• FM/CFS/ME Survey Results
• St. Patrick's Day - Did You Know
• Uses For Pill Timers
• Growth Hormone May Relieve FM Pain
• Are You SAD?
• Happy Easter!

December 30, 2007 marked the one year anniversary of the FM/CFS/ME Survey. The response has been amazing and we'd like to thank those of you who have made this such a success.

Many of the responses have led us to ask a few more additional questions. We've amended the new survey to reflect these new questions, and we've attempted to contact the people who've taken the original survey. However, if we missed you, please request the additional survey questions.

If you have yet to take the survey it's never too late. Take the FM/CFS/ME RESO"URCES Survey.

Here are a few of the survey results we've received thus far:

• Suffering From Sleep Problems: 91%
• Trouble Communicating: 86%
• Suffering From Headaches: 84%
• Suffering From Light Headiness: 84%
• Suffering From Anxiety: 71%
• Suffering From IBS: 70%

Review all the survey results here. If you have yet to take the survey it's never too late. Take the FM/CFS/ME RESOURCES Survey.

Green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because it's the color of spring.

The shamrock is a traditional symbol because Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to represent how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit could exist as separate elements in the same entity.

The first St. Patrick's Day in America was celebrated in Boston in 1737.

There are 34.7 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (4.2 million).

Pill timers are wonderful things. They're small enough to fit in your purse, but large enough to handle all your daily pills. Many types have multiple timers. I use my pill timer for more than just pills. It's great for helping me remember things. I jot myself a note, place it inside the timer box, and set the alarm. When the alarm goes off I open the box and see my note, reminding me it's time to get the mail, or take out the garbage, etc.

Pill timers are wonderful on the deck too. I don't know about you, but when I'm out by the grill the last thing I can remember is how long the meat has been on the fire. I set my little pill timer for 5 min's, stick it in my pocket, then relax in a chair till it's time to turn the meat.

Daily injections of growth hormone may help reduce pain and improve the quality of life in some patients with Fibromyalgia (FM), new findings of a small study suggest.

There is evidence of growth hormone deficiency and growth hormone resistance in some FM patients, a Spanish research team explains in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. Dr. Guillem Cuatrecasas at Centro Medico Teknon in Barcelona, and colleagues conducted a study of growth hormone therapy in 24 patients. The patients, mostly female, had severe disease of at least 1-year duration and pain in at least 16 of 18 fibromyalgia trigger points.

After 12 months, the number of tender points was much lower in the growth hormone group: an average of 6.50 versus 16.5 in the comparison group. Growth hormone therapy was also associated with improvements in quality of life.

You might be if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression. SAD is a real problem, but one that can be helped with the use of light boxes. These boxes are portable devices that contain fluorescent bulbs or tubes. You can purchase a light box over the counter, without a prescription. You can buy light boxes on the Internet and at some drugstores and hardware stores. But not all of these products are safe or effective for seasonal affective disorder treatment, so check with your doctor before buying one. To avoid complications, use light boxes only under your doctor's guidance.

Look for a light box that allows you the right intensity of light at a comfortable seating distance. Some light boxes offer the preferred 10,000 lux only when you're within a few inches of the box, while others can reach a distance of nearly two feet. Some light boxes use full-spectrum light bulbs that give off ultraviolet (UV) light, which can cause eye and skin damage. Look for devices that produce as little UV light as possible at high intensity or that carefully shield the UV rays they produce.

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches.

Christians believe according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion, is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

In Western Christianity, Easter marks the ending of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline in preparation for Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent or Great Lent, during the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Palm Sunday with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Easter. Lent for Eastern Orthodox churches begins on Monday and Ash Wednesday is not observed.

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