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NEW GROUP

We are excited to announce the formation of The Young Women's Fibromyalgia Society

youngfibrosociety.wordpress.com

WELCOME                                                 

If you have fibromyalgia you are ill.

You are NOT crazy. 

"You may have been told that whatever you have is untreatable or that your symptoms are all in your head. People think you're a hypochondriac and doctors may not want to handle your case. Or you may have been overmedicated by well-intentioned health care providers who wanted desperately to help you. You may be having trouble getting refills for medications that make your life tolerable. You may be in danger of losing your job and your relationships. You may have fallen victim to those who are making billions of dollars a year off those desperately searching for something, anything, that will help..."

When we first put up this website many doctors didn't believe in fibromyalgia. As a result, patients faced a daunting journey at odds with their physicians, families, employers and insurance companies. But now that big pharmaceutical companies have discovered how lucrative chronic illnesses are, things have changed. Now everyone knows fibromyalgia is real because it's advertised on television and in magazines. Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella sound great until you read the small print or try one and it doesn't agree with you. Then you realize these "new"* potent drugs relieve some of your symptoms while altering the chemistry of your brain.  Not to mention side effects such as weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, headaches and thinning of your bones... If you live in Europe these drugs may not even be available because their performance didn't outweigh their risks in studies.

*("new" is in quotes because none of these drugs are members of a new class, rather they are cousins of existing compounds which by an odd coincidence have recently gone generic)

What's lost in all this commotion is that none of these expensive compounds will actually treat fibromyalgia.  They, and earlier medications like them, simply change the way your brain perceives your symptoms. Usually their side effects require other medications to counteract them.  So here we are in 2009, and the accepted regimen for fibromyalgia is still a balancing act of polypharmacy while your illness continues to get worse and eventually requires stronger medications. To make a bad situation more dismal, many patients are disabled and simply cannot afford expensive medications, but the truth is that even in the best designed clinical trials their success rate was modest when compared,--not to other drugs--but to sugar pills.

Results are what count.  There is hope.  We use a simple medication with no side effects that can actually reverse your fibromyalgia. As time goes by, you'll need fewer drugs, not more. We have walked in your shoes. We have fibromyalgia too. Dr. St. Amand is in practice in Los Angeles, California, and is still accepting new patients.

We are not the latest miracle cure.

Treatment of fibromyalgia has become a multi-billion dollar industry and we have no objection to profit. We are often asked why the Fibromyalgia Treatment Center does not manufacture, distribute, or promote any particular brand of guaifenesin for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Simply, our mission is to educate -- based on fifty years of diligent, honest research. We will not risk compromising the integrity of our work with the perception of ulterior motivation.

In 2008 we published a paper showing that some abnormal findings in fibromyalgia were changed by patients taking guaifenesin.  The link to that paper is on the upper right side of this site.  Two more papers are currently being prepared.  

 If, after thorough investigation you determine that implementing the guaifenesin protocol is appropriate for you, it is critically important that it be adhered to precisely. We are here to help. 

     Now for the legalese:

This information is not designed as or intended to be used as medical diagnosis or advice. Patients should consult their physicians about diagnosis and treatment.

The only "official" videotapes, books and DVDs are those available here, and are sold exclusively for the benefit of the nonprofit Fibromyalgia Treatment Center research fund. All the money raised by the sale of these items is 100% donated.

R. Paul St. Amand, M.D. does not "approve, endorse or recommend" any products, services or reinterpretations of his published works. Only those products and services that have been researched by his staff are included here and are listed as a public service.

Sincerely,
The Board of Directors

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