Slideshows

  • 7 Conditions Often Mistaken for Fibromyalgia 7 Conditions Often Mistaken for Fibromyalgia

    It's not at all unusual for fibromyalgia to be misdiagnosed as another condition and vice versa, as symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar to that of other illnesses and there are no lab tests to definitively identify fibromyalgia. Here are seven conditions commonly mistaken for fibromyalgia.
  • Easing Nighttime Fibromyalgia Pain Easing Nighttime Fibromyalgia Pain A look at ways you can better manage your fibromyalgia pain and get a more restful night's sleep.
  • 5 Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction 5 Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction 5 signs that you may be moving from prescription medication use to drug abuse.
  • 7 Natural Ways to Ease Back Pain 7 Natural Ways to Ease Back Pain

    In this slideshow, we look at 7 natural methods you can use to ease both chronic and acute back pain.
  • Top 10 Health Tweets of the Week - July 1 Top 10 Health Tweets of the Week - July 1 Celebrating long-term weight loss, banning tanning beds, and making healthy lunch choices are all in our list this week. Read the list and see if you missed any important health news.
  • 10 Questions to Ask to Evaluate Your Doctor 10 Questions to Ask to Evaluate Your Doctor Are you less than satisfied with your doctor? Should you look for another? Answer these 10 questions to find out if you should be searching for a new doctor.
  • 9 Tips for Giving Your Medicine Cabinet a Check-Up 9 Tips for Giving Your Medicine Cabinet a Check-Up It is important to clean out and update your medicine cabinet on a regular basis. Here are some tips for doing so.
  • 18 Questions to Ask About a New Medication 18 Questions to Ask About a New Medication

    Since it's your body and your health that could be at risk, you have both the right and the responsibility to know everything you can about the medications you are taking.
  • Top 10 Things NOT to Say to a Fibromyalgia Patient Top 10 Things NOT to Say to a Fibromyalgia Patient Fibromyalgia awareness has come a long way. But that doesn't stop people from making insensitive comments. There's still a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about this painful illness. Expert Patient Karen Lee Richards gives 10 examples of things NOT to say to a fibromyalgia patient.
  • 7 Tips for Surgery with Fibromyalgia 7 Tips for Surgery with Fibromyalgia If you have fibromyalgia and are facing a surgical procedure, you may have heard horror stories about post-operative flare-ups and long, painful recovery periods. While it’s true your recuperation period may take longer than the average person, there are steps that can be taken to reduce your pain levels and minimize your chances of a severe flare.
  • 8 Things You Didn't Know About Restless Legs Syndrome 8 Things You Didn't Know About Restless Legs Syndrome

    A recent study found that there was a greater risk and higher prevalence of restless legs syndrome in adults with fibromyalgia than in healthy controls. With new fibromyalgia drugs available on the market, it is better understood than some other chronic pain conditions, including restless legs syndrome.
  • 7 Things You Didn't Know About Your Pain Medication 7 Things You Didn't Know About Your Pain Medication Often people only know their pain medication by its brand name – like Vicodin or Percocet. All they care about is whether or not it relieves their pain. But knowing what is in those drugs can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
  • 5 Supplements for Fibroymalgia Pain 5 Supplements for Fibroymalgia Pain The pain of fibromyalgia can be difficult to get under control. For most of us it takes a combination of medication, gentle exercise, complementary/alternative therapies and lifestyle changes to achieve any significant degree of effective pain control.
  • 8 Energy-Boosting Supplements for Fighting Fibromyalgia Fatigue 8 Energy-Boosting Supplements for Fighting Fibromyalgia Fatigue Fatigue, often extreme fatigue, is a key symptom of fibromyalgia. For many, it can be even more debilitating than the pain.
  • Backpacks Weighing Your Kids Down?: Healthy Back to School Tips Backpacks Weighing Your Kids Down?: Healthy Back to School Tips Lugging around textbooks, a laptop, and multiple binders in overloaded backpacks can be harmful for your kids. Heavy backpacks can compress shoulders, spine, and lower back.. Overworking the back can strain muscles, which increases the risk for injury and poor posture in young growing bodies. Follow these backpack safety tips from the doctors at the American Academy of Pediatrics and the folks from the American Physical Therapy Association.
  • Why Yoga May Soothe Many Types of Chronic Pain Why Yoga May Soothe Many Types of Chronic Pain A two-hour weekly Hatha yoga class that combines poses with meditation and discussion may help people who suffer from fibromyalgia and chronic pain, such as arthritis.
  • Fall's 5 Most Dangerous Chores Fall's 5 Most Dangerous Chores
  • FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Banning Vicodin and Percocet FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Banning Vicodin and Percocet

    An FDA advisory panel recently recommended banning Vicodin and Percocet – two of the most popular painkiller available – due to concerns about the amount of acetaminophen in the drugs. Karen Lee Richards discusses the recommendation.
  • 7 Surprising Causes of Back Pain 7 Surprising Causes of Back Pain
  • 8 Conditions That Often Accompany Back Pain 8 Conditions That Often Accompany Back Pain
  • Tips for Controlling Pain While Cooking for Thanksgiving Tips for Controlling Pain While Cooking for Thanksgiving Instead of avoiding the kitchen, now is the perfect time to plan a way to control pain while you cook. Dr. Christina Lasich provides six ways to help you control pain while you cook.
  • 10 Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress 10 Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress The holiday season tends to be stressful for everyone, but the stress can be magnified when you’re in chronic pain. Since stress tends to increase pain, it’s important to plan ahead and do whatever you can to reduce your stress during the holidays. Here are some tips from Karen Lee Richards that might help.
  • 10 Tips for Holiday Shopping with Chronic Pain 10 Tips for Holiday Shopping with Chronic Pain Holiday shopping doesn't have to be overwhelming, though. The key is planning ahead. Here are 10 tips to help make your holiday shopping more pleasant and less painful.
  • 10 Money-Saving Tips for Pain Relief 10 Money-Saving Tips for Pain Relief Pain relief does not have to cause a financial meltdown. Here are some tips for the pennywise looking for both economic relief and pain relief.
  • 8 Tips for Driving Responsibly While Taking Medication 8 Tips for Driving Responsibly While Taking Medication Probably the single most important rule is to assume is that any medications your doctor prescribes could impair your driving. Driving Under the Influence, or DUI, refers to operating a motor vehicle while impaired by the effects of alcohol or other drugs. Follow these Dos and Don'ts for safe driving.
  • 10 Tips for Starting a Support Group 10 Tips for Starting a Support Group If you lead or are thinking about leading a support group, here are 10 tips that will help you manage your group more effectively.
  • 6 Tips for Improving Relationships with Chronic Pain 6 Tips for Improving Relationships with Chronic Pain Relationships are often one of the biggest casualties of chronic pain. A recent news story got me to thinking about the toll any kind of illness, particularly a chronic illness, takes on relationships.
  • 10 Causes of Low Back Pain 10 Causes of Low Back Pain

    The origin of the pain is often unknown, and imaging studies may fail to determine its cause. Disk disease, spinal arthritis, and muscle spasms are the most common diagnoses. Other problems can also cause back pain, however.
  • 10 Ways to Prevent Back Pain 10 Ways to Prevent Back Pain

    Back pain affects the lives of countless Americans. From young children who carry a backpack full of books to adults who lift with their backs instead of the legs, back pain is largely preventable. Follow these simple tips to help stay pain free!
  • Common Foods that Cause Pain Common Foods that Cause Pain

    Some foods can help avoid pain; others can cause more trouble than they are worth. From intolerances to chemicals in food, know what you're eating to help avoid pain!
  • 7 Fibromyalgia Symptoms 7 Fibromyalgia Symptoms Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain illness characterized by widespread pain, general fatigue and sleep disturbances. Because much of the pain and tenderness experienced with fibromyalgia is felt in the muscles and soft tissues, for many years FM was thought to be a musculoskeletal disorder. However, new brain-imaging techniques and scientific studies are revealing that fibromyalgia is better defined as a central nervous system disorder resulting in abnormal pain processing.
  • 5 Tips for Treating Shoulder Pain 5 Tips for Treating Shoulder Pain Very few joints in the body work harder than the shoulder joint. Pushing, pulling, reaching, lifting; the shoulder does it all. And all that work can lead to a painful problem like rotator cuff tendonitis, a rotator cuff tear, shoulder bursitis, or shoulder arthritis. How can you keep that shoulder moving comfortably and get through some shoulder aches and pains?
  • 5 Ways to Avoid Carpal Tunnel at Work 5 Ways to Avoid Carpal Tunnel at Work

    Carpal tunnel syndrome is a very painful condition caused by excessive compression on the primary nerve in the wrist. Overtime many work habits contribute to the development of carpal tunnel. Here are five ways to avoid carpal tunnel at work.
  • How to Get the Most from a Physical Therapy Tune-Up How to Get the Most from a Physical Therapy Tune-Up When a car starts running a little rough, the first thought is to take it in for a tune-up. When the human body starts sputtering, why not get a physical therapy tune-up? Check the muscle strength. Check the balance. Check the body mechanics. Even someone who has had a painful problem for years can benefit from a system-wide check, especially if the pain has been getting worse lately.
  • Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Fibromyalgia Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is still largely misunderstood by the general public, though it appears that doctors are beginning to unlock some mysteries of the disease. Doctors use diagnostic criteria to define the condition, though patients may still have questions about the disease.
  • The FDA Drug Approval Process The FDA Drug Approval Process Ever wonder why medications are so expensive? The FDA approval process is long and arduous for many pharmaceutical companies. The investments are massive and the time needed to conduct the appropriate rounds of testing can take years, even decades. Granted, the FDA is invested in the safety and efficacy of medication – and rightly so. Join us on a peek behind the curtain on how a drug gets approved.
  • Tips for Exercising with Fibromyalgia Tips for Exercising with Fibromyalgia In the early years following my fibromyalgia diagnosis, when doctors and others suggested I should be exercising, I wanted to smack them. (Would that count as exercise?) After all, it hurt to move. Why would I want to add to my pain by exercising? Then I learned several important things about fibromyalgia and exercise.
  • 10 Common Chronic Pain Myths 10 Common Chronic Pain Myths Despite the fact that chronic pain affects near 100 million American adults, it is still very misunderstood by society at large and sometimes even by the patients themselves. Following are 10 of the most common myths regarding chronic pain.
  • 10 Affordable Pain Solutions 10 Affordable Pain Solutions

    Are you in a financial pinch and living with pain? We can't help you with your financial problems, but we can give you some ideas to help ease your pain. You need affordable pain solutions like these...
  • 7 Reasons to Question a Published Study 7 Reasons to Question a Published Study

    Every day, new studies are published on a variety of health-related topics - Eating X can help speed weight loss; Treatment Y can reduce heart attack risk and Option Z can help treat cancer.  But if these studies are so authoritative, why do new discoveries rarely make their way into common practice? Here are seven reasons to raise an eyebrow towards study results.
  • 5 Things to Know About Lady Gaga's Case of Synovitis 5 Things to Know About Lady Gaga's Case of Synovitis

    Just about two weeks ago, superstar Lady Gaga canceled the rest of her tour due to a joint condition called "synovitis," a condition that made most of us scratch our heads and ask "what's that?" Here are the basics to what sounds like a very painful condition. 
  • 8 Dos and Don'ts for Opioid Safety 8 Dos and Don'ts for Opioid Safety

    Practicing opioid safety will not only help protect the person for whom the medication is prescribed, but will also go a long way in helping to prevent prescription drug abuse that can affect friends and family.  
  • 5 Ways to Sleep Better with Low Back Pain 5 Ways to Sleep Better with Low Back Pain