E-News from OFFER and the Arthritis Foundation
November, 2005
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from the Organization for Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Education and Research,
and the Arthritis Foundation Utah/Idaho Chapter
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In This Issue:
Please note: the inclusion of information in this newsletter does not constitute or imply endorsement by OFFER or the Arthritis Foundation Utah/Idaho Chapter. Please consult your physician before using any medication or therapy.


Next OFFER Education Meeting:

"Neurological Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia"
Dr. Landon Beales , Internist and OFFER Board Member
November 2 (Wednesday), 7:00 P.M.
Salt Lake County Complex North Building
2001 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT
Education Meetings are free and open to everyone -- so bring your loved ones.  Park free in the lot at the northeast corner of the complex. See upcoming meeting topics at offerutah.org/MEETINGS.html.


Arthritis Foundation Events:

Inaugural Young Adult Arthritis Social/Seminar
"Arthritis, Artists and Ambition"
November 17 (Thursday), 7:00 to 8:00 P.M.
7:00 P.M. View the documentary "Spectre of Hope," then stay for the social hour in the main hall at 8:00 P.M.
Salt Lake City Public Library, Auditorium
210 East 400 South
Salt Lake City, UT

Healthy Living with Arthritis of the Hand
November 8 (Tuesday), 6:30 to 7:30 P.M.
Auditorium, The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital
5848 South Fashion Place Blvd. (300 East)
Murray, UT

For more information and registration for upcoming Arthritis Foundation programs and services, see
http://www.arthritis.org /Communities/Chapters/SignMeUpProg.asp?SortBy=Date&idChap=62. And explore the resources throughout the Arthritis.org web site.


"In the News" Link s:

"New Study Shows Lyrica [Pregabalin] Helps Reduce Fibromyalgia Pain"
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=6384

"Treat Pain with [Ribose] Sugar"
Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum announces results of an open-label study of a supplement for FM and CFS.
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=12382

" Guidelines for Improving Communication"
by Dennis Turk, Ph.D.
http://fmaware.org/fmOnlineNews letter/2005/vol5_no2/article_guidelines.htm

Arthritis Today's 2005 Drug Guide
http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/DrugGuide/index.asp

CFS Specimen Bank Planned
The Wisconsin CFS Association is raising funds for the first universal access specimen bank for CFS. Blood and tissue from CFS patients will be kept at Milwaukee's Institute for Viral Pathogenesis, to be available for research.
http://www.wicfs-me.org/casey_fero_blood_blank.htm

Tell Your Doctor: Free Online CME About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The Centers for Disease Control and the CFIDS Association of America have joined forces to offer a free online Continuing Medical Education course. Entitled "CFS: Diagnosis and Management," the course is available at http://www.cfids.org/treatcfs/default.asp through Jan. 31, 2006; doctors and nurses can earn up to 2 CME credits. The faculty includes: the CDC's William C. Reeves, M.D., M.Sc.; DePaul University's Leonard Jason, Ph.D., author of a landmark CFS epidemiological study; and Nancy Klimas, M.D., principal investigator for the University of Miami School of Medicine's Center for Multidisciplinary Studies of CFS. (Both Dr. Klimas and Dr. Jason have spoken at OFFER conferences.)

National Fibromyalgia Association 2006 National Patient Summit
The NFA's annual conference will be held March 17-19, 2006, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orange County, California. Registration for the patient program is $260 until Jan. 1, or $310 at the door. A CME conference for health-care providers and researchers, on the same dates at the same location, is $395 until Jan. 18, or $500 at the door. For more information, see fmaware.org.    


FM Studies Seek Participants:

"Is There Pain Relief That May Keep My Active Lifestyle on Course?" 
Dr. Lucinda Bateman is currently conducting a research study to see how well an investigational medication taken twice daily for fibromyalgia may relieve your pain. If you are at least 18 years old and have FM, you may qualify for this study. Qualified participants will receive all study-related exams and medication at no cost. To learn more, contact Ali Allen, R.N., at 604-6637, 1002 E. South Temple, Suite 408, Salt Lake City, UT 84102, or email fcclinic@xmission.com, to let them know of your interest in the study, and how and when to contact you.

The University of Utah's Fibromyalgia Research Team is seeking participants for a study involving comprehensive rehabilitative treatment for FMS. To be eligible, patients must:
The study includes comprehensive medical, physical therapy, and pain psychology evaluations. Participants will be asked to do home assessments monitoring their FMS symptoms for 7 days. Treatment includes active physical therapy, physical education and counseling. All treatments will be group format of 2 hours per session for 10  consecutive weeks. Evaluations and treatments are provided at no cost to eligible participants.  For more details, see painresearch.utah.edu/clinical/index.htm and click on the link for "Treatment Program for Fibromyalgia." To volunteer for the study, call (801) 585-7697 or send email to pain.research@hsc.utah.edu .


Interested in Participating in Future Research? : 

Interested in participating in future Fibromyalgia or CFS research? Just fill out the registration form at offerutah.org/OFFERSurvey.htm and mail it to OFFER at 1002 E. South Temple, Suite 408, Salt Lake City, UT 84102. OFFER-approved researchers will contact you when there's a study you may be interested in; of course, you are under no obligation to participate. 


Help Build OFFER's Referral List:

We need your help in expanding OFFER's list of health care professionals who treat FM and CFS. If you are a patient and would like to recommend someone, please email offerregistration@yahoo.com, giving the practitioner's name, title, address, and phone number, along with a brief description of how that person helped you. OFFER will contact the practitioners to ensure they are willing to be included on the referral list. Interested practitioners also are invited to contact OFFER at offerregistration@yahoo.com. The referral list is online at offerutah.org/doctors.htm.  


Other Support Groups in Utah :

See offerutah.org/support.html for a list of other support groups around the state. These include patient-led and professionally facilitated groups.  To suggest a group for this list, please contact OFFER at offerregistration@yahoo.com.


Learn More About OFFER:  

Visit OFFER's website at  www.offerutah.org . Check out our "Resource" section for links to many informative web sites.


Subscriptions:

Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might be interested. To start or stop your subscription to this free newsletter, send your request to offerregistration@yahoo.com .