DECEMBER 2009 FAMILY - UK Fibromyalgia

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£357,000 Critical Illness payout for Fibromyalgia sufferer Brian Barr Solicitors have managed to achieve a full £357,000 payout under a Critical Illness policy for Mr GR, a fibromyalgia sufferer. 46 year old Mr GR was a successful company director who took out a substantial critical illness policy in 2002. The policy would pay him £356,903 if he were to suffer “total and permanent disability in respect of his own occupation”. During the spring of 2004 Mr GR began to suffer several worrying symptoms. His feet and hands started to get spasms, tingling, cramps and the like and his muscles could be seen to be twitching under the skin. One Sunday in the summer of 2004 he collapsed with severe pins and needles and loss of movement in his hands. The doctors made an initial diagnosis of cramp fasciculation syndrome. By August 2005 Mr GR’s condition had deteriorated considerably to the extent that he was finding it difficult to walk, write and think. He stopped work in August 2005 and by autumn 2005 he was walking aided with a stick. A Consultant Rheumatologist made a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. In February 2006, given his ongoing chronic health problems, Mr GR contacted his critical illness insurers and made a claim. The insurers sent Mr GR to several doctors and an Occupational Therapist, each of whom recommended courses of action which might alleviate Mr GR’s symptoms. The insurers refused to settle Mr GR’s claim on the basis that his disability was not expected to be “total and permanent”, arguing that the courses of action recommended by the various specialists might enable Mr GR to return to work at a later date. of specific limbs, but will also have provision for permanent incapacity. Critical Illness, Permanent Health Insurance cover, Accident Protection and Mortgage Protection policies can all benefit Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain sufferers”. If you would like us to look at any policies you have, without obligation, please contact us. Brian Barr Solicitors, Enfield House, Bury Old Road, Manchester, M7 4QX Tel: 0161 720 6700 Fax: 0161 721 4274 e-mail:" info@brianbarr.co.uk ASK BRIAN Starting in the January 2010 issue Brian Barr will answer your legal questions in respect of fibromyalgia. Please send your questions by email to office@ukfibromyalgia.com or by post to UK Fibromyalgia, 7 Ashbourne Road, Bournemouth, Dorset. Please state whether you wish to remain anonymous when your question is published. Page seven - Brian Barr Solicitors In October 2007 Mr GR approached Brian Barr Solicitors. Mr Barr instructed a Consultant Rheumatologist to examine Mr GR and prepare a report. He confirmed the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and recommended that Mr GR attend a Pain Management Programme. However, crucially, the Consultant stated in his report that Mr GR would probably never be able to return to his occupation, even after completing a Pain Management Programme. In the face of this evidence, Mr GR’s insurers agreed to settle the claim in full. Mr GR says: “During the period of time that legal proceedings were taking place I found that I was dealt with in a very professional manner and was kept informed as to how the case was proceeding. Mr Barr personally dealt with the case and was at hand to advise. Without his help and assistance I doubt whether I would have won the case as insurance companies have the ability to ignore individuals and expect that you will give up the fight. I was recommended the services of Brian Barr Associates by Fibromyalgia UK, the charity set up to help sufferers." “We feel” says Brian Barr “that this case shows that we can make a real difference on these insurance claims. People often feel that Critical Illness cover just means specific conditions like cancer, strokes and heart attacks, but invariably there will be provision for payment in the event of total permanent incapacity, usually defined as being unable to work until normal retirement. Likewise, Accident Protection Policies will frequently refer to loss
Authoritative report into herbal medicines & complementary therapies for FM The report summarises the body of scientific evidence on 40 alternative treatments and scores their effectiveness and safety. The full report can be seen online at: www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/documents/6300.pdf The report was commissioned by the ARC, a UK charity supporting research into arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. The corresponding author was Professor Gary J Macfarlane from the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry. There are lots of compounds that have been proposed as treatments for fibromyalgia, and the authors of the report aimed to identify all of those where there has been some claim supported by research evidence. Specifically, the researchers were interested in compounds that were taken by mouth or applied to the skin. They excluded therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage and several other hands-on therapies that have been commonly used for arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. The report covers forty complementary and alternative medicines including deer antler velvet, vitamins and willow bark. These summaries were compiled by systematically searching medical and scientific literature on these popular alternative treatments. The study’s authors used experts in the field to search for and evaluate the evidence. As the report was aimed at the general public, it also included input from a patient representative. The authors relied heavily on the results of randomised trials and gave preference to this type of evidence when estimating an effectiveness score. The scoring system assessed the quality of trials, appraised based on a This evidence-based review summarises evidence on the effectiveness and safety of several herbal and complementary medicines commonly used to treat arthritic conditions, including fibromyalgia. scoring system called the “Jadad scoring scale”. This commonly used scale has levels from 1 (very poor quality) to 5 (very good quality). The researchers collapsed the scale into two categories: good/high quality (Jadad score 3 or above), and low quality (Jadad score below 3). They took this into account when scoring the compounds’ overall research evidence base, defining the scores as follows: 1 - There is, overall, no evidence to suggest that the compound works or only a little evidence which is outweighed by much stronger evidence that it does not work. 2 - There is only a little evidence to suggest the compound might work. The evidence from studies in this category often came from only a single study which reported positive results. There are, therefore, important doubts about whether or not it works. 3 - There is some promising evidence to suggest that the compound works. The evidence will be from more than one study. However, there may also be some studies showing that it does not work. Therefore, we are still uncertain whether compounds in this category work or not. 4 - There is some consistency to the evidence, which will come from more than one study, to suggest that the compound works. Although there are still doubts from the evidence that it works, on balance, we feel that it is more likely to be effective than not. 5 - There is consistent evidence across several studies to suggest that this compound is effective. The safety categories are based on a scheme developed by the authors: Green “traffic light” was awarded to compounds with reported adverse effects which were mainly minor symptoms and infrequent. A classification of green does not mean that the compound has no reported adverse effects and patients should check in the product information leaflet what these are. Amber “traffic light” was awarded to compounds with adverse effects reported as common (even if they were mainly minor symptoms) or with more serious adverse effects. Red “traffic light” was awarded to compounds where serious adverse effects were reported. Patients should carefully consider these before deciding whether to take these medicines What were the results of the study The only products that were reviewed for fibromyalgia were: Anthocyadins Capsaican gel Homeopathy SAME The researchers report that of the four products assessed, none was highly effective, with three medicines scoring 2 points out of 5, and the fourth considered ineffective, scoring just 1 point. Page eight - Authoritative report into herbal medicines & complementary therapies for FM
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DECEMBER 2009 FAMILY - UK Fibromyalgia

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