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Showing posts from February, 2014

In the Spotlight: Fibromyalgia

Today's entry is the 2nd of 2014, where we have started a "Rare Disease of the Month" series. Last month was achalasia . My apologies on the delayed entry of this post- technically it is still February!   As Tiffany said in her previous post, our goal of this initiative is to  bring awareness to 12 chronic illnesses that don't get much press but still can deeply affect those who live with them each day. Snapshot:   Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, which is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, a syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause. (National Fibromyalgia Association) What is it?  Fibromyalgia  is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abno

Shameless Self-Promotion

First, thanks so much to everyone who reads our blog.  We try our best to keep things fresh and interesting across our social media corners of the world.  Did you know we're on the Facebook and Twitter? If you didn't know, our Facebook page is  https://www.facebook.com/opbmed .  Head on over and check it out, give us a "Like." Or, if you prefer Twitter we're under @OPBMed One of our new things for 2014 is the "Tidbit of the Day" post where we put up an interesting blurb from the world of psychological research.  Here are some highlights... Post by Oak Park Behavioral Medicine, LLC . Post by Oak Park Behavioral Medicine, LLC . Post by Oak Park Behavioral Medicine, LLC . See you on the Tubes.

Who's my Partner?

With Valentines day just passed, those with chronic illness can be in a variety of different emotional states. Some may feel blessed to have such a great life partner, some blessed to have a variety of friends that lend support, and some may feel the loneliness and longing of having more support. Regardless of where you fall, as a community we can offer hope and encouragement to each other, as patients and providers. I wanted to pass along a resource for those suffering with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases like Crohn's Disease and Ulcertaive Colitis. Its called CCFA Partners and it is a database of patients in the United States. Currently there are almost 13,000 patients registered, and almost 600 kids and teens registered as well. According to the CCFA, the goal of this initiative is to create an online registry to "help us obtain a better understanding of issues facing IBD patients, how patients are functioning, what they eat, and how they receive treatment in different

Inflammation and Your Mood: A 2-Way Street

Because I'm a nerd, I receive automated updates from Pubmed , a major database of medical and psychological research, to let me know when a study has been published that contains certain keywords.  This past week I received a message about a new study published in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry  (there's one for your coffee table) titled Inflamed Moods:  A Review of the Interactions Between Inflammation and Mood Disorders . As the title of the journal might suggest, the content of the article was a bit....thick; but nevertheless reports on some really interesting findings for those who live with chronic inflammatory conditions, such as IBD, RA, or lupus. Highlights:  The relationship between mood and inflammation in the body is a 2-way street, and was first recognized in 1887 by Julius Wagner-Jauregg of the University of Vienna, Austria who won the Nobel Prize for his work in 1927. Since then, several research studies have co