Chinese Medicine And The Management Of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Hypermobility syndromes are more common, complex and varied than most practitioners realise. Every hypermobile patient is unique, and therefore challenging to treat using a pre-set paradigm or protocol. The hEDS population can be underserved by Western medicine and there is much that Chinese medicine can do for this community. This book is one of the first of its kind - a Chinese Medicine text focusing specifically on hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Presenting existing bio-medical narratives before providing an in-depth exploration of the Chinese Medicine paradigms, this guide gives an overview of comprehensive treatment scenarios and addresses issues faced by EDS patients including pain management, psycho-emotional challenges, disruption of gut health, and chronic inflammation, including post-Lyme syndrome.

Generalized hypermobility has been known since ancient times, and a clinical description of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is said to have first been recorded by Hippocrates in 400 BC. Hypermobility syndromes occur frequently, but the wide spectrum of possible symptoms, coupled with a relative lack of awareness and recognition, are the reason that they are frequently not recognized, or remain undiagnosed. This book is an international, multidisciplinary guide to hypermobility syndromes, and EDS in particular. It aims to create better awareness of hypermobility syndromes among health professionals, including medical specialists, and to be a guide to the management of such syndromes for patients and practitioners. It is intended for use in daily clinical practice rather than as a reference book for research or the latest developments, and has been written to be understandable for any healthcare worker or educated patient without compromise to the scientific content. The book is organized as follows: chapters on classifications and genetics are followed by chapters on individual types, organ (system) manifestations and complications, and finally ethics and therapeutic strategies, with an appendix on surgery and the precautions which should attend it. A special effort has been made to take account of the perspective of the patient; two of the editors have EDS. The book will be of interest to patients with hypermobility syndromes and their families, as well as to all those healthcare practitioners who may encounter such syndromes in the course of their work.

This groundbreaking new text explains and documents the scientific basis of chronic pain in Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) and other heritable disorders of connective tissue from the physiological, epidemiological, genetic and clinical viewpoints. It asks the reader to consider the possibility of JHS, identify it clinically, understand its co-morbidities, including interdependencies with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, while managing the condition appropriately. Hypermobility, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain takes a multi-specialty and multidisciplinary approach to understanding JHS and its management, drawing together expertise from a broad group of internationally-recognized authors. The book is split into two sections. Section 1 deals with the clinical manifestations of JHS and Fibromyalgia, their epidemiology and pathophysiology. Section 2 covers clinical management. Here the reader will find chapters covering pharmacotherapeutics, psychotherapy and physical therapies that address the needs of patients from childhood to adulthood. It is hoped that Hypermobility, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain will advance knowledge of therapies and provoke further research while stimulating interest and encouraging debate. Comprehensively relates practical therapy to the nature of the underlying pathology Covers in one single text both the scientific and practical management aspect of Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and its allied pathologies Contributions from over 30 leading international experts Multidisciplinary approach will support all health professionals working in this field

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), are a set of more than 30 health disorders associated with both the temporomandibular joints and the muscles and tissues of the jaw. TMDs have a range of causes and often co-occur with a number of overlapping medical conditions, including headaches, fibromyalgia, back pain and irritable bowel syndrome. TMDs can be transient or long-lasting and may be associated with problems that range from an occasional click of the jaw to severe chronic pain involving the entire orofacial region. Everyday activities, including eating and talking, are often difficult for people with TMDs, and many of them suffer with severe chronic pain due to this condition. Common social activities that most people take for granted, such as smiling, laughing, and kissing, can become unbearable. This dysfunction and pain, and its associated suffering, take a terrible toll on affected individuals, their families, and their friends. Individuals with TMDs often feel stigmatized and invalidated in their experiences by their family, friends, and, often, the health care community. Misjudgments and a failure to understand the nature and depths of TMDs can have severe consequences - more pain and more suffering - for individuals, their families and our society. Temporomandibular Disorders: Priorities for Research and Care calls on a number of stakeholders - across medicine, dentistry, and other fields - to improve the health and well-being of individuals with a TMD. This report addresses the current state of knowledge regarding TMD research, education and training, safety and efficacy of clinical treatments of TMDs, and burden and costs associated with TMDs. The recommendations of Temporomandibular Disorders focus on the actions that many organizations and agencies should take to improve TMD research and care and improve the overall health and well-being of individuals with a TMD.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrom.

DDisorders associated with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system are quite common yet frequently unrecognized. The quantitative autonomic testing presented here can be invaluable tool for evaluation of these disorders. This manual fills a gap in the literature and deals mainly with practical aspects of autonomic testing. In accord with the "good picture is worth a thousand words" mantra, signal drawings are heavy used throughout the text to facilitate the readers' knowledge. Autonomic Testing is the optimal guide for autonomic fellows, residents in neurology, general medicine and other specialties or for everybody that is interested in performing and interpreting autonomic tests. The unique aspect of this book is the use of the skin biopsies for assessment of small autonomic and sensory fibers as a routine part of autonomic testing. Another important feature of this book is the use of continuous cerebral blood flow velocity and end tidal CO2 monitoring in addition to standard heart rate and blood pressure recordings during the testing. Comprised of 100 unique case studies, each case solves a particular clinical question. The presented cases include neurally mediated syncope, psychogenic pseudosyncope, orthostatic intolerance syndromes, autonomic failure, variety of small fiber neuropathies (with and without autoimmunity), autonomic dysfunction in neurodegenerative and hypermobile disorders.

This book aims at providing insights into the collagen superfamily and the remarkable diversity of collagen function within the extracellular matrix. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying collagen-related diseases such as dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, osteogenesis imperfecta, as well as collagen-related myopathies and neurological disorders are discussed. Collagens are the most abundant extracellular matrix proteins in organisms. Their primary function is to provide structural support and strength to cells and to maintain biomechanical integrity of tissues. However, collagens can no longer be considered just as structural proteins. They can act as extracellular modulators of signaling events and serve critical regulatory roles in various cell functions during embryonic development and adult homeostasis. Furthermore, collagens are associated with a broad spectrum of heritability-related diseases known as “collagenopathies” that affect a multitude of organs and tissues including sensorial organs. The book is a useful introduction to the field for junior scientists, interested in extracellular matrix research. It is also an interesting read for advanced scientists and clinicians working on collagens and collagenopathies, giving them a broader view of the field beyond their area of specialization.