HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), the leading voice of the chiropractic profession, points to the importance of May 12th as Fibromyalgia (FM) Awareness Day and Together Walks, sponsored by National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA), to raise awareness and funding for research. Jan Chambers, an FM sufferer who is founder and president of NFMCPA, credits chiropractic care as a lifesaver.
“Fibromyalgia impacts more than 10 million Americans,” says Chambers, who shares her own experience with chronic pain. “I started seeing a chiropractor who provided a thorough examination, ordered x-rays and then explained to me what was going on. He then created a very rigorous program to address the problems in my neck and lower back. Years later, I still do therapy at home, but it is the chiropractic care that was my lifesaver. I feel like chiropractic care literally saved my life.”
FM is a life-altering, chronic pain disease which occurs most often in women (80 percent), but also strikes men and children of all ethnic backgrounds. Symptoms include chronic muscle pain, fatigue, sleep problems and painful trigger points across the musculoskeletal system.
Retired Brig. Gen. Rebecca Halstead who was the first woman to graduate from West Point and achieve the rank of General, says that after being diagnosed with chronic FM in 2005, she was deployed to Iraq for one year:
“Upon my return, the military's solution was to treat me with multiple prescription medications,” says Halstead, author of The First Person You Must Lead Is You. “I found those only to complicate my health challenges. So, in 2008, after 27 years in the military, I retired and sought out other solutions. For me, the answers came from my chiropractor who not only treated me, but educated me. My condition went from chronic to manageable to feeling the best I have in years. I now have a quality of life which I had given up hope for ever finding again."
Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president, F4CP concludes, “We are supporting the FM community’s largest global event, Together Walks and their efforts to unite the public, patients and their friends, families, associates and neighbors to end the suffering of FM. The chiropractic profession is gratified to help FM suffers with a safe and effective first-line option to effectively address the chronic pain associated with this disease.”
About Foundation for Chiropractic Progress®
A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress® (F4CP) informs and educates the general public about the value of chiropractic care. Visit www.f4cp.com; call 866-901-F4CP (3427). Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube.
