Patient Education
“Unrest” Panel Discussion
Jen Brea’s movie, Unrest, is bringing attention to the struggles that people with ME/CFS face. This award-winning film is available on Netflix, Amazon, and your local PBS station, and if you haven’t seen it yet, block out some time to take a look. Jen turns an unflinching camera on her life and the lives of…
Read MoreKeeping Spirits Bright: Managing the Post-Holiday Letdown
Some people, especially those with chronic disease, experience depression and/or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) after the holidays are over. Dr. Stuart Drescher, a psychologist experienced in working with patients with chronic diseases including ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia, gives tips on how to manage the letdown that often occurs in January and February, when the holidays are over and the days seem dark and dreary.
Read MoreWhen Mommy Can’t Dance: How to Be a Chronically Ill Mom
It’s a hard to be a sick mom. For most mothers, a few days of illness may mean a back-up of laundry and a night or two of frozen pizza or cold cereal for dinner. For those of us moms that are chronically ill, it’s a whole other ball game. Certainly we have to adapt, get creative, and employ as many mom hacks as we can (i.e. Amazon prime, grocery pick up, self-serve kid snacks, and yes, we still have an above average number of cereal dinners). Beyond the physical demands and limitations, however, are the mental and emotional obstacles that we face. The mom guilt is present enough when you are healthy; it can be even more crushing when you are not.
Read MoreOurs Is Not a Caravan of Despair: Finding Hope
Dr. Elizabeth Sherlock has watched many family members suffer with ME/CFS throughout the past several decades. In this moving and poetical presentation, she shares what she and her family learned through these experiences and gives ideas on how to find your true self.
Read MoreBHC Program and Research Update
BHC’s mission is to empower patients, advance research, and improve clinical care. What is happening to further those goals? At the November education meeting, Dr. Lucinda Bateman and Dr. Suzanne Vernon shared updates on the programs BHC is developing to ensure that this mission is accomplished. Highlights include development of a patient education program to empower patients, a practitioner education program that will improve clinical care, and implementation of a major research grant to advance the search for biomarkers.
Read MoreME/CFS and Related Illness: Putting It All Together
Understanding how ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia are related to and affected by other illnesses is key in helping patients find relief from symptoms. At the BHC Education Meeting in October, Dr. Nathan Holladay gave a broad view of the key aspects of the various problems that can cause these diseases or make them worse, including infections, immune system issues, and mitochondrial, metabolic, and endocrine dysfunction. Making the connections between these illnesses can help doctors and patients decide on customized treatment methods rather than “one-size-fits-all” treatments.
Read MoreNutrition: How Food Choices Impact How You Feel
The Whole Sisters (Nan Jensen and Nicole Bangerter) shared their journey with chronic illnesses at the September education meeting. View this presentation to learn about how food choices can affect symptoms. Visit their website for ideas on healthy food choices. Nan and Nicole discuss the importance of organic choices, the “dirty dozen” and the “clean fifteen”. They share tactics to develop self awareness and guidelines for reducing symptom presentation including recipe ideas.
Read MoreBuilding the Ranks of Skillful and Informed Medical Providers
BHC Strategies for Bringing Doctors up to Speed on ME/CFS and FM presented by Lucinda Bateman, MD, BHC Founder and Medical Director Improving the way medical providers understand, diagnose, and treat ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia is critical to progress and a primary focus of the Bateman Horne Center. At the August 2nd BHC Education Meeting, Dr. Bateman shared her…
Read MoreWelcome to the Microorganism Hotel
Gut Microbes and ME/CFS Theresa Dowell is a family nurse practitioner and physical therapist. She has suffered from CFS for 12 years. It was her experiences as a CFS patient that motivated her to start a medical clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona dedicated solely to the treatment of Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyaglia. She comes to…
Read MoreLife Happens: Sleep, Weight, and Activity in Fibromyalgia
On July 5, Akiko Okifuji, PhD, presented “Life Happens” at the monthly Bateman Horne Center education meeting. Dr. Okifuji is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah. She has been actively conducting clinical research in chronic pain field, particularly in the area of fibromyalgia, for the past 20 years. She is…
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