May is Fibromyalgia Awareness month

Every month is chock full of awareness dates, but this May, fibromyalgia awareness has more meaning to me. For years, I've been having issues that had me visiting doctors, trying to figure out what was wrong. The biggest problem was that all my tests all came back negative, normal. On paper, I was as healthy as could be. In person, not so much. Recently, one doctor actually sat down and listened to all my complaints - not just one or two specific to a specialty in medicine. He came out and said I had fibromyalgia.

Now, to be perfectly honest, that was not what I wanted to hear, but it was what I expected to hear. I would have preferred to hear that I was  hypothyroid or something like that - allowing me to have something that can be identified and specifically treated. But, no such luck. However, it is nice - for me - to have a name to what has been plaguing me all these years. I no longer feel like I'm lazy or worthless because I am too sleepy to get through the day without at least one nap, if not two. I no longer think I'm a wimp because something that causes moderate discomfort to one person is extremely painful to me. I no longer think I have some terrible illness because of the pain I have, because I know it's "normal" for me to have it.

There are many websites that discuss fibromyalgia and there is a lot of misinformation out there. So if you are trying to learn more, I urge you to be sure you go to legitimate places, not sites that promise you cures if you send them money. I'm not saying there aren't some things that can help manage fibro, I just don't want people falling for snake oil cures.

How can you be sure the site is on the up and up? Look at the "about us" section and see who is backing the site and where the information is coming from. How long has the site been in existence? Do other sites link to it? What sites do they link to? Do they say anything that looks too good to be true?

Be careful, do your due diligence. It's bad enough having a syndrome that isn't understood, you don't want to be scammed either, right?

Walnut recall in Canada due to e. coli contamination

This is a press release issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

CERTAIN BULK AND PREPACKAGED RAW SHELLED WALNUTS MAY CONTAIN E. coli O157:H7 BACTERIA

Related alerts: 2011-04-04 | 2011-04-03

OTTAWA, April 3, 2011 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Amira Enterprises Inc. are warning the public not to consume certain bulk and prepackaged raw shelled walnut products described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
All raw shelled walnuts sold from bulk bins, all package sizes and all lot codes / Best Before dates of the following raw shelled walnuts and products containing walnuts are affected by this alert. The affected products were available for purchase from January 1, 2011, up to and including April 4, 2011. The raw shelled walnuts are imported from the USA.

Brand	Product
Amira	Raw shelled walnuts sold from a bulk bin*
Amira	Prepackaged raw shelled walnuts (Halves/Pieces/Crumbs)
Tia	Prepackaged raw shelled walnuts (Halves/Pieces/Crumbs)
Merit Selection	Prepackaged raw shelled walnuts (Halves/Pieces/Crumbs)
Amira	Mistral Mix containing walnuts
Tia	Mistral Mix containing walnuts
Amira	Salad booster containing walnuts
Tia	Salad booster containing walnuts

*The brand name Amira may not be marked on the raw walnuts sold from the bulk bins.
Consumers who have purchased walnuts from bulk bins are advised to contact the retailer to determine if they have the affected product.
These products have been distributed in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Ontario. However, they may have been distributed nationally.
This is an ongoing food safety investigation. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is investigating a multi-provincial outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in collaboration with provincial health authorities as well as federal health partners including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada.

• Public Advisory: E. coli outbreak - At this time, the outbreak investigation indicates that several individuals have reported consuming raw shelled walnuts.
  

Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

Amira Enterprises Inc., St. Laurent, QC is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:
Amira Enterprises Inc. at 1-877-383-9823 or info@amira.ca
CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on E. coli O157:H7, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/ecolie.shtmlhttp://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/ecolie.shtml

Faces of Sepsis

22-year-old JonyRose Filip died of sepsis following a urinary tract infection.

Read her story on the Faces of Sepsis.

Migraine Rates Rising?

Could it be that more people are experiencing migraines than ever before? If a recent study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is right, then it's true: migraine sufferers are becoming more numerous.

According a press release discussing the study, there was a 1% increase in people who reported having migraines - now 12%, up from 11%. The issue that seemed to puzzle researchers the most was why the increase occurred. They couldn't find one particular cause for the rise.

What is the difference between migraines and headaches? Here is a video that does a good job of explaining the difference.

In a previous blog post about migraines, I gave some basic information about migraines:

Migraines are very common. According to statistics, up to 17% of women and 6% of men have had at least one migraine. Some people have occasional migraines, but some experience chronic migraines. These, according to the MayoClinic.com, are migraines that occur 15 or more days per month. The National Headache Foundation reports that 80% of migraines are severe and up to 24% of people with migraines have had to go to the emergency room.

What causes migraines? We don’t really know but we do know that there are many triggers. The most well-known ones are migraines that occur with a woman’s menstrual cycle or the ones that occur when some people drink red wine or eat chocolate. Other triggers can be:

- Alcohol
- Allergies
- Bright lights
- Changes in weather patterns
- Lack of or too much sleep
- Loud noises
- Skipping meals
- Stress (physical or emotional)
- Strong odours

Do you have migraines? What do you do about them?