- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Fish Oil's Benefits Remain Elusive
- Traditional Chinese Therapy May Help Ease Eczema
- Insight on Herbals Eludes Doctors, Patients Alike
- ANIMAL CARE
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- BONES & JOINTS
- Yoga Can Ease Lower Back Pain
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- Studies Struggle to Gauge Glucosamine's Worth
- CANCER
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- Hypnosis Cuts Hot Flashes for Breast Cancer Survivors
- HPV Vaccine Has Higher Allergic Reaction Rate
- CAREGIVING
- Transition From Home to Hospital Rarely Seamless
- Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Organ Donation Policies Vary Among Children's Hospitals
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- COSMETIC
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- Good Oral Hygiene May Protect Against Heart Infections
- Toothbrushing May Stave Off Heart Woes
- DIABETES
- Findings Challenge Tight Glucose Control for Critically Ill Patients
- Laughter May Lower Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Fish Oil's Benefits Remain Elusive
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
- Meat Additives May Be Dangerous for Kidney Patients
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Heavy Traffic Can Be Heartbreaking
- Vest Monitors 'Individual' Air Pollution
- Small Doses of Carbon Monoxide Might Help Stroke Victims
- EYE CARE, VISION
- FDA Goes After Unapproved Eye Washes, Skin Ointments
- Impotence Drugs Don't Harm Vision: Study
- Omega-3 Foods May Lower Eye Disease Risk
- FITNESS
- Exercise in Adolescence May Cut Risk of Deadly Brain Tumor
- Run for Your Life
- The 3LS Wellness Program for Reversing Chronic Symptoms and Creating Lasting Health
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Potassium-Rich Foods May Cut Stroke, Heart Disease Risk
- Olde Time Medicine Therapy May Prevent Alcoholic Relapse
- U.S. Prepares for Possible Return of Swine Flu in Fall
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Research Shows Genetic Activity of Antioxidants
- Soy Protein Doesn't Lower Cholesterol
- Potassium-Rich Foods May Cut Stroke, Heart Disease Risk
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- KID'S HEALTH
- Mom's Extra Pregnancy Pounds May Raise Child's Heart Risks
- Even Young Kids Can Learn CPR
- Mom and Baby Alike May Benefit From Exercise
- MEN'S HEALTH
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Mind Exercise Might Help Stroke Patients
- The Unmedicated Mind
- Heal Your LifeŽ Tips for Living Well
- PAIN
- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- PREGNANCY
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- SENIORS
- Community Exercise Programs Boost Seniors' Strength
- Daily dose of beet juice promotes brain health in older adults
- Want Better Health in the New Year, Add Exercise to Your Day
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
