General Articles
A list of articles involving FM
Rod Liddle attacks invisible illnesses in ‘Sun’ newspaper
Last Updated on Thursday, 02 February 2012 23:01 Written by Des Quinn (A) Thursday, 26 January 2012 23:38
Rod Liddle is at it again and has decided to write an article in the Sun on the 26th January. He previously wrote a less than pleasant article on fibro a few months ago but has now decided to attack those already crippled by an invisible illness and launch his scorn on them Both ME and fibromyalgia are both recognised by the World Health Organisation as well as the NHS. Respected medical opinion and empirical medical evidence does not seem to sway him from his ignorant view of these illnesses.
It is below contempt to attack the weakest in a society and should not be allowed. We should not discriminate against the weak and disadvantaged and Mr Liddle's presumption to anticipate the ire that his article causes and suggest he is crusading against the benefit cheats feels insincere at best. Mr Liddle makes his living from using his 'comic wit' to take shots at various parts of our society and jumping on bandwagons.
FMA UK cannot condone his behaviour and finds it very offensive especially at a time when it is harder than ever to claim benefits that you are entitled to. Terminally ill people cannot get the benefits they deserve and those with fibromyalgia face a difficult time with a reduced quality of life and the increasing complex process to apply for the benefits they are entitled to. We would recommend that people that share this view to complain to the Press Complaints Commission and The Sun.
He has also taken the time to defend his actions on the radio programme "The Nolan Show" and unsurprisingly he shouts over people and continues his tirade all the time saying that he has sympathy for people suffering genuine illnesses. The full content of his article below. FMA UK are working to address this matter and see if we can achieve some redress.
Read more: Rod Liddle attacks invisible illnesses in ‘Sun’ newspaper
New FMA UK facebook page
Written by Des Quinn (A) Saturday, 14 January 2012 23:56
Just published new FMA UK facebook page. You can find it here: http://www.facebook.com/ukfibro and we hope to make it a place for fibro info on Facebook.
Age Concern Petition
Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 January 2012 23:33 Written by Des Quinn (A) Wednesday, 11 January 2012 21:45
If you are a carer or have a carer please go to the Age Concern website below and sign the e-petition to call on the Government to reform the care system to ensure people in later life receive high quality care and support. You can read more about Age Concern's Care in Crisis Campaign here.
Age Concern E Petition: http://is.gd/eGUo8I
Research Partnership with PIP Health
Last Updated on Sunday, 08 January 2012 14:32 Written by Des Quinn (A) Wednesday, 04 January 2012 18:14
I would like to tell you about a research company which Fibromyalgia Association UK will be working with in future to better understand people’s experiences of Fibromyalgia. Through our partnership we hope to be able to increase awareness of Fibromyalgia and work with healthcare providers to help improve how the disease is diagnosed and treated.
PIP health is a research company that aims to increase understanding of patients and improve the care they receive. They do research, mostly through online surveys, and use the results to represent the voice of patients with healthcare providers, who pay them for their research. They will also be doing research for FMA UK, which we can use to raise awareness of Fibromyalgia in the government, medical community and media.
What's more, PIP health will donate £1 to FMA UK for every person who signs up to take part in research through this link, and another £1 for every survey completed.
http://www.piphealth.com/Default.aspx?id=31&ids=454345&ref=chfb
So please, sign up for PIP health now and help us to improve healthcare for others with Fibromyalgia.
Thank you.
October meeting of the CPWG on Chronic Pain
Written by Des Quinn (A) Thursday, 15 December 2011 20:34
As part of the work of FMA UK Trustees, RCs and volunteers regularly attend meetings about all sorts of subjects related to fibromyalgia. These can hosted by the government, policy bodies, third parties or other charities. Des Quinn recently attended the Scottish Cross Party Working Group on Chronic pain which meets at Holyrood a couple of times each year.
This body has managed some notable achievements including the appointment of a senior clinician whose remit is to analyse the current levels of service among all Scottish chronic pain services with the aim of bringing up all services to a similar high standard and sharing best practice. As you can read in the attached minutes there is a willingness to lobby more with this body. Parliamentary questions may also be raised through this body.
The minutes of the last meeting can be found here.
Finally….Effective Treatment for Fatigue, Pain, CFS and FM
Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 December 2011 18:59 Written by Kathy Longley Tuesday, 13 December 2011 11:16
Dr Jacob Teitelbaum developed chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) in 1975 and since then has dedicated himself to creating an effective treatment for everyone. He is now an expert in treating these conditions with years of experience behind him, and the author of several books including From Fatigued To Fantastic! and Pain Free 1-2-3. In August 2011 he gave a talk on effective treatment for fatigue, pain, CFS and FM at the Royal Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath. His talk was very well received and below is a summary of all the main points he covered...
Dr Teitelbaum explained that the treatment of fibromyalgia was like when you get a flashing light on your car dashboard indicating that something is wrong, and you dutifully take your car to the garage to be put right. However, instead of the mechanic delving into the car engine to find out what is wrong he simply sticks a plaster over the flashing light and tells you the problem is sorted! In the same way, doctors treat the outward symptoms of fibromyalgia, disguising the pain and fatigue with medications, but fail to determine the underlying cause. They put a sticky plaster on and leave you to it!
Read more: Finally….Effective Treatment for Fatigue, Pain, CFS and FM
Edgar Stene Prize Competition 2012- Reminder
Last Updated on Sunday, 11 December 2011 14:54 Written by Kathy Longley Thursday, 08 December 2011 15:01
The Edgar Stene competition is organised by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and involves writing an essay on a particular topic to do with living with a rheumatic condition. It was set up in honour of the late Edgar Stene who suffered from severe ankylosing spondylitis and was a great promoter of co-operation between doctors, patients and community workers.
This year the essay title is: Overcoming the challenges of getting a round with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease.
The essay should include how you overcome challenges of moving around in your own house, how you get to work, how you participate in social activities such as meeting up with friends and family or how you go to the cinema or enjoy holidays.
More Articles...
Page 1 of 13