"No cure, just relief"

Fibromyalgia causes pain.
Lüdenscheid. Pain, fatigue, helplessness. The women and men carry
through.Wimp, hypochondriac whiner - the environment is disturbed.
Fibromyalgia whirls life.

One to two million people in Germany, mostly women aged 35 years,
suffering from the chronic disease with the difficult pronounce names.
Fibromyalgia means severe muscle pain, tension, insomnia, loss of
power. "Life is not predictable. If you normally live one days, you
will be punished for six days. That's cruel, "says Gudrun Zimmermann.

The men and women in their discussion group to vote. They look
healthy, but they are not. In the group they tell how they try to "get
a life each day on the new series."

Since November 2010 Roland Mueller directs the circle. He knows, he is
concerned. Last year he was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. "Finally," he
says today.The Rheumatism League Lüdenscheid became the catch basin.
Glad were the men and women from Lüdenscheid and environment to be
able to dock here.

They were labeled as Imaginary Invalid. "The search for the diagnosis
was terrible," describe it all the way through the "medical machine".
"We are all getting older," said one comment on the complaints. "There
are doctors who say this is not a disease. There are doctors who say
it could be fibromyalgia - and then ask: But what you want with the
diagnosis, "says Roland Mueller.

"Also, it is difficult for doctors"
He wanted certainty in order to deal with the disease. The typical
odyssey began. It is a quest for the famous needle in the haystack,
clearly rheumatic at 300 to 400 different diseases. Admits Smith "For
the doctors is difficult" one. The track search among other things, to
the exclusion principle: The medical history will be rolled out in
detail at the physical examination, pressure points are called "tender
points" through-checked.

And then? "There is no cure, there is only relief" to know the people
concerned. They hope to overcome the fear of the night, when they can
not sleep for pain. They hope to find out which drugs work. They hope
to learn but also how they manage without high doses, because they are
afraid to become addicted to painkillers.

Long-term programs are needed that address the needs of patients. An
example is the function of training that is offered by the
rheumatology division. Not the performance that counts, trained
therapists assist those affected rather the process of obtaining basic
bodily functions and build. More training opportunities for
fibromyalgia patients want Müller and his discussion group. Mueller
wants to bring the group with fibromyalgia experts this week.

One of the victims know all the same: Your illness is not life
threatening and does not destroy the joints. You want to know more,
but - Wolfgang Voss puts it in a nutshell: "Read and learn is one
thing. Important it is to enforce the things also. "

Health reform pay cash aspirin for heart patients

The statutory health insurance companies will reimburse patients on the costs of certain prescription and homeopathic medicines. These include some aspirin for heart attack and aftercare of iodide in thyroid diseases.

The so-called lifestyle drugs are no longer paid

The statutory health insurance companies will reimburse patients on the costs of certain prescription and homeopathic medicines. These include some aspirin for heart attack and stroke at follow-up of heart disease and iodide in thyroid diseases, such as the Federal Joint Committee of doctors, health insurers and patients on Tuesday in Bonn decided. The adopted amendment to the Medicines Policy with effect from 1 April.
No power and more weight loss product
Even some herbal remedies like St. John's wort for depression, cancer and mistletoe Bilobablätter ginkgo extract in dementia should be paid to the patient. In addition, funding from homeopathy and anthroposophy are so far approved for prescription, as they replace other funds from the new arrangements in the treatment. Drugs to enhance sexual prowess or appetite suppressant diet, smoking cessation agents, or against baldness and wrinkles are definitely not paid by the statutory health insurance. For such so-called lifestyle drugs, the Federal Joint Committee decided by doctors and cash on Tuesday in Bonn a specific taboo list.Among the funds that are specifically excluded from reimbursement, including preparations which are used "to increase the quality of life" or "to individual needs', or be applied only for the cosmetic treatment of consequences of natural aging processes.

Since 1 January will be reimbursed no more, no health care reform in the wake of prescription drugs in general, but must be paid by patients out of pocket. The Federal Committee agreed to decide the dispute on an exception list of 36 drugs with serious illnesses linked to them. The respective means need for such diseases are standard therapy.

Decision on legal grounds
For legal reasons the "therapeutic range", the committee saw, according to the Chairman Rainer Hess prompted to allow the controversial because of questionable efficacy of homeopathy and anthroposophy means to medical prescription. "It made no decision was technical and scientific reasons." The decision also means "no carte blanche for homeopathy." The reform savings target of around one billion euros for medicines would be reached regardless of the exceptions, said Hess.

Also by the medical profession and the cash uncertainties. "It lacks all rationality," said the Vice-Chairman of the Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Leonard Hansen. Policy and lawmakers have it but by design. For the representative of the patient's side, the decision went to homeopathic remedies on the other hand did not go far enough. She wanted a general clause for such agents and not their loyalty to the other ingredients.

Patient representatives are considering constitutional challenge
The new reimbursement guidelines for prescription and homeopathic medicines are met with representatives of patients and the pharmaceutical industry to criticism.The homeopathic doctors announced constitutional challenge to the almost complete exclusion of their medicines. The Alliance of Rare Diseases (AXIS) is concerned that preparations overlooked for its members and therefore no longer be reimbursed by health insurance. The Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry (BPI) spoke of a positive list by the back door.

BPI chief executive Henning Fahrenkamp criticized on Tuesday by the Federal Joint Committee presented exceptional performers list only active ingredients. It would be better for his words but have a list with indications for approved drugs continues then all should have been refunded. "That would have real therapy for the patients and thus diversity means better care." Overall, the exception list failed to be scarce.

Ulla Schmidt pleased with reimbursement list
Federal Health Minister Ulla Schmidt has expressed satisfaction with the changes adopted by the Federal Health Committee of the Medicines Policy. The list of non-prescription and homeopathic medicines paid for by the cash register is a good foundation, "so that patients continue to get what they need," Schmidt said on Wednesday in the ZDF "Morning Magazine".

The criticism of homeopathic doctors, the therapy would be restricted diversity through the list, did not accept Schmidt. "All are treated equally and there is no exclusion of any branch of therapy." Schmidt reiterated its forecast for the development of cash contributions: "This will be a year of contribution rate reduction." The funds have already been achieved in the first quarter savings.

Catalogue of cures and remedies must be checked urgently

Report of the Barmer GEK

The statutory health insurance companies have had to spend last year for around six billion euros in aid, a remedy for € 4.6 billion. In order for the cost of medicines since 2004 have risen by 14.7 percent. Spending on aid grew by more than 26 percent. These figures come from a report of the Barmer GEK.

Not all remedies hold a scrutiny
     
Devices include wheelchairs, crutches, visual and hearing aids. The term remedy measures such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy are summarized. The Barmer GEK wants to optimize their costs and asks the doctors to rethink when prescribing these agents. For, in the opinion of the deputy chairman of the Barmer GEK, Dr. Rolf-Ulrich Schlenker, the use of auxiliary and remedies often comes too late. If this practice would be changed, so could a number of surgeries, hospitalizations, or medication can be saved. But not only the timing of the regulation is often questionable. The prescription of these agents is often not evidence-based, and also economic aspects appear to play no role for many physicians. Schlenker is of the opinion that there is hardly an area within the health service is in the gap between the economy and the health benefits that far.

Operations could be avoided
As examples, the Barmer GEK-Vice various diseases and their treatment: How can compression stockings help with varicose veins better than surgery, urinary incontinence with pelvic floor exercises can be targeted to make an operation unnecessary. The immediate use of artificial hip and knee joints is controversial for some time. One might initially prescribe physical therapy. The director of the Center for Social Policy in Bremen, study author Professor Gerd Glaeske warns of a change in physician behavior: "The possibilities of physical therapy as prevention are obviously not used enough."

Remedies are used poorly
 Glaeske advocates that the list of remedies is reviewed. For so many applications have a rather dubious benefit. Gerd Glaeske gives the example of the heat and cold therapy for stroke, which he described as completely absurd. Electrical stimulation to treat chronic pain is also somewhat questionable, because the efficacy is as good as not proven. "The same applies to the treatment of patients with spinal electrotherapy. Here there is clearly an over-and misuse." However, it decided to give a few electrical therapies for neurological diseases or in stroke. "Therefore, evidence-based work on the Federal Joint Committee of the remedy catalog," demands Glaeske.

Health insurance is no substitute for education deficits
One telling detail of the report sheds light on the causes of rising costs. The reasons are not only looking at the demographic trends, but also the shortcomings of social policies contribute to this. Among the remedies the costs especially for occupational therapy and speech therapy are greatly increased. Rolf-Ulrich Schlenker sees a general trend, the "cure of childhood." He believes, to recognize here a rather negative and over-zealous cooperation of overburdened parents and educators, too solicitous of occupational therapists and doctors. The statutory health insurance companies can not make up his view, the educational failures.

Scrutiny of the tools required
For all these reasons, demand Glaeske Schlenker and a review of medicines and medical aids. Since the beginning of this year, the benefits of new drugs is reviewed. It is incomprehensible that there are no adequate tools for the benefit assessment, Schlenker. "We also call for a similar instrument for the aid sector." Before new tools are included in the catalog of the statutory health insurance, benefits and effectiveness should be closely monitored.