EiR Blog

For those coping with chronic neuroimmune disease, everyday tasks can be much more difficult and exhausting. Not only do these diseases cause painful, irritating symptoms, but having to explain and excuse them can take an emotional toll. If you’re someone who is dealing with a chronic immune deficiency or disease, making sure that you’re prepared to deal with flare-ups and awkward situations is a critical part of living your life. While it’s not always convenient, taking little steps to prepare for flare ups can soothe your symptoms, social life, and any anxiety that comes with coping.   Building a Toolkit   Immune diseases can manifest themselves in a broad variety of ways, and symptoms look different for every person. If you’ve been living with a disease for a longer period of time, you’re probably aware of the triggers that can cause issues for you, and knowing is half the battle....

An article on WebMD this week addressed a very interesting issue. Should doctors give patients placebo (non-active) pills in any circumstances. It turns out this is a surprisingly common practice when doctors are faced with poorly understood chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia. A recent survey revealed that more than half of doctors give out fake prescriptions to patients and that the majority of doctors feel this practice is OK. Scientists questionned  679 internists and rheumatologists; doctors working in specialties where they often see patients with chronic illnesses or chronic pain syndromes including fibromyalgia that are difficult, and in many cases imposible, to cure. It was revealed that doctors find that placebos often provide significant benefit to such patients. The placebo effect is something that has been known of for a long time and is in fact an integral part of scientific research. It is central to the gold standard of medical...

Fatigue is a symptom which is common and particularly debilitating in environmental illnesses, as well as in many other chronic diseases (e.g. heart disease). Fortunately there are a number of nutritional supplements, herbs, and medications which in many cases can significantly improve your energy levels and therefore improve your ability to function normally so you can enjoy life once again. Fatigue or lack of energy can be the result of a number of factors. Physical fatigue may be the result of mitochondrial dysfunction or a poor supply of oxygen to the cells. The mitochondria are the part of the cell which generate energy aerobically (with oxygen). Fatigue may also be mental. Mental fatigue can often be hard to distinguish from physical fatigue as they more often than not occur together. However, mental fatigue can result from an imbalance in the levels of certain energising neurotransmitters in the brain or may...

Have you ever wondered how clean your drinking water really is? Or maybe it's something you've never given a second thought. A recent investigation by the Associated Press has uncovered the disturbing reality of municipal water supplies.

Would you willingly drink water laced with antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones? According to the AP at least 41