Midlands set to host major international fibromyalgia conference

The Midlands Fibromyalgia Support Group, supported by The Academy of Nutritional Medicine, is holding an International Conference on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia at the Tullamore Court Hotel, on Sunday next, October 9, from 9am to 5pm. This will be an important opportunity for sufferers of ME/Fibromyalgia as well as carers and health professionals to gain state-of-the-art knowledge of these conditions and the latest treatment options. The Midlands Fibroymyalgia Support Group was formed in Tullamore in 2002, and is supported by the Health Service Executive. It is set to establish a Westmeath support group after the conference. What are Fibromyalgia and ME? Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The fatigue ranges from feeling tired to the exhaustion of a flu-like illness. It may come and go, and people can suddenly feel drained of all energy - as if someone just "pulled the plug". Fibromyalgia is a common illness. According to the American College of Rheumatology, it is thought that the prevalence of fibromyalgia is between 2 - 4%, bearing in mind that many people are still not diagnosed. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a debilitating neurological disease that has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 1969 as a distinct organic neurological disorder. ME is an incredibly debilitating illness that unfortunately is not particularly recognised in Ireland. On Sunday next, six top-calibre experts in the field will be giving presentations: Dr Judy Mikovits MD, PhD, a highly renowned guest from the USA, is research director of the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI), an ME research organisation and clinic in Nevada. Dr. Mikovits is one of the authors of the cutting-edge study published in Science magazine in October 2009 that detected XMRV in ME patients. Dr Peter Julu, MB ChB MSc PhD, is the only GMC-registered specialist in Autonomic Neurophysiology in the UK, and his talk will be on the neurophysiological assessment of autonomic function in patients with ME, as well as fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease) Dr Daniel Goyal MB ChB DTM&H will be speaking about the main tests patients should consider having and the related therapy options. Dr Raymond N. Perrin, DO, PhD, will be speaking on neurolymphatic drainage of the brain and its involvement in ME Ms Catherine Norton is a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology, University College Dublin. She has conducted a large study of self-reported quality of life, cognitive functioning, emotional status and pain symptoms in Fibromyalgia for her dissertation. Greg Crowhurst RNLD PG dip is a registered Nurse with qualifications in training, experiential learning, counselling, web design and an MA in Moral, Personal and Spiritual Development, and will be giving a talk based on his own experience of caring for his wife, who is suffering from very severe ME and fibromyalgia. Tickets cost €35, including lunch and light refreshments. To purchase tickets, please send an email to: midlandsfibro@gmail.com, phone 00 353 87-9389751, or write to: Midlands Fibromyalgia Support Group, Offaly Centre for Independent Living, Clonminch Rd., Tullamore. For further details, please visit: http://www.stonebird.co.uk/irishmeconference.html.