Latest news with #fibromyalgia
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Fibromyalgia leaves Denbighshire woman in constant pain
For 48-year-old Nia McGregor, talking to people and even wearing clothes hurts. She has fibromyalgia, a condition that causes extreme physical pain and tiredness, and said at her lowest she was taking 79 different tablets a McGregor, from Ruthin, lived with chronic pain for seven years before receiving a diagnosis and said she tried to end her life three times due to a lack of of a new support group in Denbighshire have claimed doctors do not take patients "seriously enough", with some waiting more than 20 years for a Welsh government said it invested £8m annually into its adferiad programme which had expanded to address gaps in services for conditions such as fibromyalgia. Warning: This article contains references that some people may find upsettingMs McGregor previously worked in health and safety as a scaffolding inspector and liked to travel and ride her motorbike but now every movement causes severe pain throughout her told BBC-produced Newyddion S4C: "Wearing clothes hurts, talking to people hurts. I can't work or drive a car. I just sit there." Fibromyalgia is often triggered by an event that causes physical or psychological stress and Ms McGregor believes the trauma of having a hysterectomy after years of living with endometriosis may have caused hers years later."Doctors pass you around from department to department. You lose your independence, I had no-one to talk to," she said."I really wanted to kill myself." During years of tests, scans and "all kinds of medicine" before she was diagnosed in 2014, Ms McGregor said she felt very low because doctors were unable to give her answers and "spent my life sitting on the sofa crying my eyes out".She believes a lack of awareness among doctors is the "main problem"."They didn't know what to do with me. At one point I had to go to the hospital as I hadn't been able to go to the toilet for 49 days," she said. "All because of the number of tablets I was taking." Ms McGregor, who also underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, said she had lost her independence because of fibromyalgia and relied on her mum to take her "everywhere".She said she was eventually given more appropriate medication and now "functions much better" by taking seven tables a day and morphine for the pain. For her things changed after she was seen by a rheumatologist who she said "took one look at me" and told her: "I know it's not in your head." Ms McGregor is one of 200 members of the community group that was set up to support people with fibromyalgia and their was started by Kevin Jones from Ruthin after seeing his wife Pam, who has fibromyalgia, "suffer alone". He is worried it is not taken "seriously enough" and it was "hit or miss" whether you are diagnosed in an acceptable Jones said not enough people understood the condition but hoped the group would inspire others to set up similar ones across Wales. Angharad Rees, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and fibromyalgia, said getting a diagnosis was difficult and claimed some doctors accused her of "telling lies" about her said she was in tears when a specialist told her she was not telling the truth after being sent to hospital in 2023 following a flare up. "What they see is that you get upset and cry and then they tell you that it's definitely a mental health condition," Ms Rees said. The 45-year-old, from Llandegla in Denbighshire, wants medical professionals to "listen more to the patient".She said she found comfort in meeting others in similar situations at the support group. The Welsh government said it had extended its adferiad programme, which was set up to treat long Covid, to other conditions such as added: "While we acknowledge more progress is needed, particularly around data collection, we remain committed to ensuring these services develop as our understanding and evidence base grows." What is fibromyalgia? According to the NHS, it is a long-term condition with symptoms including:Increased sensitivity to pain, muscle stiffnessDifficulty getting to sleep or staying asleepProblems with memory and concentrationHeadachesIrritable bowel syndromeFeelings of frustration, worry or low moodThere is no cure, but there are treatments to help relieve some of the symptoms. If you or someone you know is struggling with issues raised by this story, find support through BBC Action Line.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Forest of Dean support groups help those with chronic pain
Three women suffering from chronic pain and fatigue have spoken about the daily struggles they face after starting a group to help Panait, 51, Louise French, 45, and Shannon Dunkley, 29, from Gloucestershire, all suffer from debilitating chronic pain conditions including fibromyalgia and women described a lack of support services, adding that often medicines they were prescribed only seemed to make things worse. NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been contacted for comment. Both Karen and Shannon were prescribed anti-depressants to try and ease their pain, but both said these had not solved their problems."We weren't depressed. We're getting depressed because we're in pain," said Karen, who set up the first support group in Lydney to provide better "empathy and understanding"."It can be soul destroying. It's scary because you're just trying to live a normal life. "And especially for all three of us as mums, you're trying to do the best you can for your kids," she being prescribed many different anti-depressants, Shannon said they never helped, instead leaving her feeling "zombified". Louise was initially diagnosed with hypermobility as a teenager, and her symptoms began to worsen about 12 years was later diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a condition that involves chronic pain and fatigue, as well as other conditions including arthritis and diabetes."For years, I just wasn't the person that I was before. I don't think I'll ever be that person again," said Louise."One of the big things is the fact that I'm a different mum."All three of my children have been my carers. When I can't get out of bed, they've cooked. They helped me get dressed when I can't move."It's not just us that it impacts. It's the people that we live around and the people that are closest to us that are impacted because their lives aren't their lives anymore, because they have to constantly make sure that we're all right," she a lack of services available to support people living with chronic pain conditions, the three women decided to take matters into their own set up chronic pain groups across the Forest of Dean, offering people struggling with these issues a "safe space" to come and chat and support each other. With the help of social prescriber - which links people to a wide range of community groups and services - Karen set up the first support group in 15 months later, there are also support groups in Coleford and Cinderford."You feel understood. There's empathy, understanding, and there's even friendship in the groups," said Karen."One thing we find in particular with the younger members of the group is some of the girls started suffering when they were at school. "They feel very isolated because they'd come out of school and not been able to work. But they've met other young people with the same problems as them and they're now being supported within their own peer groups," she added. The groups have the support of other health practices in the area and have recently had GPs attending the three women are eager to help set up more support groups across the Forest and Gloucestershire, with interest from Chepstow, Ross-on-Wye and Stroud."It was nice to know that I was not alone, that I had someone," said Shannon, who runs the Coleford group with Karen."It just makes so much of a difference. It connects everyone, and the more people we can reach, the better," she added.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Presented Data and Analyses of TNX-102 SL Treatment Effects on Fibromyalgia at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2025
TNX-102 SL is a sublingual formulation of cyclobenzaprine designed for transmucosal delivery and durable activity in treating fibromyalgia: FDA PDUFA goal date of August 15, 2025 TNX-102 SL demonstrated statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint of reduction in fibromyalgia pain in two double-blind randomized placebo-controlled Phase 3 studies If approved by FDA, TNX-102 SL would become the first member of a new class of non-opioid analgesic drugs for fibromyalgia and the first new drug for treating fibromyalgia in more than 15 years CHATHAM, N.J., June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company) presented data in a poster presentation at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2025, held June 11-14, 2025, in Barcelona, Spain. A copy of the Company's poster, titled 'Advancing Fibromyalgia Treatment: Transmucosal Sublingual Cyclobenzaprine (TNX-102 SL) Targets Non-restorative Sleep and Provides Sustained Pain Reduction' is available under the Scientific Presentations tab of the Tonix website at TNX-102 SL (cyclobenzaprine HCl sublingual tablets) is a non-opioid analgesic designed for daily bedtime dosing with an FDA Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of August 15, 2025. 'Fibromyalgia is a complex and invisible chronic pain condition which drives many patients to be prescribed chronic opioids which are associated with addiction and overdose,' said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. 'To address the chronic symptoms of fibromyalgia, potential therapeutic options must provide durable benefits. TNX-102 SL has shown statistically significant, durable activity (14 weeks) in reducing fibromyalgia pain in two Phase 3 studies. Designed to target the sleep disturbance of fibromyalgia, TNX-102 SL harnesses the therapeutic activity of cyclobenzaprine in part by reducing in the level of the active metabolite norcyclobenzaprine relative to oral cyclobenzaprine. Norcyclobenzaprine is believed to interfere with the durability of oral cyclobenzaprine's treatment effect in off-label chronic dosing regimens and in a failed double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.1 TNX-102 SL now has the potential to be the first new treatment option for fibromyalgia patients in 15 years.' TNX-102 SL is designed for transmucosal absorption to bypass first-pass hepatic metabolism. The poster presentation shows the day 20 steady state blood levels from a study of nightly TNX-102 SL dosing in which the peak level of cyclobenzaprine exceeds the level of the active metabolite norcyclobenzaprine during sleep time. In contrast, with nightly oral cyclobenzaprine dosing, pharmacokinetic simulations show that norcyclobenzaprine accumulates to higher levels, and the cyclobenzaprine peak level does not exceed the norcyclobenzaprine level during sleep time. The poster includes data from the RESILIENT Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of TNX-102 SL with a primary endpoint of reducing daily pain numeric rating scale scores after 14 weeks of treatment. TNX-102 SL significantly reduced pain and improved clinical outcomes in fibromyalgia patients while demonstrating a favorable tolerability profile. TNX-102 SL employs a novel mechanism targeting the sleep disturbance in fibromyalgia by acting as a potent antagonist at four post-synaptic receptors, each of which is known to regulate sleep. About Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain disorder that is understood to result from amplified sensory and pain signaling within the central nervous system, called central sensitization. Brain imaging studies have localized the functional disorder to the brain's insula and anterior cingulate cortex. Fibromyalgia afflicts more than 10 million adults in the U.S., the majority of whom are women. Symptoms of fibromyalgia include chronic widespread pain, non-restorative sleep, fatigue, and brain fog (or cognitive dysfunction). Other associated symptoms include mood disturbances, including depression, anxiety, headaches and abdominal pain or cramps. Individuals suffering from fibromyalgia often struggle with their daily activities, have impaired quality of life, and frequently are disabled. Physicians and patients report common dissatisfaction with currently marketed products. Fibromyalgia is now recognized as the prototypic nociplastic syndrome. Nociplastic pain is the third primary type of pain in addition to nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain. Many patients present with pain syndromes that are mixtures of the three primary types of pain. Nociplastic syndromes are associated with central and peripheral sensitization. Fibromyalgia can occur without any identifiable precipitating event. However, many fibromyalgia cases follow one or more precipitating event(s) including: post-operative pain, acute or chronic nociceptive or neuropathic pain states; recovery from an infectious illness; a cancer diagnosis or cancer treatment; a metabolic or endocrine stress; or a traumatic event. In the cases of recovery from an infectious illness, fibromyalgia is considered an Infection-Associated Chronic Condition. In addition to fibromyalgia cases associated with other conditions or stressors, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has concluded that fibromyalgia is a diagnosable condition that can occur after recovery from COVID-19 in the context of Long COVID. About TNX-102 SL TNX-102 SL is a centrally acting, non-opioid investigational drug, designed for chronic use. The tablet is a patented sublingual formulation of cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride developed for bedtime dosing for the management of fibromyalgia. Cyclobenzaprine potently binds and acts as an antagonist at four different post-synaptic neuroreceptor subtypes: serotonergic-5-HT2A, adrenergic-α1, histaminergic-H1, and muscarinic-M1-cholinergic receptors. Together, these interactions are believed to target the non-restorative sleep characteristic of fibromyalgia identified by Professor Harvey Moldofsky in 1975. Cyclobenzaprine is not associated with risk of addiction or dependence. The TNX-102 SL tablet is based on a eutectic formulation of cyclobenzaprine HCl and mannitol that provides a stable product which dissolves rapidly and delivers cyclobenzaprine by the transmucosal route efficiently into the bloodstream. The eutectic protects cyclobenzaprine HCl from interacting with the basifying agent that is also part of the formulation and required for efficient transmucosal absorption. Patents based on TNX-102 SL's eutectic composition and its properties have issued in the U.S., E.U., Japan, China and many other jurisdictions around the world and provide market protection into 2034. The European Patent Office's Opposition Division maintained Tonix's European Patent EP 2 968 992 in unamended form after an Opposition was filed against it by a Sandoz subsidiary, Hexal AG. Hexal AG did not appeal that decision. The formulation of TNX-102 SL was designed specifically for sublingual administration and transmucosal absorption for bedtime dosing to target disturbed sleep, while reducing the risk of daytime somnolence. Clinical pharmacokinetic studies indicated that relative to oral cyclobenzaprine, TNX-102 SL results in higher levels of exposure during the first 2 hours after dosing and in deceased levels of the long-lived active metabolite, norcyclobenzaprine in both single dose and multiple dose studies, consistent with bypassing first pass hepatic metabolism. Cyclobenzaprine is a tertiary amine tricyclic and its active metabolite norcyclobenzaprine is a secondary amine tricyclic. At steady state after 20 days of dosing TNX-102 SL, the dynamic peak level of cyclobenzaprine is higher than the background level of norcyclobenzaprine during sleep time. In contrast, after 20 days of dosing oral cyclobenzaprine, the simulated peak level of cyclobenzaprine is lower than the simulated background level of norcyclobenzaprine. Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.* Tonix is a fully integrated biotechnology company focused on transforming therapies for pain management and vaccines for public health challenges. Tonix's development portfolio is focused on central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Tonix's priority is to advance TNX-102 SL, a product candidate for the management of fibromyalgia, for which an NDA was submitted based on two statistically significant Phase 3 studies for the management of fibromyalgia and for which a PDUFA (Prescription Drug User Fee act) goal date of August 15, 2025 has been assigned for a decision on marketing authorization. The FDA has also granted Fast Track designation to TNX-102 SL for the management of fibromyalgia. TNX-102 SL is also being developed to treat acute stress reaction and acute stress disorder under a Physician-Initiated IND at the University of North Carolina in the OASIS study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Tonix's immunology development portfolio consists of biologics to address organ transplant rejection, autoimmunity and cancer, including TNX-1500, which is an Fc-modified humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CD40-ligand (CD40L or CD154) being developed for the prevention of allograft rejection and for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Tonix's infectious disease portfolio includes TNX-801, a vaccine in development for mpox and smallpox, as well as TNX-4200 for which Tonix has a contract with the U.S. DoD's Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for up to $34 million over five years. TNX-4200 is a small molecule broad-spectrum antiviral agent targeting CD45 for the prevention or treatment of infections to improve the medical readiness of military personnel in biological threat environments. Tonix owns and operates a state-of-the art infectious disease research facility in Frederick, Md. Tonix Medicines, our commercial subsidiary, markets Zembrace® SymTouch® (sumatriptan injection) 3 mg and Tosymra® (sumatriptan nasal spray) 10 mg for the treatment of acute migraine with or without aura in adults. * Tonix's product development candidates are investigational new drugs or biologics; their efficacy and safety have not been established and have not been approved for any indication. 1Carette S, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 1994;37(1):32-40. Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra are registered trademarks of Tonix Medicines. All other marks are property of their respective owners. This press release and further information about Tonix can be found at Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'forecast,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' and 'intend,' among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Tonix's current expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to the failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance with FDA regulations; risks related to the failure to successfully market any of our products; risks related to the timing and progress of clinical development of our product candidates; our need for additional financing; uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; uncertainties of government or third party payor reimbursement; limited research and development efforts and dependence upon third parties; and substantial competition. As with any pharmaceutical under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. Tonix does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Investors should read the risk factors set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on March 18, 2025, and periodic reports filed with the SEC on or after the date thereof. All of Tonix's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date thereof. Investor Contact Jessica MorrisTonix (862) 799-8599 Peter VozzoICR (443) 213-0505 Media Contact Ray JordanPutnam Insightsray@ 245-5432 Indication and Usage Zembrace® SymTouch® (sumatriptan succinate) injection (Zembrace) and Tosymra® (sumatriptan) nasal spray are prescription medicines used to treat acute migraine headaches with or without aura in adults who have been diagnosed with migraine. Zembrace and Tosymra are not used to prevent migraines. It is not known if Zembrace or Tosymra are safe and effective in children under 18 years of age. Important Safety Information Zembrace and Tosymra can cause serious side effects, including heart attack and other heart problems, which may lead to death. Stop use and get emergency help if you have any signs of a heart attack: discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back severe tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw pain or discomfort in your arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort breaking out in a cold sweat nausea or vomiting feeling lightheaded Zembrace and Tosymra are not for people with risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure or cholesterol, smoking, overweight, diabetes, family history of heart disease) unless a heart exam shows no problem. Do not use Zembrace or Tosymra if you have: history of heart problems narrowing of blood vessels to your legs, arms, stomach, or kidney (peripheral vascular disease) uncontrolled high blood pressure hemiplegic or basilar migraines. If you are not sure if you have these, ask your provider. had a stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or problems with blood circulation severe liver problems taken any of the following medicines in the last 24 hours: almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, ergotamines, or dihydroergotamine. Ask your provider for a list of these medicines if you are not sure. are taking certain antidepressants, known as monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A inhibitors or it has been 2 weeks or less since you stopped taking a MAO-A inhibitor. Ask your provider for a list of these medicines if you are not sure. an allergy to sumatriptan or any of the components of Zembrace or Tosymra Tell your provider about all of your medical conditions and medicines you take, including vitamins and supplements. Zembrace and Tosymra can cause dizziness, weakness, or drowsiness. If so, do not drive a car, use machinery, or do anything where you need to be alert. Zembrace and Tosymra may cause serious side effects including: changes in color or sensation in your fingers and toes sudden or severe stomach pain, stomach pain after meals, weight loss, nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever cramping and pain in your legs or hips; feeling of heaviness or tightness in your leg muscles; burning or aching pain in your feet or toes while resting; numbness, tingling, or weakness in your legs; cold feeling or color changes in one or both legs or feet increased blood pressure including a sudden severe increase even if you have no history of high blood pressure medication overuse headaches from using migraine medicine for 10 or more days each month. If your headaches get worse, call your provider. serotonin syndrome, a rare but serious problem that can happen in people using Zembrace or Tosymra, especially when used with anti-depressant medicines called SSRIs or SNRIs. Call your provider right away if you have: mental changes such as seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), agitation, or coma; fast heartbeat; changes in blood pressure; high body temperature; tight muscles; or trouble walking. hives (itchy bumps); swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat seizures even in people who have never had seizures before The most common side effects of Zembrace and Tosymra include: pain and redness at injection site (Zembrace only); tingling or numbness in your fingers or toes; dizziness; warm, hot, burning feeling to your face (flushing); discomfort or stiffness in your neck; feeling weak, drowsy, or tired; application site (nasal) reactions (Tosymra only) and throat irritation (Tosymra only). Tell your provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Zembrace and Tosymra. For more information, ask your provider. This is the most important information to know about Zembrace and Tosymra but is not comprehensive. For more information, talk to your provider and read the Patient Information and Instructions for Use. You can also visit or call 1-888-869-7633. You are encouraged to report adverse effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit or call in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
At-Home tDCS Improves Fibromyalgia Pain
A noninvasive, home-based brain treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can reduce pain severity, improve pain-related disability, and enhance endogenous pain modulation in women with fibromyalgia, suggested the results of a clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open . The study included 112 women between the ages of 18 years and 65 years with fibromyalgia. Half received anodal tDCS (A-tDCS), which applied 2 mA of electrical current through electrodes placed on the scalp over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, for 20 minutes daily and 5 days per week. The other half used a lookalike sham device that did not deliver sustained stimulation. In addition, all participants completed exercise and pain neuroscience education. At the end of the 4-week treatment period, and after a 3-month follow-up, study participants rated their pain from 0 (none) to 10 (worst pain) for seven activities. Patients who used tDCS experienced an average 39% reduction in pain, and 62.5% of them had a 50% or more improvement in pain. In comparison, subjects who used the sham device experienced an average 16% reduction in pain. tDCS also reduced pain severity compared to sham treatment. 'These results are consistent with evidence suggesting that stimulating the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex enhances top-down control over pain, emotion, and cognitive processing,' said study author Wolnei Caumo, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesia and pain in the medical school at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. 'The moderate to large effect sizes observed reaffirm expectations about the clinical relevance of targeting the prefrontal cortex in fibromyalgia.' How Does tDCS Reduce Fibromyalgia Pain? Prior research suggested that tDCS applies low-level electric currents to modulate neuronal excitability and neuroplasticity. Modulating activity in the brain's dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in particular can enhance control over pain processing networks and reduce pain catastrophizing, Caumo said. 'This region is implicated in both cognitive control and emotional regulation,' said E. Baron Short , MD, MSCR, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. To understand how the placebo effect might influence the results, the patients had been randomly assigned to either treatment group and then stratified according to placebo test response; patients were evenly split between the A-tDCS and sham tDCS groups and between responders and nonresponders such that of the 56 placebo test nonresponders assigned to A-tDCS, 28 received sham treatment and 28 received active treatment, and of the 56 placebo test responders assigned to sham tDCS, 28 received sham treatment and 28 received active treatment. They found that placebo responses influenced pain intensity but not pain interference or psychosocial measures. 'While a placebo can shape subjective pain perception, functional improvements require active neuromodulation,' Caumo said. 'Moreover, placebo responders in the sham group regressed toward baseline at follow-up, while A-tDCS responders sustained their gains, highlighting the limited durability of placebo-only effects.' In this study, tDCS didn't act alone — the education and exercise that participants completed are also beneficial in fibromyalgia. 'The evidence so far says that for chronic pain, the two therapeutic approaches that have the best evidence are pain science education and physical exercise,' said María Teresa Carrillo De La Peña, PhD, a professor of clinical psychology and psychobiology at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, who studies novel treatments for chronic pain and cancer pain. Exercise promotes the production of pain-relieving endorphins. And when patients learn about the brain's role in pain perception and processing, they start paying more attention to the psychological and social factors that affect their pain, she said. 'Sometimes patients think that their pain is in the knee or the back, and they are waiting for a solution for that,' she said. 'Thanks to pain science education, we stress that we need to attend to the brain.' How Could Patients Fit Home-Based tDCS Into Their Fibromyalgia Treatment Mix? 'Given the limited and often poorly tolerated options currently available for fibromyalgia, I do believe tDCS deserves serious consideration, particularly for patients who have not responded to conventional treatments or who struggle with medication side effects,' Baron said. 'Its relative safety, ease of use, and the growing body of supportive evidence position it as a viable adjunctive treatment.' The current study demonstrates that home-based tDCS is feasible, safe, and something patients stick with. The device used in the study was designed to be user-friendly with guidance from a healthcare professional who controls the electrode placement and timing settings. 'It reduces transportation, cost, and time barriers, [which are] especially relevant for patients with chronic pain and mobility limitations,' Caumo said. 'Additionally, the unsupervised model mimics real-world conditions and enhances scalability and autonomy, making it a cost-effective and patient-centered alternative to clinic-based sessions.' Autonomy is powerful for patients with pain. 'One of the most important things that we are seeing right now in the management of pain is that the patient takes this active role,' Carrillo De La Peña said. This trial was supported by grants from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, the Postgraduate Research Group at the
TTG
13-06-2025
- Health
- TTG
‘It's comfortable and cosy': why working from bed is key to this agent's success
by Emma Dooney A travel agency owner has called for more compassion for homeworkers, arguing that she manages her company more efficiently from her house – and indeed her bed – than she ever could from an office. Paula Hansen runs World Accessible Holidays, which specialises in travel for disabled clients, entirely from her home in Wales. Like many agents, she believes a remote model enables her to maintain a healthier work-life balance and be overall more productive. But for Hansen, homeworking isn't just a perk – it's a necessity. The mother of one lives with fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that causes pain in muscles and soft tissues all over the body. Other symptoms include fatigue, brain fog and sleep disturbances, all of which can significantly affect the individual's ability to work – and makes working from an office almost impossible. In 2023, 136,000 claimants of PIP (Personal Independence Payment) listed fibromyalgia as their main disabling condition. Many people in employment may also require additional sick leave and/or reduced hours, due to the severe and often volatile nature of their symptoms. But Hansen is determined not to let her fibromyalgia limit her potential as a business woman. Three years on from her diagnosis, she has developed a sturdy kit of tools for maintaining her productivity – including working from bed. 'Why shouldn't you work from bed?' Hansen tells TTG Luxury. 'It's comfortable and cosy, and you're probably working more effectively because you're relaxed.' The self-proclaimed 'bedpreneur' says that working from bed is also preferable to a desk, which tends to flare up her symptoms: 'All of the pain from my fibromyalgia is from the hips upwards, so my back will hurt if I'm sitting on a chair for too long.' Hansen's work hours are also atypical, beginning at around 10am and ending at nearly midnight. 'My pain levels are highest in the morning, so I'll do some hours after 10am, and then if I'm tired, I'll go and have a sleep, and then resume work when I wake up,' she explains. 'So it is more like a nine to 11 schedule, with lots of sleep breaks in between.' She also uses meditation and ice packs, along with painkillers when necessary, to further alleviate her symptoms. 'Why shouldn't you work from bed? It's comfortable and cosy' As well as helping her to manage pain more effectively, working from home has also been hugely beneficial for Hansen's concentration. Without the usual office disruptions, she says she can focus for longer and thus, complete tasks faster. This lack of distractions can be especially valuable for people with fibromyalgia, 80% of whom will experience issues with memory and attention. While Hansen's condition has undoubtedly made work more challenging, it has also instilled in her a great deal of empathy for her clients. The Cardiff native knows all too well the obstacles of travelling with mobility issues; as well as causing extreme tiredness, her fibromyalgia prevents her from sitting in one position for extended periods of time, which makes driving and flying particularly difficult. Hansen also has a teenage son with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that causes muscle weakness and impaired mobility. While Evan can walk short distances, he requires a wheelchair and is unable to travel without assistance. Flying can be especially 'nightmarish', says Hansen, due to the lack of consideration from other passengers boarding the plane. It's this first-hand experience of disability that has given her the determination to continue advocating for disabled travellers – even when she's in severe pain. Hansen arranges all types of trips for her clients, from city breaks and beach holidays to safaris and honeymoons. To achieve this, she partners with specialist suppliers who can provide medical equipment, adapted transport and accessible accommodation. The disability of her customers varies, but each one has a dream of travelling without barriers. For many, it's their first holiday after a serious illness or accident. The additional requirements create extra work for Hansen, but having witnessed the life-changing power of travel for individuals with disabilities, she says 'it's all worthwhile'. 'When you have a client tell you they've gotten into the sea for the first time because you've recommended a hotel with a sea track, that is much better than just someone saying, 'I've had a great holiday,'' she explains. 'It's so rewarding.' Previous Article P&O Cruises unveils new ship visit programme with 650 agent places available Next Article Finalists revealed for TTG Travel Industry Awards 2025
