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Out-of-Town Study Subjects
The question below is from a patient who lives in Wisconsin. She asked
whether she needs to come to Boulder to take part in the study. Dr. Lowe's
answer is typical of his replies to out-of-town people who've inquired
about participating.
Dear
Dr. Lowe:
I am extremely frustrated about my health, and happened across your website. I have been battling fibromyalgia symptoms for 10 years, and
I've been so depressed about it. Finally, when my symptoms got worse (could they possibly get worse???), I start searching on the Internet and became convinced that I have a thyroid problem. Then I found your website relating fibromyalgia to thyroid problems. I am so excited that you have found out how fibromyalgia is related to thyroid
disease! I would love to be part of your current study, but I live in Madison, WI. Do you only take people who live in Colorado? Would I need to come there. Please let me know if I can be in the study.
Dr. Lowe:
I sincerely regret that you've suffered for so long. Millions of people such as you are
now suffering needlessly, since we've known for years how to relieve most patients
"fibromyalgia" symptoms. One reason we're continuing to do studies is to
accumulate overwhelming evidence of four propositions:
You would have to come to Boulder to participate in the study. If you want to
take part, you should understand
four points below:
Measuring Your Metabolic Rate Soon After Your Arrival. We can use patients from outside the Colorado region. But if you live at an altitude
far lower than that of the Denver/Boulder area, we'll need to measure your metabolic rate within hours after you
arrive in Boulder. The reason is that Boulder's altitude is
more than a mile, and the air we breathe here has less oxygen in it
than does air at lower altitudes. To adapt, our bodies produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells. A person who lives at a lower altitude, where there's more oxygen in the air, has fewer red blood cells. When
this person travels to Boulder to take part in the study, within a day or two, her sympathetic nervous system
becomes. The activity increases to stimulate her bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. The increased sympathetic nervous activity also raises the metabolic rate somewhat. Because of this, we need to measure her metabolic rate as soon as possible
after she arrives in Boulder to learn what it is at the lower altitude.
Preferably we'll measure it within several hours, but definitely before the first 24 hours
pass.
Travel Expenses. Unfortunately, the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation
(FRF) isn't able to reimburse study subjects for travel expenses. Our studies are
solely funded by donations from recovered patients, from people who're sympathetic to our mission, and
by an occasional nano-amount from United Way. Virtually
every dollar we receive is spent on the actual costs of studies.
Preparation. If you are able to come to Boulder for metabolic testing, be sure to phone
Peggy Myers at 303-413-9100. She'll make sure you prepare in the proper way. Proper preparation is
crucial to getting accurate measurements.
No Treatment Involved in Study. It is important for you to know that we aren't testing a treatment protocol in this study. Instead, we're doing a full evaluation of each study subject's metabolic status. We provide subjects' with the results of their evaluations so that they can share them with any
health care practitioners treating them.
Thanks for your interest in the study.
Sincerely,
Dr. John C. Lowe
Board Certified: American Academy of Pain Management
Director of Research: Fibromyalgia Research Foundation
Center for Metabolic Health
1007 Pearl Street, Suite 280, Boulder, CO 80302 USA
Tel (303) 413-9100 Fax (303) 604-0773 www.drlowe.com
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