www.drlowe.com/study.htm---What We Have Accomplished through the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation---Fibromyalgia Metabolism Study

Clinical & Scientific Achievements

• The single most important accomplishment of FRF-related research is a clinical achievement: We developed and refined the form of treatment termed "metabolic rehabilitation." Some 75% to 85% of patients diagnosed as having fibromyalgia who undergo metabolic rehabilitation completely and lastingly recover. By "recover" we mean the patients no longer meet the American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia. The patients are symptom free and fully functional at long-term follow-up.

• The second accomplishment of FRF-related research is a scientific achievement: We have established that inadequate thyroid hormone regulation of tissues, due either to hypothyroidism or thyroid hormone resistance, is the major underlying mechanism of fibromyalgia. This means that what we call "fibromyalgia" is mainly the symptoms and signs of untreated or under-treated hypothyroidism or thyroid hormone resistance. We have also determined that most patients' fibromyalgia is complicated by one or more other metabolism-impairing factors. The most common factors are an unwholesome diet, nutritional deficiencies, and physical deconditioning.

Publications

Our work has been cited or described in
at least twenty-one books. These books include:

1. Ridha Arem, MD: The Thyroid Solution. New York, Ballantine Books, 1999.

2. Leon Chaitow, ND, DO: Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Practitioner's Guide to Treatment. London, Churchill Livingston, 2000.

3. Leon Chaitow, ND, DO: Fibromyalgia and Muscle Pain, 2nd edition. London, Thorsons, 1998.

4. C.C. Goodman, PT, W.G. Boissonnault, and K. Fuller: Pathology: Implications for the Physical Therapist, 2nd ed., Philadelphia, Harcourt Health Sciences, 2002.

5. John C. Lowe, MA, DC et al.: Your Guide to Metabolic Health. McDowell Health-Science Books, Boulder, 2002.

6. Stephen Langer, MD and James Scheer: Solved: The Riddle of Illness, 3rd edition. New Canaan, Keats Publishing, Inc., 2000.

7. John C. Lowe, MA, DC: The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia. Boulder, McDowell Publishing Company, 2000.

8. Siegfried Mense, Dr Med and David G. Simons, MD: Muscle Pain: Understanding Its Nature, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001.

9. Barry Durrant-Peatfield, MB, S, LRCP, MRCS: The Great Thyroid Scandal and How to Survive It. London, Barons Down Publishing, 2002.

10. J. Pizzorno, ND and M. Murray, ND.: A Textbook of Natural Medicine, 3rd ed., 2006.

11. Jacob Teitelbaum, MD: From Fatigue to Fantastic, 2nd edition. New York, Avery, 2001.

12. Mary Shomon: Living Well With Hypothyroidism. New York, Avon Books, 2000.

13. Mary Shomon: Living Well with Autoimmune Disease. New York, HarperCollins, 2002.

14. Mary Shomon: Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia. New York, HarperCollins, 2004.

15. Mary Shomon: Living Well with Graves' Disease and Hyperthyroidism. New York, HarperCollins, 2005.

16. David G. Simons, MD, Janet G. Travell, MD, and Lois S. Simons, PT: Travell & Simons' Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction:The Trigger Point Manual, vol.1, 2nd. edition. Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1998.

17. Devin Starlanyl, MD: The Fibromyalgia Advocate. Oakland, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 1998.

18. Devin Starlanyl, MD and Mary Ellen Copeland, MA: Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome, 2nd edition. Oakland, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2001.

19. David Brownstein, MD. Overcoming Thyroid Disorders. Medical Alternatives Press, Inc. 2002.

20. Life Extension Foundation. Disease Prevention and Treatment, 4^th edition. Life Extension Media, 2003.

21. Ken Blanchard, MD and Marietta Abrams Brill. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypothyroidism: A Simple Plan for Extraordinary Results. Warner Books, 2004.

The following twenty-four journal papers have
resulted from the research activities of FRF:

1. Lowe, J.C., Eichelberger, J., Manso, G., and Peterson, K.: Improvement in euthyroid fibromyalgia patients treated with T3 (tri-iodothyronine). J. Myofascial Ther., 1(2):16-29, 1994.

2. Lowe, J.C.: T3-induced recovery from fibromyalgia by a hypothyroid patient resistant to T3 and desiccated thyroid. J. Myofascial Ther., 1(4):21-30, 1995.

3. Lowe, J.C., Garrison, R.L., Reichman, A.J., Yellin, J., Thompson, M., and Kaufman, D.: Effectiveness and safety of T3 (triiodothyronine) therapy for euthyroid fibromyalgia: a double-blind placebo-controlled response-driven crossover study. Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 2:(2/3):31-58, 1997.

4. Honeyman, G.: Metabolic therapy for hypothyroid and euthyroid fibromyalgia: two case reports. Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 2(4):19-49, 1997.

5. Lowe, J.C., Reichman, A.J., and Yellin, J.: The process of change during T3 treatment for euthyroid fibromyalgia: a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study. Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 2(2/3): 91-124, 1997.

6. Lowe, J.C.: Thyroid status of 38 fibromyalgia patients: implications for the etiology of fibromyalgia. Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 2(1):47-64, 1997.

7. Lowe, J.C., Garrison, R.L., Reichman, A.J., and Yellin, J.: Triiodothyronine (T3) treatment of euthyroid fibromyalgia: a small-N replication of a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study (abstract). Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 3(14):23-24, 1997.

8. Lowe, J.C.: Results of an open trial of T3 therapy with 77 euthyroid female fibromyalgia patients. Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 2 (1):35-37, 1997.

9. Lowe, J.C., Cullum, M., Graff, L., and Yellin, J.: Mutations in the c-erbAß1 gene: do they underlie euthyroid fibromyalgia? Medical Hypotheses, 48:125-135, 1997.

10. Yellin, J.: Why is substance P high in fibromyalgia? Clin.Bull. Myofascial Ther., 2(2/3):23-30, 1997.

11. Lowe, J.C., Reichman, A., and Yellin, J.: A case-control study of metabolic therapy for fibromyalgia: long-term (1-to- 5 year) follow-up comparison of treated and untreated patients (abstract). Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 3(1):23-24, 1998.

12. Lowe, J.C., Reichman, A.J., Yellin, J., et al.: Thyroid status of fibromyalgia patients. Clin. Bull. Myofascial Ther., 3 (1):47-53, 1998.

13. Lowe, J.C. et al.: Facilitating the decrease in fibromyalgic pain during metabolic rehabilitation: an essential role for soft tissue therapies. J. Bodywork Movem. Ther., 2(4):208-217, 1998.

14. Lowe, J.C. et al.: Thyroid dysfunction and fibromyalgia. In Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide to Treatment, edited by Leon Chaitow, N.D., D.O., Edinburgh, Churchill Livingston, 1999.

15. Lowe, J.C.: The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia. Boulder, McDowell Publishing Co., 2000.

16. Lowe, J.C. and et al.: Ultrasound treatment for trigger points: differences in technique for myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia patients. Lyon Méditerranée Médical: Médecine du Sud-Est. 2:12-15, 1999.

17. Lowe, J.C. et al.: Fibromyalgia and thyroid disease. Paper presented in Grenoble, France, May 6 (conference of the French Fibromyalgia Association of Région Rhône-Alpes) and discussed in Toulon, France on May 11 (at the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal), 2000.

18. Honeyman-Lowe, G.: Ultrasound treatment of the fibromyalgia patient. Paper presented at the French Fibromyalgia Association of Région Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France, May 6, 2000.

19. Lowe, J.: Thyroid disease and fibromyalgia syndrome. Lyon Méditerranée Médical: Médecine du Sud-Est., 36(1):15-17, 2000.

20. Lowe, J.C. et al.: Fibromyalgia: a debilitating syndrome. Chiro. Prod., Aug. 2000, pp. 48-52.

21. Honeyman-Lowe, G.: Ultrasound treatment of the fibromyalgia patient. Lyon Méditerranée Médical: Médecine du Sud-Est., 36(1):3O-31, 2000.

22. Eisinger, J., Starlanyl, D., Blotman, F., Bueno, L., Houvenagel, E., Juvin, R., Kaminsky, P., Lawson, K., Le Loët, X., Lowe, J.C., Manesse, P., Mechtouf, K., Memran, N., Muller, W., Nicollet, M., Perragut, J.C., Plantamura, A., Poinsignon, J.P., Reig, E., Ruiz Lopez, R., Schmitt, K.L., Sichère, P., Teitelbaum, J., Trèves, R., and Zakarian, H.: Protocole d’informations anonyme sur les fibromyalgiques. Lyon Méditerranée Médical: Médecine du Sud-Est., 36:9-11, 2000.

23. Lowe, J.C., Yellin, J., et al.: Female fibromyalgia patients: lower resting metabolic rates than matched healthy controls. Medical Science Monitor, 12(7):CR1-CR8, 2006.

24. Lowe, J.C., Yellin, J., et al: Lower resting metabolic rate and basal body temperature of fibromyalgia patients compared to matched healthy controls. Thyroid Science, 1:T1-T24, 2006.

For questions about the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation
and its on-going research, please write to Tammy Lowe, at Tammy@FibromyalgiaResearch.org. Or phone her at (603) 391-6061.

Please help by donating to the Foundation's ongoing research.