OUT STANDING IN MY FIELD

I've never been big on the rah-rah stuff.

I'm still not.
I just want to be out standing in my field.

I've always disliked going to motivational speakers. When I was selling homes it never failed; about once a year they'd have some yay-hoo come in to pitch about attitude and then sell the tickets to his "show." I'd be the one in the back with my arms crossed listening to the crap they'd spill and waiting for the subject of money to come up.

It always did.

I do believe that attitude can help or hinder just about everything in your life. It can push us beyond "the can't." I understand that. Having said that, however, I do not believe that attitude can cure Fibromyalgia. I believe it can definitely help with the management but I don't believe it can cure. Wouldn't it be nice if it does? We could sprinkle fairy dust and, voila! Now it seems that we are bombarded by Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue motivational speakers. If we just improve our attitude then our symptoms will go away. 

It makes us sound like we are the masters of our own demise. What I find reprehensible is that they still make reference to depression and how people with Fibromyalgia aren't in touch with their own emotions or how to manage those emotions.

That really pisses me off. 
See how in touch I am with my emotions? 

There are many people with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia that can pinpoint the onset of their symptoms to major physical or emotional trauma or an episode with an illness. It seems that we've been dismissed because it couldn't possibly have started in this way.

HOWEVER........for just 29.95..................

If we change our diet we can be cured! JUST buy the book. There are tons of nutritional supplements out there and if we'd just take them we'd be cured. Everyone has the answer but somewhere they always manage to place the fault of Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia squarely on our shoulders. Somehow we have trouble with our emotions, depression, vitamin deficiencies, marital problems, childhood issues, abuse problems, diet problems and a myriad of other issues that we can't control. 

I think no one in our society is allowed to be tired or sick. It's weak. We're supposed to just suck it up and multi-task our little stressful lives to the fullest. We're supposed to be tough and push through pain and fatigue. It's not too much to ask is it? Life is supposed to be lived and if we can't do that we're a burden and a weak sister. 

That's what we are.

Weak.

Just cut us from the herd.

Moo.....

THE NAME IT AND CLAIM IT THEORY

I've always found this suspect.

Now, I know why.

I do try to always be respectful of someones belief system. I may not agree with the doctrine but again, unless I'm asked my opinion, I'll stay out of the argument. Everyone has the right to their theology. Unless.....

Sometimes it just isn't right.

I've always disliked when people talk about God as the genie in the bottle. Just because we want something doesn't mean we are necessarily going to get it. Sometimes the answer is yes; sometimes the answer is no and sometimes the answer is, "no answer right now." I personally don't think that God has a magic wand that waves when we want something. Present your claim check and all will be better once again.

Especially when that claim check has to do with health care.

I heard that the mind can control the body. Don't I just wish that were the case! I've stated in previous posts about my stitches on the table event. I do think we can exercise some sort of control over an acute pain condition. Acute pain is usually short-lived and I think breathing and mind control can help ease the pain in some cases. Like I said, I've done it. 

However.........

When the pain is chronic it's a moment by moment issue. Also, I have one little issue with that whole theology. It doesn't work for all diseases. How on earth could you possibly sit in a room with people and say the mind can control the body and throw God into the mix. If that holds true then I should be able to use my mind to get rid of the Fibromyalgia. Or, God Forbid, someone has cancer then they should be able to get rid of the pain with that if they use their mind to control their body,

So what happens when it doesn't work? I guess that can be a real faith buster. You see, I read the Bible and sometimes God does his best work with a body that is infirmed. In fact, most of the great men and women of the Bible had some sort of physical problem. 

I just think it's dangerous to use the name it and claim it phrase.

When it doesn't work a persons faith can be damaged and that isn't good. When it doesn't work it can also make the other people around think that God doesn't work like he should. So what happens now? I just find it incredible that someone can spout that they can control their pain and get rid of the medication by faith and their mindset. By simple logic it also makes it sound like if you don't go along with it you're either faithless or mentally slow.

You can also turn someone away from God when the prayer isn't answered.

I shouldn't let this get to me......

but it does.

I guess I don't have enough faith......

To believe that one.

Highway to the danger zone.......

UPDATE ON LOW DOSE NALTREXONE

New study.

Old pills.

Can we tell the difference.

I wrote about low dose Naltrexone for the use of pain management in Fibromyalgia back in 2010. Stanford University was just preparing for a study on them. I didn't keep track of the study but, I guess, it's winding up and they are publishing results.

Low Dose Naltrexone is an anti-addiction drug but in low doses it acts differently. It has been prescribed off label for Fibromyalgia for the past few years. It is FDA approved, in low doses, for helping those with autoimmune diseases and central nervous system disorders.

Bingo.

On the home page of Low Dose Naltrexone is is suggested that people with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia are helped suggesting that "these entities probably have an important autoimmune dynamic as well." On the page where it outlines the diseases it helps, under other autoimmune diseases, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue are listed as well.

Is there hope on the horizon??

Yes, it is most definitely a central nervous system disorder and I also believe it is an autoimmune disorder of that central nervous system. Anyone who was prescribed Low Dose Naltrexone and had an autoimmune disorder, none failed to respond and in many patients there was a MARKED remission in signs and symptoms.

Are there side effects?

Contrary to what I found before, the home page says there are virtually no side effects but there are cautionary warnings. For example, for me, I'd have to start out on the lowest possible dose because I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. If I took a large dose there is such a marked improvement that I could swing over to hyperthyroidism very quickly, so I have to be careful.

Plus, if you are already dependent on opioid for pain management, you'd have to be off those for a few weeks before starting the Naltrexone. That, in itself, poses a problem. If you're on opioid for pain being off them for a few weeks is just more than deciding to stop them. Stopping pain medication suddenly can throw you're body into a real tailspin and this needs to be done under the supervision of a medical doctor. Not to mention that being off them will cause some of us to curl up in the fetal position and feel like we want to die.

There is some possibilities here but I think that we need to put it on the balance bar and weigh the benefits as opposed to the side effects. Other sites state that the list of side effects includes, dizziness, headache, nervousness, insomnia, fatigue, joint pain and excessive muscle contraction. These side effects are what I experience on a daily basis so how would I know if it helps?

The problem with a drug that promotes itself as a cure-all for every autoimmune disease is a little suspect, in my opinion. How can one drug help so many diseases that have different causes and symptoms? 

Increasing immune activity doesn't always mean that it's helping the immune system.

In fact, couldn't that make it worse?

On the other hand, big pharma aren't real interested in a drug that will make them no money. Naltrexone isn't real expensive and clinical trials are initiated by the drug companies. Why do it for a drug that is already out there and no big profits?

I think it bears watching.

Whatever it is we will be caught in the crossfire.

Big Pharma can't make money, so it's no go.

Doctors don't believe it, so it's no go.

When do we get a chance to say what we want?

ONE MORE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE REVISITED

Flexeril.

Who knew?

I got an email from Tonix Pharmaceuticals and they offered me the opportunity to interview the doctor that is the head of the pharmaceutical company and I could post the interview on my blog. This is an exciting opportunity for me. I really have looked at this trial. When I went for a clinical trial here in Las Vegas I asked if it was the TNX102 trial. If it had been, I would have jumped at the opportunity. 

I am reposting this and look forward to the interview with the doctor. 

Tonix Pharmaceuticals is starting Phase 2 clinical trials for their form of a very low dose cyclobenzaprine called TNX102 SL. It targets pain and the inability to get restoration from sleep...well, because we don't. You can't get something from something you don't do. It seems that the sublingual form is rapidly absorbed by the bloodstream and is rapidly excreted from the system.

Sounds like a win-win.

This study has approximately 120 patients taking either a tab or placebo at bedtime for twelve weeks and then measuring the change in pain intensity. The first phase of the trial has already been concluded with a reduction of pain, pain sensitivity, fatigue and mood. The study chair for this trial is Dr. Daniel Clauw, Professor of Anesthesiology, Medicine and Psychiatry and Director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan. 

Tonix calls this protocol BESTFIT. BESTFIT stands for BEdtime, Sublingual, Tnx102sl, as Fibromyalgia, Intervention Therapy. Cute, huh? 

Cyclobenzaprine is an FDA approved drug that treats muscle spasms that is associated with musculoskeletal conditions. It's been prescribed off label as a sleep aid. What I didn't know is that there isn't any benefit with this drug after two to three weeks. Actually, what is said was "the evidence of effectiveness for prolonged use is not available." Everything I've read says that this drug should not be used long term.

??????

Pain managers have been giving it out and for much longer than two to three weeks. 

There are not many treatment plans for us out there. The ones that are there have some side effects that make the treatment worse than the affliction! Add to the mix that the treatments don't work for all of us. 

This study is being conducted at approximately 15 sites throughout the U.S. I can't wait to see the outcome but the initial results were promising.

Like I always say.

It can't come soon enough.

We watch and wait....

again.

Until we find the missing piece of the puzzle.

THE FIBROMYALGIA SERIES PART A

As we keep saying, 

until we are blue in the face.......

A - is for this is not all in our head! Even though research has proven it and medical journals have validated us there are still physicians who think this is all in our heads. It's demeaning and infuriating and it causes torment to those who have to go from doctor to doctor to find one that will believe that we're hurting and there is a reason.

A - is for the anguish this causes and......

A - is for the arrogance of some doctors and you'd like to slap them silly for callously dismissing the symptoms we have all because they can't find the time to help you with management.

A - is for advocate. There is no if, and, or but about it. We must be our own advocate. We need to arm ourselves with as much knowledge as we can. We need to watch what is prescribed and learn about our condition and how to manage it.  If we don't, no one will. The medical community is full of naysayers and doctors that haven't got the time for us. 

A - is for assertive. Yes, we need to have a voice and use it for what we need and expect from those who treat us. We should never walk out of an office in tears. We should never be confused by instructions or treatments that don't make any sense. When we find our voice we also find our confidence. Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe.

A - is for advice. Everyone has advice and you'll get a ton of it. People can be well meaning but this isn't just tired. This isn't just, "well I have aches and pains too." Everyone has someone who has someone who knows someone who has Fibromyalgia. Again, I'm sure they are well intentioned but there is advice galore out there. If you just take more magnesium it will help you.........sometimes it's just better to smile and say thank you.

A - is for appalling. There are sites that are full of the latest "cure." For $49.95 there is a supplement that will be the answer to all your prayers. These sites prey on our pain, fatigue and desire to find anything that can help us resume our life. There are snake oil salesman disguised as physicians that will promise to cure you if you just sign up for their protocol. There are people that will take advantage of the misery of others. Do a lot of research before you succumb to herbal remedies, vitamin or IV protocols or anything that promises you a cure. Some can be dangerous, let alone extremely expensive. Be careful.

A - is for agony.  Chronic illness takes a toll on your life. There is the physical agony and then there is the emotional agony. I don't know which one is worse. 

A - is for acknowledge. I have to acknowledge that this is "what it is." Why I still struggle with denial is beyond me. I think it's those days that I feel like I can leap tall buildings in a single bound. 

A - is for anxiety. Every single time, I mean every single time a new symptom pops up....

which brings me to.........

alarmed...............

and..........

waiting again for..........

something that will.........

alleviate all of this...........

( and this one is shorter because there is another A in Fibromyalgia!!)

THERMAL THERAPY..... OK, TAKE A HOT BATH

Now, I've read it all.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

We're back to mud.

I love going to the spa. It just feels good to get pampered every now and then. If we talk about now, I don't love massage anymore. Touch, especially touch that rearranges tender points, is not a good thing. 

It hurts like hell.

Now it seems that mud-bath therapy and balneotherapy (bath therapy) has hit the scientific pages regarding Fibromyalgia. For two weeks the subjects received "thermal therapy" (OK, a bath or a mud bath) for six days a week. 21 got a mud bath and 20 got a hot bath. Most of the patients reported a reduction in pain.

WELL, OF COURSE THEY DID.

Who hasn't felt better after a hot bath? My daughter has stories galore. Anything that went wrong.....get in the bath. As far as I'm concerned, a hot bath helps everything. You just feel better. I only see an eensie-weensie problem.

I can't live in the bathtub.

My goodness, who gets grants for this????

And, how can I get in on it?

There are studies about moderate drinking helping Fibromyalgia symptoms, now mud baths. Like I've said, if you're half lit of course you're not going to be in as much pain. There is the obligatory disclaimer about not drinking with certain medications, thank goodness. The same premise applies here. Who wouldn't feel better after a mud bath or a hot bath?

I find that when I get in the tub of swirling water at night it helps me relax. I take a muscle relaxer and take a good book, my diet coke and I light some aromatherapy candles and try to keep my muscles from going into painful spasms. It's one of those simple pleasures that, for just a few moments when I close my eyes, put me on a beautiful, verdant tropical island far away from the barren wasteland of Fibromyalgia. 

I love that part of the evening. There is one slight problem with a jetted tub and I cannot stress what I am about to tell you enough. Never, and let me say it once again, never put even a little bit of bubble bath in a jetted tub. Then after you've been dumb enough to do that, never lay back and close your eyes and surrender yourself to blissful meditation.  First of all, Philosophy's Amazing Grace bubble bath in your nostrils is vile. Second of all, it makes a TON of bubbles. It takes forever to get rid of the bubbles and the serenity of the bath will be replaced by the irritation of cleaning up bubbles.

OK, any followers that are doctors?? I have a wonderful idea for a study. We need to take 50 women who have Fibromyalgia. I'll leave the weeding out the candidates to the doctors. The control group will have a yummy, moist, chocolate filled, chocolate cake and the placebo group will receive edamame. The trick is to have each group watch each other eat. Then we report which group felt better after eating. (note: we do not weigh the control group after the study.) Let's name it "the chocolate cake hypothesis."

I think that would qualify as a scientific study.

When does common sense get into scientific publications?

Will insurance cover spa visits?

I do have so say one thing.

In some respects, I do like this study......

WHAT CAME FIRST, THE THYROID OR THE FIBRO?

Oh yay!

Another cure!!

Never mind the research.

Everyone else has been wrong.

It seems that everyone else has been misguided and the cure for Fibromyalgia has been right under our noses all this time.

It's your thyroid that causes the Fibromyalgia.

Sounds simple, huh?

I will agree that a lot of the symptoms sound the same but, at the same time, managing one does not automatically mean the cure of the other. The interesting part? The irrefutable evidence is currently on a website that is offline. 

Hmmmm.......

My doctor gets it. He knows there is a difference between normal and optimum. I don't feel well just being barely normal (OK, don't even go there!!!). I also need T3 and T4. I can't take levothyroxine alone, it just doesn't work for me. Getting my levels in check took some doing but now they seem to be where they need to be. 

I think it's interesting that that a lot of these symptoms are the same. I don't mean to sound flippant. There are a lot of issues with our body and the thyroid may just be one of them. The HPA axis dysfunction has long been a favorite theory of mine. I just think it's suspect when you take the same symptoms and point them to a simple fix.

Don't you think researchers have thought of this?

Maybe there is a problem with the thyroid due to low body temperature and basal metabolism that is common in Fibromyalgia patients, I don't know. Maybe some patients who were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia were actually severely hypothyroid. Maybe it is a problem but, right now, we just don't know. It's a shame that promising studies set themselves up for ridicule.

Why can't they just say, "another piece of the puzzle found."

Or, "study looks promising,

But, no......

Everyone else is stupid

And the cure was right under their noses.

So far, no one has been cured of Fibromyalgia,

But we can!!

(oops, the website with the proof is gone)

Is there any reason this shouldn't be suspect?

The thyroid science study link

IS THE F.D.A. ON D.R.U.G.S UPDATE

Yes, Virginia....

There is a Santa Claus.

All it takes is a little pressure from the Attorney Generals from 28 states and, guess what? 

VOILA!

Now maybe, just maybe the F.D.A. will rethink their approval of Zohydro. 

Believe me, I am not against pain medication. I need it to control the constant pain that I live with, BUT, I keep a tight control on the medication. These drugs, even in low doses, are very powerful and they need to be monitored. I've seen what drugs can do and it isn't pretty. You can take them and not wake up. 

The letter from the attorney generals have asked for the revocation of the approval or to make it conditional and the company must reformulate the product so that it is more difficult to abuse.

What I didn't know?

Zohydro is five to ten times more powerful than the currently available hydrocodone that's on the market. WOW! To my mind? These pills shouldn't be available to everyone. It should be for terminal pain patients. If you're walking around, you shouldn't need Zohydro. It's that simple. 

The company that makes Zohydro declined to comment but the FDA representative said they are reviewing the letter.

Again, pain medication is necessary.

I believe that.

In responsible hands they make one able to enjoy life.

But you don't need an Zohydro if you got a tooth pulled.

PRESTO, CHANGO, SWITCHEROO

How dare they?

We should be up in arms.

Is anything real anymore?

I was reading an article about herbal supplements. A lot of us use them in conjunction with conventional medicine for relief from anything from colds to pain. And everything in-between. I was appalled to read an article where the DNA was tested and the herb was nowhere to be found in the bottles and if it was a highly diluted form.

What?

It seems that greed has struck again.

This is a five BILLION dollar a year industry and what people have been buying is little more than powdered rice and weeds. Yes, it is unproven that these supplements can cure what ails us according to the FDA, but,  HOW DARE THEY???

Canadian researchers tested 44 bottles of supplements sold by 12 companies. If there was the actual herb in there it was often diluted or replaced with fillers like rice, soybean or wheat. 

Where is the oversight of this industry?

If you've used echinacea, St. John's Wort or ginkgo biloba the odds would say that you probably didn't get what you thought you were buying. Or there was a highly diluted substance being passed off as the real thing.

Just terrible.

How do we really know what we are purchasing?

I guess we don't.

Well, unless we run a lab.

I just have a eensie, weensie criticism of the article.

RELEASE THE DAMN NAMES OF THE COMPANIES!!!

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE ARTICLE IN THE NY TIMES.

IT'S ALIVE!!

Sorry in advance.

This is simply shocking!

I thought it was fitting to wind up October with this post. Call me old fashioned but I really believe there are things you shouldn't mess with and randomly shocking your brain is one of them. I know there are times for this protocol; actually they call it brain stimulation, and it can be used for major depression and seizure therapy.

How would you like to be in that clinical trial?

Just imagine......you can stimulate your brain and have no pain. Whoa.....I should be in advertising.....stimulate your brain and have no pain. What a campaign.....there I go again.... it just never ends......

It's actually called High Definition transcranial direct current stimulation or HD-tDCS. You put a few electrodes on your scalp and voila!  A few electric shocks later.....your brain releases opioid like painkillers.

Sounds simple......

Wait...it's a 20 minutes session and it said it reduces the pain perception. Hmmmm.....I may be one of those people that are sensitive to wording. Must be from years of reading the fine print in contracts. 

Granted the dose of electricity is very small compared to the doses used for clinical depression or seizures. OK, what I want to know is how they figured that out. How many brains did they have to melt to figure it out? 

Anyway.....the kicker?

The researchers don't know why this works. 

That sentence speaks for itself.

Happy Halloween!!!!

I AIN'T TALKIN' BOUT THE CEREAL

On the street it's called Special K.

It's a horse tranquilizer in veterinary medicine.

It's a money maker for chronic pain.

I get it. Sometimes the pain gets too much and we're at the end of our rope. We want to reach for something, anything that can promise relief from the pain. We just need to be careful that we are not reaching for something that can do more harm than good.

Ketamine infusion therapy is big business in the chronic pain world. A single infusion can cost $2000 a treatment and, believe me, the recommended course is definitely NOT  a single treatment.

Ketamine is used to produce a loss of conscienceness. It's used as a general anesthetic but because of the hallucinations that it can cause it's not the primary choice. It is used by compounding pharmacies as a cream with lidocaine and ketoprophan as a topical pain reliever.

This drug is no joke.

It increases your heart rate and blood pressure. It can cause hallucinations, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, nightmares, memory problems and if used long term liver abnormalities. It induces a state of disassociative anesthesia. 

Scary.

Years ago a study was done with 34 Fibromyalgia patients. They got a low dose Ketamine infusion followed by a dextromethorphan treatment. 19 responded to neither drug, 10 were favorable to both, 3 were helped by the ketamine but not the dextromathorphan  and 2 were helped by the dextromethorphan but not the ketamine. Link to study

There are sites offering Ketamine therapy. Everything about Ketamine states you should be monitored closely due to adverse effects but there are places giving you this therapy on an outpatient basis. Now they do tell you to stay with someone so if you have any ill effects they can get you to a doctor. Gee, that's comforting. I may have someone watching me who hasn't got a medical license and they are the ones to watch for adverse effects?  They also tell you that it may not work and this is a totally elective therapy. 

It gets even better. There is a Ketamine Coma Therapy being offered in other countries. It is given in extremely high doses so that a coma is induced. This, obviously, is not approved by the FDA. 

Back to the infusions......they tell you that if you want it YOU NEED TO SATISFY YOURSELF by the research YOU DO through search engines. In other words, we just give it to you and if there's a problem you should have done better research. To me, that borders on negligence. We need qualified people that will tell us the realities of medicine and what it can do. We shouldn't be the ones doing the search and then telling the doctor it's ok. 

It also tells you tough noogies because you may elect to proceed knowing it may have no benefit. They also tell you the greater number of infusions you have the greater the benefit. 

At 2 grand a pop that sounds like double speak to me.

Just keep paying and pray it helps.

I'm not saying it may not help some people. It might. 

Everything in me shouts NO.

Everything I read about this drug screams "dangerous in the wrong hands."

It's a street drug that packs a wallop.

It can kill you.

Please be very careful if you are going through with this therapy.

You need to be watched carefully.

Personally?

I wouldn't do it.

I think it needs more study. 

ONE MORE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

Flexeril.

Who knew?

Tonix Pharmaceuticals is starting Phase 2 clinical trials for their form of a very low dose cyclobenzaprine called TNX102 SL. It targets pain and the inability to get restoration from sleep...well, because we don't. You can't get something from something you don't do. It seems that the sublingual form is rapidly absorbed by the bloodstream and is rapidly excreted from the system.

Sounds like a win-win.

This study has approximately 120 patients taking either a tab or placebo at bedtime for twelve weeks and then measuring the change in pain intensity. The first phase of the trial has already been concluded with a reduction of pain, pain sensitivity, fatigue and mood. The study chair for this trial is Dr. Daniel Clauw, Professor of Anesthesiology, Medicine and Psychiatry and Director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan. 

Tonix calls this protocol BESTFIT. BESTFIT stands for BEdtime, Sublingual, Tnx102sl, as Fibromyalgia, Intervention Therapy. Cute, huh? 

Cyclobenzaprine is an FDA approved drug that treats muscle spasms that is associated with musculoskelatal conditions. It's been prescribed off label as a sleep aid. What I didn't know is that there isn't any benefit with this drug after two to three weeks. Actually, what is said was "the evidence of effectiveness for prolonged use is not available." Everything I've read says that this drug should not be used long term.

??????

Pain managers have been giving it out and for much longer than two to three weeks. 

There are not many treatment plans for us out there. The ones that are there have some side effects that make the treatment worse than the affliction! Add to the mix that the treatments don't work for all of us. 

This study is being conducted at approximately 15 sites throughout the U.S. I can't wait to see the outcome but the initial results were promising.

Like I always say.

It can't come soon enough.

We watch and wait....

again.

Until we find the missing piece of the puzzle.

IT'S CALLED CLASS AND COURTESY

They've just released a major break though in the fight.

They're besieged by requests for comments.

They graciously responded.

I guess I shouldn't say "they."  After writing the post about the breakthrough I decided to go to the website and ask a couple of questions. 

I identified myself and posed my questions. I mentioned that I wrote a blog and tried to keep up on the latest research. I then signed off respectfully with my name and the name of my blog. 

I hoped I'd hear but I really didn't think that I would.

I was wrong.

The reason I didn't hold out hope was I tried this before. Not with this company but with the writers of a Fibromyalgia blog. I reached out and was basically told that since I wasn't published they wouldn't be responding. 

Isn't that a sweet thing to do? 

When I reached out to this company I still had visions of these research scientists and doctors not wanting to have anything to do with a lowly blog writer. What I encountered was a heartfelt email. Wrong. Make that two emails. 

One email was documents that I could feel free to share and the other was a response to my questions and a wish for continued well being. Yes, they have tons of people writing to them, sharing their stories. Are they annoyed by this? No. They are gracious and willing to share what they know. They honestly want to make the suffering of Fibromyalgia and chronic pain go away and work tirelessly to that end goal.

I truly believe they're on to something. I didn't realize that trauma can cause an increase in the nerve endings. Genetics can also be involved.  

What do I like the most?

The fact that he wanted Fibromyalgia sufferers to take comfort in one fact.

This isn't all in our heads.

It's real.

LINKS TO ARTICLES 

LINKS TO ARTICLES

IT'S ALL IN THE PALM OF MY HAND

I keep reading the study.

Over and over again.

Is it that simple?

Can it be that simple?

I have questions.

It seems that the nerve endings in the AV shunts in the palms of our hands hold the secret of Fibromyalgia. The AV stands for arteriole-venule which, up until now, just regulated blood flow. Now it seems that an over abundance of these nerve fibers are the source of our pain.

It's possible.

Anything is possible.

But this brings questions. Does that mean that these excess nerve fibers were a genetic anomaly? If that is the case then are they able to remain dormant and then be triggered by an illness or trauma?

Most of us can pinpoint when the pain started. For me, it was trauma. I don't understand....did the trauma cause my palms to grow excess nerve fibers or were they there and dormant. Well, wait....if they were dormant I wouldn't be able to feel anything, would I?

On the other side.....I can always feel a flare coming on because it starts with my hands. 

They summarize that the blood flow is responsible for the muscular achiness and pain. The fatigue is from a build up of lactic acid and inflammation. It sounds like that triggers the brain going a little haywire.  These shunts could be keeping blood flow from reaching deep into the muscles. As far as the brain going haywire....we all know what happens then.....

We can't sleep.

The interesting thing, to me, is that these shunts are critical for thermal regulation and our metabolism. It's that why some of us have heat or cold intolerance??  As far as our metabolism goes......could it be why this is so closely intertwined with our thyroid?

If this is the case why do some medications work for some people and not others? What about all the symptoms. Can it all be due to excess sensory fibers in our hands??

I'm thinking about this.

But I still have questions.

I think this bears watching.....

but now, when I feel a flare coming on......

And I'm rubbing my hands.......

I'll take notice.