FEBRUARY

OFFER E-NEWS

OFFER Education Meetings:

"Jaw and Neck Pain: The Role of Posture and Positioning"
Dawn Duran, Physical Therapist
Canyon Rim Physical Therapy, North Clinic Director
February 1 (Wednesday), 7:00 P.M.
Salt Lake County Complex North Building
2001 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT

"Finding and Judging Medical and Self-Help Information"
Paul Shepherd, Educator, OFFER Board Member
March 1 (Wednesday), 7:00 P.M.
Salt Lake County Complex North Building
2001 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT

OFFER's Education Meetings, the first Wednesday of each month, are free and open to everyone. Park free in the lot at the northeast corner of the complex. See upcoming meeting topics at www.offerutah.org/MEETINGS.htm.

Arthritis Foundation Programs:

Say "Know" to Fibromyalgia Pain
Take the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program, designed for people with arthritis, fibromyalgia and related conditions, to learn how to better manage pain and stress, how to effectively use relaxation and sleep techniques, and for information about medications and alternative therapies.

SPRING SPECIAL: The following spring classes are FREE to participate in (normally $30). Pay only $15 if you wish to keep the textbook Good Living with Fibromyalgia. Pre-registration is required as seats are limited. Pick the date and location that work best for you and call today to sign up.

Gentle Exercise Classes
Looking for an exercise program that will help you, not hurt you? Check out the Arthritis Foundation-sponsored aquatic and dry-land exercise classes, offered at many locations throughout Utah and Idaho. These gentle exercise programs are helpful for many people with FM or CFS.
See http://www.arthritis.org/communities/chapters/SignMeupProg.asp?idchap=62

"In the News" Links:

"Dealing With Guilt" by Linnea Smith Noyes, a Salt Lake City therapist who facilitates a CFS/FM support group (see http://offerutah.org/support.htm for more about the support group)
http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2006/guilt.pdf

"Chronic Pain: Solidify Your Social Support" by the Mayo Clinic
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/PN/00012.html

"CFS Redefined. Again."
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Emory University propose standardized tools for research and clinical evaluation of chronic fatigue syndrome.
http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2006/cdc-study.asp

Support OFFER and Boost Awareness:

You can support OFFER and boost awareness of FM and CFS, by buying T-shirts or recordings of OFFER conference and Education Meeting sessions. Order online at http://offerutah.org/offersales.htm. Another way to help is by buying turtle jewelry -- a gentle reminder that "slow and steady wins the race" and we must learn to pace -- available at http://www.utahcraftconnections.com/cgi-bin/mojoClassified.cgi?type=search&action=search&step=final&s_username=OFFERHOPE Thank you for your continuing support!

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.

Multidisciplinary Treatment Study
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:

* have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia,
* be between 21 and 65 years of age,
* not exercise more than 30 minutes per week,
* not have heart disease,
* not be pregnant or planning to become pregnant within the next year,
* not be planning any surgery within the next year.

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 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 will contact you when there's a study you may be interested in; of course, you are under no obligation to participate. Your information is kept confidential.

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 web site at www.offerutah.org. Check out the "Resource" section for links to many informative web sites, and for past issues of E-News.

E-News Subscriptions:
Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might be interested. To start your subscription to this free newsletter, send your request to offerregistration@yahoo.com, or fill out the online form on our website at this link; http://www.offerutah.org/e-newsform.html. You may unsubscribe at anytime by clicking the link at the bottom of the E-news. At no time will OFFER ever sell or give your email address or any other personal information to anyone.