Study: Pain Patients Have Desire to Kill Their Doctor

Would you believe that 1 in 20 pain or physical rehabilitation patients have wanted to kill their primary care provider? I’m stunned. I’d have thought the number would be much higher. Read more

Explaining Fibromyalgia to Your Friends & Family

Do you dread the question, “What is fibromyalgia”? Or do you know people who refuse to believe in it, mainly because it doesn’t seem to make sense? Read more

Protein in Virus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

We have yet another viral discovery linked to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) - and it’s a protein in a particular strain of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), a virus long suspected of playing a role in many cases of ME/CFS. Read more

Will Ritalin Become a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment?

Based on the results of one small study, two doctors in Spain are calling for a closer look at the ADHD drug methylphenidate (the drug in Ritalin, Methadate and Concerta) for treating the neurocognitive effects of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS). Read more

Don’t Accept “It’s Just Your Fibromyalgia”

Have you ever gone to your doctor concerned about some new symptom, only to be told “It’s just part of your fibromyalgia?” Read more

Narcolepsy Drug for Fibromyalgia Treatment?

Is a drug already on the market for narcolepsy what many of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) have been waiting for? Read more

New Thinking on Whether Adult Pain Stems from Childhood Trauma

Do you think you’re sick today because of trauma you suffered during childhood? Or does the very idea of that get your blood boiling because it ties fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) to psychological causes? Read more

Athletes with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Set Sights on Olympic Gold

A lot of people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) feel like they’ve run a marathon after picking up a few groceries, so now imagine working against ME/CFS, complete with post-exertional malaise, to make it where only the finest athletes even dream of getting - to the Olympic Games. Read more

Are Doctors Too Confident in Their Diagnostic Skills?

This tidbit of information probably wouldn’t surprise many of us who have fibromyalgia (FMS) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) - according to a special edition of The American Journal of Medicine, doctors misdiagnose people about 15% of the time. Read more

Worried About Pain Killer Addiction? Why You Shouldn’t Be!

Do you worry about becoming addicted to pain meds? I do. And I’ve heard enough stories to know I’m not alone. People around us frequently worry about it as well, some of them even making accusations of addiction and distancing themselves from someone who’s really just trying to manage extreme pain.

The DEA has been plenty worried about it in recent years, which makes doctors nervous about prescribing opioids. Even some doctors, nurses and pharmacists look at us suspiciously when we get refills. I get my refills through the mail, in part because I don’t want to pick them up with my young children in tow. And then, I worry that some criminal will steal it en route, and I won’t be able to get another refill for a month or so. Read more