- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Traffic, Dust Linked to Asthma in Kids
- Combating Myths About Seasonal Allergies
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
- Hypnosis Cuts Hot Flashes for Breast Cancer Survivors
- Green Tea May Help Brain Cope With Sleep Disorders
- ANIMAL CARE
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- Beware of Dog Bites
- BONES & JOINTS
- 'Snowbirds' Beware the Climate Changes
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Childhood Dairy Intake Boosts Bone Health Later On
- CANCER
- Many Ignore Symptoms of Bladder Trouble
- Supplements Might Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
- Tanning Beds Shown To Raise Cancer Risk, Study Says
- CAREGIVING
- Tainted China Formula Caused High Rate of Kidney Stones in Kids
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Robots May Come to Aging Boomers' Rescue
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Drink a Little Wine, Live a Little Longer
- Obesity Linked to Heart Failure Risk
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- COSMETIC
- Gum Chewing May Cut Craving for Snacks
- Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Study Links Osteoporosis Drugs to Jaw Trouble
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- DIABETES
- Fructose-Sweetened Drinks Up Metabolic Syndrome Risk
- Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk
- Formula Puts Doctor, Patient Glucose Readings on Same Page
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Mediterranean Diet Enriched With Nuts Cuts Heart Risks
- Myrrh May Lower High Cholesterol
- Eating in America Still Unhealthy
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Exposure to 9/11 Fumes Tied to Chronic Headaches
- Household Chemicals May Affect Cholesterol Levels
- Gas Cooking Might Up Your Cancer Risk
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Hybrid Cars Pose Risk to Blind, Visually Impaired
- Florida Vision Test Law: Fewer Traffic Deaths Among Elderly
- Unconscious Learning: In the Eye of the Beholder?
- FITNESS
- Football Can Shrink Players
- Tai Chi: An Ideal Exercise for Many People with Diabetes
- Go To Work But Skip The Car
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Fructose Boosts Blood Pressure, Studies Find
- FDA Bans Unapproved Prescription Cough, Cold and Allergy Meds
- Health Gains From Lowered Smoking Rates in Jeopardy
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- How Weight Loss Can Help the Heart
- Implanted Defibrillators Boost Long-Term Survival
- Quitting Smoking Doubles Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- Swine Flu Is Now a Pandemic Says W.H.O.
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- KID'S HEALTH
- Daily Exercise at School Yields Rewards
- 6 Million U.S. Kids Lack Enough Vitamin D
- Working Intensely Early on May Help Autistic Kids
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Lots of Sex May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Daily dose of beet juice promotes brain health in older adults
- Heal Your LifeŽ Tips for Living Well
- Positive Brain Changes Seen After Body-Mind Meditation
- PAIN
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Alleviating Rheumatoid Arthritis
- PREGNANCY
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Sleeping Could Help Women Lose The Baby Fat
- SENIORS
- Friends, Not Grandkids, Key to Happy Retirement
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
Exercise, Weight Control May Keep Fibromyalgia at Bay
By eholistic.com Published: 04/30/2010
Women who are overweight or obese appear to have an increased risk of developing the chronic pain syndrome known as fibromyalgia, a new study suggests.
If they are also sedentary, the risk is even greater, said lead researcher Paul Mork, of Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.
The study is published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Fibromyalgia is marked by widespread pain lasting more than three months. The pain strikes so-called "tender points" in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms and legs.
The condition is also marked by fatigue without apparent cause, mood disturbances, sleep problems and headaches. More women than men have it, and experts don't thoroughly understand its cause.
The condition may be due to dysfunction in the nervous system and other problems, and it is thought to be affected by genetic susceptibility.
In the new study, Mork and his colleagues turned to a data base of nearly 16,000 women in Norway who had responded to health surveys. Among the participants were 380 who developed fibromyalgia during the 11-year follow-up.
Mork's team compared the data from patients with the healthy respondents, including body-mass index (BMI) and exercise habits.
Exercise and a healthy body weight were found to be protective.
"According to previous findings reported in the literature, we expected that regular leisure-time physical exercise would have a protective effect on future development of fibromyalgia [FM]," Mork said. "However, we only found a weak association between development of FM and exercise. However, it should be noted that we were not able to differ between different types of exercise, and it might be possible that some exercise types are more beneficial than others in protecting against future development of FM," he added.
"Women who reported exercising four times per week [or more] had a 29 percent lower risk of fibromyalgia compared with inactive women," Mork said in a news release about the study.
Those who exercised two to three times a week were about 11 percent less likely to get fibromyalgia.
Being overweight -- with a BMI of 25 or higher -- was a strong independent risk factor, with the heavier women having a 60 percent to 70 percent higher risk of developing the condition compared to the healthy weight women.
The overweight women who exercised an hour or more a week, however, were less likely to get the condition than were overweight women who were inactive.
Mork's advice: Regular exercise, which can help maintain weight, may serve as a "buffer" against the symptoms that eventually lead to fibromyalgia.
The results are entirely plausible, said Dr. Patrick Wood, senior medical adviser for the National Fibromyalgia Association, who cares for many fibromyalgia patients.
But with the condition, there are often the chicken-egg questions, he added, such as whether the pain leads to the inactivity or weight gain or vice versa. "It's difficult with any level of assurance to know what's driving what," Wood said. There could be underlying factors driving both excess weight and pain sensitivity, he noted.
The inflammation that is associated with obesity may heighten pain sensitivity, Wood added.
More study is needed, Wood said. Until more is known, however, he would advise people who want to avoid the condition to maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. That's especially wise for those with a family history of fibromyalgia, he stressed, because he has found that it does tend to run in families.
For those already diagnosed with the condition, Wood said, "some data show if you exercise and keep your weight down you may have less pain."
SOURCES: Patrick Wood, M.D., senior medical advisor, National Fibromyalgia Association, and family medicine physician, Renton, Wash.; Paul Mork, D.Phil., Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; May 2010, Arthritis Care & Research Published on: April 29, 2010
