Hi Everyone,

I am sending this early because there is a lot of news anyway plus I have a new computer and new software. So in a way this is a test. So if you hear of anyone who did not receive this, please let me know. I'll try to compare to my listing also. I will send another meeting reminder Sunday or Monday.

Don't forget our annual Christmas party on Thursday, December 17th from 7PM to 9PM.  We each "try" to bring something but if you can't, come anyway. We always have plenty to eat. If there's something special you need in food or drink, you might want to bring that. The members of the support group board will be bringing the paper goods, utensils, tablecloths, etc. and various types of beverages. 

Our Santa, Dr. Lapp, always plays the piano and we have a sing-along. If you don't sing, you can listen and visit with others there. Its a great time to get acquainted, discuss doctors if you are looking for one, or whatever. We always have a wonderful evening. We don't exchange gifts because we know its very difficult for many because of limited resources.

Here's the info on where we meet if you haven't been to a meeting in a long time:

Sharon Presbyterian Church, 0.8 miles south of South Park Mall; Sharon Presbyterian Church is located 0.8 miles south of SouthPark Mall on Sharon Road.  Use the entrance closest to the mall. 

We meet in the Charles Little Activity Building (or CLAB), which is the brick building at the rear of the parking lot. As you come into the building, go into the first door on your right. This is the Parlor of that building where we have our meetings.

NOTE:  Please do not wear perfumes/scented anything as some of our members are highly sensitive and can become very ill from the fumes.

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Meetings coming up in 2010

January 21 - TBA - I will email you a notice when we have a firm speaker or topic of discussion.

February 18 - TBA

March  18 - Dr. Myra Preston, Licensed and Board Certified Diplomate in Neurotherapy. She is also a Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and is a Fellow of the National Board of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists.  Dr. Preston will present the latest in neurofeedback. If you want to know all the details of what this practice offers in therapies, go to www.Siberimaging.com .

April 15 - Kelly Gibson, CLL - L.A.U.G.H. Laugh And U Generate Happiness; 704-724-3899 - Kelly will teach us how to use laughter to cope with chronic illness. 

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See the Dr. Oz U-Tube Video of Dr. Oz with Donnica and a Patient who participated in the study:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WEUC7hRXzM

December CFIDSLink from the CFIDS Association of America:

http://www.cfids.org/archives/2006-2010-cfidslink/december-2009.asp

ChronicPainConnection.com

See all of our health sites at www.HealthCentral.com

To subscribe to this newsletter, go to: 

http://www.healthcentral.com/utils/newsweb/chronic-pain/news-sp.html

Long-Term Opioid Therapy – What Are the Effects?

by  Karen Lee Richards
Sunday, November 29, 2009

Most people who need to take opioids on a long-term basis for chronic noncancer pain are understandably concerned about what kind of effect it will have on them.  Many have mistakenly believed that opioids destroy both the body and the brain – and possibly even shorten lives.  Although pain management experts have long contended that opioid therapy is not dangerous when properly administered, until now there has been no actual research on long-term opioid use (10 years or more) to back them up. 

Enter Forest Tennant, MD, who undertook a first-of-its-kind research study evaluating chronic pain patients who had been receiving opioid therapy for 10 to 35 years.  The results of his study should be extremely encouraging for patients who need long-term opioid therapy as well as their doctors, some of whom may have been hesitant about it.  Tennant concluded that the significant improvements in quality of life and physical functioning from opioid therapy are so positive they outweigh any negative complications, which can be easily managed. 

Research Methods

Tennant's study looked at 16 female and 8 male chronic pain patients between 30 and 79 years of age.  Their chronic pain conditions were:

Neuropathies and Arthropathies – 29.2%
Spinal Degeneration – 25%
Abdominal Adhesions or nNeuropathies – 20.8%
Fibromyalgia – 12.5%
Headache – 8.3%
Hip Necrosis –4.2%

The subjects had all been receiving continuous opioid therapy for 10 to 35 years.  All were taking a long-acting form of either morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl or methadone and one or more short-acting opioids for breakthrough pain or pain flares.  They all also took additional medications such as muscle relaxants, sleep aids, hormone replacements and dietary supplements. 

Study Results

Almost all of the patients (22 of 24) said their pain had permanently decreased over time.  And the vast majority (20 of 24) felt their opioids still provided the same relief as when they started treatment.  All of the patients  reported one or more functions or activities they can do now that they couldn't do prior to beginning opioid therapy (i.e., get out of bed everyday, take walks, shop or visit friends). 

Several new medical conditions developed in the group over the 10+ year period, such as hormone abnormalities, weight gain, tooth decay, tachicardia, hypertension, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.  There was no clear way to determine whether these conditions were caused by the pain, the opioid therapy, the natural aging process, or were just inherent in the patients; however, all of the conditions could easily be medically managed. 

All but one of the males in the study experienced lowered serum testosterone, a known complication of opioid therapy, which can be conrolled by hormone replacement therapy.

Notably, there were no neurologic complications including dementia, hyperalgesia, tremor or seizures.  Nor were there any liver, kidney, or gastrointestinal complications, except for minor constipation. 

Conclusions

Rather than causing serious health problems, Tennant suggests that because of the decrease in pain, opioids may actually allow or even promote neurologic healing.  He goes on to suppose that opioid therapy may prevent a number of medical complications of pain and also may prevent early death due to the over-stimulation of the pituitary-adrenal-axis or possibly electrical stimulation produced by damaged nerves.  Tennant acknowledges that this is a small study and states that much additional study is needed to determine cause and effect of medical conditions in opioid-maintained patients. 

Finally, Tennant concludes, “Even though the number of patients evaluated here is relatively small, the great improvement in their quality of life and physical functioning is so positive and the complications of the therapy so easily managed that long-term opioid therapy should continue to be provided and evaluated.”

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Source:  Tennant F. A 10-year evaluation of chronic pain patients treated with opioids. Heroin Addict Relat Clin Probl [Europad Journal]. 2009;11(1):31-34.

Dr. Teitelbaum's December Newsletter

http://www.endfatigue.com/web-newsletters/nl_53d2_12-04-2009.html

If you missed Dr. Lapp's October Newsletter:

http://drlapp@drlapp.net/ME_letterOct09P.pdf

Dr. Lapp's Website:

drlapp@drlapp.net

Charlotte Support Group Website:

www.CharlotteCFS.org

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, XMRV on Dr. Oz by Adrienne Dellwo, CFS/FM Guide at About.com -- Monday December 7, 2009

A recent Dr. Oz show featured the XMRV research and possible ties to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS). It was about a 12 minute segment that had some good information, but I did find some aspects a bit troubling.

The Good Points

• Dr. Oz clearly presents himself as a believer in ME/CFS.
• The guests (Dr. Donnica Moore and a woman with ME/CFS) came across as credible and knowledgeable.
• The description of symptoms, although brief, gave an accurate depiction of what ME/CFS is like.
• Video animation of a retrovirus entering the DNA was a great way to help people understand XMRV.
• The PR value is probably incalculable. When the woman with ME/CFS described how a doctor dismissed the very suggestion of ME/CFS and sent her to a psychiatrist, audience members gasped and shook their heads. They got it.
• Internet searches for XMRV were off the charts the day of and day after the show, meaning more people are learning about the latest research.

To read the rest of this article, go to:  http://chronicfatigue.about.com/b/2009/12/07/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-xmrv-on-dr-oz.htm?nl=1

While you are there, subscribe to her newsletters. They are excellent. She is a former newsperson so is a high caliber writer. And since she has FM, she can view these articles from 2 perspectives.

Nancy Henson