• Guaifenesin, most popular choice of FM patients
• The Marshall Protocol - hopeful results emerging
• Drug trial points to durable FM pain relief for many

• The evidence that FM pain is "real" & other abstracts
• Should FM and CFS be separated? & other letters
• A Thanksgiving wish, Inspirations, and more

Sincere Thanksgiving Thanks

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to focus on thanks. First, to all you readers. I can not tell you how touched I am by the continued outpouring of encouragement and support for our efforts, through feedback to the newsletters and in our message boards, such as "The Difficult Road to Recovery."

I have to tell you, however, that it is the people at ProHealth who carry the ball and make the message boards, websites, and free e-mail newsletters happen. I wish I could take credit, but I can not. If any thanks is deserved, it should certainly go to the dedicated team of workers at ProHealth. I would also like to thank the amazing moderators on the ProHealth message boards. Without them, this thing would grind to a halt. Thank you Carlene, Sharon, Shirl. You are the best.

That said, we have many plans for improvement, and in that effort your personal contributions will be our guiding star: We invite each of you to share ideas and discoveries that may help other patients; comment on what you like and don't like about our newsletters, website, and catalog; and suggest information and services that you believe might be helpful. Write us a Letter .

Above all, I know I speak for the entire ProHealth team in emphasizing our continued dedication to empowering the patient community in the year ahead.

Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving,

Rich Carson
ProHealth Founder and CFS Patient

PS: I'm honored that Karen Lee Richards, a pillar of the FM advocacy community and a co-founder of the National Fibromyalgia Association, has written a profile of me and ProHealth that helps explain what this organization is about.

Meet Rich Carson, one of the first FM & CFS fundraisers

This profile, the first in Karen Lee Richards' "People Who Are Making a Difference" series, from her About.com Guide to FM and CFS, recalls how Rich created ProHealth early in his illness as a tool for generating research funds.   more

Guaifenesin - the most popular choice of FM patients

The centuries-old bark extract guaifenesin - valued for its expectorant and mucous thinning properties - has been the most widely and consistently selected health support product among FM patients for many years. The advent of a stomach-friendly "fast acting" delivery mode has further increased guaifenesin's popularity. And many FM patients are reporting positive results with the experimental "Guaifenesin Protocol" developed by eminent UCLA researcher R. Paul St. Amand, MD.   more

The Marshall Protocol for FM and CFS - Hopeful Results Emerging

Many patients with FM, CFS, lupus, RA, Lyme disease, and other chronic "Th1" conditions are reporting life-changing improvements with a new protocol developed by Trevor Marshall, PhD. Ability to benefit is gauged by two blood tests.   more

Drug Cut FM Pain Significantly For Many in Eight-Month Trial

Research presented at last week's American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting points to significant, extended pain relief for many FM patients with the drug pregabalin (Lyrica®).   more

• Pain specialist details evidence FM pain is "real?"
  
  
• Are patients with lupus at increased risk for FM?
  
  
• Coexistence of FM, TMJ, and masticatory myofascial pain syndromes
  
  
• Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) Pain and Dysfunction
  
  
• At the Crossroads Between Tension-type Headache and FM
  
  
• Posttraumatic stress disorder, tenderness, FM: Different entities?
  
  
• Cognitive Dysfunction in FM & CFS: New Trends, Future Directions
  
  
• Lessons Learned Combining One-Patient Trials to Assess FM Therapies
  
  
• Symptom Intensity Scale, FM, and Meaning of FM-like Symptoms
  
  
• Higher Prevalence of FM in Patients Infected with HTLV-1
  
  
• Physical & emotional stress and altered reactivity of autonomic psychophysiological responses in patients with FM
  
  
• How FM changes women's lives and positioning in society
  
  
• Genetic predictors of acute and chronic pain
  
  

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious and your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs!
- Unknown

Hopelessness Brings Hope

Many of us at one time or another have been on our knees in pain: feeling hopeless. We were desperately looking for a trace of something that would bring us to our feet again. That trace of something was hope. As time passed, our hopelessness was transformed into hope.

We had discovered we wanted to fight more than we wanted to give up. Our hopelessness had become our greatest asset. Our lives had to improve. We couldn't see ourselves living in despair any longer. We wanted and believed our lives could change if we began feeling hope rather than hopelessness.

From Living With Chronic Pain One Day At A Time, by Mark Allan Zabawa

Published by ProHealth, Inc., ImmuneSupport.com is the Web's largest resource for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Since 1988, ProHealth has raised and donated over 2.5 million dollars to CFS and FM research and advocacy groups seeking a cure. We believe in "commerce with compassion."

Every purchase made at ImmuneSupport.com funds research - as does every purchase made from ProHealth's Health Resource catalog.

Visit ImmuneSupport.com

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