Research project proposal: "Effects of electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS), in patients with fibromyalgia and functional diseases"

What you will find in this article:

1. Research project proposal
2. Link to the anonymous research questionnaire - Complete questionnaire now
3. The importance of your contribution 

A fundamental part of the Science and Shamanism project is the study and understanding of how everything that happens in the environment, and within us, affects us, especially the lives of people with fibromyalgia, other functional diseases, and functional neurological disorder (FND). During individual and group conversations with many of you, I have addressed in various ways the consequences of unnecessary medical tests and procedures, as these create mental stress that tends to manifest as worry, insomnia, excessive thinking, little interest in participating in fun activities, among others. Do you remember the last medical test you had? How was the behavior of your mind those days? And your emotions? How did your emotional body feel?

Frequently when we must undergo a medical test, especially if it is invasive, we feel anguish, fear, sadness, among other negative emotions. In the physical body, in addition to sensing the representation of emotions - because we know that feelings have a physical representation, as we studied during the Summer Program - we also end up suffering physical damage, which, although temporary, activates stress responses, such as changes in blood pressure, in the immune system, healing processes, sensitization of pain pathways, among others.

I am highlighting this important topic today, and the possible consequences of undergoing medical examinations for our four bodies: mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, or environmental, because during the next few months, three major neurological conferences will take place, bringing together hundreds of thousands of neurologists from around the world. This is an excellent opportunity to bring your voice to the international scientific community. How are we going to do that? These organizations are calling on researchers, people like you, and everyone who wants to participate in the development, understanding, and application of medical and neurological sciences for the preservation of health, the prevention of iatrogenic damage, and the cure of functional diseases.

Specifically, during the next few months the conference of the American Academy of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) will take place, where cases, diagnostic techniques, and treatments of functional neuromuscular symptoms will be discussed. These symptoms have been present in many of you during your journey with functional illnesses, and they include, for example, musculoskeletal pain, weakness, fatigue, lack of energy, altered sensation, numbness, imbalance when walking, difficulty breathing, swallowing, among others. Today we will talk specifically about a test frequently used when evaluating these types of discomforts: the electromyography (EMG) test and nerve conduction studies (NCS).

If you ever had an EMG/NCS test done during your search for a diagnosis journey, you will surely remember it, because it involves the electrical stimulation of several nerves, through small electrical shocks. The second part of the exam, which is not always performed, includes the use of a fine needle, like an acupuncture one, that is placed into the muscles, and then the patient is asked to make a contracting movement. The entire exam takes 30 to 60 minutes, and is generally uncomfortable, as it involves the use of electrical stimulation and needles.

Image: Kychot, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

For those reasons, with this writing I want to call on you to participate in this meeting by sharing your experiences with the EMG/NCS. If at any time during your diagnostic journey you had this test, this questionnaire is for you! MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT! - Complete questionnaire now

The questionnaire is brief, with less than 20 questions, and you will be able to express your experience with the health system, with the neurologists and other doctors who participated in carrying out this test, and with the examination itself. You will have the opportunity to give other data and information related to functional diseases, and you will also be able to share ideas for future research questionnaires.

Let me tell you why you should get involved with this research project:

- You will make your voice heard

- You will be able to add to the understanding of the experience that patients with functional diseases have with the healthcare system.

- You will help doctors around the world recognize the consequences of certain diagnostic tests for people like you.

- You will have the opportunity to feel personal fulfillment, while impacting the wellness of the community

- You are helping create a healthier world for you, your descendants, and the people around you

- By sharing your point of view with leading scientists, you are directly supporting the advancement of our human health

- This project, and your answers, can reach the hands of the government, causing beneficial political and social changes for patients with functional diseases

- You have the possibility of bringing to light the need to do more research around functional diseases

- You can contribute to new ideas using your own creativity

- You will be able to sincerely express your thoughts, your emotions, and you will be able to behave in accordance with them, demonstrating congruence between your internal and external state, a fundamental factor for the cure and prevent functional diseases. Express yourself now! There is no time to lose! - Complete questionnaire now

And if after reading all these lines, you decide not to fill out the form, think for a moment and tell me: What prevents you from participating in your own well-being and the health of the community? The identification of challenges in your path, is a fundamental step in the work of personal healing and self-growth.

If you decide to fill out the form, take a moment and reflect: How do you feel right now with this beneficial participation, using anything and everything that you have at your fingertips?

Wherever you are, thank you! And remember, functional diseases DO have a cure, and achieving your desired results always begins with a first step.

Always at your service,

Dr. Yadira Velazquez

Neurologist and Clinical Neurophysiologist

Ally In the Cure Of Functional Illnesses