THURSDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) — Patients struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome may be helped the most when standard treatment is coupled with cognitive behavior therapy or exercise therapy, new British research suggests.

The apparent promise of cognitive behavior therapy and "graded exercise therapy" offers considerable hope to patients combating the complex condition characterized by profound tiredness, impaired concentration, diminished memory, sleep difficulties and muscle and joint pain, the study authors said.

The findings also support the somewhat controversial notion that incremental adjustments in physical behavior and/or mental attitude can ultimately have a positive impact on the disorder, the authors said.

The standard intervention, known as specialist medical care, is centered around giving patients information about their condition, advice on how to manage symptoms and assistance with coping approaches.

The research team behind the new study found little appreciable benefit with a third alternate therapeutic approach that focuses on helping patients strictly structure their activity and relaxation routines to match their severely reduced energy levels. this strategy, known as "adaptive pacing therapy," assumes that chronic fatigue syndrome is not, in fact, reversible with behavioral changes.

"Patients who received either graded exercise therapy or cognitive behavior therapy reported less fatigue and better function than those who received either adaptive pacing therapy or specialist medical care alone," said study author Dr. Peter D. White, a professor of psychological medicine at Barts and the London School of Medicine, and a psychiatrist at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London.

White and his colleagues report their findings in the Feb. 18 online edition of The Lancet.

The authors noted that it is not yet understood what gives rise to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

The cognitive behavioral therapy targets the building fear and avoidance of activity that can exacerbate CFS. In effect, it seeks to break a vicious cycle in which mental inhibitions actually perpetuate and aggravate the underlying chronic fatigue.

Exercise therapy, also known as "GET," tries to reduce fatigue and disability by gradually helping patients increase their activity levels to improve their overall physical fitness.

To explore which therapies or combinations of therapies might be best, 641 chronic fatigue patients from four different rehabilitation centers in Britain were divided up into one of four groups. over the course of a year, all got standard specialist medical care, while three of the groups received one additional treatment: pacing therapy, cognitive therapy or exercise therapy.

White and his team found the greatest improvements in terms of both fatigue levels and physical function were experienced by those patients who were treated with standard therapy in combination with either cognitive therapy or exercise therapy.

What's more, patients who got a combination of standard treatment and pacing therapy fared no better than those who got standard treatment alone.

Specifically, 60 percent of the standard/cognitive or standard/GET patients experienced fatigue and function improvements, while 30 percent reported "normal levels" of fatigue and function. half as many of the standard therapy alone or standard/pacing patients reported normal fatigue and function levels.

White noted that all the treatments were equally safe, and serious reactions were rare.

"Patients now have a choice of two moderately effective and safe treatments that can help them towards a healthier life," he said.

Dr. Nancy Klimas, chief medical officer at the Chronic Fatigue Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, noted that the merits of various therapeutic approaches to chronic fatigue syndrome are still a matter of debate.

"But here Dr. White is saying that cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise are moderately helpful, but not curative," she said. "and I would agree with that."

"On the other hand, it's also important to note that when we talk about helping patients increase their activity levels, we're talking about people who have very limited amounts of energy," Klimas added. "and you have to work within this 'energy envelope,' because if you push beyond the threshold they will relapse. So often, what we're talking about is about five minutes of exercise before taking a rest."

"In any case, I look at this as a first step," she said, "and anticipate more effective therapies, based on a better understanding of the biology of the illness, in the future."

More information

For more on chronic fatigue syndrome, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Current Research to Lung Cancer – Lung Cancer Stages Wikipedia

For a cancer patient it can add some additional “snowdrifts” that need to be waded through.

Lung Cancer Stages Wikipedia

I offer to you, the person about to begin, undergoing, or recently concluded with cancer treatments a few hopefully helpful hints to help you and your families through the next few months of family, friend and work gatherings.

When I asked my wife what advice she would give, the number one thing she offered up was, “ask for Help.” Pretty simple to say but not always easy to do. Don’t try to do it all yourself. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Don’t be afraid that you will be letting someone down if there are things that you simply can’t do this year. the cancer treatment that I am familiar with is for small cell lung cancer, it involved radiation as well as chemotherapy and took a heavy toll on my energy levels as well as appetite and left me feeling drained at times and unable to focus. it took awhile for me to admit that I needed help sometimes just putting on my socks, but once I did begin asking for help, not only did it help me tremendously, it also gave the people around me a sense of usefulness that they were able to contribute in some manner.

Accepting help takes some of the pressure and stress from you and will become a very helpful piece in your recovery plan.

If you’re a parent there is a certain amount of stress that naturally falls on us all to make the holiday season a happy and memorable time for our children. if your going through treatment you might find yourself overcompensating for your illness out of some self-inflicted guilt of the effect on your children. this will lead you to pushing your body harder and farther then you should and could be detrimental to your long term health. Depending on the age of your children, their level of understanding regarding what you are going through is going to help alleviate not only your stress but theirs as well. Be as upfront as you can about how you are feeling. Children are remarkably resilient and most can cope with things better then we give them credit for, the key is to not overwhelm your child with too much at once.

Watch your levels. Make sure you are staying hydrated and that your white and red blood cell counts are remaining consistent. Dehydration was a huge nemesis for me while I was going through treatment.

Make sure you have the things you need. if you have had radiation treatments that came in contact with any part of your throat then you are familiar with a substance called ‘magic mouthwash’ and you don’t want to find yourself without it over a long holiday weekend. if they advise you to use a stool softener do to the medications you are taking then do it. You don’t want that trouble creeping up on you during juniors school pageant.

This brings up the next tip. if you know you have a school function to attend, make sure you get enough rest before hand so that you can make it through. if there is going to be an office party it’s ok to inform people in advance of your intentions. “Sally, are you coming to the boss’s party?” “yes, I am. I will be there at 7:00 p.m. and plan on staying and visiting with everyone until 8:30, by that time I think I will be ready to call it a night.” You have now set boundaries for your appearance and will leave no one asking at 8:30 “have you seen Sally?” “I hope nothing happened.” and there should be no discomfort for leaving at a time that is appropriate for you. Be prepared for the endless barrage of questions you are going to receive regarding your health and condition and remember that you are at a festive holiday party and not your own wake so keep the drama to an appropriate level. It’s hard enough sometimes for people to come up with the right thing to say to you when you have cancer, let them off the hook by turning the conversation their way. ask about their kids, what their plans are for the holidays etc. You’ll find some people who are not comfortable talking about themselves are still more comfortable then asking you about your condition.

Family gatherings are a bit different I think you can walk into a room full of family members and just say up front “Hey gang here I am, I’m feeling pretty good tonight and I appreciate everyone’s concern but let’s just have a good time and not worry about any of this stuff right now.” You can work the room a little differently with family then with co-workers.

The important thing here is that you try to get out to different functions that you are invited to and to the children’s programs, to church, if you attend. these things are as much for you as for them. Will you feel like going, probably not. Will you be able to host and prepare the big dinner this year? Not by yourself you are going to have to do what? That’s right, ask for help.

Lung Cancer Secrets Revealed Click here

Don’t miss the important things because of something unimportant like a lack of hair on your head. Ladies that goes for you too. got a hat, wear a hat. Cancer is nothing to be ashamed of, you are not weak, you have done nothing wrong. Cancer treatments have certain side effects and that’s all there is to it. People don’t point and stare at you. Be prepared because they will look and wonder to themselves “I wonder what’s wrong with that guy?” Followed by “I wonder how I’d look with no hair?” But it’s generally no more than that, a passing glance of curiosity. if you are going to survive, you have to get way beyond that to begin with.

It’s a time to be out with friends and family so don’t deprive yourself of that pleasure, just plan better than you ever have before. Get plenty of rest, plenty of liquids and set your boundaries.

These things are your obligations to fulfill. You might have to ask for help this year, You might not be the raging social butterfly that you have been in the past.

Don’t overcompensate for your illness.

Don’t try to be everything to everyone.

Don’t jeopardize your health for any reason. having cancer is like a heavy weight fight, it’s seldom won in the first round, it’s usually decided late in the fight and won by the fighter who is the best prepared to go the distance. save a good portion of your energy for the fight.

Ask for help, it will help the people closest to you cope with your illness if they feel useful. It’s important, don’t deprive them of that.

If you have cancer, the greatest gifts you can give this year are memories. tell your children or grandchildren stories of holidays past(please leave out the walked up hill to school in a blizzard both ways stories) but share who you are with the people you love and regardless of your fate, you will live on forever.

My holiday wish for you is to be telling the story of the year you beat cancer for Christmas, many years from now to a healthy generation of great grandchildren who don’t even know what the word cancer means.

Tim Giardina is the co founder and President of the GFLCCO as well as a current small cell lung cancer survivor. the Gflcco is a non profit organization formed to raise funding for lung cancer research, promote public awareness and serve as an advocate for lung cancer patients and their families. the GFLCCO is based in Florida but also maintains offices in Illinois as well as Wisconsin and reaches out world wide via the web.

lung cancer treatment breakthroughs Click here

Facts About Colorectal CancerColorectal cancer – cancer of the colon and rectum – is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States for both men and women combined. the general population faces a lifetime risk [...]

Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer, yet there is still no recommended screening tool. A new study published in the journal Radiology and conducted by the National Cancer Institute shows twenty percent fewer lung cancer deaths seen among those who were screened with low-dose spiral CT than with chest X-ray. Alex Lechin, Pulmonologist and Critical Care Specialist with Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, explains what the study means and how it affects treatment and diagnosis of lung cancer. Low-dose CT scans better detect earlier stages of lung cancer than a standard chest X-ray, significantly cutting deaths from the disease, the National Cancer Institute announced today. the NCI’s study enrolled 53000 current and former heavy smokers, ages 55 to 74, at 33 trial sites nationwide over a 20 month period beginning in August 2002. Participants were required to have a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years and were either current or former smokers without signs, symptoms, or history of lung cancer. Pack-years are calculated by multiplying the average number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years a person has smoked. they were screened annually for three years by either CT scan or conventional chest X-rays and found those who had the CT screening were 20 percent less likely to die from lung cancer. the participants were then followed for up to another five years; all deaths were documented, with special attention given to the …Video Rating: 0 / 5

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