Fibromyalgia
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Question:
Hi, I wrote to you a few years ago... about your healing trauma book and my book about fibro... I have been fine for 7 years but since late Oct. this year, I've been in a lot of pain... any suggestions would be really helpful... been a very difficult and stressful time for me and not sure what to do... the pain is very different than before... cannot lift my arms, my left leg and lower back hurt, mostly... thanks.
Sarah H.
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Posted: February 26, 2015
Belgian researchers from the University of Antwerp, the University of Brussels and Artevelde University, Ghent, performed a review of studies investigating the effects of different kinds of relaxation therapy on autonomic function, pain, fatigue and daily functioning of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.
The electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science were searched. Studies were assessed for their risk of bias and relevant information regarding relaxation was extracted.
Thirteen randomized clinical trials of sufficient quality were included, resulting in a total of 650 fibromyalgia patients (11 studies) and 88 chronic fatigue syndrome patients (3 studies).
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Posted: December 18, 2014
Researchers from the University of Almeria and Poniente Hospital in Almeria, Spain, evaluated the effects of guided imagery as a nursing intervention for pain management and depression in patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
In this 8-week, quasi-experimental study, patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, aged 18 to 70 years (n = 60), were randomly assigned to a guided imagery group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30).
The pain outcomes were measured by the McGill Pain Questionnaire long form (MPQ-LF) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory and the VAS for depression. Scores were examined at baseline, post-intervention (4th week), and at the end of the study (8th week).
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Posted: November 18, 2014
Dear BR,
Your e-newsletter was recommended highly by a dear friend of mine, who is a hypnotherapist and part of the Verve newsletter and group. Recently my partner came down with CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).
The rapid onset of this has put me in a tailspin of questions and wondering what to do. We have been lucky enough to get acquainted with a good doctor who specifically deals with this, but have found the majority of the medical profession turning the other way, because it is not curable with antibiotics and because they cannot tell what it is or where it comes from at this point.
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Posted: April 20, 2014
Researchers from the Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany, performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of meditative movement therapies or MMT (Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga) for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
Data bases were screened for randomized, controlled trials that compared MMT to controls with FMS. Outcomes of efficacy were for pain, sleep, fatigue, depression and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).
A total of 7 out of 117 studies with 362 subjects and a median of 12 sessions (range 8-24) were included. -
Posted: November 12, 2012
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Nursing in Richmond, VA, studied the efficacy of guided imagery on 72 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The 10-week randomized trial looked at the impact of guided imagery on self-efficacy, perceived stress, and selected bio-behavioral factors - FMS symptoms and immune biomarkers.
Participants in both the guided imagery(GI) group and in the treatment as usual (TAU) control condition, completed measurement questionnaires and donated 3 cc of blood at baseline, at six and at 10 weeks. -
Posted: July 16, 2012Categories: Pain, Depression Research, Insomnia, Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia, Depression, Pain Research, Insomnia Research, Hot Research
Investigators from Bright Path Yoga in Plano, Texas discuss the benefits of yoga and meditation for fibromyalgia, a chronic syndrome characterized by widespread pain, sleep disturbance, stiffness, fatigue, headache, and mood disturbance. The author outlines a strategy for using yoga and meditation as a therapy for fibromyalgia sufferers.
A preliminary 8-week study with eleven participants found significant improvement in the overall health status of the participants and in symptoms of stiffness, anxiety, and depression. Significant improvements were also seen in the reported number of days "felt good" and number of days "missed work" because of fibromyalgia. -
Posted: April 22, 2012
Researchers from Bright Path Yoga in Plano, Texas looked at the efficacy of an 8-week strategy of using yoga and meditation to help manage fibromyalgia symptoms, which typically consist of widespread pain, sleep disturbance, stiffness, fatigue, headache, and mood disorders.
The small pilot study looked at the impact of this program on 11 participants.
Results revealed significant improvement in the overall health status of the participants and in symptoms of stiffness, anxiety, and depression. Significant improvements were also seen in the reported number of days "felt good" and number of days "missed work" because of fibromyalgia. -
Posted: February 03, 2012
Researchers from University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, investigated the efficacy of an 8 week MBSR intervention (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a structured training in developing nonjudgmental awareness of moment-to-moment experience) with mindful yoga exercises, on enhanced well being of fibromyalgia patients.
In this 3-armed trial, a total of 177 female patients were randomized to one of the following conditions: (1) MBSR, (2) an active control procedure controlling for nonspecific effects of MBSR, or (3) a wait list.
The major outcome sought was for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 2 months post-treatment. Secondary outcomes were disorder-specific quality of life, depression, pain, anxiety, somatic complaints, and a proposed index of mindfulness. -
Posted: November 05, 2011
Researchers from Barcelona, Spain examined whether a psycho-educational intervention delivered to patients with fibromyalgia (FM) in a primary care setting was more effective than usual care for improving their functional status.
Of the 484 fibromyalgia patients eligible for screening from a database at Viladecans Hospital, 108 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention arm of the study and 108 patients were assigned to usual care. The intervention was made up of nine 2-hour sessions (5 sessions of education and 4 sessions of autogenic relaxation). The patients were assessed before and after the intervention with a battery of instruments (measuring sociodemographic data, medical comorbidities, functional status, trait anxiety, and social desirability).