Managing Seven Common Conditions Without Medication

Although the following article does not mention Fibromyalgia specifically, many FibroFighters suffer from the following conditions as a result of, or in addition to, their FMS…

We’ve gotten used to taking pills for everything that ails us, but medications have side effects and cost money. The April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter takes a look at how to manage seven common conditions without taking medication. It takes some discipline, but in many cases, the nonpharmacological approach can do as much as pills.

Here’s a brief look at the conditions and treatments.

Arthritis

There’s a good chance that losing weight will make arthritis less painful. Combine weight loss with exercise and you may have less pain and more mobility. Even for those who don’t need to lose weight, exercise that doesn’t put “load” on the joints reduces pain.

Cholesterol

Your LDL level may drop by 5% or so if you keep foods high in saturated fat off the menu. Additional soluble fiber may reduce LDL levels as well. So can margarines fortified with sterols.

Cognitive decline

Memory training and other “brain exercises” seem to help healthy older people stay sharp. But physical exercise may benefit the brain more than mental gymnastics.

Depression

Studies have shown that regular physical activity can have a potent antidepressant effect.

Diabetes

Regular physical activity is a powerful brake on blood sugar levels as well, because exercised muscle becomes more receptive to the insulin that helps it pull sugar in from the bloodstream. Eating fewer sweets and easy-to-digest carbohydrates also helps control blood sugar levels.

High blood pressure

Losing weight, getting more exercise, and eating less sodium all lower blood pressure.

Osteoporosis

Weight-bearing exercise puts stress on bones, and bone tissue reacts by getting stronger and denser, fending off osteoporotic processes. Extra vitamin D and calcium top the list of dietary recommendations.

Adapted from materials provided by Harvard Health Letter, via Newswise.

Article found at Science Daily

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Clinical Trial: Effect of Amitriptyline on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

by H Vahedi, et al.

04-26-2008

[Amitryptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that supports increased concentration of the neurotransmitters serotonin & noradrenaline]  

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists. Although several randomized-controlled trials have assessed the therapeutic role of antidepressant drugs, there is insufficient evidence to support their use.

Aim: To compare the effects of low-dose amitriptyline in the treatment of diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome in a double-blind randomized-controlled trial.

Methods: Fifty-four patients who fulfilled Rome II criteria for diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome were included in this study. Organic causes were ruled out by standard laboratory and radiological tests, and rectosigmoidoscopy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg amitriptyline daily or placebo. Subjects were followed up for 2 months and symptoms were assessed using a questionnaire. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis was performed.

Results: Fifty patients completed the study. At 2 months, the amitriptyline group showed greater (P < 0.05) reduction in the incidence of loose stool and feeling of incomplete defecation. Patients receiving amitriptyline showed greater complete response, defined as loss of all symptoms, compared with those receiving placebo (68% vs. 28%, P = 0.01). Adverse effects were similar between the two groups.

Conclusion: Amitriptyline may be effective in the treatment of diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and at low dose is well tolerated.

Source: Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. April 2008;27(8):678-84. Vahedi H, Merat S, Momtahen S, Kazzazi AS, Ghaffari N, Olfati G, Malekzadeh R.Digestive Disease Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Medical Sciences/University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Article found at ImmuneSupport.com 

 
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STUDY: Protein Degradation Connection to Memory Quality

Although the following article was primarily geared toward Alzheimer’s patients, the ramifications of the findings could provide great hope and promise for FMS-sufferers who battle daily issues with memory retention…

FRIDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) — A new report finds that where protein-destroying machines reside in the brain’s nerve cells may help determine how memories are formed, a finding that may play a role in future treatments for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers studying mice discovered that cylinder-shaped proteasomes, which help control protein levels, play different roles in controlling synapse strength depending on where they are in the nerve cells of the hippocampus, an area of the brain linked to memory. 

When humans or animals learn and store information in their memory, these connections between cells become stronger or weaker, Ashok Hegde, associate professor of neurolobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest, said in a prepared statement. For example, if people learn to do something better, such as playing softball, the synapses that control hand-eye coordination will become stronger. If they learn to ignore something, such as the barking of a neighbor’s dog, then the synapses that control paying attention will become weaker. 

The findings were published in the current issue of Learning & Memory. 

It is known that the degradation of proteins, which are made by cells to control cell functions, plays an important role in memory function. The team found that proteasomes in the dendrites — the branched parts of a neuron that conduct electrical stimulation — limit the connection strength between cells. Proteasomes in the nucleus, which contains the cell’s genetic material, help maintain synapse strength for long periods of time. 

The researchers are now trying to learn how to block proteasome activity specifically in the dendrites of mice to increase the strength of synapses and of memory. In their ongoing studies, the mice will be analyzed on how well they can learn to navigate a maze. 

“If we see a memory enhancement when we block the proteasome in dendrites, we can use this strategy to treat memory loss,” Hegde said.

Article found at Yahoo!Health

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Fibromyalgia and Herbal Medications

by Carol Burckhardt PhD

A friend passed along this “A history of medicine” the other day.  Seen on the Internet, I believe.  So I’m certain that it’s academically sound and thoroughly reviewed for accuracy.  It went something like this: 

2500 BC - for this illness, eat this root

1000 AD - that root is heathen, say this prayer

1850 AD - that prayer is old-fashioned, buy this patent medicine

1950 AD - that medicine is snake oil, take this antibiotic

1997 AD - that antibiotic is ineffective, eat this root 

The last few years of this decade have seen an enormous upsurge of interest in herbal medicines, natural remedies, or alternative therapies.  Whether from western folk tradition, Native American culture, Chinese medicine, or a myriad of other geographic locations, times or cultures, it is clear that people today are searching for ways to heal themselves or be healed.  The inability of modern western medicine to treat effectively chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia (FM) have lead most people with chronic conditions to seek other means of help and healing.  In fact, well over two-thirds of people with chronic rheumatic conditions use so-called alternative therapies“. Because the use of natural substances is never far from the front pages these days, I thought I would ponder a bit on how they can help life to go on. 

It’s a confusing world out there.  What’s a medicine?  What’s a supplement?  What’s natural?   What’s an herb?

Medicine - any substance taken into the body in order to modify one or more of its functions.  In current terms, this may mean that the substance has therapeutic value; that is, it modifies an abnormality, like lowering high blood pressure.  Or the substance may have preventive value in that it boosts the body’s ability to ward off potential disease, like taking antioxidants. 

Supplement - these are substances that are added to what a person already ingests or manufactures.  For example, vitamins and minerals taken by pill form supplement what we get in the foods we eat.

Natural - usually defined as not artificial, coming from nature.  When referring to medicines or supplements it usually means coming from a source in nature and not manufactured through chemical means.  The term is also used to mean that nothing has been added.

Herb - defined in botany as a plant with a soft stem and little wood, esp. an aromatic plant used in medicine or seasoning.  But the word also may mean any plant or plant part used for medicinal purposes, a more broad definition. If you are going to try herbal medicines, here are some thoughts on what you might want to know before you swallow them:

In the United States herbal medicines are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as long as they are marketed as food, food additives or dietary supplements and do not make medical claims on the bottle label.  In fact an herbal product cannot be removed from the market until the government has proved that it is harmful.  This is unlike a drug company which has to prove that its product is safe and produces desired results before it can be marketed.  In contrast, Germany has a commission set up specifically to examine the claims of herbal products and ensure their safety.  While the commission does not require that the herbal remedy be proven effective, it does publish summaries of research studies that give prescribers’ and consumers information about which parts of a plant are safe to use, active chemicals , potential side effects, dosage and possible interactions with other drugs.  Now one might think that such regulation would put a damper on the herbal industry.  Not in Germany.  St. John’s Wort, for example, is prescribed 25 times more often for depression than Prozac.  Gingko biloba is widely prescribed for circulatory disorders.

What the above data from Germany is telling us is that some herbs are powerful remedies for common physical disorders.  Here in the USA, the government and mainline medicine seem to treat them as if they are largely harmless and beneficial only for gullible people.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Some plants and herbs are poisonous, known to cause cancer and liver damage, or dangerous to persons with heart conditions.  And some are safe and effective. 

If you want to try herbal medicines, there are several sources of information that can help you make an informed decision. The clerk in the health food store is not one of them nor is most of the sales material produced by the manufacturers.  On the other hand, neither is your health-care provider, most likely.  He or she probably does not know much, if anything about herbs, and has been educated only in the use of mainline pharmaceuticals.  The following books might be of help:

Carol Newall and others, Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Health Care Professionals

Varro Tyler, Herbs of Choice and The Honest Herbal 

Or check out the website for the Herb Research Foundation at www.herbs.org.

Article found at Myalgia.com

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Genetic Predisposition Toward Depression May Trigger Fibromyalgia

By Joan Arehart-Treichel

Major depression and fibromyalgia appear to share a common genetic risk factor or factors. One such factor could be dysfunction in the serotonin neurotransmitter system.

The origin of fibromyalgia—a syndrome characterized by widespread pain and generalized tender points—is elusive. Psychologically stressful events do not seem to trigger or reawaken fibromyalgia pain, a recent study of persons impacted by the events of September 11, 2001, suggested (Psychiatric News, January 17, 2003).

In contrast, since patients with fibromyalgia often have a history of major depressive disorder, it’s possible that a genetic predisposition toward depression triggers fibromyalgia. Findings pointing to this hypothesis were reported in the July issue of Pain. The study was headed by Karen Raphael, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry at New Jersey Medical School.

Even as early as the 1940s, there were suspicions that fibromyalgia and depression were closely intertwined. Since then, numerous studies have found that fibromyalgia patients are at increased risk for major depression. Some researchers, in fact, are convinced that fibromyalgia is a psychiatric disorder, and some people in the field have suggested that the term “fibromyalgia” be replaced by terms such as “affective spectrum disorder” or “somatoform pain disorder.”

So Raphael and her coworkers decided to investigate whether fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder share a common familial predisposition or genetic origin. They decided to limit their study to women, since fibromyalgia is markedly more prevalent in women.

First they called women in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area to locate subjects who had fibromyalgia, a history of a major depressive disorder, both illnesses, or neither illness. They ended up with 274 individuals, whom they divided into four groups: 68 persons with both fibromyalgia and a history of major depressive disorder; 22 with fibromyalgia but no history of major depressive disorder, 144 without fibromyalgia but with a history of major depressive disorder, and 40 persons with neither fibromyalgia nor major depressive disorder.

The researchers then attempted to contact as many of the first-degree relatives of the subjects in the above four groups as possible. They made contact with 659 in all. They then looked to see how many relatives of subjects in each of the four groups had ever had a major depressive disorder and compared the numbers for the four groups. They found that the rates of major depressive disorder were elevated to a comparable level in relatives of persons in the first three groups compared with the fourth group. In other words, relatives of subjects who had fibromyalgia but no major depression turned out to have the same elevated risk of major depression as did relatives of subjects who had major depression themselves.

This finding, the researchers concluded, implies that “fibromyalgia is a depression spectrum disorder, in which fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder are characterized by shared, familially mediated risk factors…. The pattern of results leads us to reject the hypothesis that the comorbidity of fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder is due to reactive depression, as a function of the stress of living with fibromyalgia.”

What are the implications of these results for psychiatrists? “Our findings don’t mean that depression is a form of somatization, `masked depression,’ or a psychiatric disorder itself,” Raphael told Psychiatric News. “This concept is highly stigmatizing to fibromyalgia patients and not at all helpful. Although we write that our results support the view of fibromyalgia as a `depression spectrum disorder,’ we shouldn’t be misled by that terminology. One could just as easily say that `major depression is a fibromyalgia-spectrum disorder’ or, if we could clearly identify the shared pathogenic mechanism, that both major depression and fibromyalgia are perhaps `serotonergic system dysfunction disorders.’”

Rollin Gallagher, M.D., a psychiatrist and pain medicine specialist at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the co-authors of the study, also discussed the implications of the study for psychiatrists in an interview. “It appears that chronic pain of certain types related to bodily injury of some sort or another seems to lead to depression in people who aren’t even vulnerable [to depression] based on family or personal history,” he said, “whereas fibromyalgia is a different story—a story of people who appear to be vulnerable based on family history to both depression and fibromyalgia. This is not surprising since there is a high rate of comorbidity, but also since fibromyalgia is a central nervous system disorder of modulation of sensation—in other words, there is a change in the perception of pain in people with fibromyalgia so nonpainful stimuli cause pain. That is a central nervous system phenomenon, not a peripheral disease.”

In terms of treatment for fibromyalgia, he added, “there is some good news…. Some of the antidepressants that work for depression [such as] serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.. .seem to work for both fibromyalgia and depression. So psychiatrists should feel comfortable in treating fibromyalgia with that kind of medication and also supporting fibromyalgia patients in other ways.”

Yet another study to see whether fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder cluster in families has been conducted by Leslie Arnold, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues. But instead of using individuals with major depressive disorder as a comparison group, they used rheumatoid arthritis patients. They too found that fibromyalgia and major depressive disorder co-aggregate in families and reported their findings in the March Arthritis and Rheumatism.

“I was very excited to see Karen Raphael’s results because they confirm our findings,” Arnold told Psychiatric News. “Both studies obtained similar findings using different designs, lending support to the hypothesis that mood disorders and fibromyalgia share common familial determinates…. Future work to understand the shared determinates should command a high priority.”

The study by Raphael and her team was financed by the National Institutes of Health.

^{Article found at Psychiatric News}

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Research Explains Why Painkillers Don’t Work for Fibromyalgia

One of the most frustrating and perplexing things about fibromyalgia pain is that the medications used to treat other types of pain often have little effect on it. New research may help explain why.

In a study comparing people with fibromyalgia to people without it, researchers at the University of Michigan Health System found that those with the condition had reduced binding ability of a type of receptor in the brain that is the target of opioid pain medications such as morphine.

The reduced availability of the receptor, called mu-opioid receptor (MOR), was associated with greater pain among people with fibromyalgia, according to the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.  “These findings could explain why opioids are anecdotally thought to be ineffective in people with fibromyalgia,” says lead author Richard E. Harris,Ph.D. “The finding is significant because it has been difficult to determine the causes of pain in patients with fibromyalgia, to the point that acceptance of the condition by medical practitioners has been slow.”

Interestingly, this same finding may help explain a possible link between fibromyalgia and depression. PET scans showed that the fibromyalgia patients with more depressive symptoms had reductions of MOR binding potential in the amygdala, a region of the brain thought to modulate mood and the emotional dimension of pain. 9/28/07

Article found at Arthritis.org

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Accomodation and Compliance For Employees With Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Introduction

JAN’s Accommodation and Compliance Series is designed to help employers determine effective accommodations and comply with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each publication in the series addresses a specific medical condition and provides information about the condition, ADA information, accommodation ideas, and resources for additional information.

The Accommodation and Compliance Series is a starting point in the accommodation process and may not address every situation. Accommodations should be made on a case by case basis, considering each employee’s individual limitations and accommodation needs. Employers are encouraged to contact JAN to discuss specific situations in more detail.

For information on assistive technology and other accommodation ideas, visit JAN’s Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar.  

Fibromyalgia and the Americans With Disabilities Act

Is Fibromyalgia a disability under the ADA?

The ADA does not contain a list of medical conditions that constitute disabilities. Instead, the ADA has a general definition of disability that each person must meet (EEOC, 1992). Therefore, some people with fibromyalgia will have a disability under the ADA and some will not.

A person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment (EEOC, 1992). For more information about how to determine whether a person has a disability under the ADA, visit http://www.jan.wvu.edu/corner/vol02iss04.htm.

Accomodating Employees with Fibromyalgia

(Note: People with FMS may develop some of the limitations discussed below, but seldom develop all of them. Also, the degree of limitation will vary among individuals. Be aware that not all people with FMS will need accommodations to perform their jobs and many others may only need a few accommodations. The following is only a sample of the possibilities available. Numerous other accommodation solutions may exist.)

Questions to Consider:

1. What limitations is the employee with the FMS experiencing?

2. How do these limitations affect the employee and the employee’s job performance?

3. What specific job tasks are problematic as a result of these limitations?

4. What accommodations are available to reduce or eliminate these problems? Are all possible resources being used to determine possible accommodations?

5. Has the employee with the FMS been consulted regarding possible accommodations?

6. Once accommodations are in place, would it be useful to meet with the employee with the FMS to evaluate the effectiveness of the accommodations and to determine whether additional accommodations are needed?

7. Do supervisory personnel and employees need training regarding FMS?

Accommodation Ideas:

Concentration Issues:

Provide written job instructions when possible
Prioritize job assignments and provide more structure
Allow flexible work hours and allow a self-pace workload
Allow periodic rest periods to reorient
Provide memory aids, such as schedulers or organizers
Minimize distractions
Reduce job stress

Depression and Anxiety:

Reduce distractions in work environment
Provide to-do lists and written instructions
Remind employee of important deadlines and meetings
Allow time off for counseling
Provide clear expectations of responsibilities and consequences
Provide sensitivity training to co-workers
Allow breaks to use stress management techniques
Develop strategies to deal with work problems before they arise
Allow telephone calls during work hours to doctors and others for support
Provide information on counseling and employee assistance programs

Fatigue/Weakness:

Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress
Schedule periodic rest breaks away from the workstation
Allow a flexible work schedule and flexible use of leave time
Allow work from home
Implement ergonomic workstation design

Fine Motor Impairment:

Implement ergonomic workstation design
Provide alternative computer access
Provide alternative telephone access
Provide arm supports
Provide writing and grip aids
Provide a page turner and a book holder
Provide a note taker

Gross Motor Impairment:

Modify the work-site to make it accessible
Provide parking close to the work-site
Provide an accessible entrance
Install automatic door openers
Provide an accessible restroom and break room
Provide an accessible route of travel to other work areas used by the employee
Modify the workstation to make it accessible
Adjust desk height if wheelchair or scooter is used
Make sure materials and equipment are within reach range
Move workstation close to other work areas, office equipment, and break rooms

Migraine Headaches:

Provide task lighting
Eliminate fluorescent lighting
Use computer monitor glare guards
Reduce noise with sound absorbent baffles/partitions, environmental sound machines, and headsets
Provide alternate work space to reduce visual and auditory distractions
Implement a “fragrance-free” workplace policy
Provide air purification devices
Allow flexible work hours and work from home
Allow periodic rest breaks

Skin Sensitivity:

Avoid infectious agents and chemicals
Provide protective clothing

Sleep Disorder:

Allow flexible work hours and frequent breaks
Allow work from home

Temperature Sensitivity:

Modify work-site temperature and maintain the ventilation system
Modify dress code
Use fan/air-conditioner or heater at the workstation and redirect vents
Allow flexible scheduling and work from home during extremely hot or cold weather
Provide an office with separate temperature control

Situations and Solutions:

An administrative assistant with FMS working for a utility company reported neck pain and upper body fatigue. Her duties included typing, answering the telephone, and taking written messages. She was accommodated with a telephone headset to reduce neck pain and eliminate the repetitive motion of lifting the telephone from the cradle, a portable angled writing surface and writing aids to take written messages, a copy holder to secure documents, and forearm supports to use when typing.

A nurse with FMS working in a county health clinic experienced a great deal of fatigue and pain at work. The nurse typically worked evening shifts but her doctor recommended a schedule change so she could regulate her sleep patterns. Accommodations suggestions included changing her shift from evening to day, restructuring the work schedule to eliminate working two consecutive twelve hour shifts, reducing the number of hours worked to part time, and taking frequent rest breaks.

A guidance counselor for a large high school experienced severe bouts of irritable bowl syndrome, depression, and fatigue as a result of FMS. He experienced difficulty in opening the heavy doors to the entrance of the school and had to make frequent trips to the bathroom. The individual’s employer complained that he was spending too much of his time away from his office and therefore was not available for students. The employer moved the employee’s office to a location closer to the faculty restroom, added an automatic entry system to the main doors, and allowed flexible leave time so the employee could keep appointments with his therapist.

An individual employed as a patient rights advocate had carpal tunnel syndrome and FMS. She had difficulty keyboarding, writing, and transporting supplies to presentations. The employer installed speech recognition software for word processing, provided her with writing aids, and gave her lightweight portable carts to assist with transporting materials.

Products:

There are numerous products that can be used to accommodate people with limitations. JAN’s Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar is designed to let users explore various accommodation options. Many product vendor lists are accessible through this system; however, upon request JAN provides these lists and many more that are not available on the Web site. Contact JAN directly if you have specific accommodation situations, are looking for products, need vendor information, or are seeking a referral.

By Kendra M. Duckworth, M.S., and Beth Loy, Ph.D.

References

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (1992). A technical assistance manual on the employment provisions (title I) of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Retrieved April 29, 2005, from http://www.jan.wvu.edu/links/ADAtam1.html

Fibromyalgia Network. (n.d.). Fibromyalgia basics - symptoms, treatments and research. Retrieved June 30, 2005, from http://www.fmnetnews.com/pages/basics.html

National Fibromyalgia Partnership, Inc. (2004). Fibromyalgia: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment & research. Retrieved June 30, 2005, from http://www.fmpartnership.org/EngMonograph-04.htm

Information found at Job Accomodation Network

For hundreds of additional articles about Fibromaylgia and how to reduce its impact on every aspect of your life, please visit the FibroFocalPoints section of FibroFighters.com today!

As always, stand tall and let the world know you’re: “Not taking it lying down™!”

Please click on the link below to join the fight today!

15 Low-Cost Home-Based Businesses For Fibromyalgia-Sufferers

The following home-based business ideas can be full or part time, and all have start-up costs under $2000: 

1.  Advertising Clipping Service

Did you know that companies that compete within the same industry regularly retain the services of an advertising clipping service to keep them up-to-date on how, why, and where the competition is advertising? Here is your opportunity to capitalize financially by starting an advertising clipping service. The key to success in this business is not to overcharge clients, but to work in volume. Charging clients a mere $30 to $40 per month to belong to the service will guarantee that you retain existing clients and attract new clients to the service very easily. Collect advertisements from newspapers, directories, magazines, and now the Internet and fax them to clients on a weekly basis. Securing and maintaining 100 regular clients can generate an income of as much as $35,000 per year. 

 

2.  Garage and Estate Sale Coordinator

Weekend profits await entrepreneurs with good marketing and organizational skills who become garage and estate sale promoters. Garage, lawn and estate sales are hugely popular events in every community across North America. In fact, it is estimated that more than 60 million people go garage-sale-shopping annually, generating billions in sales. As a promoter, you can provide clients who do not have the time or gumption to hold their own sale with the service of organizing and conducting the sale for them. Duties include promoting, organizing, selling items and cleaning up after everyone has gone home. In exchange for providing this valuable service, you retain a percentage of the total revenues generated—25 percent for larger sales and up to 50 percent for smaller ones. Once you have found a client, be sure to canvas the immediate neighborhood and solicit for additional items. Why hold a small sale if you can increase revenues and profits by enlisting neighbors to provide items, too? Promote the sales with professional site signage and in community newspapers that do not charge for small classified ads or for garage sale postings.

 

3.  Framed Album Cover Art Sales

Old LP records are not only collectible for the music, but also for the often very elaborate album covers. Once framed, album covers become fantastic pieces of art and are highly sought after home and office decorations. The perfect place to market your music art is to CD music shops. This is a great retail distribution point as the match and fit is ideal. Establishing retail accounts is as simple as booking appointments with music shop managers and presenting finished and framed samples of your music artwork. At first you may even want to locate the artwork in the retail stores on a consignment basis. This can be your way of reassuring retailers that this is a no-risk situation. Additional methods to market the product include sales to interior designers, flea markets, mall kiosks, and direct sales to businesses like clothing stores, restaurants and offices. Whichever marketing method you chose, there will be very little resistance to sales of the art, as there is virtually no competition in this business. The best source for the album covers are garage sales, flea markets, and used record stores (covers must be in good condition). requirements: I suggest that you not only frame the album covers, but you also manufacture the frames yourself. In doing this you can better suit a frame to the art. Create highly attractive frames from brushed metal, glass, and other interesting materials. You will need a few basic hand tools and framing supplies, but that is about all that is required to get this business rolling. profit potential: Once framed, you will have no problem commanding $30 to $40 for each piece wholesale and more than $60 retail. The profit margins are great when you consider that you can purchase the albums covers for about 50 cents, spend another $5 on framing material and only have a half hour’s time into each finished piece. Providing you can tap into the right market to sell your music artwork, you can easily make $1,000 per month or more, and best of all, this can be accomplished with a part-time effort of only 10 to 12 hours per week. 

 

4.  Sleepwear Business

It’s a fact that more than six billion people inhabit this planet and the vast majority of people wear some sort of clothing to bed that was purposely designed for being slept in. That is one gigantic potential marketplace, thus creating an exciting business opportunity. There are various options available for starting this business, so consider these options:
-Purchase various styles of sleepwear on a wholesale basis and host in-home sleepwear parties that generate orders for your products.
-Design and manufacture your own line of sleepwear and wholesale your products to retailers.
-Create a sleepwear website that enables visitors to create their own sleepwear by selecting style, size and fabric.
-Design and sell patterns used for creating sleepwear and let consumers sew their own from the patterns.
-Secure the licensing rights to popular children’s program characters or themes and incorporate them into sleepwear for kids.

 

 

5.  Herb Gardening

A small plot of land in your backyard can easily be converted into a cash-producing herb garden. Dill, parsley and chives are just a few of the many herbs that can be grown at home for profit. Get started by spending time at your local library and on the internet to learn as much as you can about herbs and herb gardening. The rest is very simple. Plant your garden, grow your herbs, design some herb packages, and set out to establish accounts with local merchants to sell your goods. Like any new business venture, there’ll be a learning curve. However, the rewards of a few extra thousand dollars each year can justify the effort. 

 

6.  E-Bargains

Simply put, you compile an e-mail address list of people that would like to receive your weekly e-bargains newsletter that features discounts on a wide variety of consumer products and services. There are no membership fees or costs associated with receiving the newsletter. It’s absolutely free of charge. Income and profits are earned by selling a very limited number of advertising spaces to online merchants and service providers that want access to your newsletter subscribers. In addition to paying the advertising fee, merchants and service providers must also agree that the products and service that are advertised in the e-bargain newsletter will be at least 10 percent less than the normal retail price. You can also spice up the newsletter by including trivia questions, games, jokes or any other interesting content. Be sure to comply with anti-spam regulations remove anyone from your e-mail list that requests so. Securing just five advertisers per week each paying $50 will create a yearly income in excess of $10,000, and best of all this can be accomplished with a part-time effort of less than 10 hours of work each week. 

 

7.  Online Children’s Camp Directory

Worldwide, parents have thousands of options in terms of what type and what style of camp they can choose to send their children to. However, due to the fact that there are thousands of choices, most parents will only learn about a very small percentage of these camps, thus potentially missing out on an opportunity to send their children to a camp that would be beneficial in terms of development. Herein lies the business opportunity. Create a website that operates as a directory for children’s camps located around the globe. The site could be indexed by the style of camp and geographic area. This would enable parents or kids to locate camps that are of interest to them within close proximity to their community. You could literally employ sales consultants in every state, or even country for that matter, to contact camps in their area and solicit the camps to become members featured on the website. Given the fact that there are thousands of various camps worldwide it would only require that a small percentage of these camps pay a minimal yearly listing fee to be featured on the site for this online venture to become profitable. 

 

8.  Online Scholarship Directory

Every year students vie for educational scholarships, and one of the most difficult challenges facing them is trying to keep track and up-to-date with the thousands of different scholarships that are offered each year. Developing a website that features information about scholarships can serve two purposes. The first is that creating this type of site is a terrific way to develop your own home based business. The second purpose is obvious; parents and students would have access to a fantastic resource base to learn more about particular scholarships and the required criteria in terms of the awarding process. This type of online business could earn revenue in a few ways, such as charging students and parents a yearly membership fee for access to the site or charging educational facilities and scholarship advisory boards a fee to post their scholarship information. Of course, advertising revenues could also be earned by renting banner ads once the site is established. 

 

9.  Toner/Printer Ink Cartridge Refiller

One of the fastest-growing service businesses today is ink cartridge recycling. Ink and toner cartridges used in most photocopiers, fax machines, and laser and inkjet printers can be recycled by simply replenishing the ink or toner supply, thereby keeping them out of landfills and putting profits in your pockets. This creates a wonderful business opportunity for energetic entrepreneurs to start a toner cartridge recycling service operating from home, on a mobile basis, or from a retail location such as a mall kiosk or storefront. The requirements for operating the business are basic, and you will only need simple tools, which are very inexpensive, and the ability to refill cartridges with new ink, which is easily learned. Offer clients fast and free delivery of recycled cartridges right to their offices, stores or homes, which can save them as much as 50 percent of the cost of new cartridges. This fact alone can become your most convincing marketing tool for landing new business, and don’t be afraid to go after the large accounts with hundreds of machines that regularly must have ink and toner cartridges renewed. 

 

10.  Bookend Business

Manufacturing bookends? Why not? They fall into the category of a great gift for someone who has everything. And best of all, the business can be set in motion for less than $500 and operated right from home. One of the key elements for this manufacturing venture to take off and fly will be your ability to design and create very unique and different bookends. One idea may be to capitalize on the ever-increasing environmentally friendly theme and manufacture all the bookends out of recycled materials. If this route is chosen, be sure to include the fact that your products are manufactured from recycled materials in all packaging and promotional material, as this can be utilized as a fantastic marketing tool. The finished product can be sold through retail stores, such as gift shops, bookstores and the internet. 

 

11.  Independent Real Estate Listing Agent

Here is a very inexpensive business enterprise that anyone with a phone book and telephone can start. Working as an independent listing agent for real estate professionals means that you cold call or telemarket for various real estate agents. Starting at “A” in the telephone book and calling people in anticipation that they are now or will be soon considering listing their homes for sale is all that is required in terms of job description for this business. Once you have established that a person may be interested in listing their home for sale, you simply turn this information over to a real estate agent to complete the negotiations. For every confirmed listing the real estate agent receives as a result of you initiating the procedure, the agent would pay you $250. For every property sold that was listed via your service, the real estate agent would pay you an additional $500. It would only take 30 listings and sales in order to generate an income of more than $20,000 per year. 

 

12.  Magnetic Sign Manufacturer

Magnetic signs are an incredibly handy advertising tool, especially for the business owner or sales person that uses their automobile for both business and pleasure, as the signs can be quickly installed or removed for storage in the trunk. Magnetic signs are also very easy to design and produce, making this an ideal business venture for just about anyone seeking to start a homebased business enterprise that requires little in the way of start-up capital and experience. The signs are actually manufactured from a vinyl material with a magnetic backing, which enables the signs to be lightweight and pliable. The signs are simply cut to size and shape, and vinyl letters are placed on them to finish the sign making process. The only equipment required for manufacturing the signs is a computer, page layout and design software, a vinyl printer, and a plotter that cuts the letters. Required equipment can be purchased used or new in most communities through printing and sign supply companies. Currently, small to medium magnetic signs are retailing for $30 to $60 each and cost about $8 to $12 each to make. 

 

13.  Online Advertising Agency

Not only will you be providing a valuable service for site visitors, but you will also be establishing your own potentially successful business. The business concept is very straightforward. Start by designing a website that features information about various advertising mediums including rates, contact information and any special promotions or discounts in terms of advertising rates. Business owners who visit the site simply locate the type of advertising that suits their marketing program and budgets. Income is earned by charging the advertising companies a fee to be listed on the site, as well as by selling advertising space featured on the site. 

 

14.  Jewelry Box Business

Jewelry boxes can retail for as much as 10 to 20 times of what it costs to build them, making this a potentially very profitable homebased manufacturing venture. This is the type of manufacturing business that will let you be very creative in design and in the materials selected for the construction process. Or in other words, “think outside the jewelry box.” Consider using materials that normally would not be used for building this product, like recycled items, seashells, glass, or plastic. You can market the boxes by renting table space at crafts sales and flea markets, sell them to retailers on a wholesale basis, and even get the jewelry boxes featured for sale on numerous Web sites. The sky’s the limit.

  

15.  Knitting Business

Do you currently knit sweaters, jackets and more? If so, perhaps you should consider turning your hobby craft into a profitable part-time business enterprise. The business is to simply create beautiful and unique hand-knitted products, from sweaters to a clothing line for stuffed animals. The opportunities are endless; all you need is a creative spirit, knitting needles, some yarn and you’re in business. For the truly enterprising entrepreneur, develop a website that features knit clothing products for sale, as well as a custom made-to-order service where site visitors could simply fill out an order form for the size and style of knit products they want.

 

List compiled at Entrepreneur.com

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Explode With Color!!

Fibromyalgia: The Future of Depression Treatments

Better Diagnostic Tools

Currently mood disorders are diagnosed based upon a patient’s symptoms and history, but what if we could perform a lab test that would detect depression? This very thing may be available in the future.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other imaging tools have produced several provocative findings. Views of the subcortical white matter in bipolar patients, especially elderly ones, reveal an unexpectedly high number of bright spots in certain brain regions known to be involved in mood. Also, the volume of various brain structures is reduced in long-term sufferers of depression. Among these is the hippocampus, a part of the limbic system (involved in emotion and memory). This finding is consistent with animal data suggesting that chronic oversecretion of cortisol, as occurs in many depressed individuals, can destroy hippocampal cells.¹

Positron emission tomography (PET) has shown that patients with major depression compared with normal persons show different patterns of activity in several limbic and cortical brain areas.

In addition, one PET analysis revealed that increased activity in a region of the limbic system–the amygdala of the left hemisphere–might be an indicator of heightened vulnerability to future depression.²

Functional imaging technology can also be used to examine the concentrations of neurotransmitters, so that densities of those molecules can be compared. Traceable substances that bind to the serotonin reuptake transporter and to one type of serotonin receptor have been developed and should provide information about which brain areas show depleted serotonin activity in depressed patients.³

Although scientists do not fully understand the implications of these findings and how they might be used to develop a definitive test for mood disorders, it may be only a matter of time before diagnosis goes high tech.

A Pacemaker for the Brain

Research is increasingly showing a compelling link between depression and epilepsy. A recent study found that older adults who are clinically depressed are six times as likely to have a seizure as their peers, suggesting that a common factor may be the cause of both depression and seizures.⁴

Not surprisingly, some individuals who have not responded to antidepressants do respond to anticonvulsants such as Lamotrigine (Lamictal)⁵, Gabapentin (Neurontin)⁶, and Topiramate (Topamax)⁷. These medications are currently only approved for people who have seizures, but there are many case reports supporting their use for treatment resistant mood disorders.

Following this link to it’s logical next step, researchers have begun to investigate the use of an epilepsy treatment called Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) as a treatment for depression. Results of the VNS pilot study showed that 40% of the treated patients displayed at least a 50 percent or greater improvement in their condition, according to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Half the patients also had at least a 50% improvement on the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale. The condition of several patients improved so substantially that they were able to return to work or other normal activities.⁸

The device used for this therapy (currently only approved for epilepsy treatment), the NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis System (NCP), is often referred to as a “pacemaker for the brain”. The system consists of a pulse generator and a nerve stimulator electrode that is usually programmed to send 30-second electrical impulses every 5 minutes to the left vagus nerve, via connecting leads. The generator is surgically placed in a pocket formed under the skin, below the left collarbone. It’s disc shaped and about the size of an baby’s palm. It is similar in appearance and size to a cardiac pacemaker. The surgery takes about forty-five minutes, and is considered a safe procedure with very little risk. The generator’s “dosage of stimulation” is adjusted non-invasively through the skin using a computerized programmer.⁹

Magnet Therapy

A new therapy showing great promise for replacing Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. (TMS). It appears to affect the brain in a similar way to ECT, but without the need for anesthesia or side-effects such as memory loss and any risks associated with seizure and general anesthesia.. In the pilot rTMS (repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) study, the only reported side effects were that two patients developed mild headaches, treatable with aspirin.¹⁰

TMS involves passing current through an electromagnetic coil to generate a magnetic field. The magnetic field acts as the medium between electricity in the coil and induced electrical currents in the brain. The current depolarizes neurons in the brain up to a depth of about two centimeters below the brain’s surface. It does not requires any sort of anesthesia or analgesics.¹¹ This treatment is under investigation in several locations all over the world.¹²

1. Nemeroff, Charles B. Contributions from Imaging. Scientific American, June 1998 [journal online]; not longer available from http://www.sciam.com/1998/0698issue/0698nemeroffbox2.html; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Hesdorffer, Dale C., Hauser, W. Allen, Annegers, John F. Major Depression Is a Risk Factor for Seizures in Older Adults. Annals of Neurology, 2000;47:246-248. [journal online]; available from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/80002176/ABSTRACT; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
5. Goldberg, Ivan T. FAQ: Lamotrigine for Depression and/or Mania. [article online]; available from http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.lamotrigine.html; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
6. Goldberg, Ivan T. FAQ: Gabapentin for Depression and/or Mania. [article online]; available from http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.gabapentin.html; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
7. Goldberg, Ivan T. FAQ: Topiramate (Topamax), Mood Disorders and PTSD. [article online]; available from http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.topiramate.html; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
8. Rush, A. John, George, Mark S., Sackeim, Harold A., Marangell, Lauren B., Husain, Mustafa, Giller, Cole, Nahas, Ziad, Haines, Stephen, Simpson, Jr., Richard K. and Goodman, Robert. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for Treatment-Resistant Depressions: A Multicenter Study.
   Biol Psychiatry Vol. 47, No. 4, February 15, 2000:276-286.
9. Winer, Joel W. A Pacemaker for the Brain: Stimulating Hope for People with Epilepsy. York Neurosurgical Associates, 1999.
10. Magnetic Stimulation Studied as Alternative to ECT for Depression. The National Institute of Mental Health, November 9, 1995. [article online]; no longer available from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/events/prmagrec.htm; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
11. APA Meeting: Electromagnetic Stimulation Shows Promise for Treatment Resistant Depression. Doctor’s Guide Global Edition, May 17, 1999. [article online]; available from http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/fe446.htm; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
12. Ruohonen, Jarmo. Groups Working on Magnetic Stimulation. Updated May 31, 1999. [Web page]; no longer available from http://www.biomag.helsinki.fi/tms/groups.html; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
13. Shook, David. New Offensive on Depression. The Record Online, Sept. 26, 1999. [article online]; no longer available from http://www.bergen.com/biz/sad26199909261.htm; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.
14. , 1998; 281:1640-1645.
15. Merck Sees Patient Delay in Depression Study. Reuters, June 14, 2000. [article online]; link no longer available; Internet; cited July 10, 2000.

Article found at About.com

For hundreds of additional articles about Fibromaylgia and how to reduce its impact on every aspect of your life, please visit the FibroFocalPoints section of FibroFighters.com today!

As always, stand tall and let the world know you’re: “Not taking it lying down™!”

Please click on the link below to join the fight today!