Saturday, December 23, 2017

Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain: Issue 6




Celeste’s periodic blog “Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain” honors the collaborative spirit of fellow bloggers, advocates, and the many friends who share this journey. You inspire me.

SATURDAY SALUTES

Comment: Morphine equivalents are not created equal. @JeffreyFudin ..." the CDC’s promotion of a flawed App for opioid conversion, which may have the potential to cause more overdoses than careful manual conversion when transitioning therapy between opioids!"

Practical Pain Management: A Model to Incorporate Functional Medicine into Chronic Pain Care
Comment: Do you know there are "Seven Nodes of the Functional Medicine Matrix?" I didn’t.

Comment: The truth revealed.

PAINS Project Brief 11: Understanding Chronic Pain and Suicide
Comment: Is someone you love at risk?


CELESTE’S TOP TRENDING PUBLICATIONS



OTHER PUBLICATIONS

*The Advocates Corner – Blogs of Interest at CelesteCooper.com PAINS Project page


ON THE WEB       

Follow along on my Facebook Page
Find previous SATURDAY SALUTES in the archives calendar on My Blog


Thank you guests and fellow pain survivors
October 2017 blog visits - 13,269   website visits – 14,820


~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."


Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about Celeste’s books at her website or find links here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.


All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

Friday, December 15, 2017

Oska PEMF-$299 Holiday Special Starts December 15th


As an advocate for Oska® Wellness, I periodically share updates. I am not paid to write reviews or share information on the Oska Pulse PEMF device. However, I do receive a referral fee if you purchase Oska by using my direct advocate link, or use my code, CCRN60, at check out. This opportunity allows me, in part, to maintain my website and my blog, where I strive to provide information for a better life with chronic pain and illness.




When I published my blog Oska® PEMF Update: Just in time for the holidays, I had no idea this super offering was coming. So, I am thrilled to announce this


Oska Wellness Holiday Special $299!



Apply my referral code, CCRN60, at check out and be entered to win your money back on one Oska Pulse purchase. Contest ends December 31 and a winner will be chosen at random on January 5, 2018.

CONTEST TERMS

1.     Contest valid December 15-31, 2017, 11:59pm PST
2.     Purchase valid online at www.oskawellness.com (3rd party sites such as Amazon.com are NOT included in this contest)
3.     My advocate code, CCRN60, must be used at check out or use my referral link to qualify
4.     Purchase must be paid in full, does not apply to 3 Easy Payments method
5.     Winner chosen on January 5 will receive $299 reimbursement on one device

Oska Meets TheBlaze's 12 Days of Christmas
 #MADE IN AMERICA

https://www.facebook.com/theblaze/videos/1682320035138663/ 




MORE ABOUT OSKA PULSE

·        Oska Pulse news, science, testimonies and more at OskaWellness.com
·        Follow Oska Pulse on Facebook @OskaWellness
·        Oska Wellness Wins TechCo’s 2017 Startup of the Year Competition


 In healing,,Celeste

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com





Saturday, December 9, 2017

Oska® PEMF Update: Just in time for the holidays



I am committed to using my Oska Wellness PEMF device every day, because it works! As an advocate for Oska®, I am happy to announce Oska Pulse is now available on Amazon. And, just in time to add it to a holiday wish list.  

Oska Wellness took the top prize for "2017 Startup of the Year" international competition, at the "Innovate Celebrate" conference in San Francisco. The conference, held by TechCo in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association, was a three-day event attended by 100 startup semifinalists, and eventually narrowed down to five finalist startups. Oska Wellness emerged as the winner


You can now purchase Oska Pulse directly through Amazon or at Oska Wellness.


REMINDER!

Use the code CCRN60 at checkout to receive a $55 discount.



*Or follow this link and the $55 discount will be automatically applied for you. 

Additional Reading:

Exposure to a specific pulsed low-frequency magnetic field: A double-blind placebo-controlled study of effects on pain ratings in rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients
Update Oska® Pulse – PEMF for Chronic Pain and Cellular Healing

 In healing,,Celeste

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about Celeste’s books at her website or find links here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.


All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain – 5th Issue



Celeste’s "Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain" honors the collaborative spirit of fellow bloggers, advocates, and the many friends who share this journey. Your encouragement is an inspiration to me.




SATURDAY SALUTES

Comment:  Refreshing share, Donna Gregory Burch's 2017 gift guide for fibromyalgia and chronic lyme @National Pain Report.

Comment: Reduced or eliminated too quickly, Congressman Roe? You still don't get it! Robert Rose this must be a very difficult and trying time for you, but know you represent millions of Americans who find opioids improve their quality of life.

The Nerve to Be Heard - iPAIN PoP by Lacy Fowler


Comment:  I couldn’t be more proud of Lacy for her advocacy on Arachnoiditis at the International Pain Foundation – See my interview with Lacy on HealthCentral


CELESTE’S TOP TRENDING PUBLICATIONS



OTHER PUBLICATIONS

*The Advocates Corner – Blogs of Interest at CelesteCooper.com PAINS Project page


ON THE WEB       

Follow along on my Facebook Page
Find previous SATURDAY SALUTES in the archives calendar on My Blog



Thank you guests and fellow pain survivors
November 2017 blog visits – 10,786   website visits – 12,737



~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."


Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about Celeste’s books at her website or find links here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.


All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Fibro-mates, GI Disturbance, and Hypnosis



(C) The Forest of  an Open Mind

For years, we have known an extraordinary number of us with fibromyalgia also live with one or more frequently co-occurring, comorbid, conditions. One of those is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I have vocalized my own experiences with IBS, interviewed Dr Stephen Wangen, board certified, licensed physician in naturopathic medicine and co-founder and Medical Director of the IBS Treatment Center, and I have written about it in what our readers call “The Big Book”. 


Quintessential Fibro-mate: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

If you have IBS, you know the drum-like tightness and resonance caused by belly bloat. When not in an attack, I can explain it like this; I am in a canoe that is lazily floating through my gut. There I am with my feet up, hands behind my head relaxing in a tranquil gently moving environment. Then suddenly, I am holding on for dear life. My canoe ricochets from side to side like a ball hitting the bumpers of a pinball machine, threatening to throw me into a toxic abyss. If you have FM and IBS, you know.

What you may not know is that during an attack I practice creative visualization. I envision my bowel being coated and cloaked with a calming gel that clings to the walls of my intestines. The gooey colorful substance protects the lining against caustic toxins. As I control my breath, I call on my reserves to translate what is happening differently, without judgment. I have not mastered the technique enough to prevent an attack, but it does ease my minds interpretation of the event. In the past, things like creative visualization were not seen as valuable tools by traditional medicine. But, could times be changing? 

Fibro-mate: Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)?

A stronger connection has been made between fibromyalgia and GERD, as reported in an article I wrote for ProHealth. What’s interesting about this connection is that all three; FM, IBS, and GERD share two things

1.     Relationship to the immune system
2.     Relationship to brain, centralization

What’s even more interesting is that traditional medicine, thanks to neuroscience, is now embracing the things my co-author, Jeff Miller, PhD, and I have written about in our books.

Hypnosis— Really?

According to Medscape, a continuing education website for physicians and registered nurses, hypnotherapy for IBS, GERD and inflammatory bowel disease  looks promising. Did I ever think conventional medicine would look outside the box? Yes, but when we wrote our book on integrative therapies for fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and chronic myofascial pain I would not have predicted the robust acceptance or the change taking place in traditional medical paradigms.

Hypnotherapy, as I can personally attest, gives us a sense of control and like my reported experience with creative visualization; it exposes our internal dialogue to change. As a qualified hypnotherapist makes suggestions, we gain power over autonomic body dysfunction, such as IBS and GERD. Biological changes, i.e. temperature, pulse, and blood pressure occur in response to our thoughts as evidenced by biofeedback.  

There is a well-documented bidirectional pathway between the brain and gut, and I believe integrative therapies, such as creative visualization, hypnosis, and biofeedback have a positive effect because fibromyalgia, IBS and GERD share a brain-body connection, centralization and the autonomic nervous system.


Articles of interest:



 In healing,,Celeste

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about Celeste’s books at her website or find links here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.

All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  



Saturday, December 2, 2017

Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain – 4th Issue




Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain honors the collaborative spirit of fellow bloggers, advocates, and the many friends who share this journey. Your encouragement is an inspiration to me.




SATURDAY SALUTES - A busy week!

​Keeping Together by Myra Christopher, Director of PAINS Project
Comment:  “Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success.” Henry Ford. " It is our goal to ‘keep together,’ ‘work together’ and to be successful." Myra Christopher

Chronic Pain, Loneliness, Depression and Suicide by Carolyn Noel, PAINS Webmaster
Comment: An honest account of depression, chronic pain, isolation, support, purpose, and hope.


Comment: A profound message. Labels and accurate data matters. Get it right, people. Report accurate information, politicians. Speak the truth for all, media.

Comment: “I’d be worried about every pain patient right now, not just mine,” says Dr. Tennant.


CELESTE’S TOP TRENDING PUBLICATIONS



OTHER PUBLICATIONS

*The Advocates Corner – Blogs of Interest at CelesteCooper.com PAINS Project page


PREVIOUS SATURDAY SALUTES

Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain – Maiden Issue
Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain – 2nd Issue
Celeste’s Saturday Salutes to Chronic Pain – 3rd Issue

Thank you guests and fellow pain survivors
November 2017 blog visits – 10,786   website visits – 12,737


~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."


Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Freelance Writer at Health Central & ProHealth Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about Celeste’s books at her website or find links here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.


All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

The FM/a® Blood Test and Campaign 250: Participation in Fibromyalgia Exome and Treatment Study




The FM/a® Test, is real, and it is making a huge impact on the way fibromyalgia is diagnosed. So, what is it? And, how might it affect you?


My July 2016 blog, FM/a® Blood Test – “How To” and My Results, has been trending on social media and my fibro-friends have told me they have found it very helpful. The following is one excerpt from that blog that sums it up.


“FM/a® is a multi-biomarker-based test which concerns immune system white blood chemokine and cytokine patterns. Patients with fibromyalgia have a significantly dysregulated pattern regarding these proteins.

I am often asked why I had the blood test done. Wasn’t I afraid the results might be negative? Of course I had concerns, but for me it was worth the risk since, like all of us, I have suffered the physical and emotional agony of living with an invisible illness. If there was a blood test that would confirm my symptoms were not all in my head, I wanted it. It was worth it, because now I have affirmation that I have a biological test that confirms I have fibromyalgia, and I can participate in important research, making a difference in the lives of people worldwide.

I am happy to share other important news that might influence your decision.

“The FM/a® Test is a recognized diagnostic tool that provides an objective diagnosis of fibromyalgia for Gulf War veterans with this disorder who are seeking to qualify for disability coverage. Additionally, the FM/a® Test is now covered for veterans by CHAMPVA insurance, as well as Medicare and most PPO insurance plans.” (Business Wire, accessed November 21, 2017)


In my April 2017 blog, I shared “Breaking News" regarding sequencing of exomes (fibromyalgia disease-specific gene markers) that will improve the diagnosis of fibromyalgia through the application of the FM/a® Test. (Press release). In that blog, I also shared the announcement of “Campaign 250”. Following is an excerpt.

Breaking News

Under contract with researchers from both UCLA and the University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago, Campaign 250 will conduct Whole-Exome genetic testing on up to 250,000 patients who have received a positive FM/a® fibromyalgia diagnosis… Based upon the findings of this testing and once treatment protocols have received regulatory and institutional approvals, FM/a® Test positive patients will be invited to participate in a fibromyalgia-specific vaccine clinical trial to reverse the biology of fibromyalgia…


That time is NOW!



I am honored to say, “I am officially a participant in Campaign 250”. I signed the consent form, which is straightforward, and I submitted my blood, one tube is all it takes. The only qualification is to have tested positive with the FM/a Test. The genomics draw test kit came with detailed instructions. 

I am also happy to share that FM/a® testing is now offered to patients from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Turkey, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.


Would you like to participate?



 PLEASE VISIT

The website provides information you can share with others and your healthcare providers. You will find answers to frequently asked questions, a brochure to download, personal testimonies, access to peer-reviewed medical publications, and a scrolling list of insurance companies known to cover the test (at the bottom of the page). In addition, there are videos to guide you through the process, such as why me, how to get the test, how can I be sure, how can I join, exploring effective treatment, how to get the FM/a blood test, and more. If you have more questions, you are encouraged to give their staff a call.


"From what we get, we can make a living;
what we give, however, makes a life."
~Arthur Ashe


Follow @TheFMTest on Facebook


Additional Information:

FM/a® Blood Test – “How To” – for a detailed account of the process
Blood Test for Fibromyalgia: FM/a Test ® Is Real, Q&A
EpicGenetics Announces Major Clinical Study to Locate Genetic Markers Unique to People with Fibromyalgia and Explore New Treatment Approaches


 (Signature line appended July 2018)


In healing,

Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!



~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Learn more about Celeste’s books here. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others. 

Celeste's Website

Celeste's Website
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