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National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Day, May 12th

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National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) Launches National “CARE & Make Fibromyalgia Visible” Campaign, May 2013

The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA), a global community supporting individuals living with fibromyalgia (FM) and other chronic pain illnesses, announces the kick-off of its national awareness campaign “CARE & Make Fibromyalgia Visible,” Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, Sunday, May 12, 2013 — and throughout the month of May. NFMCPA calls upon individuals living with FM and their friends, family and caregivers to contribute, advocate, participate in research, as well as to educate others about fibromyalgia, a common illness involving long-term, body-wide pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory problems and impaired functionality.

“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response to this campaign — with thousands of people participating in events across the country — validating our conviction that chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, is a public health crisis,” says Jan Favero Chambers, president and founder, NFMCPA. “It’s critical that those living with chronic pain raise their collective voices in order to turn the tide against the often devastating impact of chronic pain on individuals, families, communities and the nation.”

While there is no cure for fibromyalgia (FM), interdisciplinary team approaches that include medications, alternative therapies and lifestyle changes can help manage symptoms. Women are much more likely than men to develop FM, according to the Mayo Clinic. Appropriately, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day takes place over Mother’s Day weekend and includes:

  • Thunderclap, Midnight, May 11, 2013: individuals worldwide will concurrently post the “CARE & Make Fibromyalgia Visible” logo via Facebook and Twitter.
  • The Walk to CURE FM: numerous walks throughout the country.
  • Fibromyalgia Proclamations & Declarations: outreach program encourages officials to declare May 12 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day in their jurisdiction. To address controversies, prejudices and the life-altering effect of fibromyalgia, NFMCPA offers:
  • FM patient education, including symptom management
  • Coordinated advocacy for research for new treatments

Continue reading on online.wsj.com

Jacqueline Goguen‘s insight:

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, Sunday, May 12, 2013 and throughout the month of May http://www.fmcpaware.org/

Blessings,
Jacqui

See on online.wsj.com

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A Future Without Chronic Pain

Independent Living, , , , , ,

Editor’s note: Chronic pain affects 1.5 billion people worldwide, an estimated 100 million of whom live in the United States. Yet we currently have no effective treatment options. Fortunately, writes David Borsook, director of the Pain and Imaging Neuroscience Group at Children’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital, and McLean Hospital, research advances have determined some of the ways in which chronic pain changes the brain, and several promising research areas could lead to better treatment approaches. Dr. Borsook recommends steps to facilitate these new treatments, including the establishment of integrated clinical neuroscience centers bridging the gap between bench and bedside.

The medical literature defines chronic pain as pain that has lasted for more than three months. Chronic pain is an epidemic worldwide, with 1.5 billion people feeling its effects. In the United States, about 100 million individuals are estimated to suffer from chronic pain, costing the country billions of dollars in health care and lost work productivity each year…

Jacqueline Goguen‘s insight:

Is it possible?

A fairly lengthy article, but a good one – includes a little bit of everything from history, current state and discussions of how research and treatment regarding chronic pain might proceed moving forward into the future.

Neuroscience Advances: Chronic Pain Is in the Brain

Most chronic pain conditions produce changes in the brain that contribute to what can be termed the “centralization of pain.” This implies that ongoing pain produces progressive alterations in brain connections, molecular biology, chemistry, and structure, with behavioral consequences. One brain region consistently affected in chronic pain conditions is called the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, a region in the front of our brains thought to be involved in several higher-order functions, including cognition, motor planning, and working memory. This centralization of pain involves alterations in sensory, emotional, and modulatory circuits, which normally inhibit pain. Thus chronic pain may alter cognition and emotion, leading to increased fear, anxiety, or depression.“”

While reading it I couldn’t help but pick up on the references to cognitive and memory changes that happen. I know I have experienced changes in these areas. The comments though, are always ‘it happen’s to all of us as we get older’, or some variation on that theme.

What are your thoughts? Have you noticed those types of changes for yourself as your chronic pain has settled in?

Blessings,
Jacqui

See on www.dana.org

 

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