“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense”, Gertrude Stein To write that I am frustrated, angry, and discouraged over the recent hoopla this week in the news from the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is to be putting it mildly. As is usual with someone who has CFS and…

Seem like? I hope no one you know ever has this awful syndrome. It affects your muscles, your nerves, and your brain. The pain is intense and fluctuates with the only blessing being there is no visible tissue damage. The brain has much higher cortisone levels with less relief and the signals between neurotransmitters get glitchy increasing difficulties such…

“The amygdala in the emotional center sees and hears everything that occurs to us instantaneously and is the trigger point for the fight or flight response “, Daniel Goleman. Many years ago I had hoped that it wouldn’t take long before most would finally give up searching for viral/bacterial/hormonal or other CAUSES of fibromyalgia and agree with my theory that this demon is…

“He’s (sic) the best physician that knows the worthlessness of most medicines”, Benjamin Franklin This is not a blog about doctor bashing. I have been so fortunate for many decades to have a physician who does not suggest unnecessary tests and is sympathetic, highly intelligent, and comforting. Rather it is about the run around that many people with chronic pain experience…

Last week I traveled to the California Fibromyalgia Research and Treatment Center to visit with Doctor R. Paul St. Amand and his assistant Claudia Marek. During my visit, I found that the research center is getting closer to identifying the genetic component that triggers fibromyalgia and its many symptoms. Since pharmaceutical companies control where and how much of the research…

chronicillness I have had fibromyalgia for 14 years now. It has a permanent effect on my cognitive attention, memory, focus, and movements. I struggle almost every day to do simple things as I get exhausted after movement of any kind. In addition, I suffer this chronic at random pain from severe to awkward to annoying to bearable, it varies so much…

chronicillness I can tell you for me it was a relief. I had symptoms for years but being undiagnosed is difficult. You have to deal with it all but have no treatment, no label, and no real understanding of what you should do. I was coping well at the time after having gone through a few years of…

chronicillness, One of the biggest issues of having fibromyalgia is the pain that is felt in eleven different pressure points throughout the body. But while the most noticeable thing one feels having fibromyalgia is physical pain and people with fibromyalgia also suffer from another kind of pain and that is the emotional side of things. The true and clear symptoms of fibromyalgia include…

Why Fibromyalgia Pain Feels Different For Amy Mullholand, simple chores like washing the dishes or making breakfast can be incredibly challenging.  “On a good day, I can get through the cups and the silverware, then I must sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Then I tackle the bowls. Then I sit and rest,” said Mullholand. “On…

People with fibromyalgia often ask, “Is fibromyalgia genetic?” It’s a hard question to answer, especially when little is known about how fibromyalgia works. But it’s something that could be relevant to getting the best possible treatment. So let’s look at the evidence. Is fibromyalgia genetic? If you have fibromyalgia, there’s a good chance that you know someone in…