dog’s body

It would be good for your dog’s arthritis problem if you learned how to massage his body correctly. This would stimulate his blood flow and his regeneration would be faster. If your dog’s arthritis state cannot be reversed, this method would at least eliminate the pain to a decent extent.

There are lots of canine massage therapist and most of them are offering pet owners some free lectures so that they too can take care of their pets.

3. Buy supplements

There are countless products that are meant for dogs that are suffering from arthritis. Most of them contain MSM, green-lipped mussel, chondroitin etc.

Although there are plenty of verified and trusted products, you should take your dog to a local vet and ask him for an advice. He might give you the best product for your dog’s condition. You have to be careful with this one because your dog’s health is on the line here! You can’t just throw everything at him and hope something will work. That could just make things worse.

Conclusion

So, as we have come to the ending of the article I would want to make one final statement. That statement is actually a flashback to something I have already written in this article earlier.

In all times you must remember that your dog’s health is in your hands! Taking care of your dog is just like taking care of your child – it will hurt itself if you don’t look over it.

With that being said, if you still haven’t gotten a dog yet, first prepare everything you need and prepare yourself for the chores you would have to do around it.

If you already have a dog, be more responsible when it comes to him. You may not see that but your dog will appreciate it so much! Also, you won’t have to worry about taking your dog to the vet every other day because your dog will be healthy to begin with. So, if you want to hear a healthy “woof”, you must take care of everything described.

Well, that would be it when it comes to this article. I hope you have enjoyed and I definitely hope you have learned many interesting, helpful things! Until next time, good luck with your dog!

Fibromyalgia

Can Physical Therapy Help With Fibromyalgia?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Physical Therapy

Image: U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Mariah Haddenham

Physical therapy can accomplish some amazing things. It can give people suffering from degenerative diseases years of extra mobility, it can help people who’ve had strokes regain some of the skills they need to live productive lives, and it’s often the first step in helping people who’ve had serious accidents learn to move and even walk normally again.

But can physical therapy help with other conditions like fibromyalgia? To find out, let’s talk about how physical therapy works, whether it might help with treating fibromyalgia, and how you can start looking for a physical therapist near you.

What Is Physical Therapy?

Simply put, physical therapy is a branch of medicine that focuses on restoring mobility and function to people who have medical conditions that limit those things.

If someone were to suffer an injury that damages their spinal cord, for instance, they would probably be referred to a physical therapist. Using a variety of techniques and exercises, the physical therapist would then help that person strengthen the muscles and nerve connections that make walking possible. And with enough effort, that physical therapy might help that person walk again.

But physical therapy doesn’t just focus on the muscles. Someone could suffer from a stroke that damages their ability to write. In that case, a physical therapist would help them learn to use their hands the way they did before and focus on restoring the connections in the brain that make writing possible.

Physical therapists are licensed medical professionals who need post-graduate education in their field and have to pass a rigorous exam. So they get all the training they need to make a serious difference in people’s lives.

But can physical therapists make a difference when it comes to fibromyalgia?

Physical Therapy And Fibromyalgia

We think that fibromyalgia has something to do with the nervous system, but the symptoms seem to be mostly physical. People with fibromyalgia suffer from pain all over the body and often have a hard time moving as well as they did before they developed the condition. So it makes sense that a physical therapist might be able to help.

And according to studies, they can. There are a number of different therapies that do seem to reduce the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms.

TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a process of using electrical current to stimulate the nerves in a way that reduces pain and improves mobility. It’s something that physical therapists often use in cases of chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. And according to evidence, it can be effective for treating the condition.

Another effective treatment that physical therapists use is something called trigger point injections. In many conditions like fibromyalgia, the muscles develop trigger points, where the tightness of the muscle causes pain that radiates throughout the body. By injecting different drugs like corticosteroids or pain relievers directly into the trigger points, physical therapists can help reduce the amount of pain a patient experiences.

Massage, another technique that physical therapists use, can also help by decreasing the amount of stress in the muscles and releasing some of the tightness that can contribute to pain.

A good physical therapist will combine some or all of these techniques to create a treatment plan that works for the patient. But they will also try to create an overall wellness plan by meeting with a patient and assessing their needs. This might include helping you find exercises that don’t aggravate your symptoms and help you manage your symptoms in the long term. They may also refer you to a nutritionist to help establish a healthy diet that will benefit your overall health.

There are a lot of different ways that physical therapy can help with fibromyalgia. So if you’re interested in trying it out, the next step is to find a physical therapist who is right for you.

Finding A Physical Therapist

One of the best ways to find a physical therapist is to ask your doctor for a recommendation. They may be able to work with you find one in your area who is also covered by your insurance and navigate some of the legal hurdles involved in getting it cleared by the insurance company.

If you’d prefer to find one on your own, you might consider asking friends or family for recommendations. Failing that, you can usually find one online. This gives you the added bonus of being able to consult some reviews to make sure it’s a good fit.

The American Physical Therapy Association offers a great tool on their website that will contain a listing of physical therapists in your area that you can consult.

So have you visited a physical therapist for fibromyalgia? Were you happy with the results? Let us know in the comments.

Health

How To Relieve Constipation

Written By: William
admin

Constipation is a very common gastrointestinal issue that affects a lot of people. While some people will only experience constipation infrequently, others may suffer from this condition chronically. One review study explains that chronic constipation is estimated to affect as much as 27% of the global population. Infrequent constipation may not cause significant problems in an affected person’s life, but when you suffer from chronic constipation, then many adverse complications can develop. You can be affected by physically and psychologically by chronic constipation. Your daily life may be affected, and your general health may also suffer greatly. A person is considered to be constipated when they fail to have at least three bowel movements during a single week.

Complications Of Chronic Constipation

Constipation that infrequently occurs due to a sudden change in diet, for example, usually does not pose a significant threat to your wellbeing. When constipation becomes a chronic problem, however, then complications may occur. It is essential to know about these complications, which can help you identify symptoms that they might be developing. Appropriate action will then need to be taken in order to target both chronic constipation and the developed complications in a treatment plan.

Hemorrhoids are relatively common amongst people who suffer from chronic constipation. This complication involves inflammation in the veins that are located in the affected person’s rectum, as well as the veins that surround their anus. Bleeding may occur, and pain is also a very common symptom. Other possible complications of chronic constipation may include a fecal impaction, rectal prolapse, and anal fissures.

Possible Causes And Risk Factors Of Constipation

Various factors can contribute to the development of constipation. Knowing the risks and causes can help a person avoid specific triggers and make adequate lifestyle changes to help them relieve their constipation and achieve normal bowel movements. One of the most common issues that contribute to constipation is the diet of an affected individual – not obtaining an adequate supply of fiber can cause a person to become constipated. One study provided evidence that a low-fiber diet can significantly alter several factors regarding bowel movements, often in an adverse way.

Other factors that can also contribute to constipation include a sedentary lifestyle, an inadequate intake of fluids, not going to the bathroom when you have an urge to go, and specific changes that may occur in your routine. Relying on the use of enemas and laxatives can also eventually cause you to become constipated.

Some types of pharmaceutical drugs can contribute to constipation, including:

  • Antacid medication
  • Iron supplements
  • Antidepressants
  • High blood pressure medication
  • Heart disease medication
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Antispasmodics
  • Drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease
  • Painkillers

There are also certain health conditions that can cause constipation, such as:

  • Tumors in the gastrointestinal tract
  • Celiac disease
  • Polyps in the colon
  • Irritable bowel syndrome

Conventional Treatment Options For Constipation

There are different treatment options available to assist in relieving constipation. The treatment administered will usually depend on the cause of the affected individual’s constipation. In many cases, a bulking agent in the form of a fiber supplement will be provided to the patient. One review paper explains that psyllium, a type of fiber supplement, has shown promising results as it has been proven to increase the frequency of bowel movements in patients. The use of lactulose provided similar results, making this another potential fiber supplement for the use in constipated patients.

Other conventional treatment options may include:

  • Laxatives, including stimulant laxatives and osmotic laxatives.
  • Prokinetic agents.
  • Lubiprostone supplements.
  • Linaclotide supplements

How To Relieve Constipation

While many conventional treatment options for constipation are effective, many people would instead opt for alternative remedies to help relieve constipation. One of the most useful options is to increase your daily fiber intake. Soluble fiber sources are the best for relieving constipation as this will help stool move faster down your gastrointestinal tract. You should also take a look at how much water you consume each day, as improper hydration causes stool to become dry. This can make it much harder for the muscles in the gastrointestinal tract to move stool downward to the rectum.

While probiotic supplements are effective, it should be noted that it may be a good idea to rather opt for probiotic foods. A yogurt is an excellent option if you are looking for food that is both delicious and high in beneficial bacterium species. Some beneficial probiotic foods include:

  • Camembert cheese extract
  • Fermented milk
  • Fermented soymilk
  • Fermented soybean powder
  • Tempeh
  • Red mold rice
  • Rice vinegar
  • Fermented ginseng
  • Fermented garlic
  • Fermented papaya
  • Kimchi
  • Fermented tea

If you are not very physically active, then starting to participate in more exercise routines can also be very helpful. Exercise can help to address both constipation and some underlying causes that are known to lead to the development of constipation.

Another beneficial method that you can opt for if you want to find relief of constipation is to have a cup or two of coffee every day. While too much caffeine can be bad for you, there are many benefits that a limited daily intake of caffeine can bring. Caffeine is an all-natural stimulant that helps to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract’s muscles. In turn, this helps stool to move more easily down the tract toward the rectum; thus aiding in increasing the frequency of bowel movements and, in turn, offering a relieve of constipation. One study describes the efficiency of coffee on the stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract to be around 60% more potent than having a glass of water.

Conclusion

Diet, lifestyle factors, medication, illness, and many other factors can cause issues with the gastrointestinal tract and the digestive system of the human body. This can lead to the development of constipation, which is a condition that can have a detrimental impact on an affected person’s life. Not only does chronic constipation lead to physical symptoms, but its effect can also cause an adverse psychological impact. In this post, we provided an overview of the risk factors, complications, treatment options, and some useful tips to help you relieve constipation without pharmaceuticals.

Fibromyalgia

Does Fibromyalgia Cause Epistaxis (Nosebleeds)?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Epistaxis

Image: Wikimedia Commons

When you have fibromyalgia, you often find yourself wondering which of the symptoms your experiencing are caused by fibromyalgia and which aren’t. Are stuffed up sinuses a symptom of fibromyalgia, or just allergies? What about headaches? Or stiff joints?

It can drive you crazy, especially when it seems like every day you’re finding out some link between these symptoms and fibromyalgia.

And one symptom that people with fibromyalgia often report is frequent epistaxis (or nosebleeds).  But is that another symptom of fibromyalgia? Or is something else going on? And more importantly, what can you do to treat them.

Epistaxis And Fibromyalgia

Nosebleeds are something that just about everyone has experienced, but we because they’re so common, we don’t spend much time thinking about what actually causes them.

Basically, the nose is full of small blood vessels, and when they burst, they bleed. But blood vessels run all over the body, why is it that the nose seems to bleed so easily compared to the rest of the body?

The mucous membranes in the nose are especially thin and delicate, and the blood vessels are very close to the surface. This means that the tissue is easily damaged. This is why a bump on the arm just leaves a bruise, while the same bump on the nose can cause a serious nosebleed. The skin on the arm is much thicker.

This also means that there are many different things that can cause nosebleeds. If the membrane is too dry, it becomes more likely to rupture and cause bleeding. And high blood pressure can put too much stress on the veins, making them more likely to burst. Allergies, colds, sinus infections, and medications that thin the blood can all also contribute to nosebleeds.

But what about fibromyalgia? Is there something about fibromyalgia that could make you more likely to experience nosebleeds?

There’s a lot we don’t know about fibromyalgia. So it’s difficult to say for certain that it doesn’t cause nosebleeds. But based on what we do know, it seems unlikely. There’s no

Instead, fibromyalgia may simply make people more susceptible to nosebleeds for two major reasons.

First, people with fibromyalgia sometimes have weakened immune systems. This means that they’re more likely to experience infections, including sinus infections that can lead to nosebleeds.

Second, people with fibromyalgia are often prescribed a number of different medications. And when you’re taking several different medications at once, they’re always the chance that some of them may have side effects like raising your blood pressure. And having high blood pressure may make you more likely to experience nosebleeds.

There’s also the possibility that if you’re taking something like aspirin to deal with daily aches, it can contribute to nosebleeds.

But if you have fibromyalgia and you’re getting nosebleeds more than once a month, you should probably see a doctor. Your doctor can also diagnose what’s causing your nosebleeds and help you treat the underlying problem. But if you want to manage nosebleeds in the meantime, there are a few things you can do.

How To Treat Epistaxis

The first step in treating Epistaxis is to stop the bleeding. At some point in your life, someone told you that you should pinch your nose and tilt your head back, right? That’s the conventional wisdom.

But this is one situation where the conventional wisdom is wrong. Tilting your head back does nothing to stop the bleeding, and can actually cause the blood to drip back down your throat. Instead, you want to tilt your head forward.

Make sure to keep your head raised instead of laying down, so that blood flows down from the head instead of up into it. Keep your nose pinched for 10 to 15 minutes, and the bleeding should stop.

When it comes to stopping nosebleeds from occurring, the best thing to do is to avoid irritating the membrane of the nose. You can do this by making sure that you’re well hydrated and the skin isn’t dry. Using saline nasal sprays can help keep the membrane healthy and less likely to bleed.

Avoid picking at the skin or doing anything to damage it. And avoid smoking, which can dry out the membrane and raise your blood pressure.

If you think that some of your medications are contributing to nosebleeds- which is quite possible- don’t stop taking them. You should never discontinue using a medication without advice from a doctor.

So, let us know. Have you noticed that you get frequent nosebleeds? What helps you manage them? Tell us in the comments.

 

Health

How Many Calories Should I Eat in a Day?

Written By: William
admin

Our bodies continuously require a steady amount of food to stay healthy. All functions in our body depend on the nutrients that food provides us with, such as vitamins, proteins, minerals, and fats. These nutrients should all form part of your daily diet to ensure your immune system is able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms, as well as to provide all other systems in your body can efficiently work, at a cellular level. One problem that many people face is that they do not know how much they should each in a single day. We often read about the importance of food and nutrients, but do you really know how many calories you are supposed to eat to stay healthy, but also to ensure you do not suffer from weight-related problems, such as become obese or underweight.

While specific guidelines have been provided to assist the general population in determining how much calories they need to consume per day, there are more to ensure you adhere to the right type of diet than simply counting calories. Apart from these factors that need to be accounted for, other variables also need to be taken into the equation when looking at how much calories you need to eat. Your gender, weight, and weight management goals all play a part, as well as your activity level. Let’s take a closer look at how you can determine the right amount of calories to consume daily, and what other factors you need to be concerned about when it comes to a healthy diet.

General Recommendations For Daily Caloric Intake

Let’s start by looking at how much calories you should really be consuming per day. Many studies have been performed to provide more accurate data on this topic. Generally, the following recommendations are made:

  • Women are advised to consume a daily diet that consists of approximately 2,000 calories.
  • Men are advised to consume a daily that consists of approximately 2,500 calories.

These are not minimum or maximum recommendations for either gender. Men usually feature larger body structures than women, which is why they are advised to consume more calories than women. There are, however, many factors that can alter this particular requirement of the body and a specific individual.

An obese person who is trying to lose weight, for example, need to consider lowering their daily caloric intake. It is generally recommended that a person trying to lose weight requires reducing their daily caloric intake by approximately 500 calories in order to lose around half a kilogram of body weight in a single week. This, however, does not guarantee weight loss – if your daily caloric intake exceeds your daily energy expenditure, you gain weight. When the opposite is true, you lose weight.

On the other hand, when a person is trying to build more muscle mass after starting a vigorous training program, they will most likely need to increase their daily caloric intake to support their new routine. High-intensity training causes more energy expenditure, which means there becomes a more significant gap between calorie intake and output. When the person does not increase their calorie intake, then they will lose weight instead of gain weight in the form of muscle mass.

Other Important Factors That Should Be Accounted For

Most people tend to care a lot about the number of calories they consume each day, especially if there are trying to lose weight. While it is essential to look at your caloric intake in order to ensure you can lose weight effectively, it is important to note that other factors need to be looked at when trying to lose weight, gain weight or simply maintain a healthy weight.

Nutritional values of the food you consume are one of the most important factors that you need to look at. Eating a packet of sweets that cause you to consume 200 calories is completely different from eating a plate of vegetables that holds a 200-calorie value. The sweets will not have any vital nutrients that your body needs, while the vegetables will be able to provide your body with minerals, vitamins, amino acids and even healthy fats. This holds much more value to your body than the sugar and other artificial ingredients that are used to manufacture sweets.

This is the reason why we recommend considering the calories you consume each day, but not in such a way that you look at it as “a calorie is a calorie.” Look closer at what you eat – consider the value that each food item you want to consume has for your body before eating it. If you find that what you are about to eat will not give you any type of nutritional value, then instead opt for something that is healthier and richer in essential nutrients.

Conclusion

We need to eat a certain amount of food every day to support different parts of our body. Our gastrointestinal tract absorbs nutrients found in food to assist with these functions. Knowing how many calories to consume each day is essential for staying healthy and managing your weight more effectively. This, however, is not the only factor about your daily food consumption that you need to look at. We provided a complete overview of how you can calculate your daily caloric needs in this guide, and we looked at factors like weight goals and nutrient intake that should also be considered important.

Fibromyalgia

Should People With Fibromyalgia Consider Occupational Therapy?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Occupational Therapy

Image: U.S. Navy/ Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joseph A. Boomhower

One of the hardest parts of living with fibromyalgia is that the kinds of obligations everyone faces don’t go away when you’re suffering. Even when you’re struggling with constant pain and fatigue, you still have to find a way to deal with all of the things that others sometimes have a hard time dealing with even when they’re in good health.

So it’s no surprise that someone with fibromyalgia might need a little help from time to time. And there are people who can help with the physical symptoms of the condition. But what do you do when you need help living a normal life? Who do you turn to when you need help with managing daily activities or even a job?

Well, the good news is there is a field of medicine dedicated to just that: occupational therapy.

So what is occupational therapy? How can it help someone with fibromyalgia? And how do you find an occupational therapist to work with you?

What Is Occupational Therapy?

The roots of occupational therapy go back to the early 20th century. Where before, medicine was focused on just curing illness, the idea behind occupational therapy was to help people live productive lives when their illness couldn’t be cured.

Often, people who suffered from disability from injury or disease ended up spending their lives in asylums or at home. But people who supported occupational therapy believed that they could learn to live normally in spite of their disability.

The first association for occupational therapy in America was founded over 100 years ago, and since then, the field has evolved into a modern medical discipline that uses the latest scientific techniques to help patients.

Occupational therapists focus on helping people with disabling illnesses live normal lives through mental health therapy, counseling, and occupational training. The idea is to give patients the skills and resources they need to re-enter the workforce.

Usually, an occupational therapist will sit down with a patient to assess their needs and develop a treatment program to meet those needs. Then they will develop a roadmap, complete with regular goals, that a patient can follow. The therapist will then meet regularly with the patient to make sure that goals are being met and help patients in whatever way they need.

And there’s evidence that this approach can be very beneficial to people with fibromyalgia.

Occupational Therapy And Fibromyalgia

People with fibromyalgia face a number of challenges when it comes to getting back to work. There are the obvious physical challenges, which occupational therapists can help them overcome. They can help develop an exercise plan to strengthen the muscles and reduce the amount of pain you experience.

But while the physical challenges are always a struggle with fibromyalgia, often people with the condition struggle just as much with the mental side. And occupational therapists can help with this as well. The stress of fibromyalgia can make symptoms worse, and make it more difficult to handle daily responsibilities. Occupational therapy can help you learn ways to deal with the stress through counseling.

Depression is another issue that many people with fibromyalgia face. That’s understandable of course, given how painful and debilitating fibromyalgia is. But overcoming the symptoms of depression is often the first step in living a normal life when you have fibromyalgia. Occupational therapists can help with this as well by referring you to mental health professionals.

And if you’re looking to get back to work, occupational therapists will have resources that will help you find a job and work with you to help you do manage your illness so that you can perform the work.

Occupational therapy takes a holistic approach to helping patients. It focuses on restoring physical mobility as well as teaching valuable coping skills that can help in the management of day-to-day life. Altogether, it can be an effective option for people with fibromyalgia.

And if you’re interested in trying occupational therapy for yourself, it’s usually easy to find someone in your area who can help.

Finding An Occupational Therapist

Like any other medical therapist, you can often get a referral from your doctor. They should have a directory of professionals you can work with in your area.

Failing that, you can check with friends or ask around on fibromyalgia message boards for recommendations. Or you can check online, which is helpful in that you can check reviews online.

Occupational therapists are licensed medical professionals. Before making a decision, you should make sure that the person you are working with is licensed by the relevant body in your area. Be sure to ask if they are licensed and by whom.

So let us know what you think. Have you worked with an occupational therapist? Would you recommend it to others with fibromyalgia? Tell us in the comments.

Health

How To Get Rid of a Sore Throat Fast

Written By: William

It is safe to say that everyone has experienced a sore throat at some point in their life. This can be a genuinely discomforting experience and can even disrupt your daily functions. Eating solid food and also drinking a glass of water can becomes very painful due to the inflammation and raw feeling of a sore throat. A review paper explains that up to 4% of all patient visits to a family practitioner are due to a complaint about a sore throat, making it among the most common infections that doctors see. Different factors can cause a sore throat, and the treatment options differ from one cause to another. Understanding the causes can help to initiate the right treatment method, but there are some things you can do to alleviate the symptoms temporarily until the underlying cause is effectively eliminated.

Common Causes Of A Sore Throat

Different factors can cause a person to experience a sore throat, although the painful throat can be part of a broader infection that also presents patients with nasal congestion, a cough, fever, and more. The majority of cases where a patient complains about a sore throat is linked to pharyngitis, which is a medical term used to describe an infection in the throat. (The pharynx is a membrane-lined cavity in the back of the throat connecting the nose and mouth to the esophagus.)

A virus causes most cases of pharyngitis, but bacteria can also cause this condition. Different types of viruses and bacteria can be responsible for the development of a sore throat.

Viruses that commonly causes a sore throat as a symptom include:

  • Adenovirus
  • Influenza
  • Parainfluenza Viruses
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus
  • Herpes Simplex Virus

Bacterium species that usually causes a person to experience a sore throat include:

  • Streptococcus Pyogenes
  • Mycoplasma Pneumoniae
  • Arcanobacterium Haemolyticum
  • Group C / Group G Streptococci
  • Neisseria Gonorrhoeae

Treatment for Pharyngitis depends on what type of microorganism is causing the infection. In most cases, medicine to assist with congestion and similar symptoms are used to provide temporary relief in patients with a virus infection, as the infection usually clears up within a week’s time. In cases where bacteria are the underlying cause of a sore throat, antibiotics are administered in order to provide relief of symptoms. Additional medication may also be used to help reduce the severity of a sore throat and other symptoms.

Tips For Relieving Throat Pain Symptoms

When a sore throat develops, the pain can range from mild discomfort to searing pain. Relief, however, is possible. While taking antibiotics to treat a throat infection will not alleviate symptoms immediately, there are some options available that can provide temporary relief while the antibiotics get to work or while a virus is being tackled by your immune system.

  • One of the most commonly recommended options for relieving sore throat symptoms is a salt water gargle. Just mix some salt with warm water, then gargle the mixture in your throat for a few seconds to a half a minute. You can repeat this process multiple times a day.
  • A povidone-iodine solution can also be gargle several times a day to help destroy the microorganisms causing the sore throat and to obtain relief in symptoms. One study provided evidence that the use of a gargle solution that contains povidone-iodine can also be an effective way of preventing the recurrence of infections, especially upper respiratory infections.
  • Certain herbs and plant extracts used in ancient Chinese medicine have been proven effective in alleviating sore throat symptoms and speeding up recovery from a throat infection in scientific studies. One study explains that herbal remedies that are effective in treating a sore throat include Qinganlan Liyan Hanpian, Ertong Qingyan Jiere Koufuye, Dikuiluqan Hanpian, and Dandelion compounds. (The study also notes that further trials are recommended to quantify the study’s findings.)
  • Water mixed with juice from a fresh lemon can also be beneficial. This drink will help to soothe your throat and may assist with reducing pain and other symptoms affecting your throat. The high concentration of antioxidants and vitamin C contained in the lemon will also be beneficial in helping your immune system fight off the infection and provide for a speedier recovery.
  • Tea that contains extracts of ginger tea can also be useful. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can help to reduce swelling in your throat and, in turn, assist with alleviating pain and irritation.
  • There are many lozenges that you can also suck on to help you achieve relief of your sore throat. Some lozenges are known to be more effective than others. One study provided evidence that lozenges containing a 25mg dose of ibuprofen can provide effective relief of pain and inflammation in the throat. Another study found Flurbiprofen lozenges also to be an effective option. A trendy choice is Strepsils as well, a brand of lozenges that contain a combination of 2,4-Dichlorobenzylalcohol and Amylmetacresol – in addition to its anesthetic properties, these lozenges also contain antiseptic properties.

Conclusion

Millions experience a sore throat each year. This symptom is disruptive and can make going about your daily tasks more difficult. A sore throat may sometimes be accompanied by additional symptoms, such as ear pain and swollen lymph nodes. Luckily, there are remedies that relieve the painful symptoms and the underlying causes.

Health

How To Get Water Out of an Ear After a Swim

Written By: William
admin

A day out at the beach can be fun, or even taking the kids to the pool, but after all the fun has passed, some complications may develop. This becomes especially true if you do not take the necessary precautions to protect you and your family when you are planning to go to the beach or go swimming elsewhere. The sun is often the first topic that is discussed when we talk about going to the beach – a sun protective lotion or cream is essential to help protect your skin from the sun. One less commonly discussed issue, which we will take a look at in this post, is water that gets into your ear. This can cause earaches and even more harmful complications.

The Impact Of Water In Your Ears After Swimming

Swimming can be a fun activity, and even a professional sport for some people, but the water that gets stuck in your ear following your swimming session can be potentially hazardous to your ears and even your health. There are many possible complications that you need to be aware of if you frequently swim, whether for fun or professionally, as well as when your family regularly participates in swimming activities.

One study explains that swimmers are especially prone to certain conditions that affect their ears, with acute diffuse otitis externa, a condition often referred to as “Swimmer’s Ear,” is a very common condition. Other possible complications that may develop include:

  • Otomycosis
  • Traumatic eardrum perforation
  • Inner ear barotraumas
  • Middle ear infection
  • Exostoses

Some pathogens can also enter the ear and cause an infection. The most common type of pathogen that causes complications in swimmers is Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

These complications make it essential for individuals to recognize the symptoms and act accordingly. Possible symptoms that may indicate a complication has developed due to water being trapped in the ear include itchiness and conductive hearing loss. Other symptoms may include otorrhea, vertigo, tinnitus, and otalgia. This is especially important if you have recently taken a swim in water that may be polluted or contaminated.

Another possible complication that may be the result of swimming is a condition known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. This condition affects the vestibular system that is contained within the inner area of the ear.

Effective At-Home Options For Getting The Water Out Of Your Ear

After you get out of the ocean or out of the swimming pool, it is essential to follow some initial steps to ensure you get as much water out of your ear as possible. The first thing to do is to jiggle on your earlobes, while also pointing your ear toward the ground. This will help to get most water out of your ear. You can also choose to lie down on each side until the water has escaped from each ear. While lying down on your side, you can also use the palm of your hand to make a cup over your ear to form a “seal.” Push back and then forward repeatedly to suck the water out of your ear.

Other techniques that are also helpful in removing water from your ear after swimming include:

  • Using a hot compress, which is especially useful if some of the water gets trapped in the eustachian tubes within your ears.
  • A blow dryer can be used to evaporate trapped water in your ear. Do not hold the blow dryer too close to your ear and switch it to its lowest heat setting.
  • You can also combine some vinegar and alcohol and use the solution as eardrops to evaporate water and loosen earwax that may trap the water.
  • Another effective method for removing water from your ear is to use steam.

If all else fails, then a visit to your local pharmacy may be a more appropriate option. There are different kinds of eardrops that contain the right combination of ingredients to help evaporate water in your ear. Some of the eardrops that are available as over-the-counter treatment options at a pharmacy also include additional components that can help to reduce levels of moisture in your ear and assist with killing any bacteria that might have entered your ear. This will assist in lowering your risk of developing a complication after you have gone swimming.

What To Do When Symptoms And Complications Develop

When water gets trapped in the ear after swimming, it is essential to get it out as soon as possible. Looking out for potential symptoms that may signal a complication is also essential. This can help you obtain treatment quickly and avoid the complication from becoming more serious. We have provided an overview of the possible complications and symptoms to look out for above. If these symptoms do become present, then there is a chance that the water you swam in was not clean, or you did not get all water out of your ear afterward.

To address these problems, it is usually best to see a physician. A thorough examination of your inner ear canals will be required if you wish to approach the matter appropriately. Since different complications may develop, a physician will need to examine you and ask you some questions about your symptoms. This will help them identify the particular complication you have developed and will allow them to provide you with the most appropriate treatment plan.

Conclusion

After swimming, there is always the possibility that some water may be left behind in your ear. This can not only be unpleasant and cause you to experience impairment in your hearing but can also lead to a number of complications if you do not remove the water. In this post, we provided some helpful tips to ensure you can remove all water from your ears and reduce your risk of experiencing a complication after swimming, such as an earache or a more serious adverse reaction.

Fibromyalgia

Pyrexia and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Pyrexia

Image: Wikimedia Commons

If you have fibromyalgia, you’ve probably noticed that you suffer from a bunch of symptoms that you almost never see discussed in connection with the condition. Those might include things like chronic itching, frequent urination, and maybe even frequent low-grade fevers. Fever, or pyrexia, is actually a common symptom among people with fibromyalgia, but how often do you hear about it?

And it can drive you crazy to have frequent fevers that seem to develop for no real reason, right? That’s especially true when you have no idea that fibromyalgia might be the explanation.

So, just what exactly is going on? And what can you do about it?

Pyrexia And Fibromyalgia

The most obvious question is, “Does fibromyalgia cause fevers?” Is there something about the condition itself that causes the body’s temperature to rise?

Unfortunately, there just isn’t a good answer to that question. We still don’t know much about fibromyalgia. We don’t even know for sure what causes it or how it works. If we understood the basic mechanisms behind the condition, we might have a better idea of why people with fibromyalgia often suffer from low-grade fevers.

Luckily, we do know enough about the condition that we can make a few educated guesses at what might be behind the symptom.

First, people with fibromyalgia often have weaker immune systems. This means that people suffering from fevers might actually just be getting sick more often. But if you’ve experienced this symptom, you know that this probably doesn’t cover every case.

Often, people with fibromyalgia develop fevers without any other sign that they’re suffering from a cold or similar infection that could explain it.

But, the answer may still lie in the immune system.

The immune system protects the body by releasing cells that attack foreign bacteria and viruses. But sometimes, the immune system begins to attack the body itself. This is called an autoimmune disease. And autoimmune disease can produce symptoms like fatigue, muscle pains, and frequent fevers.

Sort of sounds like fibromyalgia, doesn’t it?

In fact, fibromyalgia shares many symptoms with autoimmune diseases. Historically, this has led many doctors to suggest that fibromyalgia itself might be an autoimmune disease. But for a number of reasons, we’ve ruled this out in recent years. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there might not be some connection. And the link between fibromyalgia and autoimmune disease, whatever it is, might explain why people with fibromyalgia also experience frequent fevers.

There’s also another possible explanation that involves the immune system. Some researchers have suggested that the root of fibromyalgia might be immune cells in the brain called microglia.

The microglia produce flu-like symptoms in the body so that they can force you to rest while they fight off infections. Microglia seem to be activated by higher levels of a protein called leptin, which is found in higher concentrations in the bodies of people with fibromyalgia.

Leptin levels can vary from day to day, and the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms seems to be linked to how much leptin is in the blood.

It might be that on the days that leptin levels spike, the immune cells in the brain begin triggering symptoms like fevers. This could explain why people with fibromyalgia frequently get fevers.

Until we know more about the condition, we won’t know for sure if this is the explanation. But these are some plausible scenarios.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to help manage pyrexia.

Preventing And Managing Pyrexia

We don’t know exactly why fibromyalgia is linked to fevers, so it’s difficult to say for sure what you can do to prevent them. But many people with the condition have noted that their fevers seem to come after intense exercise or spending time outside in the sun. So basically, anything that raises your body temperature might trigger the fevers.

So, managing your body temperature might help prevent them. Make sure to wear cool clothing if you’re outside, and drink plenty of water. Take frequent breaks when exercising or spending time outdoors to help prevent overheating. And ice packs or a wet cloth on the neck can help cool you down as well.

Managing stress is also a good idea, as stress seems to make all the symptoms of fibromyalgia worse, including fevers. You can find a great guide on ways to effectively manage stress when you have fibro here.

If you’re already suffering from a fever, there’s a few things you can do. Make sure to rest and stay hydrated. This will help your body recover faster.

If possible, take fever-reducing medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. Finally, try to keep your core temperature down with cool baths or cold compresses.

While annoying, low fevers aren’t usually something you need to worry too much about. They usually resolve themselves in a few hours or days. But if your fever goes above 103 degrees (or 39.4C), or you have other symptoms like vomiting, you should see a doctor. It could be a sign of something more serious.

So what do you think? Do you have fevers with fibromyalgia? What do you think the link is? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

New Blood Test for Chronic Pain Shows Severity of Pain

Written By: admin
admin

chronic pain blood test

A blood test developed by Australian researchers called “painHS” can identify color changes in immune cells affected by pain. The blood test for chronic pain instantly informs doctors administering the test to the severity of their patient’s pain.

PainHS was developed by a team of researchers led by neuroscientists Professor Mark Hutchinson will present the findings at a meeting of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. This is the same team that came up with the “painSEQ” and “painCELL” blood tests. While those tests were accurate, they take a couple of days to produce results. The “painHS” test is instantaneous, which is a huge advantage.

Professor Hutchinson explained it this way:

“We’ve now discovered that we can use the natural colour of biology to predict the severity of pain. What we’ve found is that persistent chronic pain has a different natural colour in immune cells than in a situation where there isn’t persistent pain.”

The hope is that the test will lead to new and better treatments for people with chronic pain, and it will also be useful for patients who are unable to report their pain, such as babies or people with dementia who have lost the ability to speak. It can also revolutionize the treatment of animals. “Animals can’t tell us if they’re in pain but here we have a Dr Doolittle type test that enables us to ‘talk’ to the animals so we can find out if they are experiencing pain and then we can help them,” said Dr. Hutchinson.

Further Reading:

New painHS Blood Test Can Help Physicians Identify the ‘Colors’ of Chronic Pain – The Mighty

Breakthrough blood test reveals colour of chronic pain – ANZCA: Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists

Breakthrough blood test set to help doctors diagnose chronic pain – News.com.au

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Sweepstakes: talk.about.fibro.

Written By: admin
John

While fibromyalgia has been in the news lately, due to Lady Gaga, Morgan Freeman, and other celebrities having been diagnosed with the syndrome, it is still a seriously misunderstood disease. Because many patients suffering from fibro may not “look sick,” it’s important to raise awareness of the condition, both in order to reduce the stigma surrounding fibromyalgia and other chronic pain disorders, and to encourage research into better treatments.

This is why Fibromyalgia Awareness Month is so important: as a so-called “Invisible Disease,” not a lot of people take it seriously. Also, it can be difficult to explain how fibromyalgia affects us: the constant, chronic pain, the fatigue, the fibro fog. How flare-ups are triggered and what that even means for us. Fibromyalgia Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to educate our loved ones about what fibro warriors go through every day.

May 12 is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. In observance of this day, Fibromyalgia Treating is giving away a gift basket. We’ve stocked this gift basket with items from Amazon, items that promote healing and relief from fibromyalgia symptoms such as fatigue, muscle soreness, fibro fog, and we’ve even included a cookbook. And it’s absolutely free to enter. When you sign-up, you’ll also receive our Fibromyalgia Treating newsletter, full of everything you’ve come to love about FibromyalgiaTreating.com.

Enter now

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talk. about. fibro. Sweepstakes – Official Rules: No purchased necessary. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter, and a resident of the United States. If you are selected as the winner, we will attempt to contact you three times within a 30 day period. If we do not hear back from you within that time period, we will select an alternate winner. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Omnihome, ArtNaturals, or any of the brands included in this sweepstakes. All brands are registered trademarks of their respective owners.  Sweepstake ends: 5/31/2018 at 11:59pm ET.

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More About The Prize Package

The Fibromyalgia Awareness Day prize package include five items worth approximately $100. Let’s take a look at what is included:

Ominihome Essential Oil Diffuser 300ml Cool Mist Humidifier Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser

Fibromyalgia Awareness Gift Basket

Amazon

This is really 5 things in one: a humidifier, an essential-oil diffuser, a Bluetooth speaker, alarm clock, and nightlight. It comes with three pre-programmed mist times. It’s really a cool product.

ArtNaturals Aromatherapy Top 8 Essential Oils

What good is an essential oil diffuser without essential oils? We’ve included this sample pack of 8 essential oils. Find out which ones work for you.

Heating Pad Gift Set of 2

 

Two heating pads! One for your shoulders and neck and one extra-large 12×24 heating pad for your back or abdomen. Dry or Moist heat, it’s fast-heating and comes with auto shutoff.

Fibromyalgia Freedom!: Your Essential Cookbook and Meal Plan to Relieve Pain, Clear Brain Fog, and Fight Fatigue

 

This top-rated cookbook features easy-to-make meals that won’t cause flare-ups. Look at the science behind the recipes, and then enjoy delicious meals.

Fibromyalgia Awareness Purple Ribbon Bangle Bracelet – Hope, Faith, Love

 

What better way to reduce the stigma around fibromyalgia and other invisible diseases than with this beautiful purple bracelet. It’s sure to be a conversation starter.

What’s the Difference Between Arthralgia and Arthritis?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
John
Image: Esther Max/ Flickr

Image: Esther Max/ Flickr

If you’re like a lot of people who suffer from fibromyalgia, you may have noticed aching in your joints from time to time. And if you’ve spent time researching the problem, you’ve probably noticed that the words arthritis and arthralgia both seem to come up when it comes to joint pain.

Understanding the difference between these two terms can be confusing, but it also might be important when it comes to getting an idea of what’s causing your symptoms.

So, what exactly is the difference? And why does it matter when you have fibromyalgia?

Arthralgia Vs. Arthritis

Let’s start with the condition that people tend to be more familiar with: arthritis. Arthritis is really a broad term that describes damage to the joints. The most common symptoms are things like:

  • Joint pain.
  • Swelling in the joints.
  • Stiffness (particularly in the morning).

There’s actually no single disease called “arthritis.” Instead, there are over 100 different conditions that can lead to the symptoms of arthritis. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. We can actually break it down into four broader categories to help.

First, there’s degenerative arthritis. This occurs when the cartilage, a thin disc of tissue that cushions the bones from each other, wears away. As a result, the bones begin to grind against each other. This makes the joints inflamed and leads to pain. The most typical example of degenerative arthritis is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a common condition among older people, as a lifetime of wear on the joints starts to affect the cartilage. But being overweight or previous injuries can also contribute to the condition.

Second, there’s inflammatory arthritis, a condition where the body’s immune system begins to attack the lining of the joints. Your body naturally produces antibodies that attack and destroy foreign cells like bacteria. But sometimes, these antibodies begin destroying your own cells instead. Rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis are both forms of inflammatory arthritis. And while we don’t fully understand what causes these conditions, genetics seem to play a very important role.

Then, there’s infectious arthritis. As you might expect, infectious arthritis is the result of infection. Bacteria, fungus, and viruses can all infiltrate the body and infect the joints, causing them to swell and leading to arthritis.

The final form is metabolic arthritis. Gout is the most well-known example and is caused by the body failing to break down uric acid. The acid then forms crystals in the joints, leading to sharp spikes of pain.

As you can see, arthritis is a complicated condition. Arthralgia, on the surface at least, is more straightforward. Arthralgia is a term that means “joint pain,” and is used to describe the symptom of having pain in your joints.

Arthralgia is a common complaint because there are many different conditions that can cause it. Arthritis, obviously, is one of them. But anything from an injury to infection to disease can cause joint pain.

The distinction between the two conditions might not seem important. But when you have fibromyalgia, understanding when joint pain is caused by arthritis and when it’s caused by another condition can make a big difference in how you get treatment.

Why Is The Difference Important?

People with fibromyalgia are at a higher risk than the general population of developing a number of different forms of arthritis. But people with fibromyalgia also seem to develop joint pain even when they don’t have arthritis.

Essentially, these people are experiencing arthralgia, but not arthritis.

But because arthritis is one of the most obvious causes of joint pain, and because people with fibromyalgia often develop arthritis, it’s usually the first thing that doctors look for. However, arthritis is often hard to diagnose, and sometimes leaves no visible signs of inflammation.

So it’s possible that someone with fibromyalgia could be misdiagnosed with arthritis. And it can be months or even years before doctors realize that they don’t actually have the condition.

That’s why it’s important to know the signs that joint pain is actually being caused by arthritis.

The most obvious sign of arthritis is swelling in the joints. The skin surrounding the joints is often red and inflamed as well. In addition, stiffness that peaks in the morning is a good sign of arthritis. And if you’re suffering from these symptoms, the odds are better that you have the condition than the kind of general joint pain that comes with fibromyalgia.

Ultimately, only a doctor can really diagnosis what’s causing your joint problems. But by being aware of the different symptoms, you can help increase your odds of getting an accurate diagnosis.

So, what do you think? Have you suffered from joint pain? What caused it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

The Varieties of Muscular Dystrophy

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
muscular dystrophy

Image: Pxhere

Many people with fibromyalgia have a story of struggling to get diagnosed. Though we are making progress every day, many doctors still aren’t that familiar with fibromyalgia. And to make matters worse, the symptoms of fibromyalgia are often so similar to other conditions that it can be hard for even knowledgeable doctors to know which condition their patients might be suffering from.

For instance, many patients with muscular dystrophy find themselves being misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia and vice versa.

So, when you go into a doctor’s office to seek a diagnosis, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the other conditions that can mimic the symptoms of fibromyalgia. With that in mind, let’s talk about what muscular dystrophy is and how you can tell the difference between it and fibromyalgia.

What Is Muscular Dystrophy?

There’s really no single muscular dystrophy. Instead, muscular dystrophies are more than 30 different genetic disorders that produce similar symptoms. Most significantly, they lead to a gradual weakening and degeneration of the muscles.

The most common form of muscular dystrophy is a condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD. DMD is passed from parent to child along the X chromosome. The X and Y chromosomes determine the biological sex of a child. Girls have two X chromosomes and boys an X and a Y.

DMD is contained in the X chromosome, but usually only in one. And because girls have two XX chromosomes, they are much less likely to have DMD. But boys, who only have one x chromosome, will usually develop the condition if they inherit it.

Usually, the symptoms become noticeable between the ages of 3 and 5. From there, it progresses rapidly. People who suffer from the condition are unable to produce enough of a protein that maintains the muscle. And as a result, they gradually lose the ability to walk. And eventually, even to breathe on their own.

While Duchenne is the most common form of MD, it’s not the only one.

Another common form is facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. FSHD mainly affects the muscles in the face, arms, and lower legs. It usually begins in the early 20s, and it can progress slowly over years or decades. Unlike other forms of MD, it usually doesn’t have a significant impact on the heart or lungs. And people with FSHD typically live a normal lifespan.

The severity of FSHD can vary from person to person. For some, it can be debilitating.

But the most common form of adult MD is Myotonic MD. It leads to muscle spasms, cataracts, and problems with the endocrine system. Because it’s a genetic disorder, people with the condition tend to be born with a few different physical signs of the condition. Usually, they have long, thin faces, as well as long necks.

There’s no cure for any of the forms of muscular dystrophy. But there are forms of treatment. Usually, the treatment focuses on dealing with the effects of the disease so that patients can live as normal a life as possible.

There are several different technologies that can help keep patients with advanced MD alive, like respirators that can help keep their lungs functioning. And many patients go through intensive physical therapy so that they can learn to live with weakening muscles.

Of course, treatment requires a diagnosis. And when it comes to MD, like fibromyalgia, that can be difficult.

Muscular Dystrophy And Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia and muscular dystrophy can produce similar symptoms. Both lead to weakness in the muscles, spasms, and pain with no obvious cause. This means that getting a diagnosis can be difficult. It’s easy for doctors to get the two conditions confused at first.

But there are a few things that set the conditions apart.

First, fibromyalgia’s most distinct feature is the fact that it causes pain in 18 specific tender points. These points are located in the joints of the body and are often more painful when pressure is applied to them.

And doctors can use these tender points to make a diagnosis. Typically, a doctor presses their thumb into the tender points. If the pain spikes in all of the tender points, then there’s a good chance the patient is suffering from fibromyalgia.

This is different than MD, which doesn’t cause pain at specific points. And a diagnosis for MD is usually more complicated. It requires biopsies of the muscles and genetic testing to look for signs of the disease.

The easiest way to know which condition you’re suffering from is to look for the tender points. Your doctor should be able to give you a diagnosis if you have them.

So, what do you think? Have you suffered from MD? Is there a link between MD and fibromyalgia? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

8 Chronic Pain Quotes That Describe Life With Fibromyalgia Perfectly

Written By: Wyatt Redd
John

Living with chronic pain means hearing a lot of faux-wisdom chronic pain quotes from people who have decided they know what you’re going through. So you’ll often get “you should do this” or “have you ever tried that?” And the advice these people are giving out is usually pretty useless.

They simply don’t know anything about what chronic pain is actually like. So how could they know how to offer any meaningful advice? But there are plenty of people out there who have experienced enough pain in their lives to offer some really profound words of encouragement. And when you’re suffering from the chronic pain of fibromyalgia, sometimes you really need someone to help you put your pain in perspective. So, here are eight chronic pain quotes to help you cope with fibromyalgia.

8 Chronic Pain Quotes

People assume you aren’t sick unless they see the sickness on your skin like scars forming a map of all the ways you’re hurting. My heart is a prison of Have you tried?
Have you tried exercising? Have you tried eating better?
Have you tried not being sad, not being sick?
Have you tried being more like me?
Have you tried shutting up?
Yes, I have tried. Yes, I am still trying, and yes, I am still sick.
Sometimes monsters are invisible, and sometimes demons attack you from the inside. Just because you cannot see the claws and the teeth does not mean they aren’t ripping through me. Pain does not need to be seen to be felt. Telling me there is no problem won’t solve the problem.
This is not how miracles are born.
This is not how sickness works.”
― Emm Roy, The First Step

One of my favorite chronic pain quotes from author Emm Roy really sums up what it’s like to live with chronic pain from a condition like fibromyalgia, which no one can see. After all, that’s one of the most infuriating things about fibromyalgia. The way that people just refuse to accept that you are suffering feels so unfair. And this is a good reminder that just because your suffering is easy to see doesn’t mean that it isn’t suffering.

“Of pain, you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain, there are no heroes.” – George Orwell, 1984

A much-quoted author also makes our list of chronic pain quotes. Shot in the throat during the Spanish Civil War, novelist George Orwell knew pain very well. And he understood that all the ways that people talk about enduring pain with some quiet stoicism are over-simplifying it. This quote sums it up really well when it says that, “In the face of pain, there are no heroes.” Don’t be ashamed when your pain gets the best of you sometimes. That’s what pain does.

“You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.”- Elizabeth Taylor

Famous actress Elizabeth Taylor endured a lot of pain in her life, having gone through several different chronic health conditions. And this quote from her really speaks to how you have to live with chronic pain. You have to force yourself to live in spite of the constant misery. There is simply no other option.

“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt faced a lot of adversity in his life. He grew up a sickly child and saw his wife and daughter die on the same day when he was a young man. But he overcame all of that and was one of our most beloved president’s. This chronic pain quote is a good reminder that you need that kind of spirit of resilience. You can’t fight through pain, you can’t overcome it, you can only endure it.

“Something very beautiful happens to people when their world falls apart. A humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor.” – Marianne Wilson

Of course, there aren’t too many upsides to chronic pain. And in fact, there probably is no such thing as a silver lining to this cloud, but this chronic pain quote by Marianne Wilson is probably the closest. It’s a good reminder that your pain can make you a stronger person. And in many ways, you have more depth of character, more capacity to endure, and a better understanding of the world as it really is when you’ve lived with chronic pain.

It doesn’t make your pain “useful,” as people often say, but it’s at least something.

“You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering.”- Earnest Hemingway

This quote from A Farewell to Arms is a reminder that too often the only reward you get for enduring your pain with silent courage is that people forget you have pain. That doesn’t mean that you should try to complain more, it’s just one more thing that’s hard to deal with when it comes to chronic pain. And maybe if you know someone who is suffering, this chronic pain quote is a good reminder of how important it is to let them know that you know they hurt.

“In the depth of winter, I learned that within me lay an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus

This quote from writer Albert Camus is a poetic way to express the type of strength that comes from within, and makes our list of chronic pain quotes. When you live with chronic pain, you have to find the strength to live through it or you don’t tend to live through it. That’s where that invincible summer of positivity comes in. It’s not a feeling that the world will all be alright in the end, but it’s knowing that no matter what happens, you can endure it.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran

This quote by poet Khalil Gibran reminds us that suffering makes you strong in one sense. People who have never known the chronic pain don’t develop the deep reservoir of spirit that you will. And while that doesn’t make pain a good thing, and it certainly doesn’t make it “worth it,” it is a simple truth that you can take some comfort in. You are strong enough to endure the pain, so you are very strong indeed.

What are your favorite chronic pain quotes? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Test

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
chronic fatigue syndrome test

Image: Pixabay

Are you looking for a chronic fatigue syndrome test? You know, a way that you can answer a few questions and get an idea about whether or not this fatigue you’ve been feeling constantly is actually chronic fatigue syndrome? If so, then look no further. Here is a test that will let you compare your symptoms against the criteria that doctors use for diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome and see if you should schedule an appointment with your care provider.

But first, let’s talk about what chronic fatigue syndrome is and what some of the signs that you might have it are. And remember, this is not medical advice. It is just a simple chronic fatigue syndrome test to help you judge for yourself if your symptoms are similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome so you’ll know if you should follow up with a doctor. But if you feel like your fatigue is serious, you should always check with a medical expert first. Now, let’s get started.

What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an umbrella term that captures a wide variety of symptoms. These include things like mental fog, often unexplained joint or muscle pain, and of course, chronic fatigue. Simply put, chronic fatigue syndrome makes you feel tired constantly, no matter how much you sleep.

Past that there is really nothing simple about it. No one knows what causes chronic fatigue syndrome, and there are a number of symptoms you might not expect from a syndrome that is characterized by chronic fatigue, like insomnia. So with such confusing and varied symptoms, it’s useful to go through a list of symptoms before deciding if you have chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Test

So to take this chronic fatigue syndrome test simply read through the list and mentally give yourself a point for every time you answer the question with a “yes.” At the end of the test, tally up your “yes” answers and see if you have answered yes to enough questions to be concerned.

  • Do you often suffer from excessive fatigue?
  • Do you often suffer a loss of memory or concentration?
  • Do you get a sore throat more often than is normal?
  • Do you sometimes have enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits?
  • Do you often experience unexplained muscle pain?
  • Do you sometimes experience a pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness?
  • Do you experience frequent headaches?
  • Do you usually seem to get an unrefreshing sleep?
  • Do you experience extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise?

If you answered “yes” to at least six of these questions on our chronic fatigue syndrome test, there is a good chance that your symptoms may be related to chronic fatigue syndrome. So if you are concerned, the first thing you should do is go see a doctor.

You see, there are plenty of reasons that you would experience a lot of these symptoms. And as we get older we all know that we just aren’t going to have the energy that we used to. But the fact that you’re experiencing chronic fatigue along with the physical pain symptoms is enough to be worried that you might have chronic fatigue syndrome.

No one is sure what exactly causes chronic fatigue syndrome, but we do know that there is definitely a physical component to the symptoms that you wouldn’t get from most diseases that just cause simple fatigue. And the sore throat and enlarged lymph nodes are classic hallmarks of chronic fatigue syndrome.

At the same time, even if you don’t have chronic fatigue syndrome, the physical pain and fatigue are obvious signs that something is wrong. And the possible explanations include likes like cancer or Epstein-barre syndrome, which are not the sorts of things you want to mess around with. So if you feel like your fatigue is serious enough to be a problem, you should head to a health care professional immediately for a checkup. Listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

And chronic fatigue syndrome can be a devastating disease to live with given how hard it is to treat and how difficult it makes your daily life. So the sooner you can begin finding a way to manage it the better. And that includes everything from tinkering with your medications to disability claims. Those aren’t things you want to waste time on starting.

So let us know, do you think you might have chronic fatigue syndrome? Do you know you have it already? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day: 7 Things People Should Understand About Fibromyalgia

Written By: admin
admin

7 Things You Need to know about Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month, and today, May 12, is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. In honor of Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, we’ve put together a short video to help explain fibromyalgia to our friends and loved ones who may not still understand just what it is fibro warriors are fighting every day.

There are a lot of things people don’t understand about fibromyalgia. People who don’t get it will say things like, “It’s all in your head,” or, “fibromyalgia is a made-up thing.” Obviously, fibromyalgia is real, and the pain is real, and all of the negativity surrounding it doesn’t do anything to help. What people don’t understand about fibromyalgia is that it is chronic, and it’s not curable, and that no, we’re not just being lazy. What better day than today, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, to bring these issues to the forefront? Fibromyalgia may be an invisible disease, but that doesn’t mean people with fibromyalgia have to be invisible, too. We’re here, and we’re fighting this affliction every single day, and one of the things that makes fighting it so hard is that a lot of people don’t know what fibromyalgia is.

So on this Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, our friends from Health put together a quick video with some facts to help get the word out. It’s a short video that can help your loved ones and friends get acquainted with fibromyalgia, and maybe pick up a little compassion. Heaven knows we could use it, and if it help just one person stop saying things like, “If you’d just get out and exercise more you wouldn’t feel so terrible all the time,” or “If you would just stop eating X or stop eating Y then all of this fake disease would go away.” We know that’s not true, it’s not how it works, and it’s exactly why Fibromyalgia Awareness Day exists.

Health

How Long Does It Take to Digest Food

Written By: admin

Have you ever wondered what happens to your food after you ingest it? I did. After a little study, I found I could now make a map of the whole process. It’s pretty fascinating.

Digestion is not the same from person to person. Everyone digests their food a little differently. Some people have a higher metabolism rate, while others have a lower one. Just like snakes, some people can take a long time to digest what they’ve eaten. Others have a fast belly movement. Why is that and how does it happens? Let’s find out.

What Is Digestion

First thing to know is that digestion does not only occur in your belly. It starts in the mouth. By definition, digestion is the process that decomposes food into smaller and then even smaller substances, until those substances are small enough to be absorbed through the small intestine and the large intestine into your body.

The gastrointestinal tract, where digestion occurs, starts in the mouth and ends at the anus. It measures about 9 meters in length.

Stages of Digestion

Digestion is a two-step process. The two main stages include mechanical digestion and chemical digestion.

It All Begins In Your Mouth

Digestion begins in your mouth where your teeth grind the food into small chunks and mix it with saliva. 

Saliva contains:

  • enzymes that break down the starch, fats, and protein in food
  • mucus to lubricate the food and make it easier to slide down your throat
  • hydrogen carbonate which keeps the mouth’s pH alkaline

Down Into the Stomach

The chewed food is then swallowed, which puts it into the esophagus. The food is transported, through muscular movements, down the throat. These waving movements push the chewed bolus (rounded mass) of food into the stomach.

In the stomach, what you’ve swallowed is met by the gastric juices that contain hydrochloric acid and pepsin, which are very corrosive and are meant to extract the proteins from food. At the same time, your stomach secrets a mucus to protect its wall from these corrosive acids. This way, only the food will be affected and transformed by these strong acids.

The muscular contractions (called peristalsis) continue in the stomach, mixing the food with the digestive enzymes. This whole process of digestion lasts for about 1-3 hours in the stomach.

Further On … Into the Small Intestine

When the solid food has become a thick, viscous liquid into your stomach, the pyloric sphincter opens, and this liquid slowly goes into your duodenum. Here, other digestive enzymes (secreted by the pancreas) and bile juice (secreted by the liver) come into action and mix with it.

All this mixture advances towards the small intestine, where the food continues to be digested, the term used when what you’ve eaten is converted into useful substances. While this partially digested liquid food becomes further digested in the small intestine, the process of absorption of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, and sugars into the lymphatic system begins. Some of these are reabsorbed into the blood through the walls of the large intestine (colon).

This process lasts between 6 to 8 hours.

A Long And Winding Road – The Large Intestine

By now, the semi-liquid food, mostly depleted of nutrients, has transformed into a semi-solid matter called feces. This travels into the large intestine.  The digested food can remain in the large intestine between 12 to 47 hours until it builds up to the point that it is expelled out of the body with a bowel movement.

This is how digestion finally ends.

It all lasts, more or less, about 50 hours. One study said 53 hours was the average, but the markers in that study were said to pass through the body quicker than the food. Therefore, the average was more like 33 hours for men and 47  hours for women.

6 Factors That Influence the Digestion Process

  • The type of food you eat – some foods are easier to digest (juices, fruits, vegetables), while others take longer to process (meat, pasta, pastry, beans, processed food, fried food).
  • The quantity of food – of course, smaller portions are easier to digest than larger ones.
  • Gender – it seems that generally, men digest food faster than women.
  • Metabolism – some people have an accelerated metabolism rate, while others a slower one.
  • Digestive problems – diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, lactose intolerance, etc. may slow down digestion.
  • Other health problems – may contribute to a slower digestion.

9 Practical and Effective Steps to Improve Digestion

  1. Eat more foods that are a great source of fibers, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as these speed up the intestinal movement.
  2. Avoid and even eliminate heavily processed, fried, greasy food.
  3. Eat smaller portions and avoid overeating. This can reduce the digestion period by half.
  4. Chew your food slowly and many times (about 30 times) before you swallow it because this will help it break down easily inside your stomach and intestines.
  5. Eat at regular hours – a chaotic lifestyle and eating habits lead to poor digestion patterns. That is why it’s important to schedule your meals at regular hours, at the same time every day.
  6. Use intermittent fasting, pausing eating for 8 to 12 hours, to accelerate your metabolism and allow your digestive system to rest.
  7. Drink enough water – Water helps you eliminate toxins out of the body, boosts digestion, makes you feel full, helps you reduce the amount of food you eat, improves sleep, and even eliminates sugar cravings.
  8. Consume probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi to maintain a healthy gut flora.
  9. Activity helps. Move your body daily through simple physical exercises, dance, fitness, jogging, or even walking (for 15-30 minutes). Activity helps your digestion, improves your metabolism, boosts immunity and muscular tone. It even stimulate your brain (which will then remind you to stay active).
  10. Sleep well – a good sleep during the night will help your body rest, regenerate, and will improve metabolism.
  11. Don’t worry, be happy – Stress contributes to poor health, while a happy mood and emotional balance improve health and digestion.