Charlotte CFS/ME/FM Support Group Newsletterfor February
17, 2008
In this Issue:
-Charlotte Committee Meeting 2/28
-Meeting Notices for 2/19 and 2/21
-Whittemore Institute
-More on Signing the Petition for Changing
the Name
-Articles on Pain, How Pain Can Damage the
Brain, and Is Fibro a Disease of the Brain?
-And...much, much more
Volunteers Needed - Again, we need volunteers
to help as greeters, making copies, setting up the information table, or
whatever you see that needs being done and you think you can help. Please talk
with Kebbie or Dr. Lapp if you wish to commit to volunteering with the group.
Committee Meeting Feb. 28 - The committee that
administrates the group will be meeting on February 28th to discuss issues of
importance. If you are interested in committing to help in some way, talk with
Kebbie or Dr. Lapp about attending that meeting.
Charlotte Area ME/CFS/FM Support Group Meeting
This month's meeting will have Joe Parisi, who was to have
been with us last month but we had to cancel due to bad weather, discussing
stress management and Frances D'Amato
discussing and demonstrating Tai Chi. We are meeting,
Thursday, February 21st, 7:00 - 9:00PM, Sharon Presbyterian Church, 5201
Sharon Rd. Use the north parking lot (closest to the mall) and the meeting
will be held in a brick building at the rear of that lot. It is called the
Charles Little Activity Building, or CLAB. Follow the signs.
Note: Always remember to bring a cushion if you are
very sensitive in the lower region (:o) as I am. There are
a few soft chairs and a couch you can sit on (if we are in the parlor -
sometimes we have to move to a different room. Always feel free to get up
and walk around if you need to. The door to the right of where the speaker
stands will take you to restrooms and drinking fountain. Take advantage of
refreshments also as an opportunity to stretch your legs.
Membership: Membership to this support group is
free but when asked, we suggest a $12 "donation" per year to cover the cost
of materials. But we understand that some folks are financially
"challenged."
Upcoming Meetings (subject to
change)
March 20 - Dr. Jeffrey Ewert - Managing Cognition
April 17 - Overlapping Symptoms
May 15 - Picnic at Strawberry Acres
June 19 - Caregivers
July 17 - Lunch (this is a new idea - let us know what
you think)
August - No meeting
September - November - Dr. Lapp will begin series of
talks based on Bruce Campbell's book "The CFIDS and Fibromyalgia
Self-Help Book." This series will run through November.
December 20 - Christmas Party
January 16, 2009 - Planning Meeting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HopeKeepers of Charlotte
- This weekly faith-based group meets
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM. The next meeting is, Tuesday, February 19th,
7:00 - 8:30 PM, at Pineville Church of the Nazarene, Room 310. Parking
is at the front of the building facing Hwy 51. For more information Contact
Renae Savage at 704-341-0959 or
hopekeepers@carolina.rr.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gastonia CFIDS/Fibromyalgia Support Group Meeting
- February 21, 1:15
, the topic
will be Tai Chi. If you have questions contact Victoria Bonner at
vbonner2@lycos.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whittemore Institute For CFS, FM, GWS, etc. - How
to Make Donations
To Sign Petition to Change the Name
Latest Prohealth (ImmuneSupport.com) E-Newsletter
- A lot of great articles
Chronic Pain Can Harm the Brain
Helpful Hint: Medscape requires the use of a userid
and password. Its easy to register. I use the same userid and password for all
these types of registrations so I don't have a problem remembering. But I
still have a rolodex on my desk just in case the ol' brain goes blank.
Subject: RES: Fibromyalgia: A Disorder of the Brain?
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:10:31 -0500
From: "Bernice A. Melsky" <bernice.melsky1@verizon.net>
Neuroscientist. 2008 Feb 12 [Epub ahead of print]; Schweinhardt P, Sauro
KM, Bushnell MC.; Center for Research on Pain, McGill University. PMID:
18270311
This article presents evidence that fibromyalgia patients have alterations
in CNS anatomy, physiology, and chemistry that potentially contribute to
the symptoms experienced by these patients. There is substantial
psychophysical evidence that fibromyalgia patients perceive pain and other
noxious stimuli differently than
healthy individuals and that normal pain modulatory systems, such as
diffuse noxious inhibitory control mechanisms, are compromised in
fibromyalgia. Furthermore, functional brain imaging studies revealing
enhanced pain-related activations corroborate the patients' reports of
increased pain.
Neurotransmitter studies show that fibromyalgia patients have
abnormalities in dopaminergic, opioidergic, and serotoninergic systems.
Finally, studies of brain anatomy show structural differences between the
brains of fibromyalgia patients and healthy individuals. The cerebral
alterations offer a compelling explanation for the multiple symptoms of
fibromyalgia, including widespread pain and affective disturbances.
The frequent comorbidity of fibromyalgia with stress-related disorders,
such as chronic fatigue, posttraumatic stress disorder, irritable bowel
syndrome, and depression, as well as the similarity of many CNS
abnormalities, suggests at least a partial common substrate for these
disorders. Despite the numerous cerebral alterations, fibromyalgia might
not be a primary disorder of the brain but may be a consequence of early
life stress or prolonged or severe stress, affecting brain modulatory
circuitry of pain and emotions in genetically susceptible individuals.
Heath Ledgers Death by Adrienne Dellwo, CFS/FMS
Forum Guide at About.com
FDA MedWatch - Antiepileptic Drugs - FDA
Analysis Showed Patients Receiving Antiepileptic Drugs Had Approximately Twice
The Risk of Suicidal Behavior Or Ideation -
Warning includes
Neurontin and Lyrica. Note from Nancy: Its always wise to
consult your pharmacist whenever a new medication is added to your regimen.
Pharmacists tend to know the latest about bad combinations and side effects. I
know that from experience.
http://listserv.nodak.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0801e&L=co-cure&T=0&P=3130
March 7 Live Chat Q&A with Cort Johnson
Mark your calendar for our next Live Chat Event on Friday, March 7,
with Cort Johnson
– a patient with multiple chemical
sensitivities who has put his scientific knowledge to work on behalf of
others. Cort offers understandable reports on the latest research as founder
of the
Phoenix Rising newsletter and
website (
“Bringing
Opportunity to ME/CFS/FM Patients"). See
“Cort Johnson: Making ME/CFS
Research Readable and Accessible.” The Cort
Johnson chat time is Friday, March 7 from 3 to 4 pm Pacific Time (PST) and 6-7
EST, but
for the time where you live, see
the World Clock.
New to Immunesupport (ProHealth) Chat? If you
aren
’t already a registered chat user, you may register
now
http://www.immunesupport.com/chat/chat_beta.cfm.
Use the scroll-down bar on the right of the chat screen to see all 12 chat
rooms and to locate the Cort Johnson Chat Room on March 7.)
A critical moment in time for the Fibromyalgia
patient and the NFA
Recent Media Spotlight Marks Unprecedented Coverage of
Organization and Fibromyalgia - ANAHEIM,
California ---- The recent surge in media coverage of fibromyalgia coincides
with an unprecedented convergence of scientific advances in public awareness
of the disorder, according to Lynne Matallana, president and founder of the
National Fibromyalgia Association. To read more:
Subject: RES: Fibromyalgia: A Disorder of the Brain?
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:10:31 -0500
From: "Bernice A. Melsky" <bernice.melsky1@verizon.net>
Neuroscientist. 2008 Feb 12 [Epub ahead of print]; Schweinhardt P, Sauro KM,
Bushnell MC.; Center for Research on Pain, McGill University. PMID: 18270311
This article presents evidence that fibromyalgia patients have alterations in
CNS anatomy, physiology, and chemistry that potentially contribute to the
symptoms experienced by these patients. There is substantial psychophysical
evidence that fibromyalgia patients perceive pain and other noxious stimuli
differently than
healthy individuals and that normal pain modulatory systems, such as diffuse
noxious inhibitory control mechanisms, are compromised in fibromyalgia.
Furthermore, functional brain imaging studies revealing
enhanced pain-related activations corroborate the patients' reports of
increased pain.
Neurotransmitter studies show that fibromyalgia patients have abnormalities in
dopaminergic, opioidergic, and serotoninergic systems. Finally, studies of
brain anatomy show structural differences between the brains of fibromyalgia
patients and healthy individuals. The cerebral alterations offer a compelling
explanation for the multiple symptoms of fibromyalgia, including widespread
pain and affective disturbances.
The frequent comorbidity of fibromyalgia with stress-related disorders, such
as chronic fatigue, posttraumatic stress disorder, irritable bowel syndrome,
and depression, as well as the similarity of many CNS abnormalities, suggests
at least a partial common substrate for these disorders. Despite the numerous
cerebral alterations, fibromyalgia might not be a primary disorder of the
brain but may be a consequence of early life stress or prolonged or severe
stress, affecting brain modulatory circuitry of pain and emotions in
genetically susceptible individuals.
Diminished Cardiopulmonary Capacity During
Post-Exertional Malaise
Journal: of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vol. 14, No. 2,
2007, pp. 77-85
Authors: J. Mark VanNess PhD, Christopher R. Snell PhD, Staci R. Stevens
http://www.cfids-cab.org/rc/VanNess.pdf
Fibromyalgia E-Newsletter from ImmuneSupport.com (ProHealth)
ME & CFS
References - Factsheet 2008
Spiritual Corner
There will be a Billy Graham TV Special the week of March 1 - 9. Check this
link for times and channels when this special will air:
http://www.billygraham.org/TV_Index.asp . And pray for the Franklin
Graham Festivals being held all over the world this year including one in
Knoxville, TN April 25-27 and Charleston, SC September 19-21.
Take Your Vitamins
Nancy Henson
ME/CFS
Campaign for a Fair Name
Patient Vote May 2008
http://www.afairname.org
Charlotte Area ME/CFS/FMS, Charlotte, NC