I Have Fibromyalgia

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for http://ihavefibromyalgia.blogspot.com/

The privacy of our visitors to http://ihavefibromyalgia.blogspot.com/ is important to us.

At http://ihavefibromyalgia.blogspot.com/, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use visit http://ihavefibromyalgia.blogspot.com/, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

Log Files
As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.

Cookies and Web Beacons
We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.

We also use third party advertisements on http://ihavefibromyalgia.blogspot.com/ to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Generate Backlinks

I found this great idea to generate back links to your site at the blog of Courtney Tuttle. It is very much like the ViraLink from Andy Coates, except you are able to add anchor text into your link. Jimmy Huen from FoundersCafe came up with this idea.

If you join today you will likely get a nice payoff. I’m betting that this ‘tag matrix’ will fill all the way up.

==========Copy and Paste below this line==========

Instructions:

1.) Copy and paste the matrix of “ViralTags” below courtesy of Founders Cafe.

2.) Substitute the Host Tag and one of the “Viral Tags” in the matrix with your anchor text of choice with your blog’s URL. Please keep anchor text to a max of 3 words to keep the matrix size manageable.

3.) When you get a ping back from someone that has your link in one of their “Viral Tags”, practice good karma by copying his/her Host Tag’s anchor text (automatically the associated link will also be copied) and paste it over one of your “Viral Tags” below.

4.) Encourage and invite your readers to do the same and soon this can grow virally.

Host Tag: We Are Living Green

Important: Once I get a ping back from you, I will add your anchor text and the associated link you designate as “Host Tag” here, replacing one of the “ViralTags” from the matrix above. As more and more bloggers copy and paste this matrix, the more backlinks you will have with your anchor text. If everybody who copy and paste from your blog does the same, pretty soon this will spread and go viral. So, the sooner you participate, the more links with anchor text you will receive.

==========Copy and Paste from Above this line==========

If you copy the Viral Matrix from here, leave a message so I can add you to the train!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Fibromyalgia For Dummies

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Latest News In Medicine

The health news headlines shown above are provided courtesy of Medical News Today and are subject to their terms and conditions

Friday, August 17, 2007

Fibromyalgia Pain Management

Fibromyalgia - Managing the Pain

Nobody enjoys pain.

I read once, where someone said that those that suffer from Fibromyalgia simply must "accept the fact that they will arise each morning feeling tired". That is sad. That sounds to me like a depressing statement of a quitter to me.

There ARE ways to deal with the pain, or even remove the pain entirely. So let's take a look at some of those ways...

Pain is simply the brain getting messages from a reaction to injury, physical illness, or mental disease. In the medical industry, pain can be divided into two basic categories, acute and chronic. While acute pain can be severe, it only lasts a short time in response to a specific injury, such as falling off your bicycle and hitting the ground. A chronic pain persists over time, such as migraine headaches, arthritis, diabetes, or shingles. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder involving chronic muscle pain, fatigue, and painful joints.

Pain Management

My mother worked as a nurse in the hospitals and so I respect doctors very much and I appreciate what they do. But let's face it; the medical industry is wonderful at surgical repair and assisting with acute pain, but when it comes to chronic conditions, there is really not much hope offered. Drugs can be given to alter the patient's emotional state, so that the chronic pains are not really noticed...but the long-term side effects of the medications can be devastating.

An alternative method, is nerve blocking, where a drug is used to block the nerve that is sending the pain messages to the brain. This is the equivalent of hearing the fire alarm go off in the middle of the night and just "turning the alarm off". Going back to bed without putting out the fire, would be the equivalent of pain management.

Since the causes of fibromyalgia are still not clear, the medical industry has only been able to develop drugs that will deal with hiding the "symptoms", and advancements have not yet been able to find any medication that can target the specific malfunction. This is what I refer to as pain management.

Finding Hope in Glyconutrients

Recently, science has shown nutritional therapy as an aid to many people with the symptoms of fibromyalgia, although it has not yet become widely used or even known about. In the last 3 to 5 years, there have been studies from the medical community that have shown that those who supplemented their diet with a new nutritional therapy known as glyconutritionals (or glyconutrients), have had symptoms start to diminish after time.

The recently discovered Mannatech glyconutrients (mannose, galactose, fucose, glucose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, sialic acid, xylose), and the new supplement form (Ambrotose) of getting these into the body naturally, now allow the cells the proper glycoforms on the cell walls so that the cells can communicate with each other. When the cells can communicate more effectively, not only are the tissues in the body going to be healthier, but proper levels of hormones can be synthesised or transferred to correct locations, along with many other health benefits.

For example, medical findings suggest a deficiency of serotonin metabolism in fibromyalgia patients...resulting in less efficient sleep. "...when serotonin is depleted, there is a decrease in restorative non-REM sleep and an increase in somatic complaints, depression, and perceived pain." 1

In fact, it has been found that the "N Glyconutrients" (the ones that attach to the nitrogen atom), are essential for the body's ability to maintain proper levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. There is only one glyconutrient manufacturer that creates a glyconutrient supplement that contains all 8 of these life-changing glycoforms.

Other benefits of the glyconutrient supplementation include decreased chances for bacterial infection and a stronger immune system. Studies have shown that many of the 8 glyconutrients prevent bacteria or viral growth. And there is a plethora of information and findings on how the immune system was improved.

A Solution

I have a neighbor friend who tried the glyconutrients technology after she was almost to the point of giving up on life, due to the pain, depression, and other physical barriers that fibromyalgia were giving her through the years. She is a completely different person now. She is a bundle of energy, and without the muscle pains and depression symptoms that she had before. I have shared the science of glyconutrition with many doctors and fibromyalgia sufferers alike, just hoping to help more people to become aware of their options, rather than just pain management.

http://www.ifoundHealth.com

About the Author

Spencer Hunt is a wellness consultant who can be reached at http://www.ifoundhealth.com

He has helped people with chronic fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, and other health issues, and loves getting people back on their feet, using organic nutrition. He developed an interest in nutrition while growing up on a farm, on the west coast, where they grew home-grown fruits and vegetables and never had to buy store-bought eggs or milk. His site includes a wealth of information on glyco nutrients.

Copyright 2006-present: This copyrighted document may be reproduced only if the author’s information remains and the links are live.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Hearing Loss

Has anyone ever heard of people with Fibromyalgia losing their hearing?? I lost my hearing several years ago for no apparant reason and I was deaf for a couple of months. Now I can only hear very little in my right ear and hardly none out of my left ear.

Could it have something to do with fibromyalgia????

Fibromyalgia: What it Is, How it's Diagnosed and How to Cope

Fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS is a disorder affecting the musculoskeletal functions of the body and affects the soft, fibrous tissues - the ligaments, tendons and the muscles. It comes from the Latin word 'fibro' referring to fibrous tissue and the Greek words 'myo' for muscle and 'algia' for pain.

This chronic disorder is quite common and is often mistaken as a condition related to arthritis. But unlike arthritis, fibromyalgia does not cause joint or tissue inflammation. However, like arthritis, it is a rheumatic condition and causes a lot of pain and feelings of fatigue.

Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome and not a disease. Meaning, it is a disorder characterized by several symptoms, including pain, fatigue, joint dysfunction, chronic headaches, IBS or irritable bowel syndrome and even sleep disorder.

While some of these disorders may be experienced, they don’t necessarily mean a person has fibromyalgia. Pain, for example, must be widespread and felt in the four quadrants of the body for at least three months before the possibility of fibromyalgia is considered.

Other symptoms and associated syndromes that may be felt by a person with fibromyalgia are:

- morning joint stiffness

- dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual period

- numbness in the extremities

- memory retention problems

- sensitivity to changes in temperature

- restless leg syndrome

- TMJ or tempromandibular joint dysfunction syndrome

- Irritable bladder

- sensitivity to bright lights, odors and noises

- muscle twitching

- dryness in the eyes and mouth

Another thing to consider is that there are other chronic pains that a person may experience that may overlap with the symptoms of fibromyalgia, including local tendonitis, low back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and other pain syndromes related to trauma.

Where the pain is

A routine physical examination will reveal that the patient will feel pain or discomfort when certain areas of the body are subjected to pressure. These specific 'tender points' are: the neck (including the nape), shoulders, chest, elbows, hip, the area just below and to the side of the buttocks and knees.

Who's susceptible and what causes it?

According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia syndrome affects at least 1 in every 50 Americans, which translates to about 6 million people, 85 to 90% of whom are women. Most fibromyalgia sufferers are diagnosed with it during their 50s or 60s.

Fibromyalgia is also more likely to appear in people (especially women) who have a relative who suffers from the disorder, although whether it's hereditary or not is still unclear. People diagnosed with diseases like rheumatoid and spinal arthritis, lupus and other diseases that attack the immune system are also more susceptible.

Cause

There is no known single cause for FMS, but it seems to be triggered by several things and events, particularly extremely traumatic or stressful events that affect a person physically, mentally and emotionally, including illnesses and accidents.

Some factors that may aggravate fibromyalgia include viral or bacterial infections, stress, anxiety, depression, overwork, changes in hormonal functions like premenstrual condition or onset of menopause and changes in the weather.

Diagnosis

Once a doctor rules out other symptoms that may overlap the syndrome, fibromyalgia may only be diagnosed by establishing two things: a history of pain that lasts for at least 3 months and pain located in at least 11 out of the 18 designated tender points in the body.

A patient must have experienced widespread pain in all four quadrants of his body and includes both left and right sides. He must also feel pain when certain standard sites on his body are pressed (pressure applied is usually 4 kgs).

How fibromyalgia is treated

A doctor may prescribe medication to ease the pain of fibromyalgia, which might include analgesics, NSAIDS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and if necessary, anti-depressants. He may also recommend a lifestyle change and require the patient to undergo physical and occupational therapy.

Other alternative therapies might also help some, but not all, patients: massages, mild exercises like Pilates, acupuncture, herbal medicines, supplements and chiropractic treatments.

Getting the most help you can

It is very important to discuss fibromyalgia openly with your doctor. Don’t be shy about asking for more detailed information and discussing possible therapies. Involving family members and friends will also help to alleviate feelings of guilt and inadequacies. You will need your support group when it comes to handling not only the physical demands of the disorder, but also the mental and emotional aspects.

Understand and accept that there might be some situations that will test your limits - work demands, family issues, household tasks, even comments from other people which can be hurtful and embarrassing. Keep your self-esteem intact and do not let this disorder stop you from achieving.

Learn to keep a stronger, more optimistic perspective of your disease by being informed, ready and keeping a network of friends and supporters around you.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://chronicfatigue.topicgiant.com where you can learn more about chronic fatique syndrome and fibromyalgia.