Research supported by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) shows that the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin can be an effective treatment for fibromyalgia as reported in an article published by Arthritis & Rheumatism, April 2007. The double-blind study of 150 (15 men, 135 women) with fibromyalgia… Read more

As baby-boomers become senior-boomers arthritis is projected to increase by 40%–affecting 67 million Americans–in the next 2 decades. At issue is improving and managing arthritis pain. Leigh Callahan, PhD, Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, evaluated the basic 8-week Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program. The study showed: The exercise program is suitable for… Read more

For some time pharmaceutical companies have known that the effectiveness for a new medication is greatest in the first year of availability to the public. It has been suggested that the increased effectiveness is the result of a physicians enthusiasm for the new drug. Dan Ariely, behavioral economist, Duke University, and a team of collaborators… Read more

In 1996 slightly less than half of all Social Security disability claims were approved. Of the claims that were approved approximately 28% of them were for mental disorders. Every year there is an increasing number of SSDI psychiatric claims. The problem is because few psychiatrists feel competent in making a determination to render a professional… Read more

Neurochem thought their Alzheimer’s disease drug, Alzhemed, would put them on the map with an anticipated annual sales of $4.5US billion. Clinical trials on Alzheimer’s patients in early to middle stages of the disease were tracked over an 18 month period. During that period the drug showed no discernible difference when compared to the group taking… Read more

Fibromyalgia patients often suffer from chronic pain, but for some reason they find commonly prescribed pain medications are not very effective. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System believe they may know the reason. Pain killers, like Darvocet,Vicodin, and Oxycontin, work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. The study… Read more

When it comes to memory processing, scientists have been able to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe changes in the brain. Previously, researchers observed the medial temporal lobe (MTL) portion of the brain as it activated during memory task. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center set out to identify brain regions related to memory and… Read more

Scientists knew it was happening, but it remained a mystery as to what causes cell death in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). A recent study using cell cultures shows the pathological pathway that leads to the cell death as reported in the Journal of Neuroscience. FTD affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It causes changes in… Read more

Author Lauren Kessler’s mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. She wrote Dancing with Rose, in part for herself, and also, to share her experiences with others who are taking care of loved ones with Alzheimer’s. After her mother’s death, Kessler worked as an unskilled resident assistant in a West Coast Alzheimer’s facility. She wanted to better… Read more

Brigham and Women’s Hospital has released the results of a long-term study involving the effects of beta carotene supplement on dementia. Beta carotene is thought to help fight cellular damage from oxidative stress, which is a major factor in cognitive decline. Although, there was evidence that an antioxidant, like beta carotene, might help preserve cognition previous studies… Read more

Patients with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntinton’s diseases have been found to have deposits of iron in their brain. It is thought that these ‘iron’ deposits are caused by the collapse of the transport system that safely moves iron through our blood stream. Peter Sadler, Professor, University of Warwick, and Sandeep Verma, Professor, Indian Institute of… Read more

As baby-boomers age their risks of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or heart disease increases. Stroke and dementia are the most widely feared age-related neurological diseases, and are also the only neurological disorders listed in the 10 leading causes of disease burden. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) followed 2,794 participants of the Framingham… Read more