Telegraph article

FibroAction founder Lindsey Middlemiss was this week mentioned in the health section of the Daily Telegraph, as part of an article on self-diagnosis using the internet.

Lindsey comments:

"Getting a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Syndrome can be a very lengthy process and it isn't uncommon for patients to learn about the condition online before they learn about it from their doctor. Patients must always remember that a diagnosis must always be confirmed by a doctor, preferably a specialist, but the internet can help them to get to that stage.

The internet is a tremendous resource for patients and doctors alike and whilst patients have to learn how to best use it, doctors also need to acknowledge that patients usually know their own symptoms very well and that not all information available on the internet is dubious.

The internet can be incredibly useful and FibroAction is proud to be a part of that."

To see the article on the Telegraph website, click here.

Reputable sources of information on Fibromyalgia Syndrome on the internet include:

• The FibroAction About Fibro section
• The NHS Choices Guide to Fibromyalgia, which FibroAction helped update in 2008

Signs to look out for that suggest a site may be reputable include:

1. Being the official site of a government organisation, such as the NHS, a reputable and well known organisation, such as the British Medical Association,or a national registered charity, such as FibroAction.
2. Having references to the medical literature. If there are not references with the information, the organisation should be able to supply them. Be wary of references that just point to a group of websites or a few in-house publications or even publications all by the same doctor. Look for journal names such as The Journal of Pain (often abbreviated J Pain) or the Journal of Rheumatology (often abbreviated J Rheum) and world-renowned expert names such as Daniel Clauw MD, Muhammed Yunus MD and Patrick Wood MD among many others.
3. When was the information last updated? If this isn't listed, again, ask the organisation. Research on Fibromyalgia Syndrome is coming out all the time, so information that's even a few years old may be out of date.

FibroAction is trying to encourage positive media coverage of Fibromyalgia Syndrome but it is not something that we currently have much resources to devote to. If you would like to help with this, please contact us. No experience is necessary and training will be given as needed - in fact it would be a great opportunity if you would like to get into journalism or PR but could do with some training,experience and confidence boosting! Helping out could just involve an hour a week, working from home.