In the News

11 May, 2024

Music Video Of Song About ME And Lyme Disease By UK Musician Ren

From Ren: "There's a really good chance we could chart with the next record drop. This would be the first time in history a song about M.E and lyme disease would make the top 40 which would be huge for awareness. Moments like this are pinch me moments and make me feel good about keeping the promise to my younger self. That's because of all you guys so thankyou so much!! If you wana help secure that spot you can preorder troubles and on iTunes etc by following the link in comments below Let's go!!! First official release of the year!"

10 May, 2024

New Therapeutic Promise For Fibromyalgia

A novel approach using a non-invasive, painless laser called Fibrolux offers new hope for fibromyalgia, a notoriously challenging condition that affects about 4 million US adults, about 2% of the adult population, and is the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared device for the condition. The laser treatment was shown to reduce pain by more than half and the number of pain points by 20% or more in 87% of patients in a clinical study.

10 May, 2024

Exciting Breakthrough Offers Hope For Long COVID Patients

Researchers from Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) have made a groundbreaking discovery that could bring relief to those struggling with Long COVID. In a world-first finding, they’ve identified a way to restore the faulty function of ion channels on immune cells using a well-known drug typically used for other medical purposes.

10 May, 2024

“Tender Points” Documentary Shows Pain + Art = Healing

On May 11th, immerse yourself in an inspiring documentary screening that celebrates community, creativity, and resilience. “Tender Points: A Fibromyalgia Journey” invites you into the world of Lina Alvarez, a courageous pottery studio owner navigating life with fibromyalgia. Through this film, you’ll witness Lina’s quest for relief from chronic illness and discover how she finds solace and strength within her pottery community in Los Angeles.

09 May, 2024

Functional Connectivity Associated With Attention Networks Differs Among Subgroups Of Fibromyalgia Patients: An Observational Case–Control Study

Fibromyalgia is a heterogenous chronic pain disorder diagnosed by symptom-based criteria. The aim of this study was to clarify different pathophysiological characteristics between subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia. We identified subgroups with distinct pain thresholds: those with a low pressure pain threshold (PL; 16 patients) and those with a normal pressure pain threshold (PN; 15 patients). Both groups experienced severe pain. We performed resting-state functional MRI analysis and detected 11 functional connectivity pairs among all 164 ROIs with distinct difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). The most distinctive one was that the PN group had significantly higher functional connectivity between the secondary somatosensory area and the dorsal attention network (p < 0.0001). Then, we investigated the transmission pathway of pain stimuli. Functional connectivity of the thalamus to the insular cortex was significantly higher in the PL group (p < 0.01 – 0.05). These results suggest that endogenous pain driven by top-down signals via the dorsal attention network may contribute to pain sensation in a subgroup of fibromyalgia patients with a normal pain threshold. Besides, external pain driven by bottom-up signals via the spinothalamic tract may contribute to pain sensations in another group of patients with a low pain threshold.

09 May, 2024

Town Hall Lighting Events For May 2024

The Town of Oakville in Canada has announced the various causes they will be recognizing by lighting up Town Hall, located at 1225 Trafalgar Road.

08 May, 2024

The Power Of "Sorry"

Last week, the NIH held a symposium for the purpose of elucidating its recently reported findings in a case-control study of ME. In 2016, researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS) undertook this study with fanfare, orchestrating press coverage that included a Washington Post front pager featuring a patient (and former NIH employee) sitting on a hospital bed, while NIH director Francis Collins sat next to him, a lanky arm draped around the patient’s shoulder. The plan in 2016 was to study forty patients. Ultimately, NIH scientists selected seventeen as bona fide.

08 May, 2024

Physical Fitness Linked To All Gait Parameters For Women With Fibromyalgia

A new study found maintaining good levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, physical fitness, and appropriate weight balance is linked to improved gait parameters in women with fibromyalgia.

07 May, 2024

Griffith University Researchers To Trial Naltrexone On Long COVID Patients

Jayden Donald went from a fit and healthy teenager who rode his horses almost every day, to being so sick he could hardly sit up after his second bout of COVID-19. A year later, the 19-year-old talented equestrian has only recently returned to university and to the competitive dressage arena after being diagnosed with long COVID. "I was flat out walking," the University of Southern Queensland engineering student says at his family's picturesque property at Haigslea, about 50 kilometres west of Brisbane. "You go from going to uni every day, seeing your mates, having a bit of fun, and saying, 'oh I want to go for dinner at the pub one night' to 'oh, I can't, I'm stuck at home'.'"

07 May, 2024

Mediterranean Diet Improves Pain, QoL In Patients With Fibromyalgia

Patients with fibromyalgia receiving a personalized Mediterranean diet reported improvements in both pain and quality of life, according to a study published in Pain and Therapy. Conversely, those who ate fewer calories but chose more inflammatory foods and/or foods with an imbalanced nutritional content did not experience these benefits. “Diet can cause inflammation,” wrote a team of investigators led by Ilenia Casini, PhD, associated with the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Italy. “Inflammatory conditions of the digestive system can trigger the release of cytokines, which can have effects on the central nervous system…Dietary interventions are used to treat many diseases, as a healthy diet improves physical fitness, mental health and cognitive abilities.”