Posts by: Ana Pena, PhD

Ana Pena, PhD

Ana is a molecular biologist with a passion for communication and discovery. As a science writer, her goal is to provide readers, in particular patients and healthcare providers, with clear and quality information about the latest medical advances. Ana holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she specialized in infectious diseases, epigenetics, and gene expression.

August 22, 2019August 22, 2019

Floristry Classes Help Ease Pain and Promote Mental Well-being in Fibromyalgia Patients, Study Finds

News

Participating in a flower arranging course may ease both pain and improve the mental health of women with fibromyalgia, a study reports. Its findings highlight the potential of floristry as ... Read more

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019

FM Associated With Parkinson’s More Likely in Younger Women With Mental Health Issues, Israeli Study Reports

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who also have fibromyalgia (FM) tend to be younger, are often women, and are more likely to have a mental health condition like depression or anxiety, ... Read more

July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

Diseases Marked by Widespread Pain Can Lead to Fibromyalgia, Large Study Finds

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People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), endometriosis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at greater risk of developing fibromyalgia or chronic and widespread pain later in life, a population-based study in ... Read more

June 28, 2019June 28, 2019

Study Examines Links Between Fibromyalgia and Migraine Headaches

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Fibromyalgia may be a clinical sign of more severe headaches in patients with migraine, and more frequently affects those with chronic migraines or migraines with aura, which are accompanied by neurological ... Read more

May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

Systolic Extinction Training Reduces Long-term Pain Severity in Women with Fibromyalgia, Clinical Trial Shows

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Systolic extinction training (SET) — which combines behavior therapy to reduce pain and physical interference with training to improve blood pressure response to stress — leads to long-term reductions in ... Read more

May 23, 2019May 23, 2019

Altered Reflexes in Spinal Cord May Contribute to Fibromyalgia Pain, Study Finds

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Changes in the pain-sensing circuits of the spinal cord may contribute to a greater sensitivity to pain in patients with fibromyalgia, a study has found. Spinal cord reflexes were more ... Read more

April 24, 2019April 24, 2019

At-home Breathing Exercises Are as Safe, Effective in FM as Classes, Study Says

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Doing regular breathing exercises at home is as safe and effective for relieving fibromyalgia (FM) pain and reducing the disease’s impact on daily life as doing the same exercises in ... Read more

March 27, 2019March 27, 2019

Fibromyalgia Linked to More Dissociative Symptoms Than Other Rheumatic Disorders, Study Says

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Women with fibromyalgia (FM) experience more difficulty integrating their thoughts, feelings and memories, known as dissociative symptoms, than healthy women or those with other rheumatic disorders, a study shows. Although ... Read more

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019

Eight-week Mindfulness Training Helps Ease Fibromyalgia Symptoms, Pilot Study Suggests

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Completing an eight-week program of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) helps lessen clinical symptoms of fibromyalgia, including disease severity, depression, perceived stress, and cognitive difficulties, a pilot trial suggests. The practice ... Read more

March 6, 2019March 6, 2019

Vibroacoustic Stimulation Can Ease Symptoms, Improve Sleep in Some Fibromyalgia Patients, Study Contends

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Vibroacoustic stimulation — delivering sound-driven vibrations to the skin while seated or lying in bed — can ease fibromyalgia symptoms, depression and everyday pain, as well as improve patients’ sleep, a clinical study ... Read more