There were some big events that took place in 2017 for the fibromyalgia community. Here’s what happened last year and what we hope to see in 2018.
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New Fibro Live Cohost
This is the first show of the new year. With another year of Fibro Live shows ahead of us, I’d like to introduce Donna Burch as the new co-host for the show!
Donna is the writer and creator of Fed Up with Fatigue. As a former journalist, her website contains informative articles regarding news, research, treatments and more regarding fibromyalgia and chronic Lyme. She hosts an engaging group on Facebook called What Works for Fibromyalgia. Click here to join the group.
Top news and research in fibromyalgia for 2017
Donna and I have lots of great topics to discuss on Fibro Live in the following months, but first we wanted to reflect on the big news in the fibro community for 2017. We also discuss what we hope to see in 2018.
For the complete list and details on the listed items, please visit Year in Review: Top fibromyalgia news and research from 2017.
- Lady Gaga announced having fibromyalgia shortly before the release of her documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two. This is a big step in exposing fibromyalgia because of her celebrity status. Read the film’s summary and analysis.
- EpicGenetics’ is looking for FDA approval to test the TB vaccine as a potential fibro treatment. They also released the FM/a blood test. The test was released several years ago. What’s new is that they will be using blood samples from those who test positive to see if they can ID genetic similarities in people w/ fibro.
- Aptinyx is moving forward with clinical trials for a new drug as treatment for fibro and neuropathic pain.
- Mirogabalin, a pain medication that was supposed to be more effective than Lyrica, failed to meet criteria in clinical trials.
What do we hope to see in 2018 for the fibro community?
I believe this is going to be another great year for the fibromyalgia community. Even more so, I think.
For this year, I hope to see…
- A fibromyalgia awareness campaign led by Lady Gaga;
- Generic Lyrica available to fibro patients;
- Further legalization of cannabis for chronic pain use;
- More exposure and acceptance of mental illness; and
- The premier of Invisible: The Film, a documentary about fibromyalgia.
For this year, Donna hopes to see…
- a breakthrough in Dr. Younger’s research (He desperately needs fibro patients in Birmingham, Alabama!)
- Dr. Pridgen’s antiviral study should be coming up this year.
- BCG vaccine trial via EpicGenetics should be this year, too.
Personal goals as writers and advocates
My personal goals for this year are to…
- develop a support group/workshop for fibro thrivers and their families,
- have a successful, effective campaign for this year’s Fibromyalgia Awareness month in May,
- connect with other fibro thrivers through support groups, events, and online, and
- distribute information and engage with the fibro community through this show, Fibro Live.
Donna’s personal goals for this year are to…
- have more of a focus on getting to the underlying causes of fibromyalgia, and
- do more video on Facebook and YouTube.
Fibro Live Video
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