Wednesday May 23, 2012
Food intolerances are one of those things that we know goes along with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome but that really hasn't been researched. The food that seems to come up the most often is gluten, which is found in wheat and several other common grains.
A sensitivity to such a common food, and even the possibility of it, leads to a lot of questions. Will going gluten free will help alleviate their symptoms? What can and can't you eat? Why is a food that's harmless to most people causing problems for you?
To help you find answers, I've turned to my About.com colleague Jane Anderson, Guide to Celiac Disease. You'll find my compilation of her articles that I believe are most relevant to us here:
I find the new research especially interesting - doctors are finally seeing that gluten sensitivity can cause neurological problems. That's something many of us (me included) have learned from experience.
Do you have problems with gluten? Have you been diagnosed with an intolerance? Do you have other food sensitivities? Leave your comments below!
Learn more or join the conversation!
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Monday May 21, 2012
A lot of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome turn to the Internet for not just information, but for support and friendship. However, when you're discussing your health online, it pays to think about protecting your privacy.
The main thing to remember is this: EVERYTHING you say in public online forum, whether it's a blog comment or on a Facebook page, is indexed by search engines. That means when you (or anyone else) Googles your name, it'll all come up.
Over the past few years, I've gotten several requests to remove comments - usually by people who didn't realize that anyone at all could see them. That includes your soon-to-be-ex spouse, your boss or prospective employer, and anyone else who could have a reason to do a search for you. These days, you have to assume that people and companies will make those searches and use what you've said against you.
Here on this page, it's easy to get around that - just don't use your full name. A first name, initials, or an alias will keep your comments from being connected to you.
On a Facebook page, it's a little harder. Any comment you make there is automatically linked to your account and therefore your name. If you're concerned about privacy and still want to participate, you might want to consider creating a separate account for that under a different name. (This is only for pages that you officially "like" and comment on, not for personal accounts.)
Have you learned this lesson the hard way? What happened? How do you protect yourself now? Leave your (anonymous) comments below!
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Saturday May 19, 2012
One of the classes of drugs frequently prescribed for fibromyalgia is anti-epileptic drugs. The first drug approved for this condition, Lyrica (pregabalin), was from this class.
Anti-epileptics work well for a lot of us, but, like all drugs, they come with possible side effects and other risks. To learn more about the dangers and benefits of these medications, see:
Have you taken meds from this class? How did they work for you? Leave your comments below!
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Friday May 18, 2012
It's a question I get all the time - why isn't fibromyalgia classified as an autoimmune disease when the immune system is clearly involved?
Yes, we do have evidence for immune dysregulation in many cases of this illness, but that doesn't mean it's autoimmune. To understand why immune-system involvement isn't the same as autoimmunity, you have to understand what each term means as well as what is (and isn't) known to be part of fibromyalgia.
You can find the answer to this question here: Why Isn't Fibromyalgia an Autoimmune Disease?
You will come across some healthcare workers who inaccurately lump fibromyalgia in with autoimmune conditions. Watch out for them - they'll recommend treatments that generally don't work for us (anti-inflammatories) and may actually make us worse (steroids, immune suppressants.)
Have you been given inappropriate treatments or bad advice based on this misconception? Leave your comments below!
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