World Me & FM Prayer & Meditation Days

is on November 2nd 2009.

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Charitable Thrift Store Suffers

I wanted to share this bittersweet article. I'm really happy to hear that there is a Fibromyalgia thrift store, but sad about the incident. Bless the volunteers hearts who run this organization.

METRO VANCOUVER - Slightly more than a week after the Fibromyalgia Well Spring Foundation opened a new thrift store in Langley, someone has broken the front window and grabbed some goods, the organization’s founder said Monday.

Cheryl Young said the theft early Saturday morning was ironic because the thieves stole from an organization that helps people in need.

“We’re a charity working for people who don’t have a lot of money,” she said. “They’re on pensions and disability.”

Young said she had run the three-year-old organization out of a 9-by-12-foot area in her mobile home in Langley before moving the office to the 2,000-square-foot location at 109-20631 Fraser Hwy. and opening a new thrift store and drop-in centre there on Oct. 1.

She said the organization had gone through a lot of work to open the new location.

The perpetrators of the early morning theft grabbed $35 in cash from a cash box accidentally left near the window and also stole some pieces of costume jewelry, but the big expense will be the cost to replace the window, said Jason Stratman, a volunteer with the organization.

Volunteers run the organization, which seeks to raise awareness about fibromyalgia and offers support through groups in Langley, Surrey, Abbotsford and Chilliwack. The charity is funded by grants and donations.

Young said that the Langley RCMP has no suspects in the theft. RCMP Officer Holly Mark wasn’t able to obtain information on the case during the holiday on Monday.

Source

How is Neurofeedback Being Used Clinically?

Migraines, Headaches and Chronic Pain

Thearapists and MDs report that the frequency and intensity of migraines are often reduced- and sometimes eliminated. It appears the increased brain stability reduces the brain’s susceptibility to migraines. Clinicians report that improvements tend to holds, and medications can often be reduced. Chronic pain improvements (how the brain manages pain) are often significant, even in the most sever pain syndromes such as RSD.

• Sleep Dysregulation

One of the first changes clients typically report with Neurofeedback training is sleep. Changes often include improvement in insomnia, bruxism, poor sleep quality, difficulty waking, frequent waking, and nightmares.

• Autism, PDD, and Reactive Attachment Disorder

Autism, PDD, and RAD are the fastest growing areas of Neurofeedback. The calming effects of Nuerofeedback produce noticeable results quickly in these severely affected populations.

• Substance Abuse

In a study soon to be published, Neurofeedback was compared with a 12 step program. The population was a crack, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroine users. Sustained abstinence was 5 times greater with the group that got Neurofeedback taining. This confirms previous published studies with equal results for alcoholics. Substance abuse is an obvious form of poor self-regulation, and self-medication. 50% of this population is ADD/ADHD, many have mood or sleep disorders.

• Epilepsy

Multiple peer-reviewed studies show a reduction in seizures that are non-responsive to medications- and that the training effect holds. An MD recently reported on a 7 year old patient experiencing up to 100 seizures a day. He was uncontrolled on medication, under supervision by Boston Children’s Hospital. With extensive Neurofeedback, he is now seizure free and off most medications.

Neurofeedback is not a treatment that “fixes” these problems. All of these problems at least in part relate to some type of brain dysregulation. Particularly since the 1990s, neuroscience has identified “brain problems”- departures from a normal population that can be seen in a qEEG, SPECT scan, or other types of brain map. EEG training helps improve brain regulation, which usually helps reduce symptoms related to brain dysregulation.

The Whitcomb Method

Last year, after watching numerous videos regarding this method. I almost went to see this Doctor. His practice is a three-four hour drive from here.  I was going to take advantage of lodging at a home where someone offer their homes out to patients. I was told that it could take a month or more for treatment to work and stay effective. I was ready to pack up my things and go! However, at the time I didn't have health insurance, and the costs were to much of a burden on us. Well, I really do believe things happen for a reason. After reading these allegations, I'm glad I didn't go after all.

LAKE TAHOE, CA (KGO) -- A south Lake Tahoe chiropractor claims he has discovered the cause of a painful, chronic condition. He charges patients thousands of dollars for his cure. But the I-Team has uncovered serious questions about whether it works and whether the treatment is perhaps even dangerous.

A retired investigator for the state chiropractic board tells us this is the one case that he could not forget -- the one that got away, in his words. And he is frustrated that the board has been taking no action.

"It actually doesn't hurt, it actually feels -- feels good," says chiropractor Paul Whitcomb.

For a small town chiropractor, Whitcomb has a sophisticated marketing operation.

He posts videos on the Internet to promote his treatment for fibromyalgia. The symptoms include chronic muscle pain, fatigue, headaches and depression.

Medical experts we talked to say there is no single known cause for fibromyalgia, and no cure. But Whitcomb claims to have discovered the root of the problem -- a misalignment between the first vertebra and the skull. After six days of treatment, one patient makes what appears to be a miraculous recovery.

"I have no pain. I feel fantastic. I'm able to climb stairs," says Joan.

Then, there are the appearances on local TV, like a religious show in New Mexico, his book and a telemarketing center that his son runs out of Orange County.

All this self-promotion has helped build Whitcomb's fibromyalgia relief center in South Lake Tahoe into a thriving business, drawing patients from around the country and the world.

"Just like that. And that's enough. It's that simple," says Whitcomb.

He calls his treatment "The Whitcomb Method," a quick neck manipulation, three times a day, five days a week, for at least two months. The cost -- $7,000 and up. Whitcomb claims a remarkable success rate.

Dan Noyes: "So you're saying 94 percent of the time, 95 percent of the time, it works for people."

Paul Whitcomb: "This is an estimate, but I think that's pretty accurate. It works for that many of the people."

But there is a long list of patients who say the treatment does not work, and the added costs of staying in Tahoe can be expensive.

"My pain was definitely worse. I felt a heck of a lot more depressed, and because I'd been, you know, I'd been duped for ten grand, I mean, who feels great after that?" says former patient Walter Schulte.

Schulte is among at least nine patients who have filed complaints with the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

"I contacted maybe 40 to 60 people, and a high majority of them were ill again," says former patient and employee Susan Uribe.

Uribe says she worked at Whitcomb's call center in April and that many of the former patients she contacted were in serious financial trouble.

"A lot of them were crying because a lot of them now were facing bankruptcy," says Uribe.

"Once the word got out that I was investigating it, I was getting calls from all over the country," says Al Dockus, a former investigator with the California Chiropractic Board.

Dockus was the investigator assigned to the case. He retired this March after seven years with the chiropractic board. This is the one case he says he cannot forget.

"When I started working on this case, it was just so egregious what this man was doing to these, to these victims. To me it was a slam dunk," says Dockus.

As part of the investigation, an independent chiropractic expert reviewed the medical records of 10 patients and concluded Whitcomb committed several acts of "unprofessional conduct," including "incompetence... repeated acts of gross negligence...[and] excessive treatment."

Wallace Sampson, a retired oncologist, has spent 30 years debunking alternative medical treatments. He is critical of chiropractic in general, but especially of Dr. Whitcomb.

"With each one of these neck manipulations you increase the chance of a stroke," says Sampson.

There are some studies that question that link, but Sampson says he sees no merit to Whitcomb's technique.

"This is not only below standard. There is no standard that says you could do anything like that, and you shouldn't get away with it," says Sampson.

Noyes: "Is there any outside medical research, anything at all that says that what you are doing works and it is not dangerous to the patient?"

Whitcomb: "There are a couple of neurosurgeons who are doing the same thing who have been doing research in this as well."

Noyes: "Which one?"

Whitcomb: "Dr. Rosner."

That is Dr. Michael Rosner from North Carolina who had his license suspended in 2003 for performing unnecessary brain surgeries on eight patients.

"These are just tools we've developed. We use these for testing," says Whitcomb.

When Whitcomb says tools, he means it. Those are attachments for a socket wrench, outfitted with rubber tips.

Noyes: "You buy this stuff at a hardware store?"

Whitcomb: "Yes, mmm. Actually at an auto parts store."

"This one was totally off the wall. I've never seen anything like it. And anyone I explain it to says, 'You're kidding me. This guy's doing what?'" says Dockus.

Dockus says it has been a frustrating wait. But more than three years after that first complaint, and just a day before our interview, the chiropractic board finally took action.

"I think it did take too long. Yes, absolutely," says Brian Stiger, executive officer of the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

The board is moving to revoke Whitcomb's license. The complaint forwarded to the attorney general's office charges Whitcomb with administering "excessive treatment" and making "sensational statements which are intended to deceive the public."

"We have evidence to support taking action against Dr. Whitcomb's license," says Stiger.

"Are we taking advantage of desperately ill people? I think we're providing something for people so they can recover. Is our treatment perfect? It can't be perfect. Nothing's perfect," says Whitcomb.

Whitcomb is not only facing the possible loss of his license, he could also be fined $40,000 or more to cover the cost of the investigation. A lawyer for the doctor tells us he will demand a hearing on the complaint and fight it to the end.

Source

Arthritis Radio

Thanks to the Arthritis Foundation they sent me this tweet I wanted to share.

Follow them @ AFWWPA on Twitter.

Arthritis Radio Episode 9, Part 2: Fibromyalgia: The Mysteries, Diagnosis and Treatment

In this segment, David and Dr. Terence Starz continue their discussion on Fibromyalgia.

 

This interview answers questions such as: What are the symptoms of Fibromyalgia? How is Fibromyalgia treated? What is the course of the condition? And what is ahead for Fibromyalgia research?

 

Also be sure to check out Part 1 of this interview, which can be found below in our previous post.

 

Enjoy the interview!

Source

A Man With FMS?

Here is a story about a man who struggles before during and after his diagnosis of FMS & CFS. Great read!

http://www.myfibrosite.com/users/dwaynebright/aboutus_1.html

Nathan Milstein plays Massenet Meditation

Share Your Fibromyalgia Story

If you have a personal Fibromyalgia story & would like to share it on my blog, please email me at istacey@ymail.com 

What Causes Insomnia?

Insomnia is the body's way of saying that something isn't right. Things that may cause insomnia include stress, too much caffeine, depression, changes in work shifts, and pain from medical problems, such as arthritis.

Many people have insomnia. People who have insomnia may not be able to fall asleep. They may wake up during the night and not be able to fall back asleep, or they may wake up too early in the morning.

What is Neurofeedback?

I would like to thank tammer17 (one of my twitter followers) for bringing up this topic.

This type of therapy is being use for chronic pain suffers as well. 

I will be posting more information on Neurofeedback along with the effects of the therapy, through out the month. 

Neurofeedback is biofeedback for the brain. Simply put, it exercises and helps “strengthen” the brain, calms it, and improves its stability. It’s easy— virtually anyone can do it.

Using computerized feedback, the brain learns to increase certain brainwaves that are helpful for improved function. The brain can decrease excessive fast or slow
brainwaves that interfere with good function. Over time, the
result is a healthier and better regulated brain.

For example, if someone has excessive amounts of certain 
EEG frequencies, (theta or alpha) in the frontal lobe, they
might experience depression or OCD (Obsessive/Compulsive
Disorder). By training the brain to reduce slower brainwaves
and increase fast brainwave activity, symptoms are often
reduced. Over time, the new brain behavior is “learned.

Neurofeedback, psychotherapy, and medications work hand-
In-hand. Training can be used for patients on or off medications.
There are no known lasting side effects after 30 years of research and clinical use. As the brain stabilizes, other modalities become more effective.