Skip to main content

Fibromyalgia/Pain

Insights on Postinfectious ME/CFS

The medical community is challenged by myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS - its origins, pathogenesis outcomes and treatment.  JAMA has reviewed a recent Nature paper wherein an NIH led team of multidisciplinary experts performed an inpatient study of

Read Article
Mixed Long-term Effects of Calcium and Vitamin D in Postmenopausal Women https://t.co/u2cf5hmTAE https://t.co/A4kdwG6eRm
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Depression and RA Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and regulatory approvals from the past week. https://t.co/nJZD4D2ByC https://t.co/ET3Xp9cK62
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Have a Rheumatology question or case for Jack Cush? Record it here and we'll feature it on an upcoming podcast. Tell us your name and where you practice rheumatology. https://t.co/a3XeAa2lcG https://t.co/dTZa2uQF97
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Depression and RA (3.8.2024)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and regulatory approvals from the past week.

Read Article

Early-onset Osteoarthritis is a Growing Health Problem,

Data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019, suggests that early-onset osteoarthritis (OA) (before age 55 yrs) is an emerging health issue that parallels societal problems of obesity. 



Researchers used data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019, and examined the

Read Article

Preoperative Delay & Education Benefits Arthroplasty Patients

Medpage Today

Having patients waiting for knee arthroplasty undergo a preoperative program of weight loss, exercise, and other interventions gave them modestly improved pain, function, and quality of life, a small randomized trial showed.



The main point of this pilot study, however, was simply to

Read Article
Metabolic signature for fibromyalgia? Study of 54 FM & 31 controls w/ Machine learning to identify 13 metabolic markers that predicted FM w/ 79% accuracy; levels of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid & glutamine correlated w/ fatigue. https://t.co/GBTh7UGn1O https://t.co/jlwVAbdIIF
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Sniffles & Arthritis (3.1.2024)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Are these associations with infection, biomarkers and weather real or imaginary? Linked or luck? Causal or casual?  You decide....





  1. No clear link between weather & MSK symptoms

Read Article

Many with Psoriatic Arthritis Fail to Achieve Minimal Disease Activity

Despite the availability of numerous advanced therapies for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), there remains a substantial burden and unmet need for improved therapies, according to a newly published Canadian study.

Read Article
Gabapentinoid use in COPD pts assoc w/ signif increased risk of severe exacerbation. Compared with nonuse, GABA use incr risk of COPD exacerbation when used for epilepsy (HR 1.58), neuropathic pain (HR 1.35), chronic pain (HR 1.49) https://t.co/EyONh9sASh https://t.co/Sr2FyJQzBj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Tonix is developing a drug, TNX-102 SL, that targets poor sleep quality for fibromyalgia. Phase 3 trial in FM (457 pts) showed TNX-102 SL was better (vs PBO) & improved sleep quality (p=0.0000001 & improved daily pain (p=0.00005) https://t.co/QUNdWyNj2l https://t.co/CzD5TEcgTk
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Greek study finds 251/1264 #RA pts (20%) had difficult to treat RA (D2T). D2T Predictors were Younger age, fibromyalgia, OA, no change in DAS28-ESR in 1st 6mos b/ts-DMARD Rx. Mental-/pain-/metabolic-Dz contributed to LT worsening https://t.co/A5bfth79L2 https://t.co/f5AOvFW9Yu
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Aging Brain Increases Pain in Older Women https://t.co/450fwH4zQr https://t.co/dttRc4HgYC
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Aging Brain Increases Pain in Older Women

EurekAlert!

A new study has found that the brain system enabling us to inhibit our own pain changes with age, and that gender-based differences in those changes may lead females to be more sensitive to moderate pain than males as older adults.

Read Article

Outcomes of Acute, Subacute and Persistent Low Back Pain

EurekAlert!

Low back pain is a major cause of disability around the globe, with more than 570 million people affected. In the United States alone, health care spending on low back pain was $134.5 billion between 1996 and 2016, and costs are increasing.



"The good news is that most

Read Article

Diet and Osteoarthritis Pain

MedPage Today

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain was worse with a pro-inflammatory diet, an observational study suggested.



Scores on a proprietary "Dietary Inflammatory Index" (DII) were significantly associated with standard knee pain scores among patients over nearly 11 years of follow-up (β=0.21

Read Article
This is a crucial nuance. Men and women experience pain differently. The tendency to use that to then dismiss pain in women is entirely incorrect. @lihi_eder @RheumNow #RNL2024 https://t.co/X5QQsaIuNP
Richard Conway @RichardPAConway( View Tweet )
Is it a lupus flare or a mimic? Fibromyalgia, stress, infection, poor sleep, hypothyroidism, vitamin deficiencies can contribute to pain and fatigue in a patient. – Dr. M Kahlenberg #RNL2024 @rheumnow https://t.co/pLuqyy8gHm
TheDaoIndex @KDAO2011( View Tweet )
This is the risk. We have to be aware and better at this in order to serve our female patients better @lihi_eder @RheumNow #RNL2024 https://t.co/7JIDtlSGXh
Richard Conway @RichardPAConway( View Tweet )

Dead Words Eulogy

The trouble with rheumatology may be the words we live by. Welcome to the eulogy for rheumatology 'dead words'. We're here today to celebrate the loss of rheumatology past. These are dead words in rheumatology, words fortified unfortunately by history and habit. The lexicon of rheumatology is

Read Article
2019 NHIS chronic pain study shows signif disparity in nonpharmacologic & integrative medicine (IHM) use by populations. More IHM with city living, higher income & education, widespread pains. Less IHM w/ elderly, males, Blacks, opioid use, depression https://t.co/uoOyQBXTmy https://t.co/yTTVc5zljG
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Network meta-analyses of 153 trials & 8713 patients w/ chronic pain from TMJ disorders; Most effective (pain & function) were CBT, PT-assisted jaw mobilisation, trigger point injx, jaw exercise/stretching, manipulation, & acupuncture https://t.co/b4kTuWg9QH https://t.co/7SJs0sLtK2
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Methotrexate Nodulosis (1.19.2024)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com. How good (or not) are rheumatologists and what to do about MTX nodulosis?





  1. Network meta-analyses of 153 trials & 8713 patients w/ chronic pain from TMJ disorders; Most effective (

Read Article

2023 EULAR Non-pharmacological Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: 2023 update

EULAR has published the 2023 updated recommendations for the optimal non-pharmacological management of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA).



Non-pharmacological treatments for OA are as important and impactful at improving pain, function and quality of life in OA. These EULAR

Read Article