National Fibromyalgia Association Announces New Collaboration with CURE FM
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
By: Corin Walson

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

28 October 2010

Media Contact: Corin Ramos, APR

714-970-2268; corin@walsonpr.com

National Fibromyalgia Association Announces New Collaboration with CURE FM

Jan Chambers, founder of CURE FM (left) and Rae Marie Gleason, NFA Executive Director, announce collaboration.

ANAHEIM, Calif.—(28 October 2010)— To help ensure focus on increasingly new scientific findings and research about fibromyalgia and its relationship to overlapping chronic pain conditions, the National Fibromyalgia Association recently announced the development of a new collaboration with the Center for Understanding, Education, and Research of Fibromyalgia (CURE FM).

The collaboration is being hailed as the NFA’s most aggressive endeavor to better serve fibromyalgia patients and to ensure that the research will continue to look at FM's relationship to the many overlapping chronic pain conditions, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), migraine headaches, Interstitial Cystitis, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD), chronic pelvic pain, TMJ and others.

Lynne Matallana, NFA president and founder and Rae Marie Gleason, Executive Director announced the new collaboration and introduced Jan Chambers, founder of CURE FM, immediately following the “Fibro Focus” informational seminar held in Mission Viejo, California last October 23, 2010.

“Currently, there is a much broader scientific understanding and interest in the relationship between fibromyalgia and comorbid chronic pain conditions.  It’s important that fibromyalgia be included in the scientific study of illnesses that are related through the central nervous system.said Gleason, who has worked in the fibromyalgia field for nearly two decades, including 14 years as executive director of the National Fibromyalgia Research Association. “National Institutes of Health studies  investigating interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel, and other overlapping chronic pain conditions also include fibromyalgia. It is imperative that we ensure that the relationship of these illnesses be studied to make certain that the best possible treatment modalities are created for people affected by these disorders .”

Matallana further explained, “We have spent a great deal of time and effort in the planning of this collaboration in order to take into consideration the science which confirms fibromyalgia as a neurological illness and the new diagnostic criteria, which places greater emphasis on overlapping chronic pain conditions and their symptoms as they relate to fibromyalgia. It is necessary for continuing fibromyalgia research to help ensure that patients are receiving the best possible treatments available now and in the future for FM and overlapping conditions.”

Gleason also introduced Jan Chambers, founder of CURE FM, who has worked with the NFA as a member of its Leaders Against Pain. Chambers is currently director of the NFA Leaders Against Pain Coalition, which is a national collaboration of support group and patient advocates who work towards bringing awareness, policy change and helping with access to care for fibromyalgia.

 “Ms. Chambers’ relationship with the NFA coalition and our like minded philosophy of the need for a collaborative effort between researchers, health care providers, patients, legislatures and corporations made her the ideal choice to help lead this new collaboration,” said Gleason.  

Chambers, a mother of five whose diagnosis of fibromyalgia in 2006 forced her to be bedridden for 16 months, said the NFA Leaders Against Pain program ‘changed her life’ and jump started her public advocacy efforts.

“This collaboration is a wonderful opportunity to further build on the NFA’s accomplishments,” said Chambers. “We at CURE FM are truly honored and excited to be part of this next step towards this new community that will place primary emphasis on providing information and resources for patients, efforts for awareness and advocacy, research and research facilitation and continuing medical education.”

New name to be announced in November

Additional details of the new collaboration between the National Fibromyalgia Association and CURE FM will be unveiled during a press conference in November. For updates, sign up for the NFA’s newsletter at their website: www.FMaware.org or follow the NFA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fmaware.

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